I think my tanks cycles have crashed...

[SC Fish]

Both my 10g (12US)and my 20g(24US) I've been told have crashed by some people. This was because I shared an image of test strips showing that nitrates and nitrites where almost at 0. I'm getting an ammonia test soon but can this be confirmed?

I have no idea what I'm meant to do so anything will help

[Lennie]

Hey SC,

Nitrites indeed should read 0. However, nitrates reading 0 in a heavily planted tank, especially with an understock is not a rare occasion to come by. Even in my stocked tanks, since I have lots of plants, I barely read 10 nitrates before weekly water changes, and even my tap reads 20 nitrates.

So you reading 0 nitrates would not directly mean your cycle is crushed. 

Do you ever test your tap water? Does it read any ammonia and nitrites? Maybe you introduce some directly to your tank during water changes and read it directly.

Do you use dechlorinator during water changes?

Have you recently used any medicine, especially antibiotics which may have affected the cycle by any chance?

Do you observe any signs of ammonia burn or nitrite poisioning on your fish? Have you lost any fish recently?

 

Ammonia test would definitely help to answer some of the questions on your mind for sure.

In a cycled tank, with lots of plants but understock, you reading 0/0/0 would not be uncommon, and I don't believe it would mean your cycle is crashed. It just mean your bacteria and plants use the stuff and does their job.

Edited May 23 by Lennie

[Pepere]

On 5/23/2023 at 4:34 AM, Lennie said:

In a cycled tank, with lots of plants but understock, you reading 0/0/0 would not be uncommon, and I don't believe it would mean your cycle is crashed.

It does however, indicate your plants would benefit from fertilizing.  I like using Easy Green myself. If I didnt fertilize regularly, my tank would read barely any nitrates as it is heavily planted with CO2 injection and strong lighting, and that is with it fairly well stocked with fish…

[TOtrees]

While you wait for a way to test ammonia (it really is the missing puzzle piece), you could add something like Seachem Prime or Hikari's Cloram-X or Fritz Complete to detoxify ammonia, if it's present. It's pretty benign stuff, if used according to the label. There's some debate about whether it actually works as advertised (to detoxify ammonia) but it won't hurt anything. 

[Tommy Vercetti]

0 nitrites is one of the goals when cycling a tank. There are beneficial bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate.

0 nitrates in a planted tank, that does not get dosed with fertilizers, is expected in a cycled tank and does not indicate a crashed cycle. If your tank has a light stocking of fish then the plants will consume all of the available nitrate.

Let us know what the ammonia test say when you get your tests. But I am pretty sure it will read 0, this means your tank is doing fine and that if you want more plant growth, then consider dosing a fertilizer.

 

 

Edited May 23 by Tommy Vercetti

[SC Fish]

On 5/23/2023 at 9:34 AM, Lennie said:

Hey SC,

Nitrites indeed should read 0. However, nitrates reading 0 in a heavily planted tank, especially with an understock is not a rare occasion to come by. Even in my stocked tanks, since I have lots of plants, I barely read 10 nitrates before weekly water changes, and even my tap reads 20 nitrates.

So you reading 0 nitrates would not directly mean your cycle is crushed. 

Do you ever test your tap water? Does it read any ammonia and nitrites? Maybe you introduce some directly to your tank during water changes and read it directly.

Do you use dechlorinator during water changes?

Have you recently used any medicine, especially antibiotics which may have affected the cycle by any chance?

Do you observe any signs of ammonia burn or nitrite poisioning on your fish? Have you lost any fish recently?

 

Ammonia test would definitely help to answer some of the questions on your mind for sure.

In a cycled tank, with lots of plants but understock, you reading 0/0/0 would not be uncommon, and I don't believe it would mean your cycle is crashed. It just mean your bacteria and plants use the stuff and does their job.

i have never tested my tap water , i do use dechlorinator, i have used medecine but not on the 10g , and not from what i can tell.
im doing the test rn

 

my stocking is 

for the 20 gallon:
1 sparkling gourami (i had 2 but one latley just passed)
3 platies (but one is behing rehomed in a couple days)
1 fancy guppy
7 neon tetras
5 otos
5 amano shrimp

10 gallon: - soon to be 20
5 platies

5 baby platies (also behing rehomed)
5 minnows mountain

On 5/23/2023 at 2:06 PM, Tommy Vercetti said:

0 nitrites is one of the goals when cycling a tank. There are beneficial bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate.

0 nitrates in a planted tank, that does not get dosed with fertilizers, is expected in a cycled tank and does not indicate a crashed cycle. If your tank has a light stocking of fish then the plants will consume all of the available nitrate.

