Blind Tetra only survivor
I have had a tank for about 6 months.  When I had the tank completed, I bought six fish, including some neon tetras, a molly, and a blind tetra.  I was told the only thing I had to do was keep the tank clean and feed them.  All but the blind tetra died within a week.  I went back to the pet store and they said I should get a better filter.  Bought one and installed it.  Bought several
more fish (another molly, and algae eater, and another tetra). All died again within a few days except my blind tetra.  Went back to the pet store, they said my water was too cold and sold me a heater.  Installed it.  Bought some more fish (catfish, red tailed shark, Dalmatian molly).  Two of the three new ones are already dead.  My albino polly hides all the time so I can't see if he has died yet.  All of these dead fish and my blind tetra is doing great.  Could he be doing something to the other fish?  The pet store said no, but obviously they can't help with much except taking my money.  I love fish, but I don't
want to send any more to their death!  I want more in my tank, but until I find out what is happening, I think it is cruel to purchase any others.  Can you please help!!! Thanks, Susan
<<Dear Susan; Yes, you really need to do some reading up on "cycling" a tank, also known as New Tank Syndrome. You can do a web search for "cycling a tank" or read this info here at WetWeb: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/estcycfaqs.htm. Basically, your fish are producing ammonia as a liquid waste (like urine) and it is building up to toxic levels in your new set-up. Buying a new filter did nothing, ALL filters have to go thru this process of colonizing nitrifying bacteria. It normally takes a good month, month-and-a-half to cycle a tank. You have only postponed your cycle, so I recommend reading a FAQ on beginning a tank, (and buy yourself some test kits!! Aquarium Pharmaceuticals makes a great Master Test Kit, so you can test your levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Test your tank water every few days during the first week, then once a week or so afterwards, to help you know what is going on in your tank. You may keep track of your levels in a little notebook. I highly recommend this. Even experts with reef tanks test their water weekly!! This is an absolute must in order for you to understand your tank and its citizens. Best of luck, -Gwen>>

Re: Advice for a Very Small Tank
<Hi Jennifer, MacL here, Magnus must be busy>
Thanks so much for your response! It gave me just the info I was looking for. <I'll pass that along to him>  I'll keep the tank as is for now. We may upgrade to a bigger tank in the future, once I think we've got a handle on care of this one (and it's my son's hobby so he's responsible for any purchases for the fish -he'll have to save his birthday money if he wants more fish/new tank etc). <Very wise to do>
So a new set of questions... how long does it actually take to "cycle" the tank. <That depends on the tank size and the bioload on the tank. Let me recommend that you let it take some time and do a good full cycle.> I'm still working hard to keep the ammonia under control, and I wonder now long will it take to build up the beneficial bacteria in this size tank. <The copper will kill off the good bacteria so basically you have to start all over again with the cycle. That's probably why its taking a long time.>  Also, will the CopperSafe that I added (which by the way has cleared up the parasite COMPLETELY) kill off the bacteria so that I have to start over?  I saw that it's harmful to plants, but we just have plastic plants. <Yes it will. And it lingers in the plastic stuff so no snails.>
Also, now that I said my platies (sorry, my son's platies) were doing great, one of them is acting a little funny.  Just doesn't seem real energetic, though he eats a bit and swims around slowly, I just have noticed that the other fish is amazingly energetic in comparison.  Is it something I should worry about? I'm keeping a good eye on the water quality and watching for
strange behavior etc. <Keep a close eye on them.  One could be getting picked on.>
And if I do upgrade to a 5 gallon tank, could I add some female platies to that one (4?) and have all 6 live comfortably in that size? <Yes> Could then my <2 gallon tank be used for quarantine/keeping babies? <Yes for sure>
I have perused the articles on your site (and others) and have found much useful info, which I'm sure is what has kept the fish alive in the first place. <I'm so glad you find the site useful, its so much fun talking to people who write here>  I appreciate it!  These little guys have been with us just 10 days, but we're awfully attached to them. They DO have a personality. <They most certainly do!!!, Good luck, MacL>
Thanks a lot!
Jennifer

FW tank, new, cycling, hopefully
Dear WWM:
I have a cycled 38 gallon freshwater tank (both my kit readings and a very reputable aquatics store confirmed this).  Ammonia, nitrites, and PH all are in good shape.  Yesterday, I added my first group of fish, which was 2 baby angels and 3 baby Corys.  My water is slightly cloudy, and although I understand that the bio-load is adjusting, I wonder if there is anything other than time that will help clear this up.
< You may be over feeding but the cloudy water usually means ammonia. Especially if the water has a fishy smell. If the fish look alright then it may just be dust that came in with the gravel. If the problem is ammonia then you need to change some water and add a water conditioner that detoxifies ammonia. If the water is cloudy from dust then a clarifier will help coat the particles so they are picked up in the filter.>
  Should I use my bubble wand, or will this just stir things up more?
< If the problem with ammonia then the extra aeration will be appreciated by the fish. If the cause is just dust then the filter will be able to pick it up quicker.>  Also, should I hang another filter on there?
< Depends what the problem is. An extra filter will not help with ammonia but may help clear up the dust particles.-Chuck>
I read this suggestion, but I believe it was in reference to a saltwater tank.  Any help is appreciated, and keep up the good work! P.S.
Most of the time my aquatic advisors tell me to "sit on my hands and let time do its work"......
Cyndy Monarez

