Is My Tank Cycled/ready Yet?

[Ruskull]

That's a good idea, but this is the only actual log I have on the progress. Also keep in mind that the results will be somewhat skewed because I used established media from 2 different sources as well as this wonder cure known as "stability."

I will post the results of my tests tonight. I missed my dose this morning but I think it'll be okay to dose when I get home from work. I'll wait a little bit & begin testing.

I also wanted to thank you for the other schooling fish options. I was considering Harlequin Rasboras but I never heard of those other Tiger Barbs you mentioned. I'd also have to find them locally, which has been a challenge in the past with the limited local fish stores available.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yeah, I was looking for a peaceful "tiger-like" barb and someone else turned me on to them. I would have gotten them myself but I couldn't find them locally, and the one shop I did find them at 2 hours away had them for more than I was willing to spend. That's why I ended up with the harlequins. They are hardier than the five-bandeds and were far cheaper (I found them on-sale for $1.29 each).


I forgot about the mature media. That is going to have a far greater impact on your cycle than Stability will. So, this won't be any kind test of Stability at all, but just another case of established media greatly speeding up the process time. Mature media is the only tried and true method there is for shortening a cycle dramatically.

 

[Ruskull]

Yeah, I was looking for a peaceful "tiger-like" barb and someone else turned me on to them. I would have gotten them myself but I couldn't find them locally, and the one shop I did find them at 2 hours away had them for more than I was willing to spend. That's why I ended up with the harlequins. They are hardier than the five-bandeds and were far cheaper (I found them on-sale for $1.29 each).


I forgot about the mature media. That is going to have a far greater impact on your cycle than Stability will. So, this won't be any kind test of Stability at all, but just another case of established media greatly speeding up the process time. Mature media is the only tried and true method there is for shortening a cycle dramatically.

I'm looking for all the help I can get............I finally found Pearl Gouramis locally & I had to pass on them. That was really tough. I still can't believe I forgot to dose the tank this morning.

Also, the directions say to use the 1 capful per ten gallons for the first treatment only & to lower the dosage to 1 cap per 20 gallons after that. The LFS guy said to maintain the original dosage for 1 week. I've followed that pretty well so far, well until this morning that is.

 

[Ruskull]

Okay, I turned on the light and added 3.5 capfuls of Stability. I also fed a very small amount of flake. I'll wait a half hour or so & then test all levels.

As a side note, my Gold Gourami male, King Tiger, has recently made a habit a hanging out inside the fake driftwood tree decoration! It's really strange to turn on the light and only see the females all hanging around but no male. When I open the top of the hood the male shoots up out of the decoration into the bubbles like a demon! He then circles the tank, chasing any female, or anything else for that matter, that's near him. Eventually he waits at the top for me to feed. It's like he knows that's the schedule.

The females have started to very playfully chase each other around, although not nearly as viciously as the male chases them. I guess that's just what they do. I haven't really seen them hurt each other but they do get going pretty fast.................

 

[Ruskull]

Zero Ammonia! Bright yellow with not a trace of green.

Zero Nitrite! Bright blue no hint of purple.

This is the best news yet:

Nitrate is dark orange, not quite red but heading there. Between the 20 ppm & the 40 ppm, a touch closer to the orangey side. I'd guess it's around 25-30 ppm with more accurate testing. That's huge jump from the barely 5 ppm & 10 ppm I've been getting previously.

All in all I started the whole process 2 weeks ago using donated media from my son's filter, PetCo's multi tank filter that didn't look too old or established, and this SeaChem Stability stuff.

So far I can't complain & I haven't done a water change in many days.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm very happy for you, but don't misplace your praise here. I would far more stock in the donated media than I would Stability. Stability is supposed to dal with nitrate as well as ammonia and nitrite.

From Seachem website:

Stability® will rapidly and safely establish the aquarium biofilter in freshwater and marine systems, thereby preventing the #1 cause of fish death: "new tank syndrome". Stability® is formulated specifically for the aquarium and contains a synergistic blend of aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria which facilitate the breakdown of waste organics, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Unlike competing products, the bacteria employed by Stability® are non-sulfur fixing and will not produce toxic hydrogen sulfide. Stability® is completely harmless to all aquatic organisms as well as aquatic plants, thus there is no danger of over use. Stability® is the culmination of nearly a decade of research and development and represents the current state of the art in natural biological management.

