I'm stumped... :(

[eco23]

It could be VERY good new indeed . However, let's not start the celebration quite yet. Personally, I'd do one last 60% pwc to get your nitrAtes below 20...then let everything sit for a few days. If the ammo and no2 stay at 0...cycled!!! I have a good feeling about it.

As for cycling more tanks...I know a decent fishless cycling guide that someone wrote

 

[wrmiller]

It could be VERY good new indeed . However, let's not start the celebration quite yet. Personally, I'd do one last 60% pwc to get your nitrAtes below 20...then let everything sit for a few days. If the ammo and no2 stay at 0...cycled!!! I have a good feeling about it.

As for cycling more tanks...I know a decent fishless cycling guide that someone wrote

Thanks, eco! I will be doing the water change shortly. If it is cycled that would be great as this is the last day of my vacation. Fortunately I work from home and the aquarium is in my home office so I can keep an eye on it even when I'm working.

I'll update you again tomorrow and over the next couple of days regarding the levels in the tank.

Thanks again!!!

 

[wrmiller]

OK. I did the 50-60% water change yesterday as recomended. Water still looks a little cloudy today but not too aweful bad.

I just did water testing and these are the results:
pH = 8.0
Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 10 or 20 ppm (it is very hard to tell the difference between these two)

I was thinking last night. I guess that since my well water contains aproximately 0.25 ppm of Ammonia, I will actually be introducing Ammonia in to my tank every time I do a PWC. I guess this is okay since I will now have the appropriate biofilter to absorbe them. Is that correct? I will also be adding Prime as recommended previously (by eco) along with every water change so hopefully that helps a little also.

I'm feeling pretty good about this...

 

[eco23]

OK. I did the 50-60% water change yesterday as recomended. Water still looks a little cloudy today but not too aweful bad.

I just did water testing and these are the results:
pH = 8.0
Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 10 or 20 ppm (it is very hard to tell the difference between these two)

I was thinking last night. I guess that since my well water contains aproximately 0.25 ppm of Ammonia, I will actually be introducing Ammonia in to my tank every time I do a PWC. I guess this is okay since I will now have the appropriate biofilter to absorbe them. Is that correct? I will also be adding Prime as recommended previously (by eco) along with every water change so hopefully that helps a little also.

I'm feeling pretty good about this...

Everything looks great . Yep, the Prime will temporarily neutralize the ammonia, and your newly established bio-filter will gobble it up within a few hours.

Keep an eye on everything for the next few days...but I think you've got a cycled tank sitting in your house . You did a great job.

 

[wrmiller]

Everything looks great . Yep, the Prime will temporarily neutralize the ammonia, and your newly established bio-filter will gobble it up within a few hours.

Keep an eye on everything for the next few days...but I think you've got a cycled tank sitting in your house . You did a great job.

Thanks, eco! Your Rock!!! So, now I should do some weekly water changes unless my level go up again? Is that how I should play it?

 

[eco23]

Yep, weekly water changes and gravel vacuuming to keep things tidy and to restore nutrients and buffers to your water. The water changes will also keep your nitrAtes down which ideally should be kept at or below 20.

Remember our discussion about never changing filters until necessary and seeding new ones before replacing. Also when you add new fish, do it slowly and keep an eye on your levels for a few days after.

Fish keeping isn't complicated once you're cycled. Feed the fish, change with water and enjoy

 

[wrmiller]

OK, so I just did a water test. No opportunity yesterday because was so busy. Today I am showing:


Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
Nitrite = 0.25 ppm
Nitrate = 20ppm


What the heck? Oh well, I guess I'll be getting the bucket out. Boohoo, Hisshiss!!!

 

[eco23]

OK, so I just did a water test. No opportunity yesterday because was so busy. Today I am showing:

Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
Nitrite = 0.25 ppm
Nitrate = 20ppm

What the heck? Oh well, I guess I'll be getting the bucket out. Boohoo, Hisshiss!!!

No biggie . Just a few more days of water changes and you'll be there. There are others on the site who would kill for their tank to be as close to cycled as yours is, lol.

 

[wrmiller]

LOL!!! Thanks for raising my spirits! I did what I would say was a 50% water change and the fish seem to be doing fine. They are all eating great and seem to be loving life. Hopefully no permanent harm is coming to them.

I had a couple of live plans in there but I think those are what was making the water cloudy. That might sound stupid but I removed them and now it is crystal clear again. I don't know... I think I like it better without the plants real plants anyway. They kept uprooting and floating. I think the fake plants make it easier to vacuum also because you can just remove them and put them back. Just my opinion though.

