Now what??
- Thread starter Raindropsinla
- Start date
ok...sounds like you need to read up on cycling a bit more?
Leave the water alone. For cycling to happen you need a source of ammonia (fish or artificial ammonia) and then you need test kits to watch the levels of ammonia/nitrite and nitrate in the tank.
Why dont you check out these threads: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13406 and http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4084
See if the info in there helps out more.
Leave the water alone. For cycling to happen you need a source of ammonia (fish or artificial ammonia) and then you need test kits to watch the levels of ammonia/nitrite and nitrate in the tank.
Why dont you check out these threads: http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13406 and http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4084
See if the info in there helps out more.
Did you do some research?? Really...the cloudyness will go away unless its something that you didn't rinse before putting into the tank.
If there's no fish then it really doesn't matter...if its very white then its probably just bacteria bloom or bubbles in the water. Suggestion is that you need to get that tank cycling so it'll be safe for fish in a few weeks and stop worrying about the cloudy water for now
Do you have test kits?
If there's no fish then it really doesn't matter...if its very white then its probably just bacteria bloom or bubbles in the water. Suggestion is that you need to get that tank cycling so it'll be safe for fish in a few weeks and stop worrying about the cloudy water for now
Do you have test kits?
I don't know why your tank would look "semi orange". Unless you have driftwood in there and you mean a tea color water? As far as cloudy goes most new tanks are cloudy when first set up. What is in your tank? Are there fish in there already? Cycle does not cycle your tank really. Bio-Spira does. Yes run your filter.
There are no fish in it. It is just cloudy, white cloudy. The filter is running. There is no driftwood or anything in it. Everything was rinsed very well before putting it in my tank. I did buy a test kit today. I'm not sure when to use it, Considering there is nothing in it, fish wise I mean, just the starting of a the cycle, I have not used the kit yet. When should I do that? I know patience is needed, I haven't a problem with that, just didn't want something terrible to go wrong with this water before I even have fish in it. I figure I would let it run for at least 2 weeks and test it before even getting fish.
You need to learn what a cycle really is. Running it for 2 weeks isn't going to cycle it. Letting it sit or the filter run for 5 months won't cycle your tank. The beneficial bacteria only grow and live in an environment they can survive in -- i.e., with nutrients. Your tank needs something to make it cycle (some sort of ammonia or bacteria) I have yet to find one person who has had Cycle (the product) work. Biospira or Stability work, if you choose to go that route. Otherwise, you need to decide between fish-less or fish-in cycling and act upon it. You really need to read the stickies and go on from there.
Was your water cloudy right after you added it or when did this crop up?
Was your water cloudy right after you added it or when did this crop up?
I've read what cycling is. I read alot. I was told by my pet store that I could add cycle and that it had the necessary ingrediants to start the cycle on my tank. I suppose, that is untrue. Now my next question, I tried to find pure 100% ammonium in Wal-mart...all the had was "household ammonium" I read on the bottle..it said ammonium and surfacants, which I did read was not the correct kind to get, but its all i could find. Needless to say, I did not buy it. So where can I get it...a stupid question, I'm sure. I was also told at the pet store to leave the tank alone for now...let the cloudiness subside, unfortunately it looks like that might take quite some time. In the meantime I didn't want it to cause problems later. I am not being impatient...just want to get this right.
Ammonia can usually be found at grocery stores... Mine is from Albertson's...but I dont know what grocery chains you have down there. Wasn't a stupid question, but it also wasn't one that no one has had before. The search function around here can be useful... http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=29244&highlight=ammonia+find http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24176&highlight=ammonia+find
Its usually a huge mistake to listen to everything your pet store employees say and take it as gold...because most of them dont know up from down.
You need to start getting some ammonia into the tank. If you're going fishless then the instructions are in one of those links I gave you up above and if you're getting fish right off the bat do some research on which ones you'd like and will handle the cycling period...and you might look into a product called "stabilize" to add to the tank to help things along.
Like Seleya said, 2 weeks wont do anything. Cycle has gone through some testing with people on this forum and I have personally tried it and it really does nothing for ya. If you want to look into a product to instantly cycle the tank (no two week waiting no month waiting etc) then look up BioSpira. It can be sort of expensive, but you basically add it to the tank and the next day add your fish.
Here's one thread that might be handy to read through from when I set up a new tank awhile back...did a fishless cycle on it. http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26438&highlight=ammonia+finding
Its good you're asking questions though...too many people just jump headlong into it and then ask questions when their fish start dying
Its usually a huge mistake to listen to everything your pet store employees say and take it as gold...because most of them dont know up from down.
You need to start getting some ammonia into the tank. If you're going fishless then the instructions are in one of those links I gave you up above and if you're getting fish right off the bat do some research on which ones you'd like and will handle the cycling period...and you might look into a product called "stabilize" to add to the tank to help things along.
Like Seleya said, 2 weeks wont do anything. Cycle has gone through some testing with people on this forum and I have personally tried it and it really does nothing for ya. If you want to look into a product to instantly cycle the tank (no two week waiting no month waiting etc) then look up BioSpira. It can be sort of expensive, but you basically add it to the tank and the next day add your fish.
Here's one thread that might be handy to read through from when I set up a new tank awhile back...did a fishless cycle on it. http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=26438&highlight=ammonia+finding
Its good you're asking questions though...too many people just jump headlong into it and then ask questions when their fish start dying
It's too bad the pet store steered you this way. Just as you have to with us, you have to take what they say with a grain of salt unless you determine otherwise. Too many pet store employees are solely there to sell without regard to what is actually best for the customer and the animals. You'll see plenty of threads on this forum of unreal 'fish stories' told to customers about various aquarium fish and aquaria. A great lfs with staff you can trust is priceless.
