Sometimes, I feel like I need to be a chemist to understand all these aquatic terms, test kits and conditioners. During the first 1 - 3 months of initiating a new aquarium, the fish hobbiest is told to test the aquarium water, initially, every day for NH3, NH4, & Ph, then add in a test for NO2, and finally testing for NO3. You should also test, once a week, the levels of acid/alkaline & hardness. I believe that there are more types and brands of test kits available than there are fish in the world! Since I'm still in the basic "non cycled stage" with all four of my mini aquariums, I am still focusing in on the three most "concerning" chemical readings that I test for every day; Ammonia, Ph & Nitrites.
I learned early on that if the NH3/NH4 (Ammonia) levels get above 1ppm (parts per million) then you should do a decent water change of about 20% (i.e. 2 gallons on a 10 gallon tank) and test the ammonia level again. The higher the PPM reading of the ammonia levels, the more water that should be changed out. Some test kits distinguish between NH3 (a toxic to fish form of Ammonia and typically found in water with 7.2+ Ph readings) and NH4 (a less toxic to fish ammonium, the ionized form of ammonia typically found in water with the below 7.0 Ph readings). Most test kits combine the two types together since, if there is Ammonia in the water, it is likely to raise the neutral 7.0 Ph readings into the higher 7.6+ levels rather quickly. Most tap water in the US is in the neutral Ph range, HOWEVER, there are regions that have extreme Ph levels one way or the other. Knowing your base Ph level straight out of the tap is a good idea to start with. AND do you begin to see what I mean about needing to be a chemist?
Yah, yah, yah.... I've read all the articles about getting healthy bacterial seed from reputable fish folks to speed the cycling process along. Yes, I've read all the tips and tricks for speeding up the cycling process with all the wonderful proclamations of completing the nitrogen cycle in less than a week (or two). I don't know any fishy folks in the area and I've read enough horror stories online to dissuade me from asking for the "seed" from the local fish store (LFS). Also, I'm not inclined to join a "fishtank support group" just to get the bacterial seed.
So I set out to make certain I didn't poison my fish with my new little tanks which obviously were not cycled. Although I originally purchased the dip-in test strips, I immediately figured out that these little testors do NOT have a very good accuracy ratio... I can dip three different testors from the same container into one of my tanks at the same time and each will come out with different readings!
Obviously, there are a plethora of testing kits on the market. You are basically at the whim of your LFS as to which are being made available to you. Some kits are super expensive, while others are less expensive. Try to find something that lasts a long time (longer than a month) to get the most value for your testing pleasures. As I mentioned earlier, there are the dip in the water chemical strips (similar to the EPT [Early Pregnancy Tests]) and then there are the water in a vial tests. The vial test involves taking a sampling of water and pouring the water (dribbling) into little vials. Then you add toxic chemicals (liquid or dry powder) into the vials, shaking the vials and letting them stand for a period of time. Next, you compare the color of the vial after the required "waiting period" to a color code paper/sheet to get an approximate reading of "ppm" for your aquarium's water. Finding a way to keep from knocking a row of "test vials" over in a domino effect seems to be my biggest challenge with these tests. Remember to wash hands with soap and vials (without soap) thoroughly after you are done testing.
During the initial cycling through the NH3/4 (ammonia/ammonium) and NO2 (Nitrite) stages, a company named "Seachem" has become my best friend. This is not to say that they are the only or best company to help with testing and monitoring during the nitrogen cycling. I'm just saying that this company has helped me to maintain my sanity. But, then, who in their right mind goes out and gets 4 new little aquarium tanks over the span of two weeks? Okay, so perhaps sanity was not my main agenda. But some of Seachem's products have made the monitoring process a little easier.
First I discovered the Seachem Ammonia Alert Monitor. This great little device hangs inside the aquarium with an easy to read color code ranging from yellow (good) to blue (toxic). The nice little feature with this ammonia monitor is that it mostly focuses on the NH3 (more toxic to fish) ammonia. Seachem has a forum and a FAQ support portion on their site that can help answer questions.