Let us know what the ammonia test say when you get your tests. But I am pretty sure it will read 0, this means your tank is doing fine and that if you want more plant growth, then consider dosing a fertilizer.

 

 

im starting to think my tanks may be a bit overstocked..

but ive always been told it was fine

 

for the 20 gallon:
1 sparkling gourami (i had 2 but one latley just passed)
3 platies (but one is behing rehomed in a couple days)
1 fancy guppy
7 neon tetras
5 otos
5 amano shrimp

10 gallon: - soon to be 20
5 platies

5 baby platies (also behing rehomed)
5 minnows mountain

[Darax]

If you have an ammonia spike you will likely have a bubbly froth in your water. 

[SC Fish]

This is the reading for ammonia @Tommy Vercetti

@Lennie

@Pepere

This is for the 10 gallon

 

20 gallon:

 

Edited May 23 by SC Fish

[lefty o]

i think you're fine. your bacteria colony is doing its job.

[TOtrees]

One problem down (ammonia is 0), on to the next one: do you need to add fertilizer to keep plants healthy? Do you have plants? If you do, low-zero nitrates will be a problem over the long term (and short term, but you won't see it right away).

On the plus side, you're obviously doing something right (or a lot of somethings). I get the sense from your original question you're at least a bit new at this. To get these readings, you have to be changing enough water, and not over-feeding. So put check marks or happy faces or gold stars or whatever next to those items. 🙂

And no I don't think you're overstocked. With clean parameters like yours, the issue of stocking will come down to compatibility. Aggression, predation and things like that. If you don't have or see those, you're good. 

[Lennie]

On 5/23/2023 at 6:43 PM, SC Fish said:

im starting to think my tanks may be a bit overstocked..

I don't think it is overstocked. I would even increase the size of singles to groups myself. 

I don't believe livebearers like to live alone and they enjoy their own species, so does sparkling gouramis. So I would keep at least 3 of each personally

[SC Fish]

On 5/23/2023 at 6:09 PM, Lennie said:

I don't think it is overstocked. I would even increase the size of singles to groups myself. 

I don't believe livebearers like to live alone and they enjoy their own species, so does sparkling gouramis. So I would keep at least 3 of each personally

Tbh the guppy had a group but there where 2 that killed or the other 2 so I removed the aggressors and haven't yet added more. 

On 5/23/2023 at 6:09 PM, Lennie said:

I don't think it is overstocked. I would even increase the size of singles to groups myself. 

I don't believe livebearers like to live alone and they enjoy their own species, so does sparkling gouramis. So I would keep at least 3 of each personally

I have a random endler in a 5 gallon rn that I'm treating  just incase of illness . Am I ok to add the endler in with the other guppy?

[Lennie]

On 5/23/2023 at 8:23 PM, SC Fish said:

I have a random endler in a 5 gallon rn that I'm treating  just incase of illness . Am I ok to add the endler in with the other guppy?

Endlers and guppies may breed and have hybrid babies. So I personally keep mine in seperate tanks

 

On 5/23/2023 at 8:23 PM, SC Fish said:

Tbh the guppy had a group but there where 2 that killed or the other 2 so I removed the aggressors and haven't yet added more. 

That's interesting. All males, or potentially too many males for a few females? I personally like 1m:3f the most, but sometimes I can only get 1m:2f which works fine

[SC Fish]

On 5/23/2023 at 6:43 PM, Lennie said:

Endlers and guppies may breed and have hybrid babies. So I personally keep mine in seperate tanks

 

That's interesting. All males, or potentially too many males for a few females? I personally like 1m:3f the most, but sometimes I can only get 1m:2f which works fine

Both the endler and the guppy are male

On 5/23/2023 at 6:43 PM, Lennie said:

Endlers and guppies may breed and have hybrid babies. So I personally keep mine in seperate tanks

 

That's interesting. All males, or potentially too many males for a few females? I personally like 1m:3f the most, but sometimes I can only get 1m:2f which works fine

Yeah they where all makes . I hate breeding - I know I should let them but it gets out of control and I have no where to put babies

Also guys. If my ammonia is fine what could be causing so much hair algae?

[neitherman]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:34 AM, Lennie said:

Hey SC,

Nitrites indeed should read 0. However, nitrates reading 0 in a heavily planted tank, especially with an understock is not a rare occasion to come by. Even in my stocked tanks, since I have lots of plants, I barely read 10 nitrates before weekly water changes

I was also wondering if this is normal for a heavily planted tank so thank you! I have been reading 0 nitrates since I set up my new tank but I definitely never had an ammonia spike or die offs. I do add fertilizers but they don't ever seem to increase the nitrate levels.