Re: Freshwater Tank question
Don't think it's ammonia, as the local aquatics store says my water looks good, also there's been no smell, and I remember from the cycling process what ammonia smells like coming from a fish tank.  As for the gravel, that seems odd, as this tank's been in place about 10 weeks, unless the tiny bit of gravel that I transferred when I moved the Corys from the 10 gallon to the 38 gallon was enough to do it.  As I cleaned THAT gravel pretty thoroughly when I set up that tank, however, it seems like 15 or 20 pieces of gravel (at most) wouldn't be enough to cause this cloud, but you're the expert, which is why I wrote.  Could the fact that I moved the Corys the same day as I added the angels have thrown the tank into bio overload?
< Depends on what you mean by BIO overload. When you say that term it makes me think of the fish excreting more than the biological filter can transform ammonia into nitrites. That is why I asked about the ammonia levels. That's what a bio overload is.>
  All of these fish are babies.  Speaking of which, I was anchoring a plant today and noticed what I guess is a fry from one of the "unions" in my tank.  It was a fully formed, but really, really tiny, fish that was able to swim well enough to swim back to the back of the tank.  Could this romance have anything to do with the cloudy water?
< Not likely>
  Also, of the following, which would be the most likely to have spawned:  zebra danios (intermediate sized), angels (very young), Corys (babies) or two mollies (intermediate to adult)?
< The mollies>
Your help and expertise are appreciated.  Also, is Crystal Clear by Aquarium Products a clarifier?
< Yes it is. Just a last minute thought. Have you introduced any new rocks that may be dissolving in your water?   I have some of this, but my aquatics store seem to think that this kind of thing just prolongs whatever one is trying to accomplish.  Your thoughts, please...
P.S. I don't think I'm overfeeding, but I'm scaling it back and skipping a day here and there just to be sure.
Cyndy Monarez

Re: Freshwater Tank question, pH influences, decor/rock
Thanks for clarifying the term "bio overload". Obviously, I was using the term incorrectly.  
No new rocks, just rocks that have been in there since I first set up the aquarium, and just one of those, which was purchased at an aquatics store.
Don't know offhand what type, it's kind of a southwestern-looking rock (clay mixed with white).
< Some sedimentary rocks are clay and silt that have become cemented over time. If your water is slightly acidic then it may be dissolving those cements that have held the clay particles together. I would recommend taking the rock out and letting it dry. Add a drop or two of acid like vinegar and see if it bubbles. If it does then it is not safe for an aquarium. >
and I HAVE noticed that the rock seems to be developing a slightly yellowish cast on the white areas.  My Amazon sword plants WERE added within the last week, however, could this be a factor?
< Only if you had added some amendment to the sand for the plants like laterite.>
  I took off the rock wool as thoroughly as I could without damaging the roots. So you'll have some idea of how much remained on the plants, there probably wouldn't have been enough to put in a thimble-but maybe even that's too much.  Your thoughts?
< If it is not biological then it must be something in the gravel or rocks dissolving into the water. I would remove one rock in the tank per week and see if the water clears up. If it does then you know it was the rocks. If it doesn't then the problem may be in the sand.-Chuck>
Cyndy Monarez/Thomas Nelson

Carbon Myth
Hello, congrats on the great web site. I am new to fish keeping, however have tried to educate myself as much as I can, however find contracting info adding to my confusion. Been having a hard time cycling my 55g freshwater tank, bacteria bloom etc. Today I came across an article that stated "Activated Carbon should not be used in your aquarium because it practically "uncycles" your tank. It should only be used as a reset button. When first used in an aquarium, it immediately start absorbing ammonia (+ other elements we will not mention)
Without ammonia, first stage bacteria starves to death.
Without first stage bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrites, second stage bacteria dies.
Without your beneficial bacteria, your tank basically reverts to become an uncycled tank.
I use a Penguin Biowheel Power Filter 330, and has activated carbon in the filter media. Was wondering if this is contributing to my problem of cycling the tank. If that's so, what should be used at first a sponge filter? Thanks beforehand for your help.
<<Hello. For what it's worth, I have never experienced an "uncycled" tank despite my own use of carbon. I also have yet to read anything that actually proves carbon removes ammonia. If this were true, then we would all have uncycled tanks. I think a few of us  might have noticed that by now. As far as I'm concerned, carbon does NOT remove ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. It is possible that the mythology of this comes from someone's active imagination and their misunderstanding of their own tanks cycling process. For example, if someone is using carbon as a filter media, and only changes it out occasionally, chances are that when they throw out the old carbon and put in the new, they will get an ammonia spike because they've just thrown out some of their biological bacteria growing in the carbon bag. The tank re-balances itself as the bacteria re-colonizes in other areas in order to catch up...in the meantime, they will have an ammonia spike. This COULD look like the new carbon is removing the ammonia. But only to the untrained eye, in other words, only to someone who doesn't understand why the ammonia was there in the first place. Suddenly they have ammonia, and the new carbon made it go away! They do not understand that the new carbon has nothing to do with it at all. The bacteria already in the filter will re-colonize quickly, thereby reducing the ammonia levels with a few days time. This myth could also be because people read that they use carbon in waste treatment plants. I did not find any actual evidence that they use it to remove ammonia. Also, please keep in mind that even the highest grade carbon only adsorbs for a few days time. Carbon that has been in your filter for a month has stopped adsorbing and has become a biological filter after the first week. So basically, yes, you may safely use carbon while your tank cycles. Now, if you want to discuss carbon in Oscar tanks, or carbon in planted tanks, feel free to join in the ongoing debates :P -Gwen>>