Any way, back to being a chemist. Because of the breaking in the aquarium nitrogen cycle process thingy, I was forever doing water changes on all four little tanks and seemingly getting no closer to obtaining any nitrItes for fear of killing ALL my fish. I read online in a forum the great things that Prime (TM) another Seachem product does to bond with the toxic ammonia and to help detoxify Nitrite levels as they develop. The theory is that the ammonia and ammonium are still involved in the nitrogen cycling process, but the toxic form of ammonia gets "nullified" for approximately 24 hours. The bottle of Prime claims that it "REMOVES" Chorine, Chloremine & Ammonia. Not quite accurate, but it does condition the water so that it is safer for your fisies. On the side of the bottle, it clarifies a little with "Prime(tm) converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed in the tank's biofilter." What I have kinda figured out on my own is the fact that while it makes the ammonia non-toxic and filterable, it seems that I need to add the Prime(tm) again the next day because the fishies do NOT stop producing ammonia (toxic and other wise) in their water. So, each day, I need to add more.
Since I only have small tanks, I needed to figure out the correct dosage of Prime(tm). One teaspoon will treat a whole 50 gallon tank for the day for up to 20 days. But I only need a few drops per day per tank. So I got an eyedropper that I have dedicated specifically for Prime usage. I calculated how many drops of Prime from the eyedropper were needed to make 1 teaspoon. Then I divided the number of drops by 50 (gallons) to come up with the number of drops/gallon. I have learned the hard way, never assume that all "drops" and eyedroppers are equal. Once I had this figured out, I took a permanent marker and wrote the dosage on the top of my Prime(tm) bottle for one gallon. I need to use 2 drops per gallon of water each day to combat the daily ammonia barrage put out by my fish.
Now, I don't change the water every day. I'm doing a once to twice a week water change. Also, I can use Prime with a little salt in the aquarium water (unlike some other forms of ammonia binding products) since my live-bearing water pets really do like some salt in their water. When I add the Prime(tm) to the tank, I hold the dropper over the front of the (outflow) filter and let the drops get quickly flushed out into the aquarium. Otherwise, my fish seem to feel that the drops are intended to be food and will quickly swim to the area where the drops are going in.
Okay, first and foremost, Prime(tm) does stink a little like rotten eggs. But that smell only lasts a few seconds until it is in the water. And the most important thing is.... My aquariums are finally, after 4 to 6 weeks, starting to produce more and more Nitrites (NO2). WOOHOO! Now that I don't have to do large water changes every day, the little tanks are starting to create the bateria that produce Nitrites.... hopefully, within the next 3 to 4 weeks, I'll have Nitrates and the cycling will be complete!!!!
I learned early on that if the NH3/NH4 (Ammonia) levels get above 1ppm (parts per million) then you should do a decent water change of about 20% (i.e. 2 gallons on a 10 gallon tank) and test the ammonia level again. The higher the PPM reading of the ammonia levels, the more water that should be changed out. Some test kits distinguish between NH3 (a toxic to fish form of Ammonia and typically found in water with 7.2+ Ph readings) and NH4 (a less toxic to fish ammonium, the ionized form of ammonia typically found in water with the below 7.0 Ph readings). Most test kits combine the two types together since, if there is Ammonia in the water, it is likely to raise the neutral 7.0 Ph readings into the higher 7.6+ levels rather quickly. Most tap water in the US is in the neutral Ph range, HOWEVER, there are regions that have extreme Ph levels one way or the other. Knowing your base Ph level straight out of the tap is a good idea to start with. AND do you begin to see what I mean about needing to be a chemist?
Yah, yah, yah.... I've read all the articles about getting healthy bacterial seed from reputable fish folks to speed the cycling process along. Yes, I've read all the tips and tricks for speeding up the cycling process with all the wonderful proclamations of completing the nitrogen cycle in less than a week (or two). I don't know any fishy folks in the area and I've read enough horror stories online to dissuade me from asking for the "seed" from the local fish store (LFS). Also, I'm not inclined to join a "fishtank support group" just to get the bacterial seed.
So I set out to make certain I didn't poison my fish with my new little tanks which obviously were not cycled. Although I originally purchased the dip-in test strips, I immediately figured out that these little testors do NOT have a very good accuracy ratio... I can dip three different testors from the same container into one of my tanks at the same time and each will come out with different readings!
