Cycling Tank ?'s

[Bearchumjs]

,25 nitrites yesterday, no water change. Tested ammo and trites tonight and they are 0! Plus I have diatoms. I think my tank is cycled! That only took 5 weeks of water changes everyday! I'll keep an eye on it the next few days to make sure there aren't any spikes. I'm making Mondays pwc day.

 

[jlk]

Congrats! Yes, definitely keep an eye on things for a bit yet. Unexpected things can happen in a newly cycled tank so its easier to catch any glitches before they become an issue.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Diatoms are starting to drive me crazy. Im thinking I'm going to take out the DW plants and lava rock and was them off, do a 50% water change and wipe off the glass, make sure the intake to the filter is clear of debris and then put everything back in. So I guess I'm cleaning king neptunes home today.

 

[jlk]

Ok- just keep an eye on your parameters.

 

[Bearchumjs]

It looks so much better since I got rid of the diatoms last night. There are some new ones blooming but not many so far. I'll be testing the water today to make sure I don't need to do a pwc. If the parameters are fine im going to try and leave the tank alone until Sunday.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Levels are still all 0's except nitrates. I'm getting some moss in a day or two. Hopefully that will help.

I know it's best to stay away from chemicals, but my nitrates are up at 80ppm- ALL THE TIME- No matter how much water I change. It's in my tap water. Would it be okay to use some nitrate remover? Just to keep them down to like... 20? I know the nitrates aren't a huge fish killer but I have read it will shorten a fish's lifespan.

 

[jlk]

How high are your tap nitrates? Products such as Prime or Amquel Plus do help to detox nitrates. I have no experience with other nitrate removing products other than plants but hopefully someone else can make some recommendations.

 

[Bearchumjs]

My tap is about 80ppm also.

 

[jlk]

Ouch! Are you on well or city water?

 

[Bearchumjs]

What's that smell? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell water!

At least my water doesn't smell thankfully! But it's well water. I'm going to get an RO unit (one day in the future and I don't know when) for a saltwater tank that I am planning. So until then I need to bring my trates down some other way.

Oh... Is it ok to use RO in a freshwater tank with live plants? I guess I could always do a half and half mix so then the nitrates would be diluted a little. My plants are doing great with all the nitrates, but I wish they bring them down more!

 

[jlk]

Yes, RO water in a freshwater tank is fine as long as you are adding back all the necessary minerals & you will need to add back nitrates for your plants as well (but you will be able to control what you are adding). Stick with a good water conditioner in the meantime & you can always add some more plants!

 

[Bearchumjs]

Yes, RO water in a freshwater tank is fine as long as you are adding back all the necessary minerals & you will need to add back nitrates for your plants as well (but you will be able to control what you are adding). Stick with a good water conditioner in the meantime & you can always add some more plants!

I don't know where I'd put more plants! I have a pretty large piece of DW that doesn't leave much room at all for more plants. I am going to trim my lemon Bacopa and use the trimmings to make more rooted plants and I'm getting some willow moss today or tomorrow in the mail... I like the way I have the DW because it makes a nice cave for king Neptune to hide in. Once it's finally saturated and I don't have to weigh it down maybe I can arrange it differently. I just don't know how long it's going to take to get saturated!

Also, I think the DW may be leeching tannins. I swear my water looks a little tea colored. Can I just buy some carbon and hang in the water in a sock or panty hose or do I need to get the carbon filter? Since my tank is just cycled I dont want to mess with the filter if I dont have to.

 

[jlk]

I would not mess with your newly cycled filters. Just do some extra water changes if the color is bothering you. I would keep an eye on your ph as well to make sure the dw doesnt greatly affect it.

 

[Bearchumjs]

I would not mess with your newly cycled filters. Just do some extra water changes if the color is bothering you. I would keep an eye on your ph as well to make sure the dw doesnt greatly affect it.

The DW has been in there for a few weeks. It lowered the pH a little. It was 8.2 now it's 8.0.
I think I will do a pwc today. I have to get the plants out anyway to trim them.

 

[Bearchumjs]

So- I have a new 55 gallon. I seeded the filter with media from my cycled tank. The last 2 days I've been getting readings of 0 ammo, 0 nitrites, and nitrates I always have plenty of. Anyway, I have 1 comets goldfish and 2 common goldfish. I started with 5 but 2 died- they were probably sick from the putrid feeder fish tank they were in when I bought them. Anyway, how many days of 0 readings until I can say the tank is cycled. I've had the tank running for 3 days. I thought I'd see something in my tests by now. I want to get some mystery and nerite snails.

 

[jlk]

I would give it atleast a full week to say its cycled. Remember, its only cycled to the bioload of the fish that are in the tank. You should be fine to add some snails right now.

 

[Bearchumjs]

I would give it atleast a full week to say its cycled. Remember, its only cycled to the bioload of the fish that are in the tank. You should be fine to add some snails right now.

Thanks!

That's what I was thinking. I know if I added a bunch of fish at once the bb would have to build up. I'll keep testing for 4 or 5 more days and if everything is still good I'll go ahead and get a few snails.