Please Help

[Bugsvile]

Glolights are great with cardinals/neons. I can't remember about lampeyes (but I think I remember I like them)... perhaps agent 101 will come to our rescue or someone will actually look something up ... I gotta walk home from work and do a water change now! WD

Thanks waterdrop ###### LFS iss so obvious now , anyway i gotta do my search for ammonia today, wish me luck i hear it is hard to find here in the UK, Homebase first then Boots.

 

[Curiosity101]

Lampeyes if I remember correctly are part of the killifish family. Sometimes sold under the title 'Norman's Lampeyes'
They're really really pretty little fish. Definitely not fin nippers (I know people who have kept them with bettas and never had a problem).
I can't see any problems keeping them with tetras.

I've never kept them myself, but I've always liked the look of them whenever I see them at my LFS.
Here is a pic...

And the latin name - Aplocheilichthys normani
Most pictures on google don't do them justice, you've really got to see them in the flesh to appreciate the bright blue eye. Similar to with sparkling gouramis...

 

[Bugsvile]

thanks curiosity101, i was checking on another part of this forum for begginers about fish to keep for a begginer and people are saying what is good for one is not always good for someone else, can you advise of a hardy fish to help stablish my tank please?

Are harlequins a good choice?

 

[Curiosity101]

If you're doing a fishless cycle the you don't need a 'hardy' fish.

Did you read the posts about cycling?

Are you doing a fishless or Fish-in cycle?

If you're doing fishless, then the only fish you have to be careful of adding once the tank is cycled are really sensitive fish, eg. neons.
However most fish will fair fine in a newly cycled tank, so long as you don't overstock or stock too quickly.

 

[Bugsvile]

If you're doing a fishless cycle the you don't need a 'hardy' fish.

Did you read the posts about cycling?

Are you doing a fishless or Fish-in cycle?

If you're doing fishless, then the only fish you have to be careful of adding once the tank is cycled are really sensitive fish, eg. neons.
However most fish will fair fine in a newly cycled tank, so long as you don't overstock or stock too quickly.

I did read the post about cycling and i am off to find ammonia in a min or two, i was not clear on the fact that after a fishless cycle you could add preatty much any fish.

I assume i would till need to add a few at a time, i.e not all at once as i understand it this could defeat the whole bject of doing the fishless cycle because of to much ammonia, correct?

 

[Curiosity101]

Basically...yes.

By cycling upto 5ppm ammonia, the filter can then handle up to 5ppm of ammonia from fish over that 12hour period.

So you can add the amount of fish (Straight away) that would make 5ppm of ammonia over 12 hours...ish. lol.

You can probably half stock the tank straight off (if the fish are not fully grown), and then after that stick to no more than 3 or so additions a week. To make sure the filter is catching up fast enough.

 

[arobinson1984]

Once you have completed a fishless cycle you can normally stock your tank to about 80% sticking to the rough guide ratio of 1" of adult fish per gallon

A fishless cycle is the best way to be able to safely fully stock the tank in one go. Its actually much better to fully stock after a fishless cycle then add just a few.

I'll just explain briefly for you. When performing a fishless cycle you dose ammonia upto 4 or 5 ppm. Basically your tank cycles and creates enough beneficial bacteria to handle 4 or 5 ppm worth of ammonia so when you come to add fish after the cycle has finished, if you only put a few fish in and they only create lets say 2ppm worth of ammonia then there isnt enough ammonia to feed the benefical bacteria so the level of bacteria will decrease until there is just enough to cope with the 2ppm of ammonia being created by your fish.

I would write in more detail but I have just finished working nights and am going to bed in a min lol

Have a read of the 'whats cycling' and 'nitrogen cycle' links in my signature for a much higher detailed explanation lol

Andy

 

[Bugsvile]

This forum is so helpful, thanks again, i have to go and get some ammonia now and get the cycle going correctly, like i said when i first started i was going by the LFS advice, i guess my fish could of died if i had just bought as they had suggested!

 

[arobinson1984]

It is possible to successfully cycle the tank with fish in it, years ago before fishless cycling was thought of a fish-in cycle was the norm.

