New Tank - ~45g
- Thread starter Kalavek
- Start date
Eleven days in, seeded multiple times. No nitrites, no nitrates yet. The water doesn't smell like anything, and the bubbles have reduced considerably since they were first mentioned. There is a very slight haze to the water, if I had to put a color to it I'd say it was a very slight green or yellow.
Do I have a dead tank here? Should I flush it, rinse, and try again?
Do I have a dead tank here? Should I flush it, rinse, and try again?
Awww, (puts down hose)
Ammonia is sitting around 1.5 - 2.0... kind of between them on the chart. So far that is the only change I've noticed, is that the ammonia seems to be dropping slowly. When it gets as low as 1.0, I put some more in to bump it back up to somewhere around 2-4 ppm. (I swear, those two colors on the chart are the same!)
Ammonia is sitting around 1.5 - 2.0... kind of between them on the chart. So far that is the only change I've noticed, is that the ammonia seems to be dropping slowly. When it gets as low as 1.0, I put some more in to bump it back up to somewhere around 2-4 ppm. (I swear, those two colors on the chart are the same!)
I've had the temperature at 80-81 since perhaps the second or third day. I used Prime when I filled it, perhaps a little more than recommended, then I waited a day. For oxygen I have a bubble disc, you can see it in my avatar pic on the right side of the tank (white column). It sets up a good current in the tank, keeps everything moving.
I'll up the ammonia level, should I Prime the tank again? I thought chlorine evaporated eventually with agitation - or am I thinking of something else?
I'll up the ammonia level, should I Prime the tank again? I thought chlorine evaporated eventually with agitation - or am I thinking of something else?
No, actually on the contrary. I was wondering if the dechlor you used would interfere with ammonia by "detoxifying" it and turning it into...I dont remember I'm not feeling well today and in any case, dont add anymore prime because I believe it does have some of that...although you've been adding ammonia so I wouldn't think it should be interfering.
Chlorine breaks apart...chloramines don't if you have them in your water...but I dont think chlorine would be the problem as long as you aren't putting water into your tank untreated while the filter is going.
What kind of filter are you running on it? There isn't ammolock or anything like that in the filter cartridge right?
The other thing that will add surface agitation would be to lower the level of water in the tank (or in my house just let it evaporate and don't refill LOL) so that the output from the filter breaks the surface more.
Chlorine breaks apart...chloramines don't if you have them in your water...but I dont think chlorine would be the problem as long as you aren't putting water into your tank untreated while the filter is going.
What kind of filter are you running on it? There isn't ammolock or anything like that in the filter cartridge right?
The other thing that will add surface agitation would be to lower the level of water in the tank (or in my house just let it evaporate and don't refill LOL) so that the output from the filter breaks the surface more.
I Primed the tank when I first filled it because I knew I didn't want any chlorine or chloramine in there - then I waited for a day because I didn't want the Prime to interfere with the ammonia. I have not added any new water or prime since then, but the level has dropped at least an inch now - I have several gallons of Primed water waiting to top up the tank late tomorrow.
The label, regarding Prime vs Cycling:
"Prime converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank's biofilter. Prime may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity."
It doesn't seem to specify on the bottle what it converts the ammonia to, but they say it's fine for cycling. They also make the case it can be added directly to aquariums when adding water, which suggests it should not impact the bacterial colony - but these labels were all written by marketers. I try to mix these labels heavily with comments online, since experience tells a different story than manufacturers.
The filter currently installed is an Aquaclear-50 HOB - I know, it barely cuts it for this tank, but I'll be adding my TopFin-60 HOB to this tank if it ever cycles. I can't move it over yet because it's keeping my fishies alive in the 25g tank right now. In the meantime, I have lots of water movement and surface agitation in the 45.
For filter media I have the sponge on the bottom, a filter sleeve from the 25g tank (yesterday's seeding attempt), and the bio-media on top of those. I had the carbon pouch sitting between the bio-media and the sponge, but I removed that yesterday to try and get some bacteria moved over to the bio-media.
I'm very open to suggestions, I need to get this tank running. For all I know, all my seeding is being killed off as soon as it hits the water.
The label, regarding Prime vs Cycling:
"Prime converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank's biofilter. Prime may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity."
It doesn't seem to specify on the bottle what it converts the ammonia to, but they say it's fine for cycling. They also make the case it can be added directly to aquariums when adding water, which suggests it should not impact the bacterial colony - but these labels were all written by marketers. I try to mix these labels heavily with comments online, since experience tells a different story than manufacturers.
The filter currently installed is an Aquaclear-50 HOB - I know, it barely cuts it for this tank, but I'll be adding my TopFin-60 HOB to this tank if it ever cycles. I can't move it over yet because it's keeping my fishies alive in the 25g tank right now. In the meantime, I have lots of water movement and surface agitation in the 45.
