Noob needs help cycling tank

Help me please!

My goal being to get a couple of fancy goldfish, I started my tank cycling on 1st March, using prawns from Tesco.

I have 90 liter tank, with an airpump hooked up to an airstone and an azoo oxygen bio filter 2. The only thing I have watched is the temp and it fluctuates between 12 and 15 degrees. Otherwise, I have pretty much ignored it and left it to do it's thing.

Two weeks ago- at week 6 stage- I tested the water using a nutrafin mini master test kit, (best before date of kit is October 2013.)

Result for pH was between 7.5 and 8, ammonia 7.3 mg/l, nitrite 0.3 mg/l and nitrate 5 mg/l.

I tested again this morning - week 8- and the results have not changed at all in the two weeks. I tested my tap water separately and the result for pH is 7, and zero for the other three tests, so I don't think the test kit is the problem.

What have I done wrong? Should I have been doing water changes? Should I be adding or taking out the prawns? Is the tank too cold? Should I be using a different filter?

Any help you can give me will be very welcome. I have been lurking on the forums for a few months now and I am so jealous of the lovely fish I am looking at, I cannot wait to get my little goldies!

Thanks.

(BTW in case you're looking back on my posts and wondering WTF I'm at, I had previously set up the tank to cycle in January, but had to move the tank and was away for a few weeks, so that effort was given up.)

If you are still adding prawns, then stop.

Do a careful water change (say 50%) using a dechlorinating conditioner.

Then test water, and re-test in a few days time.

I would also recommend adding some "bacteria in a bottle" (or filter start) to seed the tank in case it is not seeded with enough bacteria to work on the bio-load.

ian

Will do the water change in the morning.

I added prawns once when I started it off, and have left them undisturbed in the tank. Should I remove what is left of them when I do the water change?

Is there a particular filter start you would recommend?

Thank you very much for your help.

Take the prawn out.

There are loads of "filter start" or "bacteria in a bottle" products on the market.

The principle of using them is sound, but some are better than others.

Commonly available ones are JBL filter start, NutraFin Cycle, and Tetra SafeStart. I've tested all, and they do a job to an extent.

You still need to be careful with stocking, feeding and water changes in the early days.

I am a little concerned with the high ammonia as ammonia kills the biological filter bacteria at elevated concentrations.

What you need to observe is the ammonia going down. If it isn't then something else is wrong....and that could be due to the ammonia being too high OR even that the alkalinity of the water is not sufficient to support the biological filter.


ian

I did a water change this morning, and added NutraFin Cycle this evening.

Will probably test on Monday. Thanks for your help