Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[snazy]

Updated the results. It's been about 23 hours since the last redosing of 2ppm ammonia. Ammonia is 0. NitrIte is about 0.25ppm. Tested the Ph and is stable 7.6.

I am going to wait a couple of more hours before redosing ammonia to let the nitrIte go to 0. It does get converted pretty fast as 2.5 hrs ago it looked like 1ppm.


And a picture of the tank itself now:

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Looks like you're there then pretty much. If you were dosing to 1ppm that nitrite would certainly be at zero too. Happy days!

 

[snazy]

Looking good. Probably if I had never doubled the ammonia dose at the first place I would have been done a lot earlier.
I tested last night before I redosed the ammonia and nitrIte was 0. This was about 25 hours after dosing 2ppm ammonia.
I'll dose another few days as I have no intention to change the water using buckets and this aqueon water changer hasn't arrived yet I am preying it will fit my tap.

Do you think it's ok to turn the UV light back on?


Edit: That ugly black ball to the top left is my new power head dressed in a silk sock
The plants haven't grown too much, but at least there doesn't seem to be any nasty algae damage due the the lights being on. Do these snails not get killed of toxic ammonia and nitrIte?

 

[minnnt]

So... Does the bottled bacteria work?

Tank looks spot on mate, well done.

 

[snazy]

I don't think the TSS worked mate. It's been 3 weeks since I started and previously I was done in a week.
It's my first fishless cycle but I suppose it takes that much time without adding any bacteria, so unfortunately I have no idea why this time the TSS didn't help.

 

[minnnt]

Good to know. Thanks for taking the time to do it and document it.

 

[snazy]

No problem
It's been a busy time uploading pictures

I am wondering, when I start adding fish will I just add a couple of my test bunny guppies(I have two with bent spines) or can I go with a bigger load, like the pleco and all the 15(not sure) mail guppies?

 

[minnnt]

2 mongy guppies won't have much bioload mate. I would want my first fish to be hardy, something like a platy. What plec is it?

 

[snazy]

It's a very common poop machine
I have only one male platy and a bunch of unsexed ones that are still small.
The idea is that I put only males guppies and platies in this tank and if I put some of my females they will be no catching after in this tank. I couldn't even get the two dirty snails

 

[minnnt]

Lol! The common plec will certainly provide enough ammonia to keep the filter going. Lol. I have never had much look with guppies.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

I don't think the TSS worked mate. It's been 3 weeks since I started and previously I was done in a week.
It's my first fishless cycle but I suppose it takes that much time without adding any bacteria, so unfortunately I have no idea why this time the TSS didn't help.

It's the dose snazy. I know logically it shouldn't matter whether the dose rises gradually as in a fish-in cycle or whether the dose is there all in one go, as in the fishless that you're doing, but the evidence is there to be seen.

You yourself said you've cycled with fish in in a week with TSS and I've seen many other reports where the cycle has been this quick and even quicker with fish in. But I also see many that fail when using it in a fishless cycle.

Frankly I'm at a loss to explain why this is but my best guess is that the inhibitive/toxic effect of the initial high ammonia dose to the dormant TSS bacteria (and other bacteria in a bottle products) in a fishless cycle is fatal to them.

 

[snazy]

Yeah. I read around people having a lot of trouble with guppies, strange
I have hardly ever got a problem with them except for running out of space

 

[Prime Ordeal]

No problem
It's been a busy time uploading pictures

I am wondering, when I start adding fish will I just add a couple of my test bunny guppies(I have two with bent spines) or can I go with a bigger load, like the pleco and all the 15(not sure) mail guppies?

In theory it should be able to handle all the 15 guppies or the plec and a few guppies. If you're going to be around to monitor the levels I'd put a fairly heavy load in straight away, that is the point of fishless cycling after all.

 

[snazy]

I don't think the TSS worked mate. It's been 3 weeks since I started and previously I was done in a week.
It's my first fishless cycle but I suppose it takes that much time without adding any bacteria, so unfortunately I have no idea why this time the TSS didn't help.

It's the dose snazy. I know logically it shouldn't matter whether the dose rises gradually as in a fish-in cycle or whether the dose is there all in one go as in the fishless that you're doing but the evidence is there to be seen.

You yourself said you've cycled with fish in in a week with TSS and I've seen many other reports where the cycle has been this quick and even quicker with fish in. But i also se many that fail when using it with a fishless cycle.

Frankly I'm at a loss to explain why this is but my best guess is that the inhibitive/toxic effect of the initial high ammonia dose to the TSS bacteria (and other bacteria in a bottle products) in a fishless cycle is fatal.

Yeah. I am at a loss why it didn't work this time, but it definately didn't in this fishless cycle. There must be some other reason, otherwise I can't explain how my other two tanks cycled in a week with brand new filters(one is undergravel). The only thing I regret now is that I didn't document my previous tank cycle on this forum as I had already joined when I cycled it.

Well, at least this cycle is nearly over regardless.

 

[snazy]

Lol! The common plec will certainly provide enough ammonia to keep the filter going. Lol. I have never had much look with guppies.

In theory it should be able to handle all the 15 guppies or the plec and a few guppies. If you're going to be around to monitor the levels I'd put a fairly heavy load in straight away, that is the point of fishless cycling after all.

I think I'll take your advice guys and probably start with a few of the uglier male guppies and the pleco in a few days.
Sorry for asking again, but when is it ok to turn the UV light back on? Should I run it for a while before adding fish to kill any nasty stuff or is there a chance it will kill by bacteria pets? I've never used one before so I have no idea how this works.