windex in my 55

[Elwood]

I am cycling my 55. No fish yet. A paper towel with windex on it dropped into the water. Do I need to change the water???

[rich311k]

How long was it in the tank and how saturated was the towel?

[Zagz]

How far along into the cycle are you as well? Almost done, pwc won't hurt, at the beginning I wouldn't worry about it.

[Elwood]

it was in the tank about 1 second. I had just sprayed the towel for the second time to wipe off the back.
I don't know how far along in the cycle I am. Less than 6 hours but I am using the filter and bio wheel that were in the tank previously. I will check the various levels today.


While you are here can you tell me how to get rid of a fog that seems to be on my glass. I didn't notice it until I turned on the tank light and turned off the room light. I am dissappointed in the condition of the tank now that I have cleaned it. There are alot of scratches froom the previous owner cleaning the inside. I still got a good deal but really wish the tank were nicer. There are also lines from evaporation in the tank. You can tell they just kept filling it as it evaporated.

[Hara]

just as a side note, I have found the best way for me to clean the glass, which I do constantly, is with plain water on a papertowel and a 12 inch squeegee you can pick up at wally world for a buck. This is the only way my tank does not look streaked and there is no danger of accidents.

[Zagz]

I use vinegar on a rag and clean with dry rag or squeegee. No residue.

[crazycat]

zagz,

does vinegar hurt acrylic?

[malkore]

vinegar shouldn't harm acrylic. things like rubbing alcohol could though, or acetone (nail polish remover). it'll melt the top layer, adn then as you rub, ti smears, then yoiu end up with blurry spots that can only be polished out (which ain't fun)

[fantasticaqua]

I dont think the 5 second rule counts with fish tanks. I'd take the time for a water change and then continue the cycle. Why kill fish if you dont have to?

[DiverDown]

The main problem is that windex has ammonia, exactly what you are trying to cycle out. A PWC would never hurt. Remember there is a growing school of thought that think addind ammonia directly to a tank at the beginning of cycling is actually the best way to get the cycle started. Although I think that it's best with live critters and TLC>

[Elwood]

Can I use Ammo Lock while cycling? I would like to add a few fish even though I am at the beginning of the cycle.

[talloulou]

No Ammo Lock....it will screw everything up and render your tests useless. A big NO in my opinon. It is possible to safely cycle with fish if you are willing to lots of water changes and monitor your set up very closely. It's important to only add a few fish at a time. And it's important to start with hardy fish that you want to keep. What fish are you interested in?

[Elwood]

Ultimately I would like zebra loaches, pineapple swordtails, bosemani rainbows, maybe neons. I am still looking for interesting and colorfull fish. I really like watching the loaches, they act like kids on a playground. Are swords good fish to own?

[talloulou]

Of the fish you mentioned the swordtails would probably be the best for cycling. I wouldn't recommend any of the others until the tank has cycled. Here is a pretty good list of hardy fish for cycling.

http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/fishcyclefw.shtml

They list the boesmani rainbows but I would hold off on them. I find them to be very hardy once they are established and settled in but many people have trouble with them in the beginning and they are prone to columnaris. For those reasons I would wait till the tank is cycled before adding them.