Cycle Question

MoneyMitch

ok so its day three of me having fish, i have x4 fish and i have been feeding twice a day since i got them. i just went to check the levels of everything to see if my cycle started and here is what i got so far.

Ph 8.3
Ammonia between 0.25 and 0.50
Nitrate 5.0
Nitrite Between 1.0 and 2.0

so tell me whats going on here is the cycle started? i havent done a water change yet since its only been three days. im going to cut feeding back to once every other day now that things have started, should i wait till its been a week for the water change or should i do one now? also how much of one should i do. Thanks guys, Money

Calmwaters

If I were you I would do a partial water change bacuase your readings are kind of high in my opinion.

artgalnj

I would think if you're showing ammonia, nitrite and nitrates the process has begun. Also, I completely agree with Calmwaters!!! PWC asap.

MoneyMitch

ill wait till the end of the night to see whjat everyone thinks doing something spontaneous usually ends up bad.

mollies

IMO! I would agree with every one else. I would do a 20 percent every other day for the first week. Then go every 3 day for a week, then once a week from there on. Your amonia is enough to kill a fish. Byron and others know more bout the degree to this. So i will let them help you more.

MoneyMitch

thanks for the info so far everyone im going to pick up some of that "cycle in a bottle" stuff tonight after work. i know it doesnt cycle your tank just promotes it to happen. i just wanna get more info before i jump the gun on anything. Money

Twistersmom

Have you tested your tap water for nitrates? Asking because I sometimes have nitrates in my tap water.
If I am doing a fish cycle, I never let ammonia get above .25 ppm. IMO, easier on the fish.

redlessi

Do you have another tank that you can use filter media from to see this tank. It will give you the best jump on a cycle that you can get. I would do partial water change frequently as your reading suggest your cycle has started and they can be hard on the fish. Are you using prime to condition the water if not I would get some so when you do the water change it will help the fish survive with less stress. Good Luck

MoneyMitch

ok sao i went and got a giant Amazon Sword plant and threw it in, i also bought some stuff called cycle to use and i went and got some tap water conditioner for the water change. on my tap water its no nirate, nitrite ammonia or any of that just crazy gh kh and ph of course (hard water).

second question, i use a hose to fill up my tank from outside, is it ok for the fish? i mean its not at temp or conditioned i just plan on adding conditioner after i fill it up and let the waters temp even out without "preheating" it. sry for rambleing money

MoneyMitch

opps forgot to ask when do i need to put in that cycle stuff and what is it exactly