Quote Originally Posted by 0h hey View Post
Thanks for the replies!
I moved them into their new tank today. I tested the water and the ammonia is still up there around 1 ppm (according to a liquid test). The PH is beyond crummy too (according to test strip) but they are doing ok. I have at least been showing some nitrates (test strip again).
They were more spooked by the new lighting it seems. They calmed down once we turned off their tank light and some surrounding lights in our apt. Hopefully after a night of getting used to the tank they will be less alarmed when I turn it back on in the morning. I have some live plants I want them to get some light.
They haven't been in a tank with corners since they were froglets. They are so used to swimming around in circles. That sounds kinda sad but at least they never bumped their noses!

I have one more question- the water I'm using is city water so I usually give it two days for the chlorine to dissipate. I let it sit in 1 gallon containers. I only have five of them though. If needed I can buy a couple more jugs of spring water. I have read in other places that the water may be dechlorinated after less than 24 hours of sitting out- is this true? If so I can go ahead with another water change tomorrow instead of waiting till Wednesday.

Thanks for the advice- it is great having so many experienced ACF owners in one place to learn from.

Personally I've found the best way to cycle a tank is to limit water changes unless the readings are on the very highest end of the scale, while using a product like stress zyme or Prime which detoxifies the ammonia/nitrites so that they are not harmful to the inhabitants. If you continually do water changes then the bacteria that you are trying to grow in the filter to naturally rid the tank of ammonia/nitrite will not grow as quickly because it will have no ammonia/nitrite to feed off so the whole cycle process will be extended. For me this makes it easier to monitor when your water has completed its nitrogen cycle too, as you will see a major spike in ammonia and this will then drop down and you will have a major spike in nitrites which will then also drop and then depending on the amount of live plants in your tank you will have some nitrates which will hopefully drop (plants will absorb the nitrates from the water). I know other people prefer to do daily water changes to make sure the chemistry is at a safe level but I find this isn't necessary if you are using a product to detoxify ammonia/nitrites while leaving them present in the water to assist in the growth of good bacteria in the filter media. This is just my personal opinion and what has worked for me though.

I'm not overly experienced with stress zyme but I know the product I use - Prime - removes chorine and chloramine so I just add that to my tap water so that I don't need to leave it sitting for any time and can pour it in straight away. You might want to read the bottle of yours and see if it does the same thing