New Tank Setup, high nitrite & nitrate

**Forsalmon** · 13th Jun 2014, 19:15

I've started my tank 3 weeks now, but I've never used a testing kit until today because of some deaths. (1 ramshorn and 2 cherry shrimp)
Parameters as follows:
PH:6.6
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 5.0ppm
Nitrate: 40ppm

1.5ft tank 6 Gallon
filtration: Eheim 2213
Substrate:ADA Amazonia
pressurised CO2 injection
T5HO lights (Not sure how many watts, C328 uncle give me this when i told him its 45cm)
Light + CO2 10 hrs per day
Daily Excel dosing
Twice weekly flourish trace

Fauna: 2 cory cat, 8 guppies, 1 ramshorn (dead), 10 red cherry shrimp (2 dead that i can see, most of them are hiding, maximum i've ever seen at the same time is 9 before the deaths, now only see 6 around)

Flora: Glosso & baby tear & a driftwood with some plants tied to it bought at C328

Only after the test that i realised that its not cycled. Previously, i was using Seachem's stick on PH Alert & Ammonia Alert, and both showed favourable conditions, so i added fauna without testing nitrite and nitrate... Felt the API master test kit was too expensive.

So now, with Nitrite and Nitrate so high, what can I do? Will dosing Seachem Prime help to keep it under control? I've also done a water change, but there's no change in the param after a 20% change just now.

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Also, I've noticed strands of algae and diatoms growing on the tank walls. What can i do to remove it? Scrub it off?

**Everlance** · 13th Jun 2014, 21:48

hi there, shorten your photoperiod to 6-7 hours... 10 hours is way too long... as you are not injecting co2 as well as your tank is not fully cycled and you don't have proper algae crew besides the cherry red shrimps. this is why algae is starting to appear. for ada amazonia, it is recommended to to do 50% water change daily for the first week and then 50% every 2 days for the 2nd week and 50% every 3 days for the 3rd week and so on until the tank is fully cycled. since you already have fishes, do 20% water change daily until your tank is cycled and hope there will not be any more casualties. it shouldn't take long as ammonia is already 0ppm. all the best...