So, if your nitrates are increasing as you say they are, then it would seem that Stability is not the cause of your double zero. Ultimately, the donated media is doing what donated media has been doing for generations, instantly cycling a filter.

 

[Ruskull]

I'm very happy for you, but don't misplace your praise here. I would far more stock in the donated media than I would Stability. Stability is supposed to dal with nitrate as well as ammonia and nitrite.

So, if your nitrates are increasing as you say they are, then it would seem that Stability is not the cause of your double zero. Ultimately, the donated media is doing what donated media has been doing for generations, instantly cycling a filter.

I believe you are correct that the motherload of cycling was increased by the donated media, but I do think the Stability eased through the process. It remains to be seen if the newly established colonies are strong or not. Especially after I stop the treatments after a week, and when all the stuff is used up. It cost $6 for the small bottle. I originally picked up the $23 jumbo size which looked about as big a shampoo bottle. The salesman said I should use the smallest one, that my tank didn't require even the medium sized one. Those things helped me trust his opinion on the product.

I plan to follow through the week and I'll do a water change this weekend, unless of course I see a spike in any of the numbers.

I just fed the tank a small cube of frozen brine shrimp, saving a 3rd or so for my son's tank. I'll wait a bit a post the pH. Since it's always on the high side for both of my tanks, is it correct to skip the regular test & just do the high pH test?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I would run the test that fits your tank. If the pH isn't in the 6.0-7.4 range, there is no reason to run a test for that. If, however, after running the high test, your pH comes out at the lowest end of the spectrum, then I would test it with the lower kit to make sure of where the pH actually is.



I understand that you want to trust the guy at the LFS. All I am saying is that you need to have done your own research before you go to the store. Being right about one thing doesn't mean that they will be right about all the things you need/want to do. I'm glad you didn't get soaked for the large bottle, but I'm not sure that you didn't get taken with the smaller bottle. You have nothing to worry about with the mature media being in your filter. That stuff is already established and once it acclimated to your water conditions, it will be fine. It takes a good bit to through a mature colony completely off. The newly growing colonies are a little more finicky, but the presence of the mature media should do just about everything you need it to do, including cover up for the other colonies should they hit a bump in the road.


I don't want to come across as negative, but I want to help you for the future. You don't need to spend even the $6 if you have mature media to pull from (which of course you now will because you have at least two tanks running). If you decide to start another tank, don't buy another product, just pull some media (never more than 1/3 of the total amount) from the established filters and put that into the new filter. Then, replace the media you took out in the old filters. Doing this will ensure a smooth transition to the new tank, and it will not cost you time in dosing daily with a product with marginal, at best, results. Aquarists have been using mature media to seed filters for generations. It doesn't cost anything more than replacement cost of the material moved. It will instantly cycle your new set-up for a proportion of your old set-up's bioload, and you won't need to dose daily with anything. Fish can be put in the tank, immediately. Of course, you will want to test for a few days on both tanks to ensure that things are fine, but experienced aquarists know how to handle this process. Generally, they don't feed the new or old tank for at least a day. Then, they feed sparingly on both tanks. As you know, more food = more ammonia. After three days, the colonies are up and working at full strength and the new tank is starting to colonize the new media.

 

[Ruskull]

Yeah, that's what I thought with the pH /high pH measurements. My son's tank always registers high, between 7.4-7.6 which happens to be good for most of his fish, except the Kuhlis which like it lower.

I would never try to shortcut the cycling with a miracle cure like Stability except I had already re homed the male Gourami to the new tank, and added some friends so he wouldn't be lonely. Due to my in exerience, I thought the tank was cycled since I was getting zero for ammonia as well as nitrite and my nitrate was low at 5 ppm. Now I realize those numbers were due to there not being any fish in the tank to create ammonia.

I'm fairly sure the tank is cycled now, and I'll continue to monitor it throughout the week. Assuming it lasts, I would like to add 2 female Pearl Gouramis to the tank. I hesitate to add a male Pearl since the male Gold is so aggressive. What do you think?

I also have a more immediate problem, the small Gold female is showing signs of Ich. She's a bit lethargic, unless it's feeding time, and my son says he noticed small white dots on & around her head. She also has a tendency to brush up against the decorations & plants. I've seen the female Opaline do similar, although she doesn't have any spots - yet anyway. How can I treat the whole tank without messing up the newly established cycle? I already bought an anti-fungal solution that claims it treats Ich as well, but will it mess up the bacteria? Should I wait a bit longer or dose the tank tonight?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm just trying to help the fish here................the small female Gold has really grown on me.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Ich can be a real problem. Remind me again what the tank stock is.

