29 Gallon Planted Build...Advice Appreciated!!!

[fish wrangler]

Ok so my 29 gallon had 2 fish in it that I gave away yesterday, and i went out to buy new substrate. I emptied the tank of 99.9% of the water, removed all gravel, placed all decorations and HOB filter in a tub half full with old water. A small aerator is in tub to keep any BB alive.
Plan for today is rinse FloraMax and add it tk the tank with some old and some fresh water.

Will i have to re-cycle the tank? I havr the gravel still but didn't put it in water.

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[PerfectDepth]

Will i have to re-cycle the tank? I havr the gravel still but didn't put it in water.

It certainly won't hurt to put some of your old gravel in a mesh bag and leave it in the tank for a while, but really your filter should be fine. Just don't add too many fish at once. You said you had only 2 fish in there previously, so keep in mind that at first you shouldn't any larger of a bioload than your 2 fish produced.

 

[fish wrangler]

Ok, i might take a pound or so of the old gravel and add it to the tank.

Stocking plan is below

Should i completely clean the tank so it looks brand new, or leave the algae and little bit of water in it?

For quickly rinsing the flora, add 1 bag to a pillow case and run water over it before adding to tank?

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[PerfectDepth]

It's up to you how clean you want it, but if you do clean it, don't use soap or windex or anything. You can use vinegar or even just water and a scrubbing pad.

Flora max can take a long time to rinse completely. Some people like to use a pillowcase, but I would just put half a bag at a time in a 5 gallon bucket and use a hose to run water until it looks clear.

 

[fish wrangler]

Ok, I might just use a scrubbing pad on the heavy algae once I have water back in the tank.

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[thing fish]

the BB need a source of ammonia to keep them alive...an aerator alone will not do that. even if you immediately added the new fish stock, the living BB could only support the same level of ammonia your previous fish were supplying...and that is if you restocked immediately. i am not sure exactly how long your BB can survive with no source of ammonia. my guess would be maybe 2 days. restock very soon, and do it slowly as to not overwhelm your BB colony...if it is even existent. you may have to start over.

 

[fish wrangler]

the BB need a source of ammonia to keep them alive...an aerator alone will not do that. even if you immediately added the new fish stock, the living BB could only support the same level of ammonia your previous fish were supplying...and that is if you restocked immediately. i am not sure exactly how long your BB can survive with no source of ammonia. my guess would be maybe 2 days. restock very soon, and do it slowly as to not overwhelm your BB colony...if it is even existent. you may have to start over.

Ok guess i am going to re-cycle fully. Going out of town tomorrow amd won't be back to add fish until Monday at the earliest. Any recommendations of the stock i have that could be used for a fish-in cycle?

Edit: Could i use the fish food as an ammonia source until i can get fish in the tank?

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[thing fish]

i wouldnt recommend any of the fish you suggested for a fish-in cycle. what i would suggest is that you ask somebody close by that has an established tank to clip some seeded media for you, and then stick it into your filter. you may even ask a small fish store to provide you with some bacteria. then start very slowly, perhaps 2 or 3 fish to begin, likely the black skirts...then add one or two every other week until you reach your final stocking.

fish food can be used as a source of ammonia, but it is difficult to regulate and i have zero idea of how much you would need or how effective it would be.

seeded media is really where it is at, if you can get a hold of some.

 

[fish wrangler]

No one around me has any fish

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[thing fish]

somebody around you does...either call a few different fish stores, or maybe post an ad on CL or the regional forum asking for some BB. it makes life a whole lot easier. aside from that, i will defer to others for further advice. good luck.

 

[Fresh2o]

Some folks on this forum sell seeded (sponge) media. Contact MrFisher.
I believe AngelsPlus (retailer) sells seeded media as well.


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[fish wrangler]

Ok, can't i just use my old gravel instead of buying some seeded substrate?

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[fish wrangler]

Update 3 bags of flora added, water added, and everything else is back and running. I have 6 bags of my old substrate on the side of my filter intake, and most of the decorations are back in to help with any BB.

I will pick up a test kit, thinking API master test kit, on monday and if everything is good first fish by the end of the week

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[fish wrangler]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling/ After reading part of this lots of questions are being answered. I'm afraid of adding any plants or fish because they will sit dead in tank for a couple of days.

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[fish wrangler]

Woke up this morning, and the tank was perfectly cleae. I read that turning the heat up to around 79 helps with BB growth, and keeping the loght off does. I am going to use some gold fish food as my ammonia source until i have fish.

Can I add live plants Monday or would they just die?

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[fish wrangler]

I took a picture before going outa town. Clearity is still the same as this morning, and i dont think it will get much better. While i am away i have my sister adding some food for ammonium to try and keep the BB alive.

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[fish wrangler]

Maybe i should do some more reading before i sound like an idiot, fish food isn't an ammonium source When i get back in town i am going to pick up some 100% pure ammonium and re-cycle the tank. I also plan on adding the Java Fern monday.

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[Fishfur]

Sounds better. High protein fish food will produce some ammonia as it decays, but it is messy, can get fungus or mould, and it's impossible to regulate how much ammonia you get from it.

It is unfortunate you'll have to be away, but once you get things set up, it will be better.

 

[thing fish]

Maybe i should do some more reading before i sound like an idiot, fish food isn't an ammonium source When i get back in town i am going to pick up some 100% pure ammonium and re-cycle the tank. I also plan on adding the Java Fern monday.

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you dont sound like an idiot; you sound like someone that is doing whatever they can to try and keep their BB colony intact. fish food will form ammonia but definitely not in a way that can be measured out/dosed accurately...but hopefully enough to save some of your BB? a liquid test kit is a must buy.

 

[Fishfur]

If you're really interested, here are two articles about BB. They don't entirely agree.. how surprising .. but it's interesting what they have to say. The one is commercial, the other is from practical fishkeeping in the UK. Have look.. It seems our BB may not be quite so fragile as we've been led to believe, though it's true they don't form spores, so that method of long term survival is not available to them.

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