Help me start a new tank.

[tropicalfishlady]

Right well i dosed my amonia high and it dropped to 0 in 24hrs. You could see a cloudy film form on the surface of the water which was obviously a bacteria bloom. How often should i now dose amonia to keep the bacteria healthy and how much should i put it. Now when i add it, its converted almost straight away and lowers l the ph quite dramaticly.

Just seen.on your 1st page of your thread that someone gave you an ammonia dosing calendar so.scroll back on your 1st page tht should help you

 

[molliwopp]

Thanks but i think thats the starting levels. Im now in the stage were theyve formed and now i want to keep the bacteria fed and suspended. Ill keep adding ammonia just every 2 days and at lower levels. Im doing 30% water changes every other day until my nitrites drop. Thanks

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Thanks but i think thats the starting levels. Im now in the stage were theyve formed and now i want to keep the bacteria fed and suspended. Ill keep adding ammonia just every 2 days and at lower levels. Im doing 30% water changes every other day until my nitrites drop. Thanks

Right ill have a look see if i can find anything on that,i think tht sounds about right to keep adding it for food whats your tank levels on now

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Thanks but i think thats the starting levels. Im now in the stage were theyve formed and now i want to keep the bacteria fed and suspended. Ill keep adding ammonia just every 2 days and at lower levels. Im doing 30% water changes every other day until my nitrites drop. Thanks

Hi,once ammonia levels start to drop,you will need to add more ammonia daily until nitrite levels stay steady at 0ppm,so once your ammonia starts to drop,you have tp start testing for both ammonia(to make sure the levels are staying up) and nitrite(to watch for the increase and then decrease in nitrite levels) m not sure though what you need to keep ammonia level at i just read this on a fishless cycle site

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Hi,once ammonia levels start to drop,you will need to add more ammonia daily until nitrite levels stay steady at 0ppm,so once your ammonia starts to drop,you have tp start testing for both ammonia(to make sure the levels are staying up) and nitrite(to watch for the increase and then decrease in nitrite levels) m not sure though what you need to keep ammonia level at i just read this on a fishless cycle site

From wht i can gather its to keep it around 3 ppm for feeding bacteria,not sure whether this is right or not hope it all helps

 

[molliwopp]

Ammonia - 0 after 24hr
Nitrites are almost off the scare
Nitrates are getting higher which leads me to believe that the nitrite bacteria is getting underway.
Thanks. Its coming along.

 

[tropicalfishlady]

From wht i can gather its to keep it around 3 ppm for feeding bacteria,not sure whether this is right or not hope it all helps

Cranking temps up to 77-86 degrees helps them colonize faster too

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Cranking temps up to 77-86 degrees helps them colonize faster too

Sorry last post lol,if you put in search forums fishless cycling there are a few good guides on this forum,may tell you better than me hun good luck and hope you be cycled soon !!

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Ammonia - 0 after 24hr
Nitrites are almost off the scare
Nitrates are getting higher which leads me to believe that the nitrite bacteria is getting underway.
Thanks. Its coming along.

Yeah they are starting,but you will still need an ammonia source to feed them good news !!!

 

[molliwopp]

Got some anubias, java ferns and some java moss.
I think im going to need an air stone to keep my co2 levels stable. I dont think my filter is doing a good enough job.bits actually slowed down abit i think.

Will my t8 bulb be ok will these plants.. Im also considering a light change. Do you think id be able to buy a different blub that would fit? Or would i need to install a whole new light with fitting?

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Got some anubias, java ferns and some java moss.
I think im going to need an air stone to keep my co2 levels stable. I dont think my filter is doing a good enough job.bits actually slowed down abit i think.

Will my t8 bulb be ok will these plants.. Im also considering a light change. Do you think id be able to buy a different blub that would fit? Or would i need to install a whole new light with fitting?

Im not sure about the Anubias but java fern and java moss are easy plants in low light,ive successfully.grown Java Fern in my 10 gallon with bright day white 15 watt fluorescent lamp bulbs,plus amazon swords,Vallis and indian fern but ive never had anubias so not sure about them plants.
Why do you think your filter isnt working too well what kind is it ?

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Im not sure about the Anubias but java fern and java moss are easy plants in low light,ive successfully.grown Java Fern in my 10 gallon with bright day white 15 watt fluorescent lamp bulbs,plus amazon swords,Vallis and indian fern but ive never had anubias so not sure about them plants.
Why do you think your filter isnt working too well what kind is it ?

Just went bk to beginning of your post,you have a Juwel,they are good makes so the filter you.got with it should be a decent on i would of thought !!

 

[tropicalfishlady]

Got some anubias, java ferns and some java moss.
I think im going to need an air stone to keep my co2 levels stable. I dont think my filter is doing a good enough job.bits actually slowed down abit i think.