The thing is, *if* the Cycle actually worked and the cloudiness you see is a bacterial bloom, the beneficial bacteria it supposedly helps with will die without food (fish pee or ammonia) in a very short period of time. If the Cycle isn't working and the cloudiness is due to other factors (i.e., dissolved oxygen, impurities...) all you're doing is moving water through your filter. In either case, your tank isn't getting cycled or going to stay 'cycled' doing it this way.
Good for you for reading the ammonia bottle. You definitely don't want any ammonia with surfectants. You'll just have to keep reading labels until you find what you need if you wish to go the fish-less route.
I admit, I prefer the fish-in method, but I also haven't really done much cold start cycling for a while since I feed my new tanks off existing tanks and simply stock conservatively, only gradually increasing the stock once the tank is stable from the initial set-up. I've had a couple of friends try Stability and they found it helpful in their applications. Your other option is to get some Biospira and VERY CONSERVATIVELY stock your tank -- you don't even need to get 75 gallons of dosing, you just need to stock according to the dose you use, test often and any follow-up stocking needs to be done slowly.
The thing is, *if* the Cycle actually worked and the cloudiness you see is a bacterial bloom, the beneficial bacteria it supposedly helps with will die without food (fish pee or ammonia) in a very short period of time. If the Cycle isn't working and the cloudiness is due to other factors (i.e., dissolved oxygen, impurities...) all you're doing is moving water through your filter. In either case, your tank isn't getting cycled or going to stay 'cycled' doing it this way.
Good for you for reading the ammonia bottle. You definitely don't want any ammonia with surfectants. You'll just have to keep reading labels until you find what you need if you wish to go the fish-less route.
I admit, I prefer the fish-in method, but I also haven't really done much cold start cycling for a while since I feed my new tanks off existing tanks and simply stock conservatively, only gradually increasing the stock once the tank is stable from the initial set-up. I've had a couple of friends try Stability and they found it helpful in their applications. Your other option is to get some Biospira and VERY CONSERVATIVELY stock your tank -- you don't even need to get 75 gallons of dosing, you just need to stock according to the dose you use, test often and any follow-up stocking needs to be done slowly.
I will knock it because unless you've seen your ammonia spike, your nitrites spike and then both drop to 0 your tank is not cycled...and just because your lfs says something its not necessarily true...and just because something works for you doesn't mean it will work for other people. It would be foolhardy of us to suggest something to someone that we know in most cases would kill the fish.
So what about the 5 neons and giant danio that died, Matt? They did get sick and they did die, so why are you saying they didn't? http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=31595&highlight=giant
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32572&highlight=neon
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32572&highlight=neon
ROTFL!!!! OK...... So, anyways, Rain, as I said, you should even take what WE say with a grain of salt...
Stocking your 75 should be fun -- loads of room! What have you found that tickles your fancy? One nifty book I have from Borders is Barron's Compass Guide: Tropical Freshwater Aquarium Fish from A to Z. It's not the most concise book out there (Baensch and a few others are much more complete) but it covers a number of readily (and not so readily) available fish species with special notes, recommendations regarding conditions and decent color photos of each species. I lend it out all the time to friends and bring it to auctions along with my Baensch and a few dozen of my favorite fishgeeks.
Stocking your 75 should be fun -- loads of room! What have you found that tickles your fancy? One nifty book I have from Borders is Barron's Compass Guide: Tropical Freshwater Aquarium Fish from A to Z. It's not the most concise book out there (Baensch and a few others are much more complete) but it covers a number of readily (and not so readily) available fish species with special notes, recommendations regarding conditions and decent color photos of each species. I lend it out all the time to friends and bring it to auctions along with my Baensch and a few dozen of my favorite fishgeeks.
Hey..It's been a while since I've been on here. Family matters! Anyway..My tank looks good. Still have to take my water to get it tested. Then I'll go from there. I think I'm on the right track but I will soon find out. As for Matt's suggestions, I believe I'll pass!! Funny what you miss when you're out for a little while. Seleya..the fish will come later. I'm having fun setting up this tank first. When I get what I get, I will surely let you know. But for now, things look just great! I'm just trying to take it slow as this is a very large tank and I really really don't feel like emptying it to start all over! lol I can't wait to get the fish but I want to make sure that tank is right first!
But for now, things look just great! I'm just trying to take it slow as this is a very large tank and I really really don't feel like emptying it to start all over! lol I can't wait to get the fish but I want to make sure that tank is right first!
LOL, I hear you, but keep in mind, many fish you might like may require different substrate, plants/no plants, caves, etc, so it's a good idea to at least have an idea what you want.
My goldfish tanks are different from my Amazon tank, from my community tank, from my brackish tank...... Different substrate, decor, plants, driftwood.... Most fish will do fine in a tank with common gravel etc so it's not like it's life or death, but it's much more satisfying knowing from the outset what is needed than having to bulldoze everything when you suddenly choose a gottahaveit fish which needs something you don't have or can't live with something you've already got.
My goldfish tanks are different from my Amazon tank, from my community tank, from my brackish tank...... Different substrate, decor, plants, driftwood.... Most fish will do fine in a tank with common gravel etc so it's not like it's life or death, but it's much more satisfying knowing from the outset what is needed than having to bulldoze everything when you suddenly choose a gottahaveit fish which needs something you don't have or can't live with something you've already got.