Re: Carbon Myth II  8/2/04
Good points there, Gwen. I have been trying to get this tank going for over 4 months now and all I get is cloudy nasty water, no matter how many water changes I do.  
<<Cut back on the water changes and see what happens. Perhaps you are doing too many, removing too much ammonia, thereby depriving the bacteria of a much needed food source...>>
So I guess I am seeking an exterior culprit that is not
helping the cycle, besides me and what I am doing: ) I read that its better
to start with some established media from a cycled tank to set up a new tank
to speed the cycle.
<<True.>>
However if the media comes from an uncycled tank or from
the tank itself being set up the second time, is it better to use that media
or new washed everything incase there might be something in the media that
was preventing the cycle to start with, is that possible?
<<Doubt it. I believe you are simply not letting the tank cycle, by doing too many waterchanges. 
Perhaps you are rinsing your filter media too often, also. Do not rinse it under tapwater, 
the chlorine will kill your nitrifying bacteria. Do not rinse the BioWheel, ever!>>
I do hope its making sense, I read a lot but its not helping me any, and I just don't
understand what I am doing wrong.
55g tank parameter( 2 white cloud, Penguin BioWheel 330 filter, parameters
are the same for the 10g ( 4 guppies, 3 otos, 4 Corys, filter came tank
setup),  
pH 6.8
Alkalinity 120
Hardness 150
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0
Temp 76-79
I don't know if the 10g has cycled, but the water just gets cloudy the next
day.
<<Are you overfeeding? This always leads to cloudy water. Cut back on the food! 
Make sure you vacuum your gravel once a week, and only do waterchanges when the nitrates reach 30ppm or so. 
If you have no live plants, leave your lights off ALL day, you can put them on at night for an hour of viewing, 
if you wish. Also, the cloudy water could always be an algae bloom. Turn the lights off to see if it clears up, 
it should take about a week...Keep in mind, you could have two blooms at the same time, 
both an algae bloom AND a bacteria bloom.>>
Fish are miserable and dying in the 55g and happy in the overstocked 10g, even saved some from 
dying from the 55g by putting them here, the clouds are doing ok. I understand that there is supposed 
to be an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate spike, but I have never seen that.
<<Check your test kits, are they still good? Take a sample to your LFS and have them check your water, 
perhaps your test kits are no longer good.>>
Recently had a bacteria bloom and instead of changing 50% of water like I used to ( might be doing more damage
than good)
<<You are.>>
I bought a Vortex diatom filter and it has been a worse nightmare. Filter is good if I get it started that is, 
might be sending it back though, I managed to blow a bunch of DE in the tank and has slowly
getting rid of but have lost some fish in the meantime, so not real happy with it. 
I think if other fish keeper can manage a beautiful clear tank without why can't I. 
I hope I am being clear and gave enough information, Please advise, thanks for your reply.
Teresa Azzopardi
<<Teresa, The Vortex diatom may not remove bacteria if it's a bacteria bloom. 
It should remove suspended algae, though. You can add Aquaclear and see if the diatom works then. 
Trouble is, you STILL need to cycle this tank, and kill off any offending floating algae. 
So please try the things I have mentioned and let me know how it's going. Patience, you WILL get there! 
To sum up: Check your water at your LFS to see if they get the same results as you. 
Cut back on your waterchanges if parameters are indeed low, and turn your lights off for a good week or so. 
Good luck! -Gwen>>
 

Cycling A New FW Tank
Help,
<Glad to. Scott F. here today!>
I set up an aquarium about 6 weeks ago.  Set up the filter, gravel, etc.  Waited 3 days and put 2 swordtails in.  One of the fish died the next day. Bought a replacement and the water tested well, except the ph was a little high.
<Not usually a problem, particularly for Swordtails...>
The fish were doing well and about 2 weeks ago, the nitrates and nitrites increased.  I did 3 water exchanges within about 9 days - no change.
<Well, ammonia and nitrite will rise rapidly in a newly set up system, then decrease as the tank "cycles" (i.e.; develops sufficient populations of beneficial bacteria to break down these toxic compounds into less toxic nitrate)...Normal. Making the water changes was probably more disruptive than helpful at that point, odd though it may seem>
One of the swordtails hasn't been doing well.  I put a Pleco in this weekend.  The water is cloudy, nitrates, nitrites and ph is still elevated.
<Whoa...Wait a second, okay? Don't add any new animals I you have detectible nitrite. This is a sure sign that your tank is not yet ready for more fish. Give the system time to adjust and cycle...>
I also used something to reduce the ammonia.  Nothing is helping.  I did the last water exchange was last Thursday.  WHAT SHOULD I DO?
It's a 10 gallon tank. Help!
Thanks, LEW
<Okay, Lew. I like the enthusiasm about water changes! A great habit to get into, but you're a bit premature. Give this system more time, as mentioned above. You could perhaps "assist" the process by using one of those "bacteria in a bottle" products (Hagen's "Cycle" comes to mind) that can help "jump start" the denitrifying bacteria population for you. Other than that, a healthy dose of patience and careful monitoring of the water conditions will see you through this normal, initial period of tank establishment. Hang in there! Regards, Scott F.>