Thanks again for all of the help!

 

[eco23]

LOL!!! Thanks for raising my spirits! I did what I would say was a 50% water change and the fish seem to be doing fine. They are all eating great and seem to be loving life. Hopefully no permanent harm is coming to them.

I had a couple of live plans in there but I think those are what was making the water cloudy. That might sound stupid but I removed them and now it is crystal clear again. I don't know... I think I like it better without the plants real plants anyway. They kept uprooting and floating. I think the fake plants make it easier to vacuum also because you can just remove them and put them back. Just my opinion though.

Thanks again for all of the help!

Trust me my friend, you're doing fine and your fish are in safe hands. Another day or two and you should be able to put away the bucket for a while.

Fake plants over real ones?!?! I guess the bug hasn't bit you yet. Once the planted tank idea gets a hold of you...there's no turning back, lol. Check out this transition I made with my 46 gallon (it's even more different now). When I look at the before pic...I feel shamed, lol. It's only a matter of time before you're looking at upgraded lighting and asking questions in the planted tank section
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...lon-bow-just-to-make-a-fish-happy-156996.html

 

[wrmiller]

Trust me my friend, you're doing fine and your fish are in safe hands. Another day or two and you should be able to put away the bucket for a while.

Fake plants over real ones?!?! I guess the bug hasn't bit you yet. Once the planted tank idea gets a hold of you...there's no turning back, lol. Check out this transition I made with my 46 gallon (it's even more different now). When I look at the before pic...I feel shamed, lol. It's only a matter of time before you're looking at upgraded lighting and asking questions in the planted tank section
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/the-evolution-of-my-46-gallon-bow-just-to-make-a-fish-happy-156996.html

LOL! Well, I did like the look of the real plants but I'm just as happy with the fakes for now. I unfortunately have very little time these days for hobby so right now, the less to take care of the better. There are some really good fakes out there too. Right now the plants I have are the plastic ones and don't look all that bad. There is a place I know of though that has the silks and other early good fakes for good prices. I'll let you know though when that bug does bite me and then you can tell me, "I told you so!".

Your aquarium looks great! I am considering getting another pump and airdrome though. I want just something really small that will produce just a couple bubbles and to get some oxygen in the water for the fishes. Even though I have a 37 gallon, it should be okay to just get like a 10 gallon air pump, right? The 40 gallon one I got was like having a freaking jet plain in the office with all of the noise it made. I couldn't stand the hummmmmmmm it made. LOL!!!

 

[eco23]

As long as you have sufficient surface agitation an air stone really isn't necessary. They're normally just for aesthetics even though most people think it's a life line so their fish can breathe, lol. If there's good movement on the surface of your water...you'll be fine without one. You can also drop your water level a bit so the water return from the filter can splash a little and break the surface.

With my canister I just aim the PH towards the surface so it creates movement. A couple ways to tell if there isn't enough agitation is if you start to get a bio-film (kind of a milky appearance on top of the water) or if the fish are hanging out towards the top of the tank breathing. That shows there's not enough o2 exchange and you'll need to take action.

Of course if you like them...get one! The size doesn't matter. Just another sales gimmick.

 

[wrmiller]

As long as you have sufficient surface agitation an air stone really isn't necessary. They're normally just for aesthetics even though most people think it's a life line so their fish can breathe, lol. If there's good movement on the surface of your water...you'll be fine without one. You can also drop your water level a bit so the water return from the filter can splash a little and break the surface.

With my canister I just aim the PH towards the surface so it creates movement. A couple ways to tell if there isn't enough agitation is if you start to get a bio-film (kind of a milky appearance on top of the water) or if the fish are hanging out towards the top of the tank breathing. That shows there's not enough o2 exchange and you'll need to take action.

Of course if you like them...get one! The size doesn't matter. Just another sales gimmick.

Once again, thanks for the advice! I will post a couple of pics of my aquarium soon. Then you can tell me how cheesy my fake coral center piece and fake plants look with my blue gravel. LOL!!! If I were to do it over again I would get the natural looking substrate and I would have rather went with a natural looking rock piece or drift wood. I suppose if I were to consider changing those things this late in the game I would completely screw up all of the hard work to get the cycle where it is, right? I don't know what I was thinking. It could have been worse though. I almost went with green and florescent orange gavel. LOL!!!

