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Hmmm, sorry to offend. It wasn't my intention, but if that's how it was taken, so be it.

You know, it's just a thought, but...instead of all the hassle, why not just start out with 12 gallons of spring water, dose it up and go? (After cleaning everything in spring water of course).

I have read on several other sites of people doing the same as Randi, with no ill affects. Surfactants are NOT detergents or soap. I do believe that some surfactants are probably very toxic to fish, but a massive water change as Randi described, backed up by another would almost certainly remove...

I guess one question I have is: Does anyone else test ammo at the bottom of the tank? I'm sorry, but there is no way that every trace of ammonia from decaying left-over food at the bottom of the tank would immediately vanish. The intake tube for my HOB doesn't go clear to the bottom. Adding a...

Oh, one more thing. She said to always test for ammo at the bottom of the tank. Ammonia is heavier than water and will affect bottom dwellers first. She was right too. I tested the water at the bottom and found the tiniest trace of ammonia, not quite .25ppm, but it was there.

I found another LFS that's locally owned. I took a water sample in and she tested it as well. She wasn't clear on fishless cycling so I explained it to her. She listened patiently to how I performed the cycle, asked a few questions and agreed that the tank had certainly been cycled. She didn't...

Edit: The fish were bought at Pet Supplies Plus.

Water is tested using the API Master Freshwater Test Kit. We have a HOB Whisper 30 filter which agitates the surface and two airstones. Fish were aclimated by hanging the bag in the tank for 30 minutes then slowly adding small amounts of tank water every 15 minutes for about an hour until the...

We just finished a fishless cycle. Friday morning we bought 6 head and tailight tetras for the tank. They have been fine until this morning. I got up and counted them to find one dead and another dying. The rest are no longer swimming in a group. 29 gallon long Temp: 77° Ammo: 0ppm No2: 0ppm...

Thank you everybody. It has certainly been a trying time. Now we have another problem. The fish are dying. I'm starting a new thread since it's not part of the cycling.

Good news and bad. We got the fish today, 6 head and tail light tetras. Unfortunately, the birthday party had to be postponed for a couple of weeks. JB's grandfather (my FIL) passed away yesterday evening. I had to take her to get the fish today, just to get her mind off of everything. I'm...

This morning tests: Ammo 0ppm, No2 0ppm. Redosed to 4ppm ammo. If tomorrows tests are good, I will redose then do a massive water change on Friday morning and get fish late Friday afternoon...just in time for her birthday party on Saturday. I already have the buckets ready to de-chlor 25 gallons...

Ammo was down to 0ppm this morning and it looks like No2 is falling. No3 is climbing fast too. I guess we better finalize our stocking list pretty soon. Anyone have some advice? We like shoaling fish. It's only been 18 days since we re-started the cycle. Why is it going so fast??? I think it's...

We had a cookout today so I didn't check the tank until this evening. I almost didn't bother, but I'm glad I did. Ammo was clear down to .25ppm. I re-dosed with about 4ml and will check it in the morning. I'll dose up more then, if needed. This cycle is moving very fast after the re-start. As a...

Just tested No3 for the first time this evening. It's already somewhere between 20 and 40ppm, so things seem to be moving along quickly. I have to dose ammo everyday to keep it at 4ppm. It's dropping from 4 to 2 each day.

I checked the levels today and found ammo down to slightly darker than 2ppm and No2 somewhere between 2 and 5. The chart colors for 2 and 5 are so close it's hard for my old eyes to tell the difference. I dosed with another 2ml of ammo and applied another tiny pinch of flakes. I also think I...

Wouldn't it help a lot to take the filter media from the 10 gal and put it in the larger tank? Provided it was kept in tank water, that is.

I dosed back to 4ppm using 2ml doses every couple of hours. We'll check it again tomorrow afternoon and see if there are any changes.

Update: I have been working out of town a lot lately and now that the garden season is here, I spend most of my time outside. However, this afternoon we checked the water for the first time since we re-started the cycle and are pleased to see that ammo has dropped to 1.0ppm and No2 is slightly...

Drained the tank and washed everything with plain tapwater, no soap or cleansers. Rinsed everything repeatedly and put it all back together. I threw away the filter. Filled the tank with water, added dechlor and started the pump (without any filter media). I let it circulate for a couple of...

I respectfully disagree. If it were completely mixed into a true solution, you would be correct. However, many times the tubes start leaking as soon as shaking begins, before a true solution is achieved. How could a person know exactly what ratio of water and reagent have escaped? The amount...

You can find a GFCI at Lowes, Home Depot, or any electrical supply store. They cost about $12 and are not difficult to install.

I have the same problem. I leak tested all of the tubes and caps and found one set that does not leak so it's the only one I use. I'm trying to find some cork or rubber stoppers for the tubes. I absolutely believe that the leaking can and will alter the test results because the chemicals being...

I'm pulling the plug and starting over. It's been 18 days since the cycle stalled and 6 days since the major water change. Ammo 4, NO2 0, NO3 0 Today is day 30 of the cycle overall.

Alcohol is a pretty good disinfectant...especially some of the stuff being passed around in mason jars that day. I am really thinking someone poured something into the tank. The tank was a bit of a "joke of the day" thing...fish tank with no fish.