Uh Oh Mini Cycle, And Rena Xp3 Questions

[slickery]

1.
Currently I have in this order in the XP3:
2x 20 ppi foam
2x 30 ppi foam
2x box of bio stars
1x Amonia-Zorb (is this benificial?)
1x bio zorb (activated carbon mix)
1x fine foam

Does the Amonia Zorb work like ammo chips (making the amonia less toxic but still usable as food for nitrites)?
Does the nitra-zorb work, or does it ruin your bio filter?
Any suggestions on media to use?

2.
On to the mini cycle...

55g tank stock (current size in parenthesis)

3x zebra danios (1.5 - 2 ") - in the tank for about 4 weeks
6x cory cats (1 - 1.5") - in the tank for about 1 week
1x bristlenose catfish (2.5 - 3") - in the tank for about 2 weeks
1x rainbow shark (2.5 - 3") - in the tank for about 3.5 weeks
1x crowntail betta (2.5 - 3") - in the tank about 2.5 weeks

this tank was in a good state before adding the corys, 0ppm amonia and nitrite, and ~ 5ppm nitrate. I also added a small chunk of drift wood for the bristlenose a couple of days after I added the corys could that have cause dthe problem? I boiled it in tap water that I had treated with a chlorine remover before adding it to the tank.

Filter:
Tetra Whisper 60

I noticed a mini cycle in progress yesterday - amonia at ~.75 ppm, nitrites at ~.25 ppm, and nitrates at ~ 5ppm.

This was probably not smart but I swapped out one of the bio bags as it was about 4 weeks old, leaving the other for whatever bio filter it had growing on it. I left the other bio bag and of course the 2 sponges undestirbed. I also removed some small live plants that were looking a little sorry, and stopped feeding.

I added a 3 oz bag of bio spira last night

Tested again this morning - amonia ~.5 ppm, nitrites at ~.5ppm, and nitrates at ~7.5 ppm.

I added a Rena xp3 a couple of hours ago using the filter setup above. The whisper 60 is also still running.

I was banking on the bio spira speeding the process up, and I was thinking the water change may not be necessary unless the cycle stalls, and I didn't want to disturb the gravel as I figure I need all the bio filter I can get... Should I do a water change, or ride it out?

I'm hoping the Rena will have a better bio filter in the long run and I can use the Whisper 60 on a smaller tank. I'll leave it running on this tank until I get another setup to move it too. Should the Rena be a better bio filter?

 

[rdd1952]

Ive never heard of the ammonia-zorb but just the name (actually anything with "zorb" in the name) tells me it is probably not something you want in your filter. If it adsorbs ammonia, it will not be available for the bacteria to process thus meaning that your tank will never cycle. You will be reliant on it from now on and will have to replace or recharge it to keep the ammonia in check.

Go ahead with water changes to get the ammonia and nitrite below .25 ppm. The vast majority of your bacteria are in/on your filter media so doing a gravel vac won't harm your cycle. The water changes will definitely benefit your fish. The only problem with the WC is that you will be removing some of the Bio Spira but it sounds like it hasn't worked anyway.

As for the filter, the Rena should definitely be a better bio filter than the HOB. I would suggest though that you remove the ammonia-zorb and the bio-zorb. I don't think either will actually do your tank any good. Most people only run carbon as a means of removing medications from a tank. Your bio stars should provide plenty of area for your bacteria.

 

[Tobigara]

Ive never heard of the ammonia-zorb but just the name (actually anything with "zorb" in the name) tells me it is probably not something you want in your filter. If it adsorbs ammonia, it will not be available for the bacteria to process thus meaning that your tank will never cycle. You will be reliant on it from now on and will have to replace or recharge it to keep the ammonia in check.

Go ahead with water changes to get the ammonia and nitrite below .25 ppm. The vast majority of your bacteria are in/on your filter media so doing a gravel vac won't harm your cycle. The water changes will definitely benefit your fish. The only problem with the WC is that you will be removing some of the Bio Spira but it sounds like it hasn't worked anyway.

As for the filter, the Rena should definitely be a better bio filter than the HOB. I would suggest though that you remove the ammonia-zorb and the bio-zorb. I don't think either will actually do your tank any good. Most people only run carbon as a means of removing medications from a tank. Your bio stars should provide plenty of area for your bacteria.

Seconded. i would replace the ammonia-zorb and bio-zorb with more foam or bio-stars.

 

[slickery]

I did the water change and I think something went bad.

Before the water change levels were a little over .25 ppm amonia, ~.37 ppm nitrites (somewhere between .5 and .25), and ~7.5 ppm nitrates.

I took out about 19 gallons, and there was some evaporation + water that the Rena sucked up. I probably put 25 - 27 back in. About 2 hours after the test (had to get a new gravel vaccuum, part of the hose was broken on my old one when I took it out to do it last night. Before cleaning I took out all decorations and set them on a towel on the counter. I unplugged the heater and air pump, but left the filters running. I removed some plants from the pots they were in and planted them in the gravel. I put decorations back into the tank (did not clean them). Right before I added the water back in the whisper 60 started sucking water through a joint that was exposed to air, I fiddled with it, got it primed and running again, it took a few minutes total from the time it started failing.

I have a 5 gallon container I use to hold the water (only used for tank cleaning purposes). I added the water back in addinga capful of stress coat to each bucket both at the beginning and after the bucket was full, I also treated the water in the aquarium with stress coat, I can't see how chlorine could be the culprit here . So I fill it all up and turn the heater back on. Reconnect the air hoses. Clean off the glass tops with water and a clean rag, put them on and put the light back on and turn it on. Then I turned on the air pump. Waited about 10 minutes and retested the water. Readings (API liquid test kits):

Amonia - trace reading, not completely yellow, but yellow with a barely visible bit of green, definately not the second color though.
Nitrites - Completely light blue, indicating 0 (this is my concern)
Nitrates - ~ 2.5 definately not yellow, but also not light orange, somewhere in between, probably 2 - 3.

Should I be concerned with the lack of nitrites?
Should I expect the mini cycle to continue?
Should I wait to start feeding again (its been about 2.5 days)?
Anything obvious that I did wrong?

I feel fortunate all of my fish are still behaving normally !

 

[rdd1952]

I did the water change and I think something went bad.

Before the water change levels were a little over .25 ppm amonia, ~.37 ppm nitrites (somewhere between .5 and .25), and ~7.5 ppm nitrates.

Should I be concerned with the lack of nitrites?
Should I expect the mini cycle to continue?
Should I wait to start feeding again (its been about 2.5 days)?
Anything obvious that I did wrong?

I feel fortunate all of my fish are still behaving normally !

1) I don't think you should be concerned with the lack of nitrites. That's a good thing. I'm sure you are talking about the fact that it went from .37 to 0 with about as 40% water change. That would have put it to a level that may not be detetable on your kit. As long as it didn't get higher I wouldn't worry.

2) Actually, you are probably still in your original cycle now anyway since you still have ammonia and nitrite present. Just keep a check on them and do WCs as needed.

3) You can still feed them lightly. They could easily go longer but feeding every other day (or even every day) won't be an issue as long as you keep up the tests and WCs.

4) Not that I can see. It may be that the water had not mixed completely when you took the tests after the WC so you got a slightly skewed reading. As long as the levels are low, you're fine.