Need A Media Donor In Or Around Middlesbrough Uk

[bullheaduk]

I am new to the hobby and am starting a tropical freshwater tank.
I have started a so called fishless cycle using nutrafin cycle that came with my tank.
I know the basics and from what i have now read, i don't think a cycle is happening at all. What do you think?
I have 7 plants in my 240 litre tank with gravel and a few air stones. I have added water conditioner (aqua plus)
I have a slight trace of ammonia 0.1ppm at best. Nitrites at zero and maybe a slight trace of nitrate. My ph is 7.4 (7.2 when i started) tested with an api liquid master test kit.
My tap water has no ammonia, nitrite or nitrates in it.
I have gone by the instuctions of the bottle of cycle adding it for 2 days (i have more to add tomorrow).
Now i don't think my tank has cycled at all yet as theres no ammonia source other than maybe a slight trace.
I realise this is my first post and might seem a little forward but.......
I would like someone to please donate me some filter media so i can get the tank seeded properly.
I live in middlesbrough cleveland uk.

And can i be cheeky enough to ask for some media for a friend as he is going through the same thing with the exact set up as me.
Man this fish stuff is a minefield with so many variations of conflicting advice and the local shop said to throw some fish in straight away. Another said use the bottle of nutrafin cycle and wait 5 days before you add any fish. It's confusing at best and bad advice.

 

[bullheaduk]

I am new to the hobby and am starting a tropical freshwater tank.
I have started a so called fishless cycle using nutrafin cycle that came with my tank.
I know the basics and from what i have now read, i don't think a cycle is happening at all. What do you think?
I have 7 plants in my 240 litre tank with gravel and a few air stones. I have added water conditioner (aqua plus)
I have a slight trace of ammonia 0.1ppm at best. Nitrites at zero and maybe a slight trace of nitrate. My ph is 7.4 (7.2 when i started) tested with an api liquid master test kit.
My tap water has no ammonia, nitrite or nitrates in it.
I have gone by the instuctions of the bottle of cycle adding it for 2 days (i have more to add tomorrow).
Now i don't think my tank has cycled at all yet as theres no ammonia source other than maybe a slight trace.
I realise this is my first post and might seem a little forward but.......
I would like someone to please donate me some filter media so i can get the tank seeded properly.
I live in middlesbrough cleveland uk.

And can i be cheeky enough to ask for some media for a friend as he is going through the same thing with the exact set up as me.
Man this fish stuff is a minefield with so many variations of conflicting advice and the local shop said to throw some fish in straight away. Another said use the bottle of nutrafin cycle and wait 5 days before you add any fish. It's confusing at best and bad advice.

By the way, i have tried to send a pm to sparklefuzz as she is on the list of people willing to donate media, and it says she has disable her option to recieve pm messages.
If she is still a member on the forums and anyone knows her could you please tell her of this post.
Cheers

 

[ellena]

You're right, it is extremely conflicting. For years, people have used the 'add a few hardy fish to get it going' method and it can work, but it's hard on the fish (and you!) so fishless cycling has become the recommended route.
Read the pinned threads on this topic to see exactly how to go about it. Even with mature media, you'll need a test kit (API master-eBay) and an ammonia source.
The bacteria in a bottle products are generally thought to be little use. They could have been stored anyhow and with no food source in the bottle it's extremely unlikely there will be any alive in there.
As to mature media, try your LFS (local fish shop). Mine donated me some, although I suppose it depends if they know what a fishless cycle is. Don't let them fob you off with anything else-if they won't give you some, go elsewhere.
Good luck

 

[waterdrop]

Its great that you're looking for mature media as that's the only reliable "speed-up" of a fishless cycle and it makes sense to cast your net widely in case you can luck out and get this somewhat rare method of help. Good for you!

Meanwhile, I agree completely with ellena. Your top priorities will be to find a good kit (like the API Freshwater Master Test Kit she mentions) and to find the correct sort of household ammonia, and to be reading the beginners resource center (quite a lot of reading there!) The ammonia hunt can be quite challanging. What you want to do is go for the "mop and broom" household cleaning isles in various types of stores. Copy that location info from your thread title into your profile so that members in your area may be able to help on an ongoing basis. You want pure clear ammonia that doesn't have dyes, fragrances or soaps in it. If the bottle is clear or you can open the top then you want to look at how quickly the bubbles go away when the bottle is shaken. Ammonia without soap should have only bubbles that go away in 2 or 3 seconds, like water. If it foams a lot more than that then you don't want it. The UK folks can give you a lot of specific stores that have ammonia that works.

