Clump's Tank Cycling / Setup Journal

[Clump]

Hello all,

This will, I hope, be a journal for a successful tank cycle by a newbie. You can expect to see some really stupid mistakes (already made a few clangers) and maybe some unique insights into the process (I doubt that ). It will be something of a brain dump, hopefully this will help other newbies learn from the mistakes I have already made and those I am yet to make.

So, here we go...

Initial Kit

• Tank Dimensions : W60cm x D32cm x H37cm
• Tank Capacity : 64 litre / 14 impG
• Interpret Delta Therm Heater : 150 watt
• Interpret PF 1 Filter (This was replaced on day 3 - Replaced with a Fluval U2)

Day 1 - Friday - 19th October 2012
Bought the tank today, first setup carried out in the evening:

• Added 1 inch of black gravel substrate sloped down from back to front (so particles roll to the front of the tank)
• Added 62 litres of Interpret Tapsafe treated water
• Set the filter running
• Heater set to 24°C / 75°F
• Added, per instructions, 2ml of Filter Start to the water

Day 2 - Saturday - 20th October 2012
This day will forever be known as don't trust your LFS day.

• On advice from LFS added 6 bunches of live plants. I am still to determine what they are.
• On advice from the LFS 2 goldfish were added to the tank as "this will help you cycle the tank" - Fed the fish
• As there are live plants in the tank now the white light will be on for 10 hours per day (need to keep an eye on Algea now)

Day 3 - Sunday - 21st October 2012
This morning we woke to milky water (it had been crystal clear until now) - Looks like a bacterial bloom

• Fed the fish
• Replaced the filter as the Venturi was faulty - I wanted to run the Venturi to increase water oxygenation and therefore help bacteria growth. Venturi is now running
• In the evening the Goldfish were removed from the tank - adding these was really bad advice and I have learnt the hard way to get a 3rd opinion on these matters. Fortunately I found a good home for them.
• To help with bacteria growth tank temperature increased to 28°C / 82°F

Day 4 - Monday - 22nd October 2012

• Did the first water change, replaced 20 litres (33%) of the tank
• Bought a Tetra 6 in 1 test, results (after the water change) are:
  • Chlorine (CL2) - 0
  • NO3 (Nitrate) - 10mg/l
  • NO2 (Nitrite) - 0mg/l
  • GH - 16°D
  • KH - 3°D
  • pH - 7.2
  The test is good, however there is nothing in the tank (except a brief visit by 2 goldfish) to generate ammonia. So it is largely meaningless. Interestingly these are the results for water straight from the tap:
  • Chlorine (CL2) - < 0.8
  • NO3 (Nitrate) - 10mg/l
  • NO2 (Nitrite) - 0mg/l
  • GH - 16°D
  • KH - 6°D
  • pH - 7.2
• Added fish food to tank to rot out to Ammonia
• Redosed the filter with 4ml of FilterStart

Things I need to do

• Replace the Tetra 6 in 1 test with an API Master Test Kit - it is what everybody recommends and is far far far more cost effective.
• Buy some Ammonia so I can dose the tank to check the NH4 => NO2 => NO3 conversion rates.
• Identify the plants in the tank

Lesson Learned so Far

• Adding filter start into the water is pointless (as I did on day 1), this is better squirted directly into the filters it is where you need the filter start bacteria to be.
• Should really have done more research first - with heinsight I would have bought a larger tank. Smaller tanks are harder to work with as the chemical / temperature fluctuations are rapid and dramatic.
• When making water changes especially big ones make sure the new water is a similar temperature to the tank - My first change saw a dropped from 28°C to 18°C - Fortunately no fish in the tank at this point.
• The Tetra 6 in 1 test doesn't test for Ammonia so you don't get the full picture - its is also a strip test which I don't have an issue with but most recommend the API Master Test Kit
• The tank can only be considered good to go when it can convert 5PPM of NH4 (Ammonia) into NO3 in 12 hours

 

[Clump]

Day 5 - Tuesday - 23nd October 2012

• Added 5ppm ammonia - This was a bit of a pain to buy as nobody seems to sell it, eventually found some Jeyes Kleen Off (as recommedned here) in a corner shop. I used the calculator here to work out how much to use: 3.26ml for 63 litres at 9.5% ammonia in solution. This was done using a graded syringe that was bought from a chemist. Word of Warning : Be very careful around the ammonia, even at a 9.5% solution the vapours will knock your socks off.
• Ordered a API Test Master Kit - really should have had this before I started but as per previous posts I got something different that isnt fit for the purpose of cycling testing
• Redosed the filter is 8ml of Filter Start

Here are the test results after ammonia dosing (notice there is no ammonia reading which the Tetra 6 in 1 doesn't support - hence it being pointless for cycling)

• Chlorine (CL2) - 0
• NO3 (Nitrate) - 10mg/l
• NO2 (Nitrite) - 0mg/l
• GH - 16°D
• KH - 3°D
• pH - 7

In theory, and assuming there is some bacteria in the tank/filter, then the NO2 level should rise tomorrow. This is the first part of the cycle so fingers crossed.

Next steps, well nothing really until the test kit turns up. Per the information on cycling on here the first dose of ammonia could take a week to cycle out so I am not expecting miracles tomorrow.

Also noticed that the bacterial bloom (if that what it was (milky water)) that started on Sunday has started the subside. The water isn't crystal clear but it is clearing.