I am planning to get a 60 or 75 gallon in the next couple of months and I will definitely be doing a natural theme for it. One thing I do know 100% is that when this tank gets set up I will be doing a fishless cycle for sure. I'm actually excited about it and not having to worry about the fishes will be good too. Would there be large benefit for me to go with the 75 over the 60 other than the 75 being deeper front to back? I kind of like then 60 gallon though because it is only 12" deep, is 48" long and over 24" tall. I can see the advantage of having the extra 6" of depth with the 75 though.

Here is my other dilemma. I will be putting the new tank where the existing tank is now. Is it okay to remove like 90% of the water, leave the fish in and then move and set everything back up in it's new spot? I suppose if I do it quick and carefully it would be okay, right! I will of course have someone help as the tank with even just 10% left in will be quite heavy. Will the fish be sloshes around too much? Should I remove them to a bucket or something for the move? Would only be a short distance move.

Wow! Is it really 1:13am? I'm glad I'm off work tomorrow. It's my daughters 3rd birthday tomorrow.

 

[eco23]

Once again, thanks for the advice! I will post a couple of pics of my aquarium soon. Then you can tell me how cheesy my fake coral center piece and fake plants look with my blue gravel. LOL!!! If I were to do it over again I would get the natural looking substrate and I would have rather went with a natural looking rock piece or drift wood. I suppose if I were to consider changing those things this late in the game I would completely screw up all of the hard work to get the cycle where it is, right? I don't know what I was thinking. It could have been worse though. I almost went with green and florescent orange gavel. LOL!!!

I am planning to get a 60 or 75 gallon in the next couple of months and I will definitely be doing a natural theme for it. One thing I do know 100% is that when this tank gets set up I will be doing a fishless cycle for sure. I'm actually excited about it and not having to worry about the fishes will be good too. Would there be large benefit for me to go with the 75 over the 60 other than the 75 being deeper front to back? I kind of like then 60 gallon though because it is only 12" deep, is 48" long and over 24" tall. I can see the advantage of having the extra 6" of depth with the 75 though.

Here is my other dilemma. I will be putting the new tank where the existing tank is now. Is it okay to remove like 90% of the water, leave the fish in and then move and set everything back up in it's new spot? I suppose if I do it quick and carefully it would be okay, right! I will of course have someone help as the tank with even just 10% left in will be quite heavy. Will the fish be sloshes around too much? Should I remove them to a bucket or something for the move? Would only be a short distance move.

Wow! Is it really 1:13am? I'm glad I'm off work tomorrow. It's my daughters 3rd birthday tomorrow.

Happy birthday to your daughter! .

I'm an insomniac...so when I see 1:30am, I think "oh! It's still early", lol

The great thing about tanks is there is no right or wrong. Whatever you like the look of is the way to go. If you like pink gravel with decorations of underwater unicorns...it's a great thing because you'll be the one enjoying it. You should always go with what you like since you're the one who sees it every day. I was just giving you a hard time about the plants

The same applies with a new tank. The best thing to do is really think about what type of fish you would like before you ever buy the tank. Then you can decide based off their requirements what would be most suitable for both them...and your home decor.

As for moving the tank, as long as the media and substrate stay wet there's no problem. You might loose a little bacteria if the walls dry out, but it's nothing a few days of pwc's won't fix. I'd personally move the fish to a bucket, but I'd be open to different opinions from other members. I've done it both ways...and I'll tell you that is is shocking how heavy those things are with just gravel and a small bit of water (I don't remember your tank size...I'll have to scroll up and look).

 

[mudraker]

Happy birthday to your daughter!

You will rarely regret going with a larger tank in the long run, even if a smaller one looks better to your eye right now.

 

[wrmiller]

Happy birthday to your daughter!

You will rarely regret going with a larger tank in the long run, even if a smaller one looks better to your eye right now.

I know you are right. I just don't know what to get. Right now I have the 37 gallon which is approximately 30"x12"x23". I like the tank to be tall even though it seems to make reaching in for cleaning more difficult. For some reason the taller ones just look nicer to me. So I want to stay with something that is at least 23" tall. The 60 gallon is approximately 48"x13"X24". That seems to me like a reasonable upgrade from the 37 gallon. There is also a 65 gallon that is approximately 37"x19"x25" also that might be nice. I think I would like the larger front glass area provided by the 60 gallon though since it gives an extra foot of width. Oh someone just help me!!! LOL!!! The reason I'm not sure about the 75 gallon is because it seems like the dimensions are squaty to me or something. The 75 gallon is approximately 48"x18"x21". When comparing the 60 to the 75 I think I would rather have the extra tallness and give up the extra 6" of width. You see, this is called OCD that I have. LOL!!!
Now, the best of both worlds would be a 90 gallon which is approximately 48"x18"x25".

