Help Please!

[KISSfn]

Ok, I'll check that's what I've got, then I will use it. Thanks very much for your help kiss. Guess now my fishless cycle has now turned into another fish in cycle. Great. 2 lots of daily water changes

Glad I could "help"! My heart rate is still up! I figured even though I'm far from an expert, it's still something to have somebody, anybody to at least try and "stay on the line with ya" until paramedics arrived... If you live in the US there's a website that sells seeded media sponges. If not, do you do your water changes with buckets?

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

I'm in the UK. Well I'm hoping they are both fairly close to finishing. So hopefully not too long now. Yeh I am doing it with buckets. However my small tank is by a window so I can just empty it through that which helps.

And yeh your right about somebody being there to help. You start to panic and question if your doing the right thing lol

 

[KISSfn]

See if you can change your water like I do, super easy! I bought an adapter from a harware store that attaches to my kitchen sink faucet that allows me to connect a garden hose to the faucet. To drain the tank I insert the hose from my gravel vac inside the garden hose and let it drain to the backyard. To refill I attach the hose to the kitchen sink, add Prime, temp match and fill the tank with the hose. Could you do this?

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Yeh I could do. However I'm not sure on temperature matching. I always get it wrong. Also I use an internal filter so I don't know if the chlorine will kill the bacteria before I put the tap safe in, even if the filter is off.

 

[KISSfn]

I read on here you could temp match with your hand and I tried that once and ended up 10 degrees off! Since then I temp match with my hand at the sink but while the tank is filling I keep my eye on the tank thermometer (digital, only $8) and make adjustments as needed at the faucet. I use Prime which is super concentrated. A capful treats 50 gallons so it's probably cheaper than tap safe in the long run! I have always added Prime to the tank before beginning the refill and my biological filter has never lost a beat. I would add a couple drops of Prime inside your filter first if you're concerned. Add the rest to the tank and swish it around before refilling. I think Prime works almost instantly. It also detoxifies ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and chloramine in addition to chlorine.

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

We don't have prime in the uk otherwise I would be using that as I've heard good things about it. I will give it a try however but be very cautious. Yeh my digital thermometer is rubbish. Takes an age to change temperature reading. Also fluctuates somewhat too. One minute I look at it it's 26.0 the next it's 26.9.

I will get a better thermometer next time I go to the LFS

 

[ZoddyZod]

some shops do sell Prime in the UK. If you can't find it then you can use a very popular auction site instead.

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Right, have just ordered prime on a very popular auction website. I can't beleive how much water 500ml will treat. My tetra needs 5ml per 10 litres. Prime treats 200 litres for the same amount of liquid. (if their website is correct).

Thanks to one and all!!

 

[KISSfn]

My bottle says 250ml treats 2500 gallons! 9463 litres.

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Yeh I know crazy right? Tn comparison to my tetra, running out in about a week and half!!

 

[colleen0309]

See if you can change your water like I do, super easy! I bought an adapter from a harware store that attaches to my kitchen sink faucet that allows me to connect a garden hose to the faucet. To drain the tank I insert the hose from my gravel vac inside the garden hose and let it drain to the backyard. To refill I attach the hose to the kitchen sink, add Prime, temp match and fill the tank with the hose. Could you do this?

great idea! I've been doing this for years. Just make sure you buy a hose that has a mildew retardent in it.

 

[CrazyAirborne]

so you guys that attach the hose right to the sink, u add the Prime to the tank as its filling up? I guess that scares me having the chlorine going into the tank before I treat it.

 

[Tizer]

aslong as the filter isnt running, it should be fine.

 

[KISSfn]

so you guys that attach the hose right to the sink, u add the Prime to the tank as its filling up? I guess that scares me having the chlorine going into the tank before I treat it.

I add it before refilling. A capful treats 50 gallons so it's powerful stuff.

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Ok. I have now taken the barbs back and got a credit note for them. Woop. When my tank cycles, very close now, I will get some more fishes