The "bacteria in a bottle" products are a difficult topic here for advisors because most of us feel they are not helpful (or even that they are "snake oil") because either these members themselves have found them worthless or we've watched so many beginners be completely disappointed by them. So there's the extreme of feeling them worthless or deceptive and then there's the other extreme of a few swearing that they worked but the truth is probably mostly towards the "not much help" side of things. There've been a couple of past refridgerated products that occasionally worked and there's hope from some scientists that someday there may be success in this area but for now I'd stick to true "Fishless Cycling" with an ammonia source.

In the reading section you'll want to focus first on understanding the Nitrogen Cycle and then Fishless Cycling, Fish-In Cycling and Tank Startup. Read other beginner threads also, as a way for understanding what goes on around here.

For your seven plants you'll want to take notes and get going on their care and upkeep. Work on identifying exactly what plants you have and finding out whether they are the types of "low-light" plants that will be easy starters. You'll want to identify how many watts of what type of lighting you have and perhaps start out with as few as 4 hours of lighting a day, to avoid helping along the algae which will get triggered by the ammonia during cycling. Gradually you will increase those light hours to end up at maybe 10 or 12 maximum. You'll want to learn about "EI" estimative index fertilization, in addition to lighting and about ways to get carbon to your plants and about how substrates can be a backup to liquid fertilization.

Anyway, ask away here in your thread as you develop new questions and I'm sure the members will enjoy chatting with you.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rdd1952]

Sparklefuzz hasn't been active for a while and from looking at her profile, it looks as if her tanks are SW so she wouldn't be any help anyway. Hopefully, some of the members in your area will be able to help.

 

[bullheaduk]

Thanks for the advice everyone its great so hear and much appreciated.
I think i have grasped the nitrogen cycle and have put in lots of hours of reading. Maybe 50hrs or more so far and i have'nt touched the surface yet.
I got some biomax (ceramic rings) from my lfs and have put that into my fluval 305 external filter. It has 6 seperate baskets to fill, and 5 of them now have biomax in them and a polishing cloth in the other one, so it's full now. I got 2 baskets worth of biomax from the local fish shop which was originaly in a well established community tank in the shop.
My plants seem fine at the moment. I leave the lights on for 10 hours a day leaving them off for a few hours in the afternoon.
These are my current test readings using an api liquid master test kit.

Ammonia - 0 zero
Nitrite - 2.0
Nitrate - 0 zero
Ph - 7.3

My tap water is slightly over the neutral 7.0 at 7.2 to 7.3
My tank (fluval roma 240 litre) has been running for almost 4 days now, although i only put the donated media into my filter yesterday afternoon.
Now with adding the donated biomax from the local fish shop i would have thought that i would be getting some reading of ammonia rather than zero, and some reading higher than 2.0 for nitrite. Surely adding the donated biomax would have started the nitrogen cycle on its way? as the beneficial bacteria would have been coated onto the ceramic rings. The bacteria should be multiplying now.
Or do i have to feed the bacteria with a food source like ammonia?
What do you peeps think. Please let me know if i have made a mistake somewhere as i want to get the ball rolling.

 

[tom_os]

i would be happy to donate some but in the last week i have already given away 2 pieces and im running out of media for my own tanks! i will have a look though and see if i can fine some. if i can i will PM you

 

[bullheaduk]

Thanks for the offer m8 though i'm not sure i need some now after adding the donated biomax. I need someone to give me advise as what to do next, and what they think i happening to my tank now.
I hope i have worded everything so its understandable.
Thanks again for any advice or comments you might have.

 

[waterdrop]

Thanks for the advice everyone its great so hear and much appreciated.
I think i have grasped the nitrogen cycle and have put in lots of hours of reading. Maybe 50hrs or more so far and i have'nt touched the surface yet.
I got some biomax (ceramic rings) from my lfs and have put that into my fluval 305 external filter. It has 6 seperate baskets to fill, and 5 of them now have biomax in them and a polishing cloth in the other one, so it's full now. I got 2 baskets worth of biomax from the local fish shop which was originaly in a well established community tank in the shop.
My plants seem fine at the moment. I leave the lights on for 10 hours a day leaving them off for a few hours in the afternoon.
These are my current test readings using an api liquid master test kit.