For filter media I have the sponge on the bottom, a filter sleeve from the 25g tank (yesterday's seeding attempt), and the bio-media on top of those. I had the carbon pouch sitting between the bio-media and the sponge, but I removed that yesterday to try and get some bacteria moved over to the bio-media.
I'm very open to suggestions, I need to get this tank running. For all I know, all my seeding is being killed off as soon as it hits the water.
Last edited:
*sigh* explain to me one more time why you're doing this?? LOL I think I'd be giving up, doing a big water change and moving your filter and fish to this tank. Afterall you're cycling the filter, not the tank persay...so if you're not even going to keep the filter...why bother? AC is a much better filter IMO than the top fin though lol
I think it converts nh3 to nh4 or vice versa...its still ammonia, just not the same kind.
It could also be that your seeding from the other tank isn't doing much because you only have those few fish...its not an over abundance of bacteria getting moved over.
I think it converts nh3 to nh4 or vice versa...its still ammonia, just not the same kind.
It could also be that your seeding from the other tank isn't doing much because you only have those few fish...its not an over abundance of bacteria getting moved over.
There has been a change in plans.
On Monday I was supposed to start working a new job - but something weird happened a couple days before I started which resulted in the job position vanishing. (And that's all I'm gonna say about that for now.) For the moment I am unemployed and looking for something to keep me busy until a position like this opens up again.
That said, I've decided to change my plans with the 45g slightly - instead of taking my time and letting it cycle (for the fun of it, believe it or not) I have dumped the water, refilled with clean Primed water, matched the temperature and moved everything from the 25g over. This whole process started early Monday morning, and I have just finished the swap about an hour ago.
One thing for sure, if my pleco gets any bigger (and I know he will) it will be impossible to scoop him up safely with a net. He is pretty calm until the net comes out of the water, but then he'll fight and squirm until he's free in the water again. He could easily get wrapped up badly in the net when he gets a little bigger. How do you handle a full-grown pleco without getting stabbed or injuring it?
Anyway, the pleco wasted no time in making himself at home in the new tank - the danios on the other hand were in a state of sheer panic. Thankfully everyone has calmed down now, and they seem to be doing alright. I'll be keeping an eye on the levels just in case I screwed up the bio-filtering. The filter, decor and water were all included in the move, so hopefully this is not much different than doing a 50% water change.
I'll play with cycling experiments another time - for now I need to keep my focus on restoring my income. Thanks to everyone for your input, hopefully I am not the only one that has learned a few things from this thread.
Oh yeah - here is how it looks now. Still a long way to go before I'm done.
On Monday I was supposed to start working a new job - but something weird happened a couple days before I started which resulted in the job position vanishing. (And that's all I'm gonna say about that for now.) For the moment I am unemployed and looking for something to keep me busy until a position like this opens up again.
That said, I've decided to change my plans with the 45g slightly - instead of taking my time and letting it cycle (for the fun of it, believe it or not) I have dumped the water, refilled with clean Primed water, matched the temperature and moved everything from the 25g over. This whole process started early Monday morning, and I have just finished the swap about an hour ago.
One thing for sure, if my pleco gets any bigger (and I know he will) it will be impossible to scoop him up safely with a net. He is pretty calm until the net comes out of the water, but then he'll fight and squirm until he's free in the water again. He could easily get wrapped up badly in the net when he gets a little bigger. How do you handle a full-grown pleco without getting stabbed or injuring it?
Anyway, the pleco wasted no time in making himself at home in the new tank - the danios on the other hand were in a state of sheer panic. Thankfully everyone has calmed down now, and they seem to be doing alright. I'll be keeping an eye on the levels just in case I screwed up the bio-filtering. The filter, decor and water were all included in the move, so hopefully this is not much different than doing a 50% water change.
I'll play with cycling experiments another time - for now I need to keep my focus on restoring my income. Thanks to everyone for your input, hopefully I am not the only one that has learned a few things from this thread.
Oh yeah - here is how it looks now. Still a long way to go before I'm done.
Attachments
Yeah, this is an ironic situation. Did everything right - 2 weeks notice, made sure everyone had what they needed before I left, minimal change in pay going to the new job... it was all worked out. They even had flights and hotel booked for me for a business trip to Edmonton next week.
It all came crashing down about two and a half hours into my first day.
Oh well, this recession has to let up sooner or later - that position should open up again eventually.
It all came crashing down about two and a half hours into my first day.
Oh well, this recession has to let up sooner or later - that position should open up again eventually.
Also, sorry about your job. That must be so frustrating. Hopefully you're in a position where you'll be ok until you get things worked out. Your tank looks good, I like the giant marble. For the record, I would also think that it would be similar to a water change if you switched everything over from the old tank. Hopefully everything will work out well.