What am I doing wrong?
Thank you for your response to me inquiry. I was really unaware of all the steps involved in starting a new tank. I have a whisper filter and I am letting the tank cycle. At least I think I am doing it right. I bought spring water from the store and I added in a tablespoon of stress zyme. Since then I've let the filter run and I haven't done anything since. It's been almost a week. I bought a tester kit for Nitrates, Nitrites, Total hardness, buffering capacity, and pH. I've tested the water three times now and the nitrates are at 10 ppm, nitrites at 0, total hardness is 120ppm, buff. capacity is 80ppm, from what I've read on your website I think that I am supposed to see some kind of spike with the nitrates and nitrites, is that true? Also, my pH has remained at 8.4. I know that's high, but I don't know what to do to bring it down. Should I be doing water changes? Is it necessary for me to test for ammonia as well? I've been reading the facts on your website, but there's so many I can't get it straight. I know I am a little ignorant, so I'm sorry if my questions seem trivial. I really want to get it right this time before I introduce fish into the tank.  The water has remained clear, although I've noticed a slight smell recently. I have large (slightly bigger than a marble) rocks as substrate which I purchase at the pet store. I also have 4 plastic plants. I was also wondering about live plants. Is there anything I need to do differently to introduce and maintain live plants in the aquarium? Is it harder to keep the tank balanced with them? I also read that it is helpful to add some hardier fish to the tank to help it cycle. Do you recommend that I do that? Ok one more question and I'm done I promise, how do I know when my tank is completely cycled and I am ready to buy some fish? I'm afraid to get some before the tank is ready. Thank you very much for your help. You really have a great website.
<<Dear Tiffany; I read that Magnus recommended you run the tank for a few weeks and add only fish food to cycle with. I am unsure of whether this will give you enough bacteria to support a full bio-load of goldfish, so I will caution you to add fish very slowly, as though the tank were still uncycled. It sounds like you can start adding fish now, ONE small goldfish can be added to your current tank. I believe your previous lack of success was probably due to the fact that you added too many goldfish at once, and your ammonia shot up too fast. This is common problem with ten gallon tanks and goldfish. You are not alone :) Also, you can probably use regular tapwater instead of buying spring water, I doubt the problem was your tapwater... so, yes, please test your water for ammonia!! it is this that the fish produce first, ammonia can build up quickly to toxic levels if the fish are added too quickly. Generally, ammonia spikes first, followed by nitrite, then finally you will get nitrates. You can have high levels of each at the same time, so again, please keep testing your water! Keeping a written track of your levels will help you see how the cycle is going. And keep your levels down by doing regular partial water changes when they get too high, anywhere from 20 to up to 50% at a time, depending on the levels. Ignore your pH levels for now, they will not be stable until the tank is finished cycling. Do not bother trying to add anything to change the pH for now. If you add products that cause pH fluctuations, it will only further stress the fish you will be adding. Wait til the tank is fully cycled before worrying about testing for that. Let me know if you have anymore questions. It is not easy to understand the cycling process, so your questions are valid, do not worry about asking! -Gwen>>

Need help with New Tank syndrome, etc.
Hello, I hope you can help me.  I am experiencing what I believe to be New
Tank Syndrome in my 29 gallon tank.  The PH crashed to below 6 a few weeks ago,
and I have been doing twice weekly water changes of 15 - 20% ever since,
trying to correct the PH and the KH (without buffers), but the ammonia has been
steadily rising.  I'm getting a reading now of 3.0 - 4.0.  My tap water has a PH
of 7.2 and a KH of 3 deg.  Anyway, I read that the ammonia will rise with new
tank syndrome when trying to correct it through water changes because
beneficial bacteria needs to catch up with the water changes, so what do I do?  I am
worried that if I reduce water changing (don't know how long though) the
ammonia will continue to rise and kill all my fishies.  Now I read that Amquel +
shouldn't be used if there is no alkaline reserve, cause it can drive the PH
downwards.  As I've said, my KH is very very low so I can't use it, but they sell
Amquel with buffer.  What should I do?  Should I continue doing the water
changes (15% twice weekly) or should I add some Amquel with buffer?  My water
parameters are as follows:  
    Nitrates 15, nitrites 0,  
    ammonia 3.0 - 4.0,
     PH 7.0-7.2,
    KH l dKH ,
     GH is slightly above 150 according to the test strips I use.
I have 5 platies, 5 glowlight tetras, and 7 neon tetras in the 29 gallon
tank.  I have one Amazon sword plant, and 3 tiny ones, along with two other live
smaller plants.  I run a bubble wand, and have a Whisper filter that hangs on
the back.  I use Whisper Bio-Bag disposable Filter Cartridges.  Can I ask you
if I should be rinsing the sponge that came with the filter out?  The
instructions tell you to replace cartridges monthly, but I don't know what to do about
the little sponge.  
I have one more question that I hope you can help me with.   Ack!  Sorry!  (I
guess I need more help than I started out with).  
I read that to get a true PH reading you must have a KH of at least 100?  I'm
in big trouble then, cause I'm not ever sure of the PH value.  I don't like
to use buffers and would rather just do water changes to keep the parameters in
check. But, how can I ever get a true PH reading?  I am guilty as far as
keeping up with the water changes and I believe that's when this New Tank Syndrome
messed everything up  
< First of all lets start with the filter. Clean the disposable pad once a week. Just take it outside and hit it with a garden hose and put it back. I only replace them when they get too loose and don't fit the frame anymore. Clean the sponge once every two weeks. Once again take it out and hit it with the garden hose. On the weeks you don't clean the sponge I would vacuum the gravel. You would be surprised how much junk is in there. Watch how much you feed. Left over food in the filter is a great way to get elevated ammonia levels. Make sure that the fish only are fed once a day and only enough food that they will consume in a couple of minutes. NO MORE! It sounds like you have soft water with little buffering capacity. It will take you longer to establish this bacteria bed and it will be more likely to crash. I would add some floating plants too. Plants do a great job of absorbing all forms of nitrogenous wastes. Get a pH kit that is set up for the lower ranges. It may be more accurate. In this tank you really don't have much of a bioload so I really think that over feeding is the main culprit. -Chuck>
Please help me soon.  
Thanks so much.  This is a great website!
Lee

