Cleaning Tank While Cycling Help!

[Fishda45]

should i vacuum my gravel while tank is cycling? cause my tank is really cloudy and it bothers me a lot and i think it is dirty. i've had my new tank for about 5 days now.

it is a 5.5 gal tank
Freshwater tank for guppy
ammonia .25
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
pH about 7.5
temp. 75-82 F

here's what it looks like now
http/i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj524/fishda45/DSC_0690.jpg

 

[The Taffy Apple]

I suppose it could decide on how you're cycling your tank... but if you're simply adding household ammonia then there shouldn't really be any need to gravel vac.

Terry.

 

[Fishda45]

I suppose it could decide on how you're cycling your tank... but if you're simply adding household ammonia then there shouldn't really be any need to gravel vac.

Terry.

i'm "feeding" my tank with fish flakes. I'm worried that if i vaccum my gravel and do a water change might disrupt my cycle and kill good bacteria.

 

[mattyeatsmatts]

The rotting food waste you are pulling up is the bacteria's primary source of food.

EDIT: And that cloudy water is most probably a bacterial bloom.

 

[The Taffy Apple]

I suppose it could decide on how you're cycling your tank... but if you're simply adding household ammonia then there shouldn't really be any need to gravel vac.

Terry.

i'm "feeding" my tank with fish flakes. I'm worried that if i vaccum my gravel and do a water change might disrupt my cycle and kill good bacteria.

It may well do, but then it could also release alot of Ammonia in one go, bad news if you have fish in your tank.
But as you don't have any fish, play the patience game. Like you, i started a fishless cycle with fish food (to this day i believed it helped in some way) but then followed advice on here and used the 'household Ammonia' way.
There is the option of adding fish and allowing them to cycle your filter, but that method is not recommeded on this (and other) forum/s.. you put your fish through a terrible amount of discomfort, potential disease and usually death, by the time you have finsihed. Spend the money on a bottle of Ammonia, or better still get someone to 'donate' some of their filter media to you (sponge is perfect enough).
Best of luck.

Terry.

 

[Fishda45]

I suppose it could decide on how you're cycling your tank... but if you're simply adding household ammonia then there shouldn't really be any need to gravel vac.

Terry.

i'm "feeding" my tank with fish flakes. I'm worried that if i vaccum my gravel and do a water change might disrupt my cycle and kill good bacteria.

It may well do, but then it could also release alot of Ammonia in one go, bad news if you have fish in your tank.
But as you don't have any fish, play the patience game. Like you, i started a fishless cycle with fish food (to this day i believed it helped in some way) but then followed advice on here and used the 'household Ammonia' way.
There is the option of adding fish and allowing them to cycle your filter, but that method is not recommeded on this (and other) forum/s.. you put your fish through a terrible amount of discomfort, potential disease and usually death, by the time you have finsihed. Spend the money on a bottle of Ammonia, or better still get someone to 'donate' some of their filter media to you (sponge is perfect enough).
Best of luck.

Terry.

thanks terry!

 

[CezzaXV]

It's just a bacterial bloom, which is caused by ammonia in the water. It'll pass.

I would recommend, however, getting hold of some bottled household ammonia and cycling using that. The fish food method, while it can work, is almost impossible to do scientifically and I wouldnt trust it to complete a full cycle, personally.

 

[Fishda45]

It's just a bacterial bloom, which is caused by ammonia in the water. It'll pass.

I would recommend, however, getting hold of some bottled household ammonia and cycling using that. The fish food method, while it can work, is almost impossible to do scientifically and I wouldnt trust it to complete a full cycle, personally.

if say i would use the blue ribbon clear ammonia. how much should i put in my 5.5 gal tank? should i use it everyday till my tank finish cycling?

 

[The Taffy Apple]

It's just a bacterial bloom, which is caused by ammonia in the water. It'll pass.

I would recommend, however, getting hold of some bottled household ammonia and cycling using that. The fish food method, while it can work, is almost impossible to do scientifically and I wouldnt trust it to complete a full cycle, personally.

if say i would use the blue ribbon clear ammonia. how much should i put in my 5.5 gal tank? should i use it everyday till my tank finish cycling?

Yes.. kind of. There is a little link in my signature below..there is some great articles in there, 'swat up' a little bit and continue to ask anything you're not clear of. There is also an Ammonia calculator on here somewhere as well, may even be in that link

Terry.