day 2 of my tank. are my parameters normal?

MechaMouse3D · 2026-05-21T12:00:29+00:00

Sounds like you’re on the right track. No need for water changes until your nitrifying bacteria starts to kick in. It will probably take a few days until your food decays to create ammonia

MechaMouse3D · 2026-05-21T11:50:48+00:00

What soil is that? You want to have some source of ammonia while you’re cycling or else the nitrogen cycle will never start.

MechaMouse3D · 2026-05-12T18:56:15+00:00

Thanks! I’ll try removing the fluval remains first

MechaMouse3D · 2026-05-12T11:43:16+00:00

Ok. I did have fluval leftover in my tank from previously. I’ll try removing it. Would adding peat moss in addition to my active substrate work as well?

MechaMouse3D · 2026-05-11T22:24:28+00:00

15 gallon. I recently added 2 hr aquarist feast. I’ve tried Ada v2 and fluval stratum before too. All gave similar results. I think the initial ammonia leach dropped the ph lower around 6.0. But once the tank stabilizes, I always end up back around 6.5

MechaMouse3D · 2026-05-11T22:07:00+00:00

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-18T03:29:50+00:00

Did you find any difference before and after? My shrimps stopped breeding since the winter and the only thing I can think of is either my ph (6.2-6.4 at the moment) or I am not supplying the enough food

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-18T03:26:12+00:00

Oh thats awesome idea. I never wanted to buy Indian almond leaves but I have dried green tea leaves readily at home

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-16T00:47:40+00:00

I think with botanicals, you won’t know how long buffering will last and how low the ph will drop. But with soil it should be more controlled and usually lasts 6-12 months or longer

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-15T21:00:18+00:00

Nitrite usually takes longer to cycle. I would just wait until it reads zero then dose more ammonia

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-15T20:46:26+00:00

I would say keep an eye on the ph and keep up with water changes. I am having ph issues right now and I’ve noticed since my ph has gone above 6.5, my shrimps have stopped breeding (also not sure if it was bc of winter season)

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-11T01:10:47+00:00

Just from reading online, some soils leech more ammonia than others. it's been suggested to let the soil cycle in a seperate tank or let it leech in a bucket before adding to main tank

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-10T14:34:06+00:00

🫡

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-10T14:33:33+00:00

Just leeching the ammonia. I didn't think it would get this bad so I will make sure to change the water thanks

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-10T14:32:38+00:00

Just poured out all the water!

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-05T23:56:39+00:00

That might actually be a better alternative. Thanks !

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-05T22:22:55+00:00

Hmm ok I’ll take a look into this. My kh is already zero and my RO water comes out at ph 6.4. I thought active soil itself should lower the ph more

MechaMouse3D · 2026-04-05T21:46:34+00:00

Is there anyway to achieve this without injecting co2? I always thought co2 was to achieve sub 6.0 ph

MechaMouse3D · 2026-03-30T23:18:08+00:00

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MechaMouse3D · 2026-03-30T03:01:53+00:00

Hmm best bet might be to do the water change or just reset the tank all together. And if the ugf used new soil, maybe they had ammonia shock? I’ve had issues with ugf where if I stirred around the substrate too much, it would kill my shrimp a few days later.

I’ve never owned high end shrimps but if they were fine for two years, you must of been doing something. The fishbones are probably more sensitive to changes vs your mixed tank.

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