Berbies Fishless Cycle

[berbie38]

Ok this is a bit weird but ive just taken another reading 18 hrs after redosing to 3-4ppm. the ammonia is down to 0.25 and nitrite is on 0.25 -1 ?? does this seem good? the ammonia is taking longer to process but the nitrite seems to be speeding up. any thoughts appreciated. Thanks for all your help eagles, kitty kat and others
best regards
berbie

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The nitrite processing bacs have to outnumber the ammonia bacs, and seemingly can be less disrupted by things than the ammonia bacs. Or maybe their larger number helps them cope better. No worries. This is all going fine. Having nitrite being processed is good. You should be getting close soon. Just stay patient.

 

[berbie38]

nice one

 

[berbie38]

Hi all The ammonia now seems to be back to normal dropping to 0 in 12 hrs the Nitrite is also now very low,1, after 12 hrs. Before i redosed last night I checked and both were 0 but this was after 24 hrs.
Ok so it sounds like im getting close now but I have noticed a lot of brown muck all over the rocks in the tank, how do i get rid of this when i stock with fish, i understand it is from the nitrates?
Next question is that I intend to put Mbuna cichlids in the tank how many can i put in to start off with?? any other advice on this species would be appreciated.
best wishes
Berbie

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The brown stuff is diatoms. It is a form of algae. This is normal. Before adding the fish, you will be doing a complete 100% water change. Doing this and possibly increasing your circulation a bit will eliminate this type of algae.


I'm not very familiar with Mbuna cichlids. I think they are one of the fish that are recommended for overcrowding to keep the aggression down. But I could be wrong about that. If no one comes here to answer, take this question over to the CIchlid forum... the folks there can help you out.

 

[berbie38]

ok thanks but how do i increase circulation should my filter be adjustable i have a jewel 180?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

There are other options you can add... powerheads are the obvious choice. But, another option is where you direct the output of your filter. I wouldn't really worry about the diatoms right now. They will probably just go away on their own once the tank matures a bit more.

 

[berbie38]

Hi could anyone tell me whether its ok to leave lights on whilst fishless cycling as i have put in some plants that i would like to root prior to adding fish?
regards
berbie

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You can have the lights on, but know that algae is probably going to show up. How many plants?


The recommendations I've seen is about 3-4 hours while cycling. What is your lighting? How big is the tank? What plants are they? (Have you been to the planted section yet? The Plant Resource Center is as good as the Beginner's Resource Center over here.)

 

[berbie38]

I have 4 plants - 3 java fern and 1 anubis, 180 litre tank(40 gallons)and 2 * 25 wattflourescent tubes jewel, 1 day and one warm

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm far from a planting expert, but that should be fine with 3-4 hours a day. If you notice algae building up... check out this link to find the proper steps to remedy. I would say that your set-up is probably low light. Are you dosing CO2 or fertilizers? (I don't think that it would be necessary with your plants.)


Good luck with the plants. I have all real plants in my tank, and I think it was a great decision. I got a bit of the "plant bug" now, and I keep adding one or two more plants every so often. I just added a java fern and another fern the other day! I think I need to stop buying them now though and just let them fill in.


If you have any plant questions, the folks in the planted tank forum are VERY helpful. Any time you post over there, be sure to include your tank dimensions, lighting set-up (including hours it is on, the wattage, the type of bulb, the Kelvin rating, etc.), and if you dose or not.

 

[berbie38]

yeah i agree, i really like them i did a bit of research and have chosen plants hopefully that the cichlids wont eat! I think they definately add something to the tank.
regards
berbie

 

[berbie38]

Hi all
first double zero today, start of the qualifying week thanks to all that helped, your input much appreciated.
best wishes
Berbie

 

[eaglesaquarium]

 

[berbie38]

nice smiley, i love it.