Mysterious Cycling (4/6/2004) 
Hello, 
<Hi, Michael here this evening> 
PufferPunk sent me the following response in regards to some biological filtration problems I am having. 
<Karen, I want you to write out the whole story of this tank from beginning to end & send it here to our new guy, Michael. He says he is well versed in cycling knowledge. I just can't figure it out. Sorry. Any other puffer Qs I'll be happy to help you with. ~PP> 
<I'll try my best - Michael> 
Here goes... 
For approx 8 yrs I had run a 30 gal freshwater aquarium. From Aug 2003 to Jan 2004 the only residents were a 4" Pictus and a 3" Rainbow.  In Jan 2004 I began preparing the tank for conversion to brackish water. I installed a new Emperor 400 power filter with double bio-wheels. I used the old filter material to establish the bacteria in the new power filer. 
<Is this the only filter you are using?> 
In Feb 2004, I removed the ornaments and thoroughly flushed them out with water. (They are pieces are artificial driftwood). I also added a 35.5" bubble wand to the back of the tank. Later, I removed the Pictus and Rainbowfish and slowly raised the salinity of the tank to 1.006 over the course of about two weeks. 
In March 2004, I added Four Marimo balls to the aquarium. Later, I added four 1.5" Figure-8 Pufferfish and two 3" Knight Gobies. After adding the fish, the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels shot up. <To be expected...the cycle starts> Within two or three days I moved the Gobies to a tank of their own. <Good idea> Both in hopes that the levels would drop back down and that the Gobies would be able to eat without the Puffers present. The ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels did not go back down. <How many days have passed since the Ammonia spiked? Are you sure there were nitrates present at this point?> 
Over the course of the next couple of weeks I tried a couple of different products which did not help; StressZyme - did nothing; Amquel Plus - a temporary fix; and Fritz Turbo Start 700 -drastically dropped the levels but only lasted 1.5 days. <These products would severely interrupt the cycling process the aquarium is\was going through> Please bear in mind that I have been making 60% water changes daily to keep my Puffers alive. <Also causing a "re-cycle" every water change...the tank should have been cycled before the puffers were introduced> I had also lowered the salinity to 1.004. <Further stress upon the nitrifying bacteria> 
Last Monday and Tuesday I added Bio-Spira to the tank. It dropped the ammonia and nitrite levels to mere trace amounts but the nitrites soared higher than they have every been. <Did the Nitrites soar or did the NitrATes soar? Should the NitrATes have soared, this would have indicated an almost completed cycled, premature because of the bio-spira> They are WAY over 5ppm. I have no idea how much. I tried diluting the tank sample -- 1/8 tank water with 7/8 tap water -- and the nitrite level was still to high to read. <Odd that it is that high after your frequent 60% water changes however> I have checked my tap water and it reads 0ppm nitrites. I have checked the nitrites of the aquarium using both the Aquarium Pharmaceutical Nitrite Test and the Kordon Aqua-Tru Nitrite Test. Both give the same result. <Are you sure there isn't anything organic that could be breaking down in the tank? No dead fish, rotting plants, uneaten food? Do you have an undergravel filter, per chance?> 
This really doesn't make any sense to me. <Seems normal to me until the massive Nitrite spike, if it is indeed the nitrites (you said nitrites twice in the previous paragraph...if the nitrATes are spiking then this would be perfectly normal)> If something were still going to high after using Bio-Spira, I would have expected it the be the nitrates, not the nitrites. <So you're sure it's the nitrITes?> Can you give me some advice? I will not have access to anymore Freshwater Bio-Spira until Marineland starts producing it again sometime this summer. <Not sure how well this product would help a brackish water tank, to be quite honest, wasn't able to find much about the strains of nitrifying bacteria in different salinities...> (Although at this point I am not convinced that it deserves the wonderful reputation it has). The 60% water changes every night are both tiring and expensive. <Is your Nitrite spike still occurring? If it is, try moving all of the puffers to another tank, and either add a goldfish or two to cycle, or fishless cycle the aquarium. Make sure you clean your filter cartridges daily (if you must keep your puffers in the aquarium), but do not clean the bio wheels. Make sure your filter is on 24 hours (on the small chance you're turning it off!). Don't add any ammonia or nitrite removing chemicals or filtration products, and don't make any water changes for a month. Let the aquarium go through a normal cycling process without interference.> 
Thank you for any help you can give. 
Sincerely, Karen 
<No problem, hope we can get this figured out. Let me know what occurs.  M. Maddox>

