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[tenshots1]

ok sounds good. Yea i think i did end up with a "mini-cycle" as you have stated. It should be done now. I will do a big water change tomarrow and hope t goes back to zero i just wanted to make sure i got bacteria in the filter and gravel before i took large amounts of water out.

Thanks for the help

Changing water doesn't do anything to beneficial bacteria as long as it is dechlorinated. I do 50%+ a day on my Discus tank and if bacteria was killed all the time I'd have a lot of dead fish

You guys are awesome! i just got my tank checked and my ammonia is very close to zero agian. I also just got an aquaclear 30 for it!! Should i worry about losing too much bacteria when changing filters? Ive heard that running both for a litle while will do the trick....true?

Please reply quickly i am excited to put this baby in!!

 

[GAB99]

put the old filter stuff in the new filter, youll be good

if you want to keep both then run them side by side but if your swapping out do ^

 

[tenshots1]

put the old filter stuff in the new filter, youll be good

if you want to keep both then run them side by side but if your swapping out do ^

well the old filter has a completely different cartridge than the new filter, so i thought i might as well run both of them together. I have the aquaclear30 running on low right next to the old run-down whisper. Ill probabaly keep the old filter in there for a couple weeks, then take it out.

There is no reason to run both right? the new filter i got is already able to perform for a 30 gallon tank and i just have a 10.

 

[GAB99]

put the old filter stuff in the new filter, youll be good

if you want to keep both then run them side by side but if your swapping out do ^

well the old filter has a completely different cartridge than the new filter, so i thought i might as well run both of them together. I have the aquaclear30 running on low right next to the old run-down whisper. Ill probabaly keep the old filter in there for a couple weeks, then take it out.

There is no reason to run both right? the new filter i got is already able to perform for a 30 gallon tank and i just have a 10.

nope run both then, yes it matters because the bacteria need to colonize the new filter, or if theres space put the whispers filtermaterial along with the AC30's material.

 

[tenshots1]

put the old filter stuff in the new filter, youll be good

if you want to keep both then run them side by side but if your swapping out do ^

well the old filter has a completely different cartridge than the new filter, so i thought i might as well run both of them together. I have the aquaclear30 running on low right next to the old run-down whisper. Ill probabaly keep the old filter in there for a couple weeks, then take it out.

There is no reason to run both right? the new filter i got is already able to perform for a 30 gallon tank and i just have a 10.

nope run both then, yes it matters because the bacteria need to colonize the new filter, or if theres space put the whispers filtermaterial along with the AC30's material.

hmm the problem is that there isnt any room. how long should i run the old one before it is safe to take it out because my new filter has accumulated bacteria?

 

[GAB99]

to be safe id say normal cycling time, i cant remember if this helps or not but its worth a try to get the oldfilter stuff and squeeze into the filter of the other one to attempt to seed the new filter?? imo it sounds good but icant rememberif its effective, give it a shot though

 

[tenshots1]

to be safe id say normal cycling time, i cant remember if this helps or not but its worth a try to get the oldfilter stuff and squeeze into the filter of the other one to attempt to seed the new filter?? imo it sounds good but icant rememberif its effective, give it a shot though

ok i will give it a shot! thank you!

 

[Verminator89]

Sounds like its really coming along tenshots1

 

[tenshots1]

Sounds like its really coming along tenshots1

HAHA thanks it is! Im making strides thats for sure.

Today i got:

1 white female guppy
3 ghost shrimp


Hopefully my male guppy will breed with my female....and not eat their own babies haha

Ok new question for you helpful new friends of mine: I just got my friend a new 5 gallon hex off of craigslist for free for him to put either a betta or a few neons in. How can i use my tank to speed of the cycle? I figure if i put my water strait into his tank and if i put my filter into his filter for a few mins, it should have the bacteria needed to skip the long cycle period correct? Or at least shorten it down to a couple days

 

[GAB99]

Ok new question for you helpful new friends of mine: I just got my friend a new 5 gallon hex off of craigslist for free for him to put either a betta or a few neons in. How can i use my tank to speed of the cycle? I figure if i put my water strait into his tank and if i put my filter into his filter for a few mins, it should have the bacteria needed to skip the long cycle period correct? Or at least shorten it down to a couple days

no neons, just a betta and any suitable tankmates

nope, youll need a bit of your filter material placed in there filter for good, its an insta cycle.

water doesnt hold bacteria btw, just gravel and filter and plants sometimes

 

[tenshots1]

Ok new question for you helpful new friends of mine: I just got my friend a new 5 gallon hex off of craigslist for free for him to put either a betta or a few neons in. How can i use my tank to speed of the cycle? I figure if i put my water strait into his tank and if i put my filter into his filter for a few mins, it should have the bacteria needed to skip the long cycle period correct? Or at least shorten it down to a couple days

no neons, just a betta and any suitable tankmates

nope, youll need a bit of your filter material placed in there filter for good, its an insta cycle.

water doesnt hold bacteria btw, just gravel and filter and plants sometimes

oo ok got cha. Y would it have to be in there for good? Wouldnt the filter get its own bacteria after a little while?