Obviously, there are a plethora of testing kits on the market. You are basically at the whim of your LFS as to which are being made available to you. Some kits are super expensive, while others are less expensive. Try to find something that lasts a long time (longer than a month) to get the most value for your testing pleasures. As I mentioned earlier, there are the dip in the water chemical strips (similar to the EPT [Early Pregnancy Tests]) and then there are the water in a vial tests. The vial test involves taking a sampling of water and pouring the water (dribbling) into little vials. Then you add toxic chemicals (liquid or dry powder) into the vials, shaking the vials and letting them stand for a period of time. Next, you compare the color of the vial after the required "waiting period" to a color code paper/sheet to get an approximate reading of "ppm" for your aquarium's water. Finding a way to keep from knocking a row of "test vials" over in a domino effect seems to be my biggest challenge with these tests. Remember to wash hands with soap and vials (without soap) thoroughly after you are done testing.
During the initial cycling through the NH3/4 (ammonia/ammonium) and NO2 (Nitrite) stages, a company named "Seachem" has become my best friend. This is not to say that they are the only or best company to help with testing and monitoring during the nitrogen cycling. I'm just saying that this company has helped me to maintain my sanity. But, then, who in their right mind goes out and gets 4 new little aquarium tanks over the span of two weeks? Okay, so perhaps sanity was not my main agenda. But some of Seachem's products have made the monitoring process a little easier.
First I discovered the Seachem Ammonia Alert Monitor. This great little device hangs inside the aquarium with an easy to read color code ranging from yellow (good) to blue (toxic). The nice little feature with this ammonia monitor is that it mostly focuses on the NH3 (more toxic to fish) ammonia. Seachem has a forum and a FAQ support portion on their site that can help answer questions.
Any way, back to being a chemist. Because of the breaking in the aquarium nitrogen cycle process thingy, I was forever doing water changes on all four little tanks and seemingly getting no closer to obtaining any nitrItes for fear of killing ALL my fish. I read online in a forum the great things that Prime (TM) another Seachem product does to bond with the toxic ammonia and to help detoxify Nitrite levels as they develop. The theory is that the ammonia and ammonium are still involved in the nitrogen cycling process, but the toxic form of ammonia gets "nullified" for approximately 24 hours. The bottle of Prime claims that it "REMOVES" Chorine, Chloremine & Ammonia. Not quite accurate, but it does condition the water so that it is safer for your fisies. On the side of the bottle, it clarifies a little with "Prime(tm) converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed in the tank's biofilter." What I have kinda figured out on my own is the fact that while it makes the ammonia non-toxic and filterable, it seems that I need to add the Prime(tm) again the next day because the fishies do NOT stop producing ammonia (toxic and other wise) in their water. So, each day, I need to add more.
Since I only have small tanks, I needed to figure out the correct dosage of Prime(tm). One teaspoon will treat a whole 50 gallon tank for the day for up to 20 days. But I only need a few drops per day per tank. So I got an eyedropper that I have dedicated specifically for Prime usage. I calculated how many drops of Prime from the eyedropper were needed to make 1 teaspoon. Then I divided the number of drops by 50 (gallons) to come up with the number of drops/gallon. I have learned the hard way, never assume that all "drops" and eyedroppers are equal. Once I had this figured out, I took a permanent marker and wrote the dosage on the top of my Prime(tm) bottle for one gallon. I need to use 2 drops per gallon of water each day to combat the daily ammonia barrage put out by my fish.
Now, I don't change the water every day. I'm doing a once to twice a week water change. Also, I can use Prime with a little salt in the aquarium water (unlike some other forms of ammonia binding products) since my live-bearing water pets really do like some salt in their water. When I add the Prime(tm) to the tank, I hold the dropper over the front of the (outflow) filter and let the drops get quickly flushed out into the aquarium. Otherwise, my fish seem to feel that the drops are intended to be food and will quickly swim to the area where the drops are going in.
Okay, first and foremost, Prime(tm) does stink a little like rotten eggs. But that smell only lasts a few seconds until it is in the water. And the most important thing is.... My aquariums are finally, after 4 to 6 weeks, starting to produce more and more Nitrites (NO2). WOOHOO! Now that I don't have to do large water changes every day, the little tanks are starting to create the bateria that produce Nitrites.... hopefully, within the next 3 to 4 weeks, I'll have Nitrates and the cycling will be complete!!!!
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