Fritz Turbo Start 700  3/22/04
Thanks again. I did a 60% water tonight. I will another one tomorrow and keep doing it until the bacteria kick in or I get a product that helps it out. None of the online stores have the freshwater Bio-Spira; there is some sort of shortage and Marineland is telling the distributers that it will be sometime this summer before they are able to provide anymore. I've read a couple of good things about Fritz Turbo Start 700 on wetwebmedia.com. I am going to give it a try.
<That probably needs to be updated.  The only LIVE cultures of  nitrifying bacteria is Bio Spira.  Anything else is a waste of $$$ & could hurt your system, by adding dead bacteria (waste) to your already struggling tank.>
There is a 35" bubble wand along the back of the
aquarium to provide extra oxygen. I guess I'm doing all I can do... just have to wait and see. Good luck with all of your Puffers. - Karen
<Just keep testing the water & do water changes accordingly.  Make sure to email Bernie personally about getting B-S.  Tell him your sad story...  ~PP>

Fritz-Zyme Turbo Start 700
Hi Robert, What do you think of this Fritz-Zyme someone just emailed me at WWM & swears it did the same thing as Bio-Spira! If this is the same stuff, this would be great, since Marineland won't have more B-S until the end of Summer.
Here's what she wrote:
<Fritz Chemical Industries bacteria prep. is very different than the Marineland product... but can/does work if VERY fresh, which it looks like these folks got it... overnighted, refrigerated. Not the least expensive way to "pop" a new tank though>
"I had already ordered the Fritz-Zyme Turbo Start 700 by the time I received
your email. Fortunately the stuff really works!!! It arrived in a cold-pack
and has to be kept refrigerated so it is a little expensive. It was worth it
though to save my Puffs! The ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates have all dropped
in less than 48 hours! Isn't that amazing? I just wanted to let you know in
case you ever have another crash and can't get the Bio-Spira (as I
couldn't). Thanks for all of your help."
~Jeni/PP
<Bob F>

Puffers and Fritz-Zyme Turbo Start 700   3/27/04
Hello again PP,
<Hello there>
I had already ordered the Fritz-Zyme Turbo Start 700 by the time I received your email. Fortunately the stuff really works!!! It arrived in a cold-pack and has to be kept refrigerated so it is a little expensive. It was worth it though to save my Puffs! The ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates have all dropped in less than 48 hours! Isn't that amazing? I just wanted to let you know in case you ever have another crash and can't get the Bio-Spira (as I couldn't). Thanks for all of your help.
Karen
<Well, the jury's still out on this one.  Here is the response I got from a friend, Robert T Ricketts, who has written countless articles on filtration & cycling processes:
"Well, if is really Nitrosomas, that is not going to get it in FW, as they are not the ammonia-oxidizers which establish.  They have changed their tune to say Nitrococcus for the other, nitrite-oxidizing species.  But in practice the proof is in the pudding.  If it works, then they have captured the right species; if it doesn't, they have not.  Only trials will tell. If they are cold-packing it that is also a good sign.
But their hedge statement:
" Only Fritz-Zyme contains naturally occurring nitrifying bacteria that has been successfully used thousands of times during emergency conditions to radically drop lethal levels of ammonia and nitrite in record time."  
Really makes me wonder if those bacteria do establish.  Nitrosomas and Nitrobacter are ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria, they just do not establish in FW.  If they were shipped and kept live, they could metabolize and do the job, they just would not establish.  Do the instructions specify to keep adding the material, like Cycle? Nitrospira and Nitrococcus can establish and maintain the colonies indefinitely.  Is their product a quick (and temporary) fix, or is comparable to Bio-Spira?  I don't have the tanks up to test it. (PS: they also misspelled "successfully" - meow!)
Also the "used thousands of times" makes it sound like the old Cycle business - which was pure bull.  
The statement starting the whole thing off:
"Presently Fritz is the only company in the world producing live saltwater and freshwater bacteria." Is of course an out and out lie, as Bio-Spira is live bacteria, and available FW and SW.  
So it will take some time for the aquarium hobby to show whether or not the stuff really works like Bio-Spira or doesn't.  There are still thousands who really believe that Cycle works.
Sorry not to be more help...
Robert"
So, I'm glad it worked for you!  ~PP>

Response About Bio-Spira Supply  3/22/04
From: Fishstoretn@aol.com
Date: Sun, 21 Mar 2004 18:22:06 EST
Subject: Re: HELP! In great need of Bio-Spira!
I'm sorry but the FW Bio-spira is just not available.....don't know of any other store online that even sells it, much less has it in stock.  Only chance would be to
check with a local physical store to see if they have any left.
Bernie
Bernie @ Fish Store "The Lighthouse"
<That's too bad.  I guess the hunt is on, huh?  I looked up to see if Marineland's stock is for sale, but no go.  Would have been a great investment!  ~PP>

