help

[podman1973]

8) just keep avery sharp eye on it, things will work themselves out

 

[aqua man]

i don't want to add more fish, i just can't give the ones back that i have to do A FISHLESS CYCLE.

 

[Alaris]

I'm sorry maybe I misunderstood. Did you not just ask about adding 2 CAE's?

 

[aqua man]

No lol

 

[Alaris]

Oh ok.

 

[aqua man]

oh i was talking about the agae eaters i already had lol

 

[AndrewH]

You can try cycling you're tank using a product called Bio-Spira or Tetra Safe Start. These products contain a good dose of Beneficial Bacteria that you need to cycle you're tank. I use them and I stand by the product. My 29 gallon cycled in 3 days with 6 Bloodfin Tetra. Usually only LFS carry it not Petco or Petsmart. The product has to be refrigerated... Bio-Spira and Tetra Safe Start are the only products that really work from what I know.

If you're going to cycle with fish I really recommend these products and some live plants to act as a natural biological filter.



Just my 2 cents

 

[aqua man]

cycling

i am using something called biozyme daily 1/8 of a teaspoon in the water plus 50 % water changes daily until the nitrites are under .5 is this good it will take a while but im gunna try to stick it out. i will look into your produt thanks

 

[AndrewH]

Sounds like you're cycle is coming a long. What are you're nitrates at?

 

[AndrewH]

Once you see 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and some nitrates you can assume you're cycle is just about over. Bacteria called nitrobacter will convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not as toxic and harmful as ammonia or nitrite although.. nitrates are still harmful in large amounts. The fastest way to get rid of nitrates is to do PWCs. Soon after you'll read 0 0 0 and you'll be g2g.

 

[aqua man]

roughly my nitrates are within the safe zone i forget the actual number it's 300 am and im at work, my nitrites are roughly between .5 and 1 but i can't seem to get it lower then that. i have a nce tank with to pieces of that mosaic wood which lowers the PH and crushed corasl to even it out. and a few river rocks. i am not a fan of live plants i also have two 14 inch bubble bars. tell me about your tanks when you have a min

 

[AndrewH]

So far I have two FW tanks with an Outdoor Pond and 55 SW on it's way.

My 10 gallon has two female and one male fancy guppy an apple snail and several baby pond snails. It's been set up for about 6 months and has gone through a few different kinds of fish. Black Skirt Tetra's, Glass Catfish, a Red Tail Shark (Now in my 29) and now the guppies which I plan on breeding to use the fry for stocking the tank, selling and even using as a live food for my 29 gallon. It has a black gravel substrate (Nothing Special) with a few Bacopa plants (Moneywort) and a floating plant (Hornwort). Hornwort is an awesome plant because it looks nice, grows so fast and requires very little care, and will grow in very low light. My guppies love to play in it. I have 2, 25 watt Flor bulbs over my 10 gallon and a Penguin 100 filter. The water parameters are Ammo- 0 Nitrite -0 Nitrate -0 pH 8.0


As for my 29 Gallon it's been set up only a week now. The equipment I use are Aquaclear 50 filter (Set on low flow) and 1 25 watt long Flor bulb. I cycled the tank using Tetra safe start. The tank uses Pool Filter Sand as the substrate along with some large purple quartz rocks I found outside. It contains 6 Bloodfin Tetra, 1 Red Tailed Shark, 1 Opaline Gourami, and 1 Black Kuhlie Loach. I also have a large bunch of Hornwort floating in there which the Gourami sleeps in and 2 rock caves for the Shark and Loach the water parameters are Ammo- 0 Nitrite- 0 Nitrate- 10ppm and a pH of 8.0

 

[aqua man]

have you heard of biozyme? tell me what you think, also what are the "rules" with live plants i have heard they are difficult to maintain.

 

[AndrewH]

Never heard of the product sorry.

As for the plants there are several low light low maintenance plants out there that require little light and no additional co2. Such as Java Moss, Anubius, Hornwort, and Crypts. I'm also pretty new to live plants myself. I only started adding them about a month ago. So far so go all of my plants are flourishing even with the low lighting and none special substrate my tanks have. At first I was kind intimidated about the whole plant thing but so far it's going pretty good. I really suggest Hornwort I've only had it a week and it's grown over 7 inches in my 29 gallon and 2 in my 10 gallon and I added it only yesterday. I let it float in my 10 and weigh it down in my 29. I plan on getting better lighting for my 29 and trying some of the more difficult plants soon.

I'm sure some plant experts here can really help you more then I could. I'm still a newb to the whole thing =P

 

[aqua man]

thanks anyway maybe once my tank gets settled i will try it

 

[Alaris]

Do you keep Biozyme in the fridge? Was it kept in a fridge when you bought it? If not, it's bogus and you can stop wasting your time with it. Only BioSpira when stored properly (at the store, when shipped, and when using) will have any type of success in helping your cycle. Everything else is ^^p

 

[AndrewH]

Do you keep Biozyme in the fridge? Was it kept in a fridge when you bought it? If not, it's bogus and you can stop wasting your time with it. Only BioSpira when stored properly (at the store, when shipped, and when using) will have any type of success in helping your cycle. Everything else is ^^p

That's right, Bio-Spira and Tetra Safe Start. Anything else I wouldn't bother with.

 

[aqua man]

biozyme isnt a liquid it's a powder.

 

[AlissasDad]

biozyme isnt a liquid it's a powder.

The only way 'biozyme' could contribute to colonizing beneficial bacteria is if they managed to find a way to make the bacteria go dormant (instead of killing them which is what normally happens) when drying them out. I'm no expert, but I would imagine if this were possible it would be well documented on this forum and this is the first I've heard of 'biozyme'.

I would use your experience with this product as confirmations of the opinions expressed here which are don't waste anymore time or money on this product.

 

[Alaris]

biozyme isnt a liquid it's a powder.

That makes it even more bogus.