My parameters are as follows:
Ammonia: 0.1 ppm
Nitrites: 0.01 ppm
Nitrates: 10 ppm
I'm not testing using the API Freshwater Master Kit, I'm using a brand local to my country. I'm also dosing with beneficial bacteria from a local brand every other day. My tank is 7 gallons, quite heavily planted.
Should I do a water change? The levels has been this way for the past 3 days. My betta seems active and healthy, but I know they're pretty hardy so I'm worried 🙁
https://i.redd.it/lp4bkavphdwf1.jpeg
Posted by dpadlqh1085
2 Comments
I did a fish in cycle with my betta Harry in a 20g tank (when I was buying tank stuff he was the last of the 50% off bettas still alive and I figured doing a fish in cycle couldn’t possibly be worse than suffocating in his own shit)
I did water changes any time the ammonia got over .5ppm (which was basically every other day), fed super lightly, and dosed pretty heavily with Seachem Prime (water conditioner)
Nothing to be worried about with these parameters. Here, follow this guide: https://www.sosofishy.com/post/a-short-guide-to-fish-in-cycling.
Ammonia is not immediately toxic above zero. Its toxicity is dependent on pH and temperature: [https://www.aquariumadvice.com/threads/your-guide-to-ammonia-toxicity.159994/](https://www.aquariumadvice.com/threads/your-guide-to-ammonia-toxicity.159994/). At a pH of 7 and temperature of 25 degrees Celcius for example, even 4ppm (total) ammonia is not toxic to fish, let alone be lethal. Here’s a good calculator to use: https://www.engineering.iastate.edu/~jea/w3-research/free-ammonia/nh3.html.
As for nitrite, it actually takes a lot of nitrite to be lethal for bettas: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40850-023-00188-3. It probably takes less to be toxic, but still, not just anything above zero.
So yeah, looking good.