New Tank Cycling
I've got a 10 gallon freshwater tank with 5 tiger
barbs, this tank will become the QT for my larger 72
gallon freshwater tank. I set this little tank up
about 12 days ago. It has a UGF with air stone and a
Mini Penguin with Bio-wheel for filtration. Couple of
questions:
I have been measuring high ammonia of 1.0 ppm for the
last 3 days, this is where it has plateaued, and still
no nitrites. How long does this portion of the cycle
take? I've done one 30% water change and will do
another one.
What is a good way to naturally lower pH? Here in the
Bay Area of CA water comes out of the tap at 8.0 pH.
What can I do to lower the pH in a somewhat natural
way. I was given some phosphate product, but that
does not seem to last long and it will not work in my
larger tank, soon to be set up, since that will be a
planted tank. My little tank pH is currently 7.8!
yikes… I tried putting some peat moss in a pouch and
put it in the Mini penguin, but it didn’t seem to do
much.
Thanks for your help. Todd
<As for lowering your pH, what kind of fish do you plan to keep? 7.8 is not a problem for tiger barbs and many cichlids, livebearers, etc. If you want to lower it further, you will need to use a larger quantity of peat.. The amount you are using now is insufficient, but you only need to lower it to around 7.4 in order to keep most community fish. Try setting up a Rubbermaid bin with a powerhead and filter attachment. Run the peat through this, and test the pH after a day or so. Add more peat until you reach the level you wish to be at, this will give you a general idea of how much peat you need to run on your tank to keep the pH at the level you wish. Hope this helps :) -Gwen>>
Hi, Well,  The 5 barbs seem to be doing OK.  Lots of dashing about and fin nipping.  It's been another week and the ammonia is still high with no nitrites.  Are you saying that too many fish create too much ammonia for cycling to happen?  IS the ammonia killing the beneficial bacteria? Thanks, Todd
<<Hello again Todd; Yes, the high ammonia can kill your fish. It will not kill the bacteria, since the bacteria use ammonia as a food source. Cycling IS happening, you just need to keep the ammonia levels in check by doing partial water changes. This is to keep the fish from dying if the ammonia gets too high too quickly. Please test your water, and try to keep ammonia and nitrate levels at around 0.50ppm or less. Good luck! -Gwen>>

New Tank Cycling
I've got a 10 gallon freshwater tank with 5 tiger
barbs, this tank will become the QT for my larger 72
gallon freshwater tank.  I set this little tank up
about 12 days ago.  It has a UGF with air stone and a
Mini Penguin with Bio-wheel for filtration.  Couple of
questions:
I have been measuring high ammonia of 1.0 ppm for the
last 3 days, this is where it has plateaued, and still
no nitrites.  How long does this portion of the cycle
take?  I've done one 30% water change and will do
another one.
What is a good way to naturally lower pH?  Here in the
Bay Area of CA water comes out of the tap at 8.0 pH.
What can I do to lower the pH in a somewhat natural
way.  I was given some phosphate product, but that
does not seem to last long and it will not work in my
larger tank, soon to be set up, since that will be a
planted tank.  My little tank pH is currently 7.8!
yikes…  I tried putting some peat moss in a pouch and
put it in the Mini penguin, but it didn’t seem to do
much.
Thanks for your help. Todd
<<Dear Todd, heck yes, you will have ammonia problems, as 5 fish in a new ten gallon are too many to start off with. You may need to do a number of water changes to keep this level low. Your nitrites should start soon, and will give you even more grief, as nitrites tend to plateau for much longer, up to weeks at a time. I would advocate returning 2 of your fish to the store you bought them at, as they sold you too many. If this is not possible, just keep testing and water changing.
As for lowering your pH, what kind of fish do you plan to keep? 7.8 is not a problem for tiger barbs and many cichlids, livebearers, etc. If you want to lower it further, you will need to use a larger quantity of peat.. The amount you are using now is insufficient, but you only need to lower it to around 7.4 in order to keep most community fish. Try setting up a Rubbermaid bin with a powerhead and filter attachment. Run the peat through this, and test the pH after a day or so. Add more peat until you reach the level you wish to be at, this will give you a general idea of how much peat you need to run on your tank to keep the pH at the level you wish. Hope this helps :) -Gwen>>

New to the hobby and all its water quality issues, arcane terminology!
Bob,  
            I am new to this whole fish stuff.  My fiancé convinced me
to do it and it's not going so well.  I have a 30 gallon tank with a
heater and a penguin 170.  Currently there is 3 Plecos and 4 Dempseys and
3 convicts in the tank.
< Your Jack Dempsey's get up to 8 inches long and will eventually get too big for your tank.>
   I am having some real ammonia problems lately,
and after contacting my LFS I have done everything they told me to do.
Frequent water changes.  And use ammo lock.  But I hesitate to do that;
I gave it a try anyways.  Now for some reason my ammonia has spiked
beyond even 8.0ppm (I know its higher but my testing kit only goes to
8.0) Anyways the nitrate is going up as well but the ammonia has not
changed a single bit.  
I do not know exactly what is going on.
< Here is what is going on and how to solve it. First check the ammonia of your tap water. Many water systems now use chloramines instead of just chlorine. Chloramines are a combination of Chlorine and ammonia! Check your tap water with your ammonia test kit. Not all water conditioners get rid of chloramine and this is what you could be reading on your test kit. Use Amquel from Kordon or a new product called Ultimate. Both will tie up the ammonia. Usually what happens in a new tank is the fish excrete waste and any left over food is broken down into ammonia, especially in an aquarium in which the pH is greater than 7.0. In an established tank the ammonia is broken down into nitrite. This is less toxic than the ammonia but is still not good. This may take a couple of weeks. Eventually the nitrites are once again broken down into nitrates. These are not good either but they are the least toxic of the three. Nitrate levels should be kept no higher than 25 ppm, but some fish can take them as high as 50 ppm. Make sure you are not overfeeding and make sure you clean the filter often. The excess food may be accumulating in the filter and adding to the problem. You need to get the waste out of the system on not just let stay in the filter.>
After calling the same LFS they
told me to do a huge water change.  90%, which I did very carefully as
to not harm the fish.  I ran the test again and my ammonia is still
sitting at 4.0ppm.  And all I left was 1 ½ inches of water.
< Fill up the tank and keep the system running. You may have too many fish to get things started. The good news is your fish are fairly tough. Fill up the tank, feed once a day with only enough food that you fish will have it all consumed in a couple of minutes. Get a 5 gallon plastic bucket and check the water for chloramines and treat according to the directions on the bottle. Check again and make sure it works. You may still have the ammonia in the water but it may be ties up by the chemicals and reading on your test kit. The water should be clear and have no odor. Ammonia makes the water very cloudy. If the water is clear and the fish are doing fine then I would not worry too much about the test kit results.-Chuck>  I do not
know what is going on any insights as to help with this?  
I am attaching some data below for you’re review as well.  

