UPDATE on Pond cycle

[Dave 54]

It's an internet forum, it happens.
When I was a noob, I tried different forums. I found this one to be the most friendly and that's why I stayed here.
That might not have been the best reply but Dave is a good guy and he's trying to help.

So hard to read.. But everything seems to be going in place? I know that nitrate isn't zero that dark yellow..

It's starting t move in the right direction Calvin it has to go higher then it will spike keep a close watch on it from now on

Dave

 

[Mmathis]

Off-topic, again, but.... MODERATORS, please see bottom of post.

Remember that a lot of great discoveries were made because someone "got an idea," or followed a different train of thought.

And you also have to keep in mind that [as we all know...], what works in one situation, might not work in another. And what works for one person, won't work for someone else [for whatever reasons]. We learn by sharing our ideas [and by making mistakes, unfortunately....].

Maybe the issue here is that OPINIONS can be confusing to newbs who honestly DON'T know the difference [or in some cases, don't really care....], and to clarify this, maybe all posts should start out with the statements: "IMHO", or "based on what happened to me," or "according to this scientific source....." [IMHO, LOL!]

I have no problems with opinions. We all share them ALL of the time on GPF, right? But there's no need to ATTACK just because we don't agree with what another person has to say, or how it was stated. I believe that everyone's intent is good, it's that we don't always go about it productively. And for the record, voicing a difference of opinion is NOT the same thing as ATTACKING someone.

And, BTW, there is nothing wrong with keeping your mouth shut sometimes, too....

=======================================================
Not to mention that we are MAJOR guilty of hi-jacking threads.....

TO THE MODERATORS @Becky @addy1 @fishin4cars (and our other great mods): I think I've suggested this before [or maybe not....but I've thought it....]. Could we have a sub-forum called "Differences of opinion...."? Then a member or a mod could come in when it looks like a thread is going off-topic, and suggest that we move the discussion to this other room.

 

[dieselplower]

Yeah your colors look good. As mentioned above, please also show us your nitrite readings, if you can? Remember that nitrite will show up before nitrate, and once you start seeing the nitrite coming up, it is probably safe to give your fish a little food. Your ammonia level is perfectly fine. The water color is probably just from being a new pond setup, however just be aware that the pea-green WILL be coming soon. Keep in mind that patience is the best solution, and while your pond might look like crap this year, next Summer everything will be settled in and the water will be clear again.

When trying to read the colors, I usually lay the tube right on top of the white strip along the edges, and hold the card and tube to where the light is behind me and shining straight down on the card. With the white background, its slightly easier to try and match the colors.

The fish flashing could be from any number of things, but considering your tests looks fine, I would guess they are simply stressed from the move and still getting used to their new home. One thing you can do to help with stress is giving them some hiding places, like large flower pots that will sink to the bottom.

@diesel -- Yes it is true that 3ppm represents uneaten food for the bacteria, but at this stage you are trying to grow bacteria as fast as possible, and if you take away a large percentage of that food supply, you also take away the opportunity for the bacteria to grow and multiply. Just because the ammonia hasn't been consumed right now, doesn't mean that it won't be used up in 12 hours. Considering that even in a pond the typical cycle only takes a few days, if you mess with the food supply by doing large water changes then of course you are going to slow down the entire process. I've read reports that bacteria can double in as little as every 20-30 minutes once conditions are right, so I imagine you would see changes in the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate level even if you checked every few hours. Using your pizza analogy, I may not be starving but in an hour I might have two children who are looking for food.

It's ok if your kids are hungry because the fish are constantly producing more and more pizza

 

[Calvin]

It's starting t move in the right direction Calvin it has to go higher then it will spike keep a close watch on it from now on

Dave

It's so weird I usually see them rest or scavenger for food. When I walked out they are all swimming together! Haven't seen this since they were all in together going tocheck my parameters now!

 

[Calvin]

My PH seems pretty high.. Max on chart is 7.6.. Mine is a darker blue..

Also, ammonia is def at .50 as of right now,
I am gonna buy a nitrite test I have a test strips but I do not use those.