Ammonia - 0 zero
Nitrite - 2.0
Nitrate - 0 zero
Ph - 7.3

My tap water is slightly over the neutral 7.0 at 7.2 to 7.3
My tank (fluval roma 240 litre) has been running for almost 4 days now, although i only put the donated media into my filter yesterday afternoon.
Now with adding the donated biomax from the local fish shop i would have thought that i would be getting some reading of ammonia rather than zero, and some reading higher than 2.0 for nitrite. Surely adding the donated biomax would have started the nitrogen cycle on its way? as the beneficial bacteria would have been coated onto the ceramic rings. The bacteria should be multiplying now.
Or do i have to feed the bacteria with a food source like ammonia?
What do you peeps think. Please let me know if i have made a mistake somewhere as i want to get the ball rolling.

Oh Dear, Yes! I believe you may have missed the part about acquiring the correct type of "pure clear household ammonia" and using a syringe or eyedropper to measure some of this into the tank to feed the ammonia. Ideally you should have had this all worked out -prior- to obtaining the mature media so that they would have had "food" right away. Some of them can last a day or two without food however, so all might not be lost. The article you want to be looking at is written by rdd1952 and its the "Add&Wait" method you want. Also there are my comments in the previous post up a ways in this thread about the finding of ammonia.

The testing kit serves two functions during fishless cycling. It helps you acheive the correct 3,4,5ppm ammonia "food" dosing of the tank and then 12 hours and 24 hours later it helps you see how much of the ammonia was eaten by your two growing colonies of bacteria.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[ellena]

Yes, this is the thread you need to read. The bacteria 'eat' ammonia (eventually, this will be fish waste, but during the fishless cycle, you provide it from a bottle) and produce nitrites which another type of bacteria eats and produces nitrates.

 

[Rediahs]

My tap water is slightly over the neutral 7.0 at 7.2 to 7.3
My tank (fluval roma 240 litre) has been running for almost 4 days now, although i only put the donated media into my filter yesterday afternoon.
Now with adding the donated biomax from the local fish shop i would have thought that i would be getting some reading of ammonia rather than zero, and some reading higher than 2.0 for nitrite. Surely adding the donated biomax would have started the nitrogen cycle on its way? as the beneficial bacteria would have been coated onto the ceramic rings. The bacteria should be multiplying now.
Or do i have to feed the bacteria with a food source like ammonia?
What do you peeps think. Please let me know if i have made a mistake somewhere as i want to get the ball rolling.

Yes you need an ammonia source, as of right now nothing you have put into the tank is producing ammonia (the bacteria EAT ammonia, not produce it! Once you have fish in the tank, THEY will produce ammonia, which is bad for them, so that's why you need the bacteria) so of course your reading will be zero.

Add ammonia as quick as you can so your bacteria from the donated media won't die, they need to eat otherwise they'll die. If you can't find any suitable household ammonia (no perfumes, colours, soaps, surfactants, doesn't foam when you shake it) you have a few options, you can add fish food which will decompose and produce ammonia, but that may not be quick enough... or you could, erm, pee in the tank! I'm serious! But some people say that this isn't a very good option (besides being somewhat nasty!) because of all the other things that are in your urine... (may I remind you, though, that urine is sterile! and the other things in your urine are probably just dissolved minerals, nothing particularly harmful)

From the looks of things, from how long you've left them without any food, they may already be mostly dead... but if you're lucky there may be some left lingering around and if you feed them they'll perk up and start processing.

 

[bullheaduk]

Yes i made the mistake of not having the ammonia ready then.
I have now added a few flakes of fish food crushed up, and am hoping that it will save the day for me.
Its about ten hours since i added the biomax, so maybe not too late.
I will test the water later and post back.
Thanks for keeping me right.
Cheers.

 

[bullheaduk]

Well folks everything is now on hold.
I found today that i have a small leak where the rim of the tank meets the glass in one corner.
Its only small and must be condensation inside the tank but its already starting to warp my cabinet (the door was sticking today thats how we found it)
The shop is replacing the tank and cabinet, but they have to order it as none in stock.
I got the setup cheap so its worth me sticking with them.
I'm just gutted i'll have to start again Luckily i had no fish in the tank though
Thanks for everyones input.

 

[waterdrop]

Luckily you'd hardly started anyway, so persevere and it'll be ok!

Perhaps you can even get your ammonia going this time and -then- manage to get some more mature media!

~~waterdrop~~