O another good question: I live in san diego where then water is pretty hard so my house has an installed water softener for the house. Is it ok to use that water in the tank? I have been too afraid to use it so i have been using the one facet outside that is not connected to the water softener.

 

[GAB99]

Ok new question for you helpful new friends of mine: I just got my friend a new 5 gallon hex off of craigslist for free for him to put either a betta or a few neons in. How can i use my tank to speed of the cycle? I figure if i put my water strait into his tank and if i put my filter into his filter for a few mins, it should have the bacteria needed to skip the long cycle period correct? Or at least shorten it down to a couple days

no neons, just a betta and any suitable tankmates

nope, youll need a bit of your filter material placed in there filter for good, its an insta cycle.

water doesnt hold bacteria btw, just gravel and filter and plants sometimes

oo ok got cha. Y would it have to be in there for good? Wouldnt the filter get its own bacteria after a little while?


O another good question: I live in san diego where then water is pretty hard so my house has an installed water softener for the house. Is it ok to use that water in the tank? I have been too afraid to use it so i have been using the one facet outside that is not connected to the water softener.

same reason as you have to run the aquaclear 30 along side you whisper, it doesnt happen instantly and even if it does it might be in enough quantity to be of any use for a few days or weeks

imo id just test it and see, if its not too much of a difference then do 25% water changes and it will gradually bring it down, mostfish dont really care too much about ph tbh. especially yours

btw CA ftw! love it there really upset i dont live there no more

 

[tenshots1]

Ok new question for you helpful new friends of mine: I just got my friend a new 5 gallon hex off of craigslist for free for him to put either a betta or a few neons in. How can i use my tank to speed of the cycle? I figure if i put my water strait into his tank and if i put my filter into his filter for a few mins, it should have the bacteria needed to skip the long cycle period correct? Or at least shorten it down to a couple days

no neons, just a betta and any suitable tankmates

nope, youll need a bit of your filter material placed in there filter for good, its an insta cycle.

water doesnt hold bacteria btw, just gravel and filter and plants sometimes

oo ok got cha. Y would it have to be in there for good? Wouldnt the filter get its own bacteria after a little while?


O another good question: I live in san diego where then water is pretty hard so my house has an installed water softener for the house. Is it ok to use that water in the tank? I have been too afraid to use it so i have been using the one facet outside that is not connected to the water softener.

same reason as you have to run the aquaclear 30 along side you whisper, it doesnt happen instantly and even if it does it might be in enough quantity to be of any use for a few days or weeks

imo id just test it and see, if its not too much of a difference then do 25% water changes and it will gradually bring it down, mostfish dont really care too much about ph tbh. especially yours

btw CA ftw! love it there really upset i dont live there no more

haha thanx agian for the help! Yea i was born and raised in san diego! love it here! But i was just worred that the minerals put into the water by the water softener might harm the fish, but it seems like you are saying that that is not the case

 

[tenshots1]

alright guys i am going to take out my old filter and hopefully i have enough bacteria built up in the new one (its been about 15 days)

Question:
I just got the water tested and it is perfect. My female guppy i added still is acting like it is going to die by hiding in corners and such, but it is living and i havent seen any of the other fish act negatively towards her. Hopefully she will be fine soon. Maybe i will add another in hopes of her becoming less shy because right now i only have 1 male guppy and 1 female. They like larger groups right? The ghost shrimp are all alive and doing very well. They are fun to watch!
Question
Also, I have been feeding my fish only flake food. Is this alright for the fish i have? I have tried to feed them lettuce and cucumber, but they wont eat it. Apricot is actually the only thing i got a couple of my tetras to pick at.

Question:
I have hundreds of those little algae eating snails that are tiny and multiply quickly. I like them because they do a great job cleaning the tank, but i hear many people dont like them. Is there anything negative about these snails?

 

[tenshots1]

Gab99 i need you back to answer my questions!