So, here are some other questions I have. What is really the largest tank I could use HOB filters for? Could I successfully keep a 60-90 gallon tank with one or two HOB filters? They just seem so simple to me and having no experience with the canister type I'm not sure which way to go. I also tend to like the pricing of the HOB filters a lot better too. Are one better than the other? Or do they basically all do the same job? The canister filters remind me of a small pool filter, right? Would you need more than one filter for a 60-90 gallon aquarium?

 

[wrmiller]

Here are today's test results:

Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = between 10-20 ppm (hard to tell between the two. they look the same to me)
pH = 8.0

I'm assuming I can skip the PWC today but one wouldn't hurt if I wanted to bring down the Nitrates?

It really bothers me that every time I replace water in my tank the water I will be putting back in the tank has 0.25 ppm of ammonia right from the start. Arrrr!!! I guess that's what the Prime is for...

 

[eco23]

Here are today's test results:

Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = between 10-20 ppm (hard to tell between the two. they look the same to me)
pH = 8.0

I'm assuming I can skip the PWC today but one wouldn't hurt if I wanted to bring down the Nitrates?

It really bothers me that every time I replace water in my tank the water I will be putting back in the tank has 0.25 ppm of ammonia right from the start. Arrrr!!! I guess that's what the Prime is for...

I'd skip the pwc...the nitrAtes are fine. Just watch it the next few days to make sure ammo and no2 don't rise. Assuming they don't...I'll tell you the tank is cycled again . Don't worry about the ammo in the tap water as long as you are using a quality dechlorinator. The BB will consume it within 24 hours and the fish will never know it was in there.

Personally I vote canister over HOB every time. Aquaclear makes good HOB's, but you can't beat canisters IMO. They're easier to clean, provide far superior filtration IMO, they run absolutely silently and can have a diverse range and space of media you can put in them. I have a Fluval 405 on my 46 gallon...but I'd look into a Fluval fx5 for a 90 gallon tank. That'd be perfect IMO.

 

[wrmiller]

I'd skip the pwc...the nitrAtes are fine. Just watch it the next few days to make sure ammo and no2 don't rise. Assuming they don't...I'll tell you the tank is cycled again . Don't worry about the ammo in the tap water as long as you are using a quality dechlorinator. The BB will consume it within 24 hours and the fish will never know it was in there.

Personally I vote canister over HOB every time. Aquaclear makes good HOB's, but you can't beat canisters IMO. They're easier to clean, provide far superior filtration IMO, they run absolutely silently and can have a diverse range and space of media you can put in them. I have a Fluval 405 on my 46 gallon...but I'd look into a Fluval fx5 for a 90 gallon tank. That'd be perfect IMO.

Okay. I absolutely value your advice so i will definitely go with a canister regardless of what size I get. I will be buying everything for the new aquarium anyway so might as well get the right stuff. You sold me when you said it was quiet. do you have to drill holes for the return or does it just hang on to the tank? How does that work? I guess I just need to do some poking around on the web and see instead of asking you all of these questions being lazy. I'll most likely be asking for the tank and accessories for my birthday or Christmas from my folks so I have some time to think as my birthday isn't until September and we all already know when Christmas is. LOL!!!

So, would that mean then that I could get an online heater then and wouldn't have to have it submerged in the tank? That would be absolutely great!

 

[eco23]

Okay. I absolutely value your advice so i will definitely go with a canister regardless of what size I get. I will be buying everything for the new aquarium anyway so might as well get the right stuff. You sold me when you said it was quiet. do you have to drill holes for the return or does it just hang on to the tank? How does that work? I guess I just need to do some poking around on the web and see instead of asking you all of these questions being lazy. I'll most likely be asking for the tank and accessories for my birthday or Christmas from my folks so I have some time to think as my birthday isn't until September and we all already know when Christmas is. LOL!!!

So, would that mean then that I could get an online heater then and wouldn't have to have it submerged in the tank? That would be absolutely great!

Most cabinets designed for a tank will have the space underneath with slots already cut out so you can run wires and hoses.

The canister itself sits under the tank in the cabinet, and the only things that go into the tank are an individual return line, and a separate output. If you look at the pics of my tank I linked last night...you'll see both of those things on either side of the tank. They basically clip onto the back of the tank and hang into the water.

And yeah, my 405 is silent when the cabinet is closed...I look into the tank occasionally to make sure my power head is pumping water cause I can't hear the thing running.