Waiting on nitrate to finish testing. See one koi still flashing

 

[Calvin]

I have Amquel plus should it be added?

 

[dieselplower]

Yes but if you dont let the Ammoina build up and spike along with the Nitrite we'll stiill be here ay Christmas my friend >LOL , he needs now to hold his nerve check his parameters daily until he see's the spikes then all will be well.
The complicating matter is he topped the pond up with koi when the advice given was to wait until the pond was cycled

Not at all Lisa why on earth sould I do that, the reason why you shouldnt go leaping about the interrnet forums is a rather simple and sound one, it's because of conflicting information each will give,(sometimes down right wrong)...
especially when you are new to the hobby as Calvn is.
Personally I wish it was made law that when a person buys fish for the first time upon entering the hobby, then they should also buy a book on how to keep and maintain the fishes health and its enviroment at the same time that way we wouldnt be having half the problems we see on forums.
Part of what was said to Calvin on Koiphen was the fish are sacrificial and it was fine for them to die"DUH" the numbnuts who said that wanted to condem to death the fish Calvin stocked the pond with when he was told not to (all of them koi) so please excuse me for caring .
I happen to believe you can cycle a pond and not loose your sacrificial fish in the mean time .
What gives us the right to condem them to death they have a right to live just like we do .
The art of keeping fish is to keep the alive , how old are your oldest fish ?.... our oldest are 27+ years old.
I would be gutted if they died as they are pets, pets who happen to have an 80+ year life span, you'd do your upmost to keep a parrot alive wouldnt you (they live to the same age).
Now if you didnt the RSPCA here in the UK would be breathing down your neck with a police officer in tow, next stop the Judge,
Its also the same for fish we have a duty of care and again if we didnt we'd end up before the judge .
Now under the new animal welfare bill brought in by Parliament in the UK you have to prove that duty of care ....
That is my reasoning I think you'd agree yes Lisa, or am I wrong and you can happily without any thought for your fish let them die and just replace them when it happens ?

Dave

Dave if you read through the following page, you will find documentation that high levels of ammonia can inhibit or even stop the cycle from progressing. No more that 3 or 4 ppm of ammonia is needed. Warming the water will help speed up the cycle. http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/forum/index.php?topic=12489.0;prev_next=next

 

[Calvin]

Readings so far.

Ammonia .50
Nitrite 0
Nitrate I'll say in between 0-5.0

What part of the cycle am I at?

 

[dieselplower]

Thanks for the picture Calvin. Out of curiosity, have you tested your source water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates? Thread is getting long and I dont remember. it is not super uncommon for some people to have nitrates right out of their tap.

 

[Calvin]

Thanks for the picture Calvin. Out of curiosity, have you tested your source water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates? Thread is getting long and I dont remember. it is not super uncommon for some people to have nitrates right out of their tap.

So I should check the parameters of the tap water I use?

 

[dieselplower]

If that is the water you use to fill the pond, yes. It would be good to know.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

It's good to know what your tap water is as a reference point... For example, you mention that your pH is really high, but that doesn't mean anything unless you know what the starting point was. In my case, my tap water starts at 8.4, but after a few days it will drop to about 7.2 (and you need a different kit in order to test for the high pH range). And its probably too late to ask, but are you using a dechlorinator when you add water?

Since your ammonia is still climbing, I would say you're still in the early part of the cycle. But all of your numbers look fine, nothing to worry about. You can keep an eye on the fish and watch for obvious signs of distress, such of *very* fast breathing or gasping at the surface (and it's not likely to happen, but you would see all of them doing it), otherwise there's nothing to do but sit back and wait.

By the way Calvin, could you fill out your profile so we know where you're at? Knowing your climate can help later on when you start asking questions like what kind of fish or plants you can keep in your pond. Also, got any pictures of your setup yet?

 

[Calvin]

Here is the parameters of the tap water.
Ammonia 1
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
PH 7.8-8.2 same as the PH In pond

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Wait... you have ammonia in your tap water? That doesn't sound right. Is this city water, or something from a well?

 

[Calvin]

Wait... you have ammonia in your tap water? That doesn't sound right. Is this city water, or something from a well?

City water. Came out the hose.