Bio-Spira

[bnumair]

r u setting up a saltwater or freshwater tank?
i am sure if satlwater then the freshwater bacteria is not going to work on ur tank and secondly u should turn ur skimmer off for 48 hrs for adding bio spira.
its ur call i think u should start with new saltwater from ur Local fish store.
then drop in a freshwater mollie accualmating it to saltwater over 6 hours drip method and let her cycle ur tank out.
if things get ugly i recommend bio spira marine kind.
let us know...

 

[Da Squid]

Sorry for being confusing. this thread was started with a saltwater topic but since it finished I jumped in with a related question. I have a 55g Freshwater tank though. I've gone into more detail about the tank on other threads and tried to get ideas on why it won't cycle but no new theories have come up.

At first I was having fun experimenting to try and solve the problem but now its just frustrating when all my friends are asking how that birthday present from two months ago is working out and I have to keep explaining what a stalled nitrogen cycle is. Dont get me wrong, its a REALLY pretty night light, but fish are cool too... i've heard

 

[bnumair]

ok now that i am not confused about the water heres what u can do.
first i would really get rid of the water u got now as much as u can and start fresh with RO water from a local fish store or RO unit if u got one.
secondly i would buy a bio spira freshwater type which they do make it and u can find it for less than $20 for ur tank. use it and thirdly after using bio spira and letting it run for 24 hours (no skimmer leave it off if u got one) test water and see where u stand. if perameters are good add a hardy fish like a mollie or something and see how it goes for a week.
that should work for u.
good luck let me know what u do and how it turned out.
like they say in this hobby good things happen very slow and only things that happen fast are bad.

 

[Da Squid]

My plan exactly, especially with the mollies. They were always one of my favorites, I just hope I don't hurt them too much. I'm not sure about that RO water though. How does one make RO water? Lugging 55 gallons of it from somewhere doesnt seem feasable. I just a python that I use for my tank and then add prime.

 

[bnumair]

yes transporting water is an issue if u dont have the right equipment.
well u can use tap water and condition it with chemicals to remove chlorine and use some prime to get ur ammonia and nitrites under control.
if u use bio spira u can add fish next day (if there is no chlorine in water)
about RO water 2 ways u can do it. one u can buy a 55 gallon plastic barrel from local hardware store for $30-40. hual that for water transport and buy RO water for less than 50 cents a gallon or you can buy your own RO unit for less than $100 on ebay and make ur own water.
Mollies are tough but make sure the water is free of chlorine and ammonia.
they can take nitrite a bit not too high.
Good luck