Tank Setups

by **masonv** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:16 pm

I am on day 8 of my fishless cycle. I Jw e seeded my tank with 5 filter pads from 2 other tanks. 4 from my 75g mbuna cichlid tank with 30 fish in it, tank has been running about a year now. The other filter pad from a 30g community tank, running about 2 years.
I dosed my new tank to around 2ppm on day one. It took 3 days for the ammonia to read zero. At that time I tested nitrites they read about 1ppm. That same day I dosed back up to 2ppm of ammonia. This took a little over 2 days to read zero. That same day tested nitrites they read .5ppm. So I waited 1 day and tested for nitrites again 0ppm. So to see if I can cycle 2ppm of ammonia in 1 day I dosed it back up last night. 24 hours later about .5ppm and about 1-2ppm nitrite.
What's going on here? I had a 0 nitrite reading, so why so high of a reading today?

by **dsouthworth** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:28 pm

Just be patient. Keep adding ammonia every time it reaches 0ppm. when it reaches 0ppm in 24 hours you are onto the next step.

by **prov356** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:33 am

so why so high of a reading today?

Did you make any changes, even minor ones, water change, anything? That's usually the cause for something like this. The good news is that you're close. You did everything exactly right. I'd have expected 0 after 24 hours on the last dose too. If no changes were made, then write it off as some anomaly, and just keep doing what you're doing.

by **masonv** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 9:18 am

prov356
I have a sump with a drip tray made out of a small rubbermade tote. I have been using different types of mechanical filters. I can't seem to find the right one. I have used the blue bonded stuff, 100 micron filter stuff, and pillow batting.
Do I need to have my filter floss in place and keep it in place. I just can't seem to figure out what I want to use. I want to find the right one and keep it there, but the 100 micron pad seems to restrict my drip tray after some time.
Also my nitrites haven't gotten to a 2 yet so I haven't done any water changes yet. And sense I got a 0 reading of nitrites the other day I figured I would just start doing water changes when I got closer to getting my fish. Which I thought was gonna be soon, but now I don't know.

What kind of filter media do ppl use in drip trays. I have PFS so I think that is what may be getting the filters a little brownish as of right now. I don't seem to have that problem with my other tanks, but they all have HOB's so I can't really tell if the sand gets them dirty. I'm more worried about when I get fish in the tank and their poop clogging the filter.

by **prov356** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:59 am

Do I need to have my filter floss in place and keep it in place.

Yes, for now. If you're changing out filter media, that's the reason for the cycle setbacks. I use the blue bonded filter pads. The micron pads will clog way too quickly IME. I didn't like the pillow batting at all, tried it once. The blue bonded won't catch everything, but it doesn't need to. I use it on my 5 sump/wet-dry systems. Be careful when feeding when you first get your fish and try not to touch the filter pads for the first 45-60 days. If starting with juvenile fish, that helps to keep the filters from clogging for a bit.

by **masonv** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:40 pm

prov356
Where can you buy the blue bonded filter media. The ones they sell at the online retailer I buy alot of my stuff are not big enough. I want to buy it in the big rolls if I can. I got mine from work, and don't want to do that anymore, kind of a one time thing if you know what I mean.
I was hoping they sell it at maybe Menards or Homedepot. That's about the only thing I got around my area, and that is still a 30 minute drive.

by **prov356** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:17 pm

What size are you looking for?

by **masonv** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:52 pm

Well I need my sizes cut about 16"x17". So the ones they sell online are to small.

by **masonv** » Sun May 06, 2012 3:04 pm

So it only take about 12hrs or so for my ammonia to reach 0 from 2-3ppm. My nitrites will reach 0ppm, but it takes about 36-48hrs for this to happen. Is my tank cycled "basically". I ask because I would like to order my fish sometime this week. Maybe have them delivered by this Friday.
When I cycled my 75g I believe my nitrites would reach 0ppm in 24hrs after the first time they reached 0.

by **cantrell00** » Sun May 06, 2012 3:10 pm

masonv wrote:So it only take about 12hrs or so for my ammonia to reach 0 from 2-3ppm. My nitrites will reach 0ppm, but it takes about 36-48hrs for this to happen. Is my tank cycled "basically". I ask because I would like to order my fish sometime this week. Maybe have them delivered by this Friday.
When I cycled my 75g I believe my nitrites would reach 0ppm in 24hrs after the first time they reached 0.

IMO, yes. You have to remember that fish, unlike an ammonia dose, will happen very gradually.

This is my one issue with fishless cycling. There really isn't a practical way to dose ammonia at the same rate that a colony of fish would.

I would go ahead and make the order & secure the fish.

by **kwajr** » Sun May 06, 2012 5:18 pm

masonv wrote:prov356
Where can you buy the blue bonded filter media. The ones they sell at the online retailer I buy alot of my stuff are not big enough. I want to buy it in the big rolls if I can. I got mine from work, and don't want to do that anymore, kind of a one time thing if you know what I mean.
I was hoping they sell it at maybe Menards or Homedepot. That's about the only thing I got around my area, and that is still a 30 minute drive.

just find out who buys it for your work some one there buys it see if they will tell you I'm sure it's wholesale so that would be great

Tank Setups • Just a little confusion on my fishless cycle

Just a little confusion on my fishless cycle

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