Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[Prime Ordeal]

Getting a bit impatient now

snazy, break the mould and ignore all this double zeroes in 12 hours malarky, and then a week to be sure (or to be sure, to be sure, in your case ). Just get the fish in there and monitor daily to reassure yourself that all is well. They have a tank to go back to don't they if things get out of control?

In your position I would, in all seriousness, put all the guppies and the plec in to test the theory that there is an excess of bacteria for any reasonable stocking of your tank.

Go on, have a go.

 

[snazy]

Just updated with pictures. It's been about 27 hours since I redosed the ammonia to 2ppm and the nitrItes are still detectable-0.25ppm
I'll wait an hour or two and redose when this is down to 0.

 

[snazy]

Just tested again and nitrItes are 0 or just tiny bit off the blue sky colour.
What I am going to do is I'll dose up just 0.50 ammonia just to see how quick it will clear and also to test if the nitrItes are going to clear off quicker with lower dosage. It kind of looks to me that when ammonia 0s, it is then when the nitrItes start getting converted pretty quick.
So, I have to put a 1.67ml ammonia to bring it to about 0.50. I am off to now.

 

[snazy]

Redosed to 0.50ppm ammonia at 5.35PM and tested at 6PM. Ammonia is 0.50ppm as expected, nitrIte is still the same 0-ish colour.
I'll still redose to 2ppm eventually in a period of 24hrs, but I'll try in small portions instead of a big 2ppm dose. Why not

 

[FishFanatic04]

Someday you will add fish right? hehe

 

[snazy]

Someday you will add fish right? hehe

I need to move the grown up male guppy/platy fry from tank 1(fry tank) to this tank(tank3). Then I need to move smaller platy/guppy fry survivors from tank 2(female tank) to tank 1 to be able to feed them better as now they are getting a meal a day the same as the mothers. Then I need to move the pleco and corys eventually from tank 2 to tank 3 as it was setup specifically for them
So I am planning a lot of moving around and the lazy I am I keep finding excuses.


I tested the water too and updated the pictures. It's been 3 hours since 0.50ppm ammonia was added. Ammonia is 0, nitrIte is 0.50ppm. So nitrIte is not up to the abilities of the ammonia bacteria yet. On theory 0.50ppm ammonia converts to 1.35ppm nitrIte. Which means that 0.85ppm nitrItes were converted in the space of 3hours maybe

 

[snazy]

I took more than 24 hours for the nitrIte to go down to 0 yesterday, probably about 29hrs!!
However,patience is gone and yesterday I did a big water change using my new aqueon water changer. Brilliant, if people haven't tried changing water in a big tank without one of these, then I highly recommend it.!!

I intended to put some fish in, but it turned out that I ran out of hot water while doing the water change, so the temperature dropped to 21 degrees and I had to wait. Also, the Ph of the tap water is 6.6, so after the water change the tank was reading 7.0-ish. I was afraid to put the fish from a 7.6 Ph tank to such a low Ph.
So the tank spent the night with happy snails in it only.

This morning I decided to catch the pleco before the lights are on and I did a bit of a boo-boo. He got stuck on the net!! I never knew his skin is so sticky. Poor thing, he got stressed as it took a while to get him unstuck. I think I shredded one of his fins in the process too
I'll see how he is getting on today and I'll put some mail guppies this evening if the water readings are ok.

 

[Louiseness]

This morning I decided to catch the pleco before the lights are on and I did a bit of a boo-boo. He got stuck on the net!! I never knew his skin is so sticky. Poor thing, he got stressed as it took a while to get him unstuck. I think I shredded one of his fins in the process too

it's not his skin that's sticky, it's that they're covered in spines. Plecs in general are pretty tough though so I'm sure with some clean water and time he'll be fine.

 

[snazy]

Something like that I guess, but he was really stuck on the net, it was horrible as I thought I would tear his skin off.

 

[snazy]

I didn't get a chance to move more fish yet, but the pleco is making more than enough poop as it is.
Ammonia and NitrIte are 0 since I put him, so he definately is not producing anywhere near 2ppm ammonia.

 

[snazy]

I changed plans and I added the 6 albino corys I have. So far they seem to be over the moon
They really seem to love the new tank.
The pleco has a busy job polishing the wood and the white fluff that was growing on it seems to be disappearing. He is full of life though and is another happy tennant.
I'll keep testing to see if there will be any rise in ammonia and nitrIte.
The corys are only in for several hours but I tested just in case and so far no toxins. Hopefully it will stay that way.

 

[HayzH]

i'd just like to say....if you think cycling in 4-5 weeks is a failure..i would have been over the ******* moon! not 1 of my 4 tanks completed its cycle!!

 

[snazy]

Hi all,
I decided to upload a video of the happy fish. The white fungus/fluff is dying off rapidly and the koralia powerhead gets clogged in it. I washed the silk sock covering the powerhead twice today already, but you can see it on the video below(left top side).

The corys are more excited about the big space rather than the sand and haven't stopped swimming around. So much about corys being bottom fish.
Looking at the pleco's side fin that I damaged, it looks a bit better and he doesn't seem bothered by it. But boys, is he pooping . I have to figure a way to move the powerhead because there is a spot on the side of the driftwood that doesn't get much flow and gets covered in pleco poo.


http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeGBEkw3g4c&feature=youtu.be

 

[snazy]

I guess everyone has a busy schedule and it is hard sometimes to look after the fish, but I don't think I'll have this problem. See what I mean for yourself on the video below



Turn off the volume, sorry!!

http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh6JsgV5aCM&feature=youtu.be

 

[FishFanatic04]

Bet that kitty thinks you've set up a buffet just for him!