 

[Clump]

Day 6 - Wednesday - 24th October 2012

Not much of an update today, just sat around waiting for things to happen.

• Redosed filter start 16ml - not entirely convinced that this is actually doing anything. Shame there isn't a test that can be run to show bacterial levels

Test results for today show no movement at all. Water is still a little cloudy from the bloom

 

[Clump]

Day 7 - Thursday - 25th October 2012

Nothing happening in the Clumparium, water tests exactly the same as yesterday, water still slightly cloudy

I did redose filter start again today

Hopefully the API test kit will turn up tomorrow so I can do more accurate tests

 

[Clump]

Day 8 - Friday - 26th October 2012

Still no movement, water tests still the same as the previous days and it is a little less cloudy. The addition of ammonia on day 5 hasn't yet kicked anything in. Having said this it could be down to using strip tests. Come on post man where is my API master test kit.

After reading this thread relating to having plants in while cycling I remove the plants from the tank. Also, after re-reading the cycling guide here I have also increased the temperature to 34°C. Hopefully this will help the bacteria along.

However, something very odd is happening in the tank now...

When I got home I noticed what can only be described as "smoke" coming from the substrate. In reality these are extremely fine white filaments that are being moved around in the water current. Pictures speak a thousand words so have a look at the attachment:



Anybody got any ideas what this is?

 

[Jam Jam]

Day 8 - Friday - 26th October 2012

Still no movement, water tests still the same as the previous days and it is a little less cloudy. The addition of ammonia on day 5 hasn't yet kicked anything in. Having said this it could be down to using strip tests. Come on post man where is my API master test kit.

After reading this thread relating to having plants in while cycling I remove the plants from the tank. Also, after re-reading the cycling guide here I have also increased the temperature to 34°C. Hopefully this will help the bacteria along.

However, something very odd is happening in the tank now...

When I got home I noticed what can only be described as "smoke" coming from the substrate. In reality these are extremely fine white filaments that are being moved around in the water current. Pictures speak a thousand words so have a look at the attachment:

View attachment 68243

Anybody got any ideas what this is?
[/quot


I have no idea,bacteria maybe?

 

[Something'sfishy]

Day 8 - Friday - 26th October 2012

Still no movement, water tests still the same as the previous days and it is a little less cloudy. The addition of ammonia on day 5 hasn't yet kicked anything in. Having said this it could be down to using strip tests. Come on post man where is my API master test kit.

After reading this thread relating to having plants in while cycling I remove the plants from the tank. Also, after re-reading the cycling guide here I have also increased the temperature to 34°C. Hopefully this will help the bacteria along.

However, something very odd is happening in the tank now...

When I got home I noticed what can only be described as "smoke" coming from the substrate. In reality these are extremely fine white filaments that are being moved around in the water current. Pictures speak a thousand words so have a look at the attachment:

View attachment 68243

Anybody got any ideas what this is?

Maybe it's a fungus. You might want to post this question as a new topic. I'm sure one of the really knowledgeable people on this site will come along and help you. Good luck! This whole fish keeping business is more complicated than it looks, isn't it?

 

[Clump]

Day 10 - Sunday - 28th October 2012

Well, after much hunting around for detail on this mysterious "smoke" and not finding anything I took pictures of it to about 5 different LFSs. None of them had any idea what it was. So I followed some advice from a different forum and did a massive water change agitating the substrate to get whatever it is out of the tank. As you can imagine the water is now crystal clear and there are no signs of this stuff, lets see what happens over the next few days. I have also removed all decorations from the tank.

Water tests after the change are the same as always, I am desperate for the API kit to turn up! I am shooting blind at the moment That said one of the LFSs did a free water test (with an API kit) and the ammonia level was at 5ppm. This was added on day 5 and it would seem that none of it has been processed, which leads me to the conclusion that there is no/little bacteria in the filter.

Going back into an LFS after all this research was an interesting experience, all insisted that as the filter has been running for a week it would be fine to put fish in the tank.

 

[Clump]

Well my fish tank has decided to give me a christmas present...

Just did a test and the thing is finally fully cycling 5ppm of Ammonia in 12 hours

Had I known it was going to take this long when I first got it I wouldn't have bothered

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Don't be discouraged. This is a normal amount of time, and the unfortunate part is that the LFS took your money for that Filter Start garbage. If you are looking to shorten this process dramatically, talk to whomever you gave the goldfish to. I assume that they have at least one fully mature filter running. Ask them for a bit of their filter media. It doesn't have to be much. Whatever they can spare. If they have bits of ceramic or similar, you can take that. If they use filter floss, that will work too. Anything that's been sitting in their filter will work nicely. Just take it home in a zip top bag of some sort to get it wet all the way home. Throw it into the back of your filter - just make sure it is submerged in the filter while running and that it doesn't clog it up. And voila, you have cycling bacteria. They may take a bit to adjust to your water chemistry, but it will start churning ammonia directly into nitrate almost immediately. It may take a few more days for them to grow into a colony big enough to handle 5ppm of ammonia in 12 hours, but it won't be long compared to continuing this. Give it a few days of cycling 5ppm ammonia in 12 hours with zero ammonia and nitrite to confirm that it is working and you are rolling with your Clumparium and it will be ready for fish. ;-)