[Lennie]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:17 PM, neitherman said:

I was also wondering if this is normal for a heavily planted tank so thank you! I have been reading 0 nitrates since I set up my new tank but I definitely never had an ammonia spike or die offs. I do add fertilizers but they don't ever seem to increase the nitrate levels.

I've just checked your journal. Seems like I already commented on it on early stages. No surprise, I would never miss a tiger barb tank :')

Very pretty tank with lots of plants, even pothos! So that is very normal to not read nitrates there. Don't worry ^^ 

Having a seperate test kit for ammonia can be a life saver. Sadly test kits are so expensive here yet I always keep a liquid one around. Highly recommended to keep one under your hand, although I don't believe you are having issues whatsoever, you never know if you ever will! 

[RennjiDK]

On 5/23/2023 at 7:45 AM, TOtrees said:

While you wait for a way to test ammonia (it really is the missing puzzle piece), you could add something like Seachem Prime or Hikari's Cloram-X or Fritz Complete to detoxify ammonia, if it's present. It's pretty benign stuff, if used according to the label. There's some debate about whether it actually works as advertised (to detoxify ammonia) but it won't hurt anything. 

There's no debate at all, it does not work. It's been tested by chemists multiple times and has no effect on NH3. The only people who still claim that is does are the companies making the products.

[Lennie]

On 5/23/2023 at 11:50 PM, RennjiDK said:

There's no debate at all, it does not work. It's been tested by chemists multiple times and has no effect on NH3. The only people who still claim that is does are the companies making the products.

Check this out.

 

[SC Fish]

On 5/23/2023 at 5:27 PM, TOtrees said:

One problem down (ammonia is 0), on to the next one: do you need to add fertilizer to keep plants healthy? Do you have plants? If you do, low-zero nitrates will be a problem over the long term (and short term, but you won't see it right away).

On the plus side, you're obviously doing something right (or a lot of somethings). I get the sense from your original question you're at least a bit new at this. To get these readings, you have to be changing enough water, and not over-feeding. So put check marks or happy faces or gold stars or whatever next to those items. 🙂

And no I don't think you're overstocked. With clean parameters like yours, the issue of stocking will come down to compatibility. Aggression, predation and things like that. If you don't have or see those, you're good. 

Hey just wondering. R u sure ammonia is 0 cos it looks in the pic that it's more.browny like 0.2 ? Idk I got weird eye sight but at the same time.its also very yellowy

Edited May 23 by SC Fish

[Lennie]

On 5/24/2023 at 12:35 AM, SC Fish said:

Hey just wondering. R u sure ammonia is 0 cos it looks in the pic that it's more.browny like 0.2 ? Idk I got weird eye sight but at the same time.its also very yellowy

whats your ph?

[SC Fish]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:49 PM, Lennie said:

whats your ph?

Last time I checked I think about 7.5 in the 10 gallon and 7.4 in the 20 they where not that different 

 

With test strips

Edited May 23 by SC Fish

[RennjiDK]

On 5/23/2023 at 5:06 PM, Lennie said:

Check this out.

 

This isn't science, this is an aquarist with an API test kit attempting chemistry they don't understand. There are multiple threads from actual chemists which you can read on your own, but ill provide a screen here for you dispelling why this is a bad experiment. 

[TOtrees]

On 5/23/2023 at 5:35 PM, SC Fish said:

R u sure ammonia is 0 cos it looks in the pic that it's more.browny like 0.2 ?

Answering as someone who weighed in above, not as the author or keeper of the tanks in question. But if that test isn’t 0, it’s close enough to make no difference. In my humble opinion 😂

To put it another way, I (speaking only for myself, and being aware that I’m speaking to but not for others) see that test result as below any threshold for concern, or the point where some action should be taken, or even considered. So I don’t think it matters if it’s zero, or a smidge above zero, or 0.2, the action or outcome is the same: nothing.  

[RennjiDK]

On 5/23/2023 at 7:05 PM, TOtrees said:

Answering as someone who weighed in above, not as the author or keeper of the tanks in question. But if that test isn’t 0, it’s close enough to make no difference. In my humble opinion 😂

To put it another way, I (speaking only for myself, and being aware that I’m speaking to but not for others) see that test result as below any threshold for concern, or the point where some action should be taken, or even considered. So I don’t think it matters if it’s zero, or a smidge above zero, or 0.2, the action or outcome is the same: nothing.  

It's impossible to reach a zero source of ammonia in a stocked aquarium. There will always be trace amounts. The goal is to have adequate biofiltration to handle the load and not allow it to rise to dangerous levels.