New Tank
Hello...we have a new tank in our household. Have a few Tiger Barbs for it and maybe 2 others. My problem is this. We got the tank 2 weeks ago. I transferred some plants from our other tank when I did a water change in it and added some new decoration. I have had the tank running and filtered for the past two weeks, have a small Pleco in it that is doing great, but the Nitrite and Nitrate are off the chart. How can I help this before I put any fish in the new tank?
Thanks. JJ
>>Hello Jeff; The best thing you can do is to let the tank cycle. Chances are you have too many fish in the tank to start with. How many gallons is it? How many fish? While there are products you can add to help keep your fish alive, they will slow the cycling process. What exactly do the nitrites and nitrates measure? Nitrites are the more toxic...and anything above 1.0 or 2.0 nitrite should have a water change, keep testing and do the water changes every time the nitrite measures that level. Some fish are more sensitive, so choose your level according to how the fish react. If it is higher than 2.0, you may add some Nitra-Zorb or other product from your LFS to help lower the nitrites. Unfortunately, the tank will still need to cycle, but it will give you a chance to catch up on your water changes. You have another two to three weeks to go before your tank will be completely cycled, give or take. -Gwen<<

FW set-up
Good afternoon. I need some help. I have a 55 gallon "complete kit" you can purchase from Wal-Mart. The kit includes everything you would need to get the tank up and running. I have had the tank running for about two weeks now. I have a 4" albino Oscar, 2 Bala sharks (1" each) and a silver tip shark (about 1").
<That is too many fish to add to a new tank. especially with fish such as these that produce quite a bit of waste.>
My tank has been showing about a 2-4 reading on the ammonia level.
<That is because the fish waste is starting to break down and the tank is still in it's cycling period.>
I have been watching and waiting for the nitrite levels to climb for the cycle to begin but the nitrite levels have stayed at ZERO since I started.
<Your cycle has already begun, the moment you put the fish into the tank the added bioload started the process.  The fish release ammonia directly through respiration and more indirectly through urine and eliminated solid wastes , bacteria converts it to nitrites, then others convert to nitrates.  The aquarium, in its brand new state is sterile.  It can support fish and other life simply because there is no toxins to kill them.  A tank like yours will not support a full population for quite a while yet!.  If there are too many fish they will simply poison themselves with ammonia build up.  How is this possible?  Quite easily, as they live and breathe, the fish will excrete and create ammonia.  Unlike a natural pond or river, an aquarium has a limited surface area for ammonia to dissipate, so it builds up in concentration.  It doesn't take all that much to cause serious damage.  This is an ongoing process for the tank to cycle.  You will most likely start to see the nitrites starting to build up now that you are in the two week window.  But with such fish like those the amount of waste might push it to week three before you see the nitrite.   Then expect around the month mark to see the highest levels of nitrites.  From there the bacteria should be converting it to nitrates and back into the safe zone. >
I added the package of enzyme starter when I first started the tank. Have read all the info on having to have ammonia to get the cycle started (reason for the fish) My question(s) The fish that I currently have, is this too many fish for the tank to cycle?
<It would have been better to add these fish slowly to such a new tank.  Give the tank a chance to catch up to the bioload.  Think of it this way: It's the bacteria that handles the ammonia, and there isn't enough bacteria to handle the load yet.  Once the bacteria spread and increase in numbers they will be able to get ahead of the waste production and you will see the decline in the ammonia levels and increase in the Nitrite levels.>
I think I have done everything I should to start the tank. What do I need to do to get the nitrite level to start ,which in turn, would get the cycle to start? Any info would be very helpful. It shouldn't be so difficult, should it? Please HELP!!!!
<I had been sent a great image of the Nitrogen cycle of the home tank.  And I would like to pass it on to you.  It gives a great visual reference to what to expect with the cycling process.
http://shell.pubnix.net/~spond/gif/nitriteg.gif
Your tank will cycle, all water systems will cycle given the proper time.  You should just let the tank keep maturing on its own.  Just be careful not to over feed the fish during this time.  That will only add to the ammonia build up.  Adding chemicals to the tank might not be helping the growth but only hindering it.  P