Incomplete Nitrogen Cycle and Out of Town

[chykityta]

Hello,

I am creating a new thread since I believe my previous one is lost and forgotten although I keep providing updates. My Nitrogen Cycle has not completed after 3.5 weeks of going fish-less plus 3.5 weeks of being fish-in. I have since, been performing 50% +/- PWCs for those 3.5 weeks and there is still no trace of Nitrites or Nitrates. No fish loss as of yet and none acting weird, but I have decided to stop the PWCs, add Prime once every two days, and add SafeStart every week. Does someone oppose to this or have another idea? I want to hear it!

• The first reason for changing my PWCs regime is because I don't see a change in Nitrites or Nitrates, and Ammonia increases with time therefore requiring major cleaning of the tank.
• The second reason for changing my PWCs regime is because I am going out of town for a week and I can't have a neighbor be doing daily PWCs. I will do one before I leave and apply the Prime and SafeStart, so my neighbor would just have to apply Prime every two days.

 

[Vlado21]

chykita, do you have any picture/[more information] of your tank published? The basic is to hold (toxic) nitrites on 0, nitrates should be somewhere between 5 and 30 ppm (0 is just risk for plants health and BGA attacks). Do you have any plants in aquarium (what size?) and what fish? Don't you have any friend/shop in area where you can get sludgy medium (or at least muddy water) from the filter (set in a cycled tank of course)?

 

[chykityta]

There is information on the other two threads I have started but don't mind giving the latest here:
> Tank: 10 gallon freshwater with Tetra Whisper 10i filter (with filter floss and acrilic media), hood, and Aqueon 50W heater at 80F
> Treatment: API Tap Water and SafeStart (4 weeks ago and yesterday)
> Flora: 1 Java Fern (with about 10 baby ferns), 1 tall Anubias (not sure of the type), and 6 Anubias Nana var. Petite
> Fauna: 7 bloodfin Tetras
> Parameters: Ammonia 0.2-0.5 (highest I have seen it is at 1.0 this weekend), Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0 (not seen Nitrates or Nitrites at all these 7 weeks)
> Maintenance: 50% PWCs daily with API Tap Water only
> Being delivered on Friday: Seachem Prime, Seachem liquid ferts and API liquid ferts
Let me know if you would like to know something else I may have missed.

 

[keegster803]

Cycling can take some time, I would recommend going to your LFS and asking if you could buy some of there filter media for seeding your filter


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[chykityta]

I can try the "buying" way. I bought the fern and tall anubias from them and all they gave me was like 20 miniature pieces from their gravel. So, any suggestion on what I can ask for if I am paying for it?

 

[keegster803]

Tell them that your cycling your tank, and that you were wondering If you could get a couple pieces of some of their filter floss to help cycle your tank faster


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[chykityta]

I will try that when I get off work. What about if they don't give it, can we still discuss other options, like the one I initially suggested above about no more PWCs and just dose Prime with SafeStart?

 

[Vlado21]

chyki, my recommendation: try to get any used foam rubber from cycled aquarium (but you should move it asap, up to 1h max.), put a part (to fit) of it to your filter (so you'll vaccinate your filter by live nitrifying bacteria, what's more efficient and cheaper then many "magic drops" sold commercially). Plus add any aquarium undemanding "weed" to your tank (Vallisneria nana or spiralis, Cryptocoryne affinis, Egeria densa, Sagittaria, Riccia, Limnobium,...). Plants are not only decorative part of aquarium, but they absorb toxic stuff (i.e. ammonia) from the water and helps to keep bio-balance in aquarium. And finally, you can add to water a small tea spoon of salt after every water change...

 

[keegster803]

You don't have to use aquarium salt, only fish like mollies and Platys really like it, plus if you have cories it can actually hurt their skin as they don't have scales like other fish


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[Vlado21]

I don't want to open a flamewar here about using salt in a freshwater aquarium. Chykityta has only tetras, not cories in his/her tank. My view is, a small teaspoon of salt during cycling would not hurt, but it might help to lower toxicity of ammonia for fish. Anyway, I don't persist on salt, I'd rather prefer adding fast-growing plants to consume ammonia from the water in natural way...

 

[chykityta]

Hello,
So I went to my LFS and they mentioned having a large system from which they cannot get media I could buy. I smelled BS but I gave it a try. They told me to stop the PWCs and just stick with Conditioner with SafeStart.

So back to the tank, it is low-tech. From the plants mentioned above, are any simple maintenance and low tech?


Sent by me; a Newbie
10g partially planted with 7 Bloodfin Tetras - Est. 1/29/2015

 

[chykityta]

Here is a pic of what the tank looks like at the moment with some exceptions since the picture is a week or so old.

I had to cut two of the leaves on the tall Anubias due to sunlight exposure for a few days. Some of the leaves on the petite are coming off on their own or I have removed due to yellowness. Finally, I removed the pieces of cholla wood as a precaution just in case it was starting to disintegrate/decompose already.

I want to put the cholla wood back inside to avoid it going bad. It is now on a bamboo glass without aeration; just water.

What are your recommendations on the cholla wood and nice fast growing plants I can get that are ok with low light. Thank you all BTW!!!


Sent by me; a Newbie
10g partially planted with 7 Bloodfin Tetras - Est. 1/29/2015

 

[Vlado21]

chyki, put cholla wood into basket with water and leave it there for some days... it must not to decompose. But if it does, find another wood (Pacific, Amazon, Malaysian,... driftwood) for your aquarium. Put Anubias' roots out of gravel! It should be fixed on the wood or stones... or just lying on the bottom, but not planted... And what're those floating roots? I hope, nothing like "lucky bamboo" (it doesn't go to the aquarium)!

 

[chykityta]

Hey,

> the cholla wood has already been in water on a separate glass container. I have had to change the water though because it stinks after two days.
> the tall anubias was on a cholla and I had some gravel to cover only the root part and the wood.
> initially, I didn't get driftwood because found it expensive. I no longer have anything to hold plants onto so gravel has to do for now. I do my best for only the roots to be buried and not the stems.
> the roots are from a home water plant. Not sure if it is pothos.
> updated picture from 5 minutes ago:



Sent by me; a Newbie
10g partially planted with 7 Bloodfin Tetras - Est. 1/29/2015

 

[Mebbid]

Whats your pH?

 

[chykityta]

I just tested the PH and it is 7.4


Sent by me; a Newbie
10g partially planted with 7 Bloodfin Tetras - Est. 1/29/2015

 

[Vlado21]

Leave cholla wood in separate container for at least one week or even more, you'll see whether it will stink still...

If the Anubias roots only are in a gravel, not rhizome, it might be ok.

Mind, that Pothos is not a water plant and it's little bit poisonous (so as many other living room plants are). I'd recommend you to put it out of aquarium. If you want to have something green floating with roots just under the surface, use aquatic plants as Pistia stratiotes e.g.

Cheers!

 

[chykityta]

Good news: left the tank without PWCs. One week has passed and Nitrates are almost at 5ppm. Ammonia is at 4ppm. Nitrites are still at 0ppm. Will definitely do a PWC before leaving on Friday. Not sure if to do 50% or smaller.


Sent by me; a Newbie
10g partially planted with 7 Bloodfin Tetras - Est. 1/29/2015