There are many disadvantages to cycling with fish in though. No matter how hard you try the fish will be subject to levels of poisonous chemicals (ammonia and nitrite) and its hard work ensuring the levels of them chemicals stay low enough to prevent long term damage to the fish.

Normally when performing a fish-in cycle you are required to do large 60/70% water changes up to 3 times every day for 6 weeks so not only is it more dangerous for fish but it is a lot more work for yourself as well.

Fishless is the way to go!!

Andy

 

[Bugsvile]

First store i went in (Homebase) had the ammonia so that was good, added the correct amount of ammonia as the calculator suggested.

2 quick questions,

Will i still need to add filter start? i assume not as i am adding ammonia now.

Also when do i first test the ammonia levels, just after adding the ammonia or a few hours down the line?

 

[Curiosity101]

Follow the instuctions on the fishless cycling pages.

But to answer your questions.

No you don't need filter start. To be honest, more often than not it doesn't help the cyling process at all.

And seeing as you're right at the beginning of your cycle. Not need to test for around 24hours.

 

[Bugsvile]

Following the instuctions on the fishless cycling pages.

But to answer your questions.

No you don't need filter start. To be honest, more often than not it doesn't help the cyling process at all.

And seeing as you're right at the beginning of your cycle. Not need to test for around 24hours.

Thank you so much Curiosity101 you have been a great help.

 

[Bugsvile]

Can someone please advise as i have been searching on this forum and cant find what i need. I am trying to find out if having carbon in my filter might slow down the process for a fishless cycle?

I know i am only on day 6 of the cycle but i thought i might see more of a change in the ammonia levels than theyare at the moment.

They are at around 3-4 ppm but does this sound about right?

mY nitrite reading is at 1 ppm

Nitrate shows 5.0 ppm.

By the way i am using the add and wait method.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi there,

No worry, totally normal not to see any real movement in the ammonia yet. The ammonia oxidizing bacter (A-Bacs) are simply not numerous enough yet for your tests to pick up what they're doing (although they are there and doing some processing!) It sometimes takes two weeks for the first dose of 4-5ppm of ammonia to finally drop to zero ppm, and once or twice we've even seen it take 3 weeks. After that though, ammonia will start taking much less time to drop to zero.

Any carbon you have in your filter will not be the cause of this part of the cycling process being slow. It brings up a good point though: Do you need carbon in your filter? The answer, usually, is no. Carbon is a "chemical media" and as aquarists we us it optionally in our filters for short periods, to accomplish specific goals. The most common uses are to remove medications, to remove yellow tannins from wood and to remove the occasional organic odor of unknown origin. Carbon only lasts 3 days, after which it is sitting there doing nothing and is ready to be removed and tossed. Carbon is considered to be a valuable tool for the aquarist but is better left sitting in the supply closet until needed.

The confusion about carbon comes from the fact that the retail business, both filter manufacturers and retailers, considers it, like salt and a few other things, to be a good little steady money-maker to keep things moving on the shelves. There is a bit of truth in the fact that carbon can "clear up things" sometimes and so they exploit that as much as possible, trying to convince new users that they should be buying and replacing expensive carbon "cartridges" on a frequent basis.

Carbon is a poor "biomedia" (sponge, ceramic rings, ceramic gravels etc. are better) but unfortunately it will indeed become the substrate for plenty of bacterial colonies and can cause a mini-cycle if its taken out after its become part of the overall biomedia of the total filter. For this reason its good to get it out of there early on before the fishless cycle gets too far down the line. It should be replaced with a better biomedia. Part of carbon's problem as a biomedia is that it tends to crumble, pieces getting smaller and smaller until they are like dust and as this happens they are carried out with water changes, taking their bacterial colonies with them.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Bugsvile]

Waterdrop you seem to have all the answers, so kind with your advice.

sorry about this, this is my last question till i need you again

Does having plants in the tank affect the cycle any?

In another part of this forum about a planted tank it says that you should not have plants during the fishless cycle as the plants will absorb ammonia also! Which is correct please.