Ready to try anything...
- Thread starter Fishy123
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jetajockey
come get me tang police!
I've tested and tried several bacteria-in a bottle type products and out of the major ones the only one that I've had mostly positive results with was Tetra Safestart. I also had great success with Angelsplus Active sponge filter, and the nice thing about those is they cost about the same as a bacteria starter product, but you get a neat sponge filter also , rather than just an empty bottle.
I didn't have time to test today before work (on my way there right now) but I noticed before I left what appeared to be a cloudy haze in the water??? Maybe its this "bacteria bloom" I've heard so much about from everyone else! 
) I'll test tonight after work and update.....keep your fingers crossed for me please!!
) I'll test tonight after work and update.....keep your fingers crossed for me please!!
eco23
Aquarium Advice Addict
Fishy123 said:I didn't have time to test today before work (on my way there right now) but I noticed before I left what appeared to be a cloudy haze in the water??? Maybe its this "bacteria bloom" I've heard so much about from everyone else!
If the water was milky looking...that's most likely what it is!
WendiDell
Aquarium Advice Addict
Don't worry it will happen, it just takes time, A LOT OF TIME, unfortunately.
librarygirl
Look It Up
I feel your pain. It's (only?) been about 10 days for me but as of last night, ammo still at 4, no nitrates or nitrites yet. Around the 2 or 3 day I ground up one flake of fishfood and put it in the tank (read it should act the same as PH down would) and all it did was give my water a slight white cloudy tinge to it. I was hopeful that was bacteria and that something was happening. Well, a week later and the water is still cloudy with no movement in the cycle. I'm trying not to panic yet as it hasn't been a full two weeks and I know it can sometimes take even longer, but seeing the same colors over and over on the tube is disheartening. You're not alone!
Tanktop
Aquarium Advice Regular
A word of warning with lfs seed material. I'm fishless cycling my first tank at the moment. I got some gravel from lfs. I still can't put fish in 4 weeks later but I have 2 species of (uninvited) snails, planaria, nematodes and a hydra outbreak!
Tanktop
Aquarium Advice Regular
I won't be buying fish from them (pained) lol
James_in_MN
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Tanktop said:
That's probably why, if I was needing seed material from a LFS, I would probably go for filter media instead. If snails can hitchhike on plants, they certainly can be introduced through gravel.
allaboutfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
the thing with that is if it's like petco it could have disease on it. i'd only do that at a mom and pop store or a friends tank.
Help! I came home to find white cobweb, dust bunny looking things all over the artificial stump decoration in my tank. Any idea what it is or how to get rid of it?
I did a water test for ammonia, and it looks like it may be starting to drop. I think its at 2 now, but all those greens look alike to me. I tested fro Nitrite to see if there was anything there yet that would back up the possible ammonia drop, and to me it looked like .25 or maybe a little higher.Could I be on my way with this cycle finally?! And could this be related to the white cobweb thingies?
I did a water test for ammonia, and it looks like it may be starting to drop. I think its at 2 now, but all those greens look alike to me. I tested fro Nitrite to see if there was anything there yet that would back up the possible ammonia drop, and to me it looked like .25 or maybe a little higher.Could I be on my way with this cycle finally?! And could this be related to the white cobweb thingies?
eco23
Aquarium Advice Addict
Fishy123 said:
Ammo drop + appearance of no2 = beginning of cycle
The cobweb stuff seems like possible white hair algae which won't affect the cycle, but algae loves to try and grow during the process. That's why I normally recommend keeping the tank lights off during a cycle. I'm heading to bed, but I'll keep up with the thread tomorrow...I think you're on your way!
I took a brush to the stump and broke the stuff loose, hoping it would get sucked up by the filter. Did I make a mistake, will that actually help spread the algae stuff?
Eco23, I haven't had the lights on in the tank. One time for about 5 minutes that's it. There is daylight in the room, not direct, but our house has a lot of natural light.
Eco23, I haven't had the lights on in the tank. One time for about 5 minutes that's it. There is daylight in the room, not direct, but our house has a lot of natural light.
eco23
Aquarium Advice Addict
Fishy123 said:
The trash probably would have been a better idea, but I'm not use it'll make a big difference. Maybe you can fill a small bucket with water from the tank, or dechlorinated tap water and lightly swish the filter media around to try and clean it off a little if it got sucked up in there. Just don't go crazy and scrub the thing, you don't want to wash off all that bacteria we've been trying to colonize.
You might want to research the white stuff on the driftwood a little more. Maybe some type of fungus? Is it real driftwood? Did you prepare it before putting it in the tank?
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1
It's a fungus that some DW seem to expel or it just grows on it IMO/E. Out of my 7 or so pieces of DW, I had 1 ooze it and I just used my gravel vac to dislodge and suck it up (you're cycling so don't do that lol) and it hasn't come back. Near as I can tell it's not harmful, but maybe someone has better info on that subject.
Tanktop
Aquarium Advice Regular
they wouldn't give filter material, so it was gravel or nothing
Me again....just need a little clarification. Earlier this week, my ammonia seemed to drop from 4 to 2 ppm. No2 was between 0 and .25....been a couple days and readings are the same. So when the ammonia starts to fall, doesn't it keep going? Or is it going to be another 3 weeks before I get to 1 ppm? I haven't redosed once yet, just the original 4ppm I started with.
Also, I did add some pH down, about 15 drops in a 40 gal tank. Is that something I should only do once, or do I need to keep adding that too? It seemed like after I did that the first time, I saw the ammonia drop, so wondering if more will help drop again.
I'm getting more of the white fuzzy cottony spider web looking stuff too. I think it's hair algae, but not sure. Can I add anything to kill that off, or am I stuck with it?
Also, I did add some pH down, about 15 drops in a 40 gal tank. Is that something I should only do once, or do I need to keep adding that too? It seemed like after I did that the first time, I saw the ammonia drop, so wondering if more will help drop again.
I'm getting more of the white fuzzy cottony spider web looking stuff too. I think it's hair algae, but not sure. Can I add anything to kill that off, or am I stuck with it?
James_in_MN
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Tanktop said:
Well, you'll have to decide which is better: nothing with a longer cycle, or gravel with a chance of hitchhikers. Good luck either way!
Fishy123 said:
It's something that you should never do.
Aquarium product manufacturers constantly want to try to make us believe that aquarists are also chemists. I (and most on these boards) don't have a chemistry degree, and don't need one to keep an aquarium either.
More often than not, tap water is just fine for aquariums. There's never a good reason to use chemicals to modify the pH of the water you add to your tank. However, if you feel it absolutely necessary, using natural methods to raise or lower pH is a much better option. Peat moss and driftwood tannins are a good way to lower pH naturally, and crushed coral is a good way to raise it naturally.
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