Will my t8 bulb be ok will these plants.. Im also considering a light change. Do you think id be able to buy a different blub that would fit? Or would i need to install a whole new light with fitting?

Looks quite nice

 

[ownedbycats]

Your lighting should be more than enough for those plants. T8 is what I have over my 20 gallon and I'm growing (healthy) java fern, crypts, and jave moss. Mosses do ok in shade, though do need a bit of light.

 

[molliwopp]

Will fertilizer mess up my cycle? I actually prefered my tank without the plants. Im gonna leave them in there butnif they die i wont care too much. Obviously fiah benefit from real plants but i can have a healthy tank without right?

 

[molliwopp]

No!! I want real plants. The ones the survive will be the ones i choose to keep and buy more.

 

[ownedbycats]

You can have a healthy tank without plants, plants just make it a little easier. Fertilizer shouldn't mess up your cycle, but if you want to wait to add fertilizer until your cycle is done, that is okay. The anubias and java fern are slow growing plants and it might take weeks for them to show the effect of no fertilizer so if you decide not to fertilize you won't kill them, they just won't grow. (You do know not to plant these with the roots is the substrate right? Tie them to a rock of piece of wood using fishing line/super glue gel/cotton thread. Moss looks good glued/tied to a rock too)
Your plants probably look really tiny and not all that great right now. They are slow growers and if anything like my java fern when I bought it, only have two or three leaves. I experimented wiht my java fern/windelov fern (a kind of java fern where the leaves split on the end). I stuck my plain java fern, came with 3 leaves,in the shadiest corner of the tank. It didn't die, but it didn't grow either. The windelov fern only had 3 leaves, stuck it in the middle of the tank, and it grew really wide, bushy leaves and looks gorgeous. moved the plain java fern beside it and now it is starting to grow more leaves.
Don't be afraid to rearrange your plants and move them around. (it's easiest with the plants that need tied to something.)
Also, most plants that are shipped to pet stores are grown with their leaves out of water, because most plants grow best if part sticks out of the water. This is not true for java ferns. When treated like this, the ends of the leaves die and go black. So if your java fern has black tips, wait until it has two or three new leaves that are the size of the original leaves, and you can cut off the ugly black tipped leaves.

 

[tropicalfishlady]

No!! I want real plants. The ones the survive will be the ones i choose to keep and buy more.

Real.plants are good,i like.a nature look in my tank and i love the real plants that i have,i used to use a liquid fertiliser but now im using root capsules and they doing okay heres my tank :

 

[tropicalfishlady]

You can have a healthy tank without plants, plants just make it a little easier. Fertilizer shouldn't mess up your cycle, but if you want to wait to add fertilizer until your cycle is done, that is okay. The anubias and java fern are slow growing plants and it might take weeks for them to show the effect of no fertilizer so if you decide not to fertilize you won't kill them, they just won't grow. (You do know not to plant these with the roots is the substrate right? Tie them to a rock of piece of wood using fishing line/super glue gel/cotton thread. Moss looks good glued/tied to a rock too)
Your plants probably look really tiny and not all that great right now. They are slow growers and if anything like my java fern when I bought it, only have two or three leaves. I experimented wiht my java fern/windelov fern (a kind of java fern where the leaves split on the end). I stuck my plain java fern, came with 3 leaves,in the shadiest corner of the tank. It didn't die, but it didn't grow either. The windelov fern only had 3 leaves, stuck it in the middle of the tank, and it grew really wide, bushy leaves and looks gorgeous. moved the plain java fern beside it and now it is starting to grow more leaves.
Don't be afraid to rearrange your plants and move them around. (it's easiest with the plants that need tied to something.)
Also, most plants that are shipped to pet stores are grown with their leaves out of water, because most plants grow best if part sticks out of the water. This is not true for java ferns. When treated like this, the ends of the leaves die and go black. So if your java fern has black tips, wait until it has two or three new leaves that are the size of the original leaves, and you can cut off the ugly black tipped leaves.

I successfully grew my Java Fern to my wood,thts my biggest one,i have another one that is grown on a rock,plus got another one tied on ready to attach its roots

 

[ownedbycats]

I ALSO meant to add that your tank looks good, I like it. The plants will fill out with time and patience. If it isn't looking quite right to YOU, try moving that driftwood more to the right or the left. It sounds odd, but one of the principles of designing (anything) is that people like things best if the major elements aren't directly in the center, and if they are done in thirds. Google the Golden ratio and aquascaping, and you should find tanks designed around this. People also like designs best if there are odd numbers. So 1,3,5, 7. You don't want to have too much, that's distracting, but adding plants in clusters of 3 looks nice. Or single plants surrounded by other plants.
(and I break all these rules in my tank LOL)