Also, a little background on ich. Ich is a parasite which goes through a very interesting lifecycle. The ich is only vulnerable to medications when it is in the free swimming form. The free swimming form will attach to your fish, replicate itself (while damaging your fish) and create cysts that float to the bottom of the tank to "hatch". The life cycle can be expedited so that they reach the vulnerable stage faster by raising the temp of the water. Also, continue treatments beyond when the fish are showing symptoms. The most dangerous time is actually AFTER the lesion has left the fish. That is when the parasite is multiplying. If you stop medicating then, your fish will be dealing with MORE of the parasites than while you were medicating the tank.

As such, you will need to complete a LOT of water changes, and be very good about gravel vaccing. You need to remove as many cysts from the bottom as possible with every water change. And you need to medicate the entire tank. Remember, you can't treat the fish. The only treatment is for the water of the tank.

Link to good article about ich.

If I were you, I would post in the emergency section, or at least have a read through there concerning ich. I haven't battled ich since I was a teenager, and I am not sure if my methods are as up to date as they should be. Also, I've never dealt with it with a gourami. I'm not sure of their sensitivity to the medications.



One thing that they do say about ich is that generally, fish have a decent immune system against it, and that generally only stressed fish are susceptible. Being that you have been struggling through the cycling process a bit it isn't surprising that you had some ich issues. The stress should be lower now, so that will certainly be a benefit.

 

[Ruskull]

Thanks again, Eagle. It says to treat the whole tank, which seems like a good idea anyway. I'm just hoping it doesn't have a negative effect on my newly established cycle. If it does, I'll just have to deal with it since I can't lose these fish after all this.

I already have "Kordon Rid Fungus" which says:

•100% Organic
•Effective in fresh, brackish or salt water
•Treats: Ich, fungus, protozoans and dinoflagellates
•Composed of 100% multiple organic ingredients
•Stops infectious and external parasitic invasions from getting started and in turn prevents many secondary infections
•Helps fish fight off a wide spectrum of infections
•Treats up to 960 gallons

I bought it when I was trying to save a Dwarf Gourami we bought for my son's 20 gallon, about 1 month ago. It should be fine.

My tank is currently stocked with:

(1) Gold Gourami male
(1) Gold Gourami female
(1) Opaline Gourami female
(1) Three Spot Blue Gourami female
(3) Albino Cory Cats

Seven total fish for a 36 gallon bow front tank. I'd eventually like to add (2) Pearl Gourami females, (1) Bristlenose Pleco & a small school of (6) Harlequin Rasboras or something similar.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I'm glad I asked about the stocking. Cories are sensitive to most meds. The recommendation for them is to dose at half-strength and watch for stress.


Another thing you usually want to do is increase the temp in the tank, but I'm not going to suggest that, since I'm not sure of the tolerance of your fish to the higher temps. The higher temp will shorten the treatment period, but the higher temps might be a problem. I would check with the folks in the emergency forum.

 

[Ruskull]

I'm glad I asked about the stocking. Cories are sensitive to most meds. The recommendation for them is to dose at half-strength and watch for stress.


Another thing you usually want to do is increase the temp in the tank, but I'm not going to suggest that, since I'm not sure of the tolerance of your fish to the higher temps. The higher temp will shorten the treatment period, but the higher temps might be a problem. I would check with the folks in the emergency forum.

My tank temp is already 77-78 degrees so I think I'm good there.

I'm glad you asked about the stock too, I don't want to stress my Corries either. I'll just go with the half treatment, which probably means waiting twice as long. I'll also check in the Emergency section & see what they say.

 

[Ruskull]

I fed the tank 2 algae wafers, 4 bottom feeder pellets & a decent pinch of "color enhancing" flake. The Gouramis are so hungry they ate the flake within 30 seconds & are now pecking at the pellets & wafers.

I waited 20 minutes and treated the tank for Ich with the Kordon Rid Fungus and waited an hour & a half before doing the regularly scheduled tests:

Ammonia at zero!

Nitrite at zero!

Nitrates at 30-35 ppm, a slight increase from yesterday.

High pH reads 7.4 but really a lighter version

Regular pH reads about 7.2

Now if I can just get rid of this Ich

 

[Ruskull]

I also added a half dose of conditioning salt and shut the lights down early. Both seem to help ease the stress factor according to a few sources on the web.

It's time for another dose of stability.