About To Start Fishless Cylcle.....

[Smells a bit fishy]

Hmm, it could've been that you havnt done the test correctly. It is very common to get a false reading on the nitrate test, as bottle 2 ha 2 different reagents in it. One liquid and one powdery. So you need to give the bottle a really goo shake for about a min, and give it a couple of bangs aswell. Then shake the vial for a good min also.

But nitrates aren't really that important in a fishless cycle, it's just when you are planning your maintenance on the tank. Making sure your doing your water changes enough.

 

[Mowbz]

Ah, i see. I must admit that i dont shake the bottle for long. Ill give it some serious agitation when i do them this evening, although ive dosed Ammonia since, so its going to show Nitrates tonight anyway! lol

 

[fluttermoth]

Just one quick point about the clown plec. They're a lovely fish, but very shy.

I'd seriously consider, in a tank that size, whether you really want to use up that amount of your potential stocking with a fish that you might only see once a month (if your lucky).

Mine lived for a year in a tank right next to my son's computer desk and he reckons he saw it probably only five or six times.

 

[Mowbz]

Hey FM!

Thanks, i did read that they are very reclusive, and wasnt too bothered, since he would have a nice home and would be well looked after.

HOWEVER,

I didnt look at it from your angle: Small tank = Small stock, meaning i would be using up my "allowance" on a fish i wouldnt see much. Perhaps ill leave the plec until i can get a bigger tank. (Money not an issue for a new tank, just space )

Any ideas then since the plec can now wait, on what i could use up the extra "Allowance" with.

So far my stock list consists of a school of 6-8 Corys (Possibly C.Aeneus (sp?) bronze/albino, Skunk, or Sterbai ).....


,.....and thats it so far lol. Oooh, and some Shrimp. Will hopefully have some Java/Xmas moss for these guys from a friends tank closure soon.


Thanks again people

 

[Mowbz]

Today's stats are;

pH - 8.2
Ammonia - 2ppm
Nitrite - 5+ ppm (Off the chart again)
Nitrate - 120ppm APPROX (About halfway between 80 and 160 again)

Currently taking around 48 hours to process 4ppm.

Im off to a friends in a bit who has a very well established 4 footer and has offered to help out where he can. He doesn't know a great deal as his dad maintains his tank (aside from day to day stuff like feeding, water changes etc), but still has more knowledge than me.

He doesn't however know much about the cycling process, just the general maintenance of a mature tank (Like me).

Is there any way of obtaining some "god bacteria" from his tank, without removing and media from the filter? (Since neither of us dont know a huge deal,

Could we for instance, lightly wring out the filter into a small amount of his tank water, then i chuck that into my own, or would this not "seed" it properly? (we don't really want to take a chunk out and upset his tank!)

Thanks in advance !

 

[fluttermoth]

The bacteria cling pretty strongly to the media, so there won't be enough in any 'wringings' to make that much difference to your cycle, although it's better than nothing at all.

Actual media is really the only way to get results; you can take up to a third of the media from a mature tank, as long as you put new in for the remaining bacteria to re-colonise; feed the 'donor tank' lightly for a day or two and it'll be fine.

Of course, if you're worried you can take less

 

[Mowbz]

Cool, well although we're both 23, i think we'll be "Calling his dad to get permission" before we remove stuff from what is essentially, his tank lol

Thanks again Fluttermoth. Always at everyones rescue!

 

[Mowbz]

Right im BACK!

I didnt get a particularly good look a the filter , as it was buried own the back of the tank unit in the corner of his lounge, but its an Eheim external, and about a foot square. My friends dad said that there was loads of ceramic media in there that had been there for years. He says he has never really touched it in the three years the tank has been set up and that i was fine to take what i needed. I didn't know how much i needed, but took enough to completely fill the blue ceramic media holder in my Fluval U2.

Its all currently in a well rinsed drinks bottle full of water from his tank.

Ive never seeded a filter before, but would i be ok to take ALL of the old ceramic media out of its cage, and fill the whole cage up with the mature stuff?

I cant logically see an issue since its all mature stuff, but could do with some guidance!? (Quickly remember, bacteria are being starved while your reading!!)

If someone isnt able to give me some pointers within the next hour or so, half of it is going in with my already halfway cycled ceramics.....

 

[Miles_hot]

If you have enough media to completely replace all the ceramics in your filter I can't see why you wouldn't do that. You should consider putting the media whcih you take out of your filter back into the donor filter to replenish it.

 

[Mowbz]

Cheers Miles!

It all went in last night, as there wasnt anyone to help immediately! I managed to just about squeeze my own (Fluval are pretty tight and only give you enough with the new filter to fill it a third of the way) and the new stuff into the filter cage. It was a struggle, but i figured more surface area, more bacteria?

Excited about what tonights readings are going to be!

 

[KittyKat]

Yes, more surface area is better

 

[Mowbz]

ok, tonights stats are;

pH 8.2
Ammonia - 0ppm (Re-dosed to 4ppm)
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
Nitrate - 20ppm

Sudden drop in nitrite and nitrate again. Crossed fingers still....