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chappers said:
Thanks for the feedback, I read somewhere that I should have a certain level of fish per gallon to set my ammonia levels at a certain level for best cycling? I believe it was 1 hardy fish (platy, danio etc) per 2-3 gallons, is this BS?

Also is water temperature a factor in this?

Of course, more fish equals more ammonia and etc on down the line. I think the 'fish per X gallon' thing is a guideline at best and a catastrophe waiting to happen at worst. Different fish have different bio-loads. Mollies, for instance, have a relatively large bio-load for their size, Tetras not so much. Try to find a balance. If your ammonia is going above 0.25ppm leave it be. Once you no longer see any ammonia and nitrites then add a few more fish. Keep an eye on the toxin levels and allow your BB to ramp up to the current bio-load. Then add a few more fish and repeat until you are stocked. That's the good thing about FISHLESS cycling, once you are done you can just add your whole stock because your tank will probably never see the amount of ammonia used to do a fishless cycle.

As far a temperature goes. Temperature and pH play a roll in how toxic a given level of ammonia is. Jetajockey did a real nice write up here...
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/your-guide-to-ammonia-toxicity-159994.html
 
Thanks blert

thanks blert,

I will do some readings tonight, excuse my ignorance as new to this, i KNOW when i tested the other day my ammonia was half way up the graph, you will know more than me what that means but as I say I will get some readings tonight for exacts.

i currently have 2 very small plecs (1.5inch) 1 red fin shark (2 inches) 2 silver sharks (2 inches), 4 mollies and 2 platys and about 9 fry in there, born a couple of days ago in a 68 gallon/280 litre tank. Lots of plants, massively over filtered, plenty of flow.

Slightly off subject but what would you recommend adding to my stock with once cycle has finished? Was thinking a couple of clown loach, maybe a parrot fish but also reading up on fish aggresiveness so any advice would be great
 
As far as final stocking goes, post a new thread about it and you will get tons of suggestions. It would be best to be prepared with a list of fish you are potentially interested in.

I will say though that you are going to have issues with the "sharks" soon. By silver shark I assume you mean Bala Sharks? They get huge, potentially over a foot long, and they like groups of five or more. By red fin shark I assume you mean a Red Tailed Black Shark? These fellows will get very aggressive towards anything that is shaped like them as they don't really like themselves. ;) I personally would suggest returning or re-homing the Balas.
 
me again, test results!

So just did a test, I'm new to this so please tell me if I'm wrong but would this say that 2 weeks into my cycle I'm on track, ammonia has fallen off and nitrites have spiked?

Also about to do a water change, how much should i change with a reading ammonia at <0.25, nitrite at 2.0 ppm and nitrates at 5.0 ppm?


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chappers said:
So just did a test, I'm new to this so please tell me if I'm wrong but would this say that 2 weeks into my cycle I'm on track, ammonia has fallen off and nitrites have spiked?

Also about to do a water change, how much should i change with a reading ammonia at <0.25, nitrite at 2.0 ppm and nitrates at 5.0 ppm?

No need to worry about nitrate until they go above 20ppm.

Nitrite, on the other hand... They have shot up there haven't they. Assuming there is zero nitrite in your source water, if you do two back to back PWCs at 50% each that will bring it down to 0.50ppm. You need to get them down to, at most, 0.25ppm. Here is what I would do... Do a 50% NOW. Take a break for about a half an hour and grab a donut and a cup of coffee. Do another 50% after your snack break. Nitrite should now be at 0.50ppm. Take another break for an hour or so and test for nitrite. It may have possibly risen back up to 1.00 so be prepared to do two more back to back at 50%. Hold feeding the rest of the day, and feed sparingly until your cycle has completed.

If at any time you see your fish acting wonky do a 50% PWC right away.
 
thanks blurt, I'm on it! well as soon as i finish my stir fry!
 
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