Today is day three of no Ammonia,Nitrites or Nitrates.i added some more ammonia just to test to see if the tank has cycled.I planned to to get a protein skimmer and an r/o di unit when I got my tax return.I did not count on my tank being cycled so quickly since I started with all base rock and needed to make it live and do a fishless cycle.I plan on checking levels again for the next few days but if Ammonia and Nitrites are zero could i add fish w/o any other biological filter except the lr or would I be better off just adding ammonia until I get the protein skimmer and other minor equipment?
Am i jumping the gun?
- Thread starter Criptix
- Start date
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Evo8
Aquarium Advice Freak
What size tank is it? If its smaller you could run it without a skimmer..do you have any hob filters? Or mechanical?
My tank is 45 gallons and the answer is no I don't have an hob or mechanical filter.
Evo8
Aquarium Advice Freak
I would stick to adding ammonia until you get the skimmer
+1 why not buy a used skimmer? Or a cheaper one till you get taxes and get a good one?
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Try adding a few ppm of ammonia and see what happens to it over 24 hours. If there's no ammonia or nitrites left then I don't see a reason not to get fish if you want to.
Do you have a refugium or sump?
Do you have a refugium or sump?
My tank has been up and running for almost two months now.I just assumed that because I was using base rock and doing a fishless cycle that it would not be up and ready until January or February because I was not just cycling my tank I was making my base rock live...apparently I miscalculated.No I do not have a refrugium or a sump.I was going to build or buy a sump just before I bought the fish in January or February.
I was reading another post about a new tank setup and I have another question,I have no algae or diatoms because my tank has been exposed to little light.Should I turn on my tank light or is it a good thing that I have no algae?
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
If it were me I would turn my tank lights on and time them like I normally would.
If you didn't want to put fish in just yet if you turned the lights on you could get some snails for a CUC to eat algae that grows.
Are you going to be QTing the fish?
That's a touchy subject...my hubby doesn't see the need for one and we are now in a studio apt no real space unless I put it in the stand.I am open to suggestions.I want to do well.
MacDracor
Aquarium Advice Addict
I know a qt tank is a hassle, but it's far less a hassle than a hospital tank, or a tank wipeout. Not quarantining is like Russian roulette. Sometimes you go a long time without anything going bang, but sometimes the first time blows up in your face.
The tank may have cycled, but remember that it is 'set' to the current bio load, which is almost zero. So, add fish one at a time, watching levels daily.
Also, I agree with mebbid. Whatever you do next, I would start the lighting cycle going. I actually had my lights on during my cycle because I enjoyed watching the life emerge day by day.
The tank may have cycled, but remember that it is 'set' to the current bio load, which is almost zero. So, add fish one at a time, watching levels daily.
Also, I agree with mebbid. Whatever you do next, I would start the lighting cycle going. I actually had my lights on during my cycle because I enjoyed watching the life emerge day by day.
I tested this morning and I have ph 7.8 ammonia .25 trites-.5 and trate 0 and I even retested the A,trites and trates...i think I came across a need for a timer for my lights because my schedule is off.i wouldn't want to forget about the lights so i would have them on from about 3pm until 11pm so I wouldn't forget to turn them off.What are your thoughts?I thought I new when my tank had cycled but maybe not. What is a sign that it has truly cycled?
huma-huma
Aquarium Advice Addict
a qt tank doesnt need to be a permanent tank. dracor brought up some great points. the thought that i try to keep in my head is " why would i risk losing hundred, possibly thousands of dollars in fish just to skip qt and add this one single fish?"
TheTodd
Aquarium Advice Addict
I want to go back to the start, because nothing sounds like your tank is cycled...
You said you were cycling the tank (fishless) with nothing live (rock or sand) and you had zero for everything? What were you using as an Ammonia source (adding ammonia or a shrimp)? If your tank is cycled, the end result should not be zero everything. It should be zero Ammonia, zero Nitrite and higher levels of Nitrate. As it cycled, you will go from zeros to measurable amounts of Ammonia and Nitrites...Nitrates will show up and eventually your Ammonia and Nitrites will go to zero.
To test, do as was suggested...dose Ammonia (if you have it) up to about 3-4ppm. If your tank is cycled, that should drop back to zero within 24 hours. Then you should be good to add fish after doing a partial water change to lower the Nitrates.
Regarding QT...if you just add fish without observing, you run the very good chance of adding a fish that has something like Ich. Then your tank is contaminated and you will have to QT all of your fish and leave the tank fallow for 6-8 weeks. It is almost Russian roulette...you are going to take a bullet at some point (unless you are insanely lucky).
You said you were cycling the tank (fishless) with nothing live (rock or sand) and you had zero for everything? What were you using as an Ammonia source (adding ammonia or a shrimp)? If your tank is cycled, the end result should not be zero everything. It should be zero Ammonia, zero Nitrite and higher levels of Nitrate. As it cycled, you will go from zeros to measurable amounts of Ammonia and Nitrites...Nitrates will show up and eventually your Ammonia and Nitrites will go to zero.
To test, do as was suggested...dose Ammonia (if you have it) up to about 3-4ppm. If your tank is cycled, that should drop back to zero within 24 hours. Then you should be good to add fish after doing a partial water change to lower the Nitrates.
Regarding QT...if you just add fish without observing, you run the very good chance of adding a fish that has something like Ich. Then your tank is contaminated and you will have to QT all of your fish and leave the tank fallow for 6-8 weeks. It is almost Russian roulette...you are going to take a bullet at some point (unless you are insanely lucky).
According to my records,the last time I had trates was on the 14th of Nov 10ppm and then it was 0 after that across the board.I have to be reading the tests wrong or something(I use API).Not sure what to do...as for the qt, I now its important but since I have no fish yet i am going to need to find a place out of the way and then hopefully I can get one set up.I saw a video on UTube from Bulk reef supply or Vivid aquarium that said to shorten the cycle in my qt I could use water from the main once its cycled. is this correct ?How do you set up ur qt?
MacDracor
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'm thinking you weren't cycled as well. But don't worry, no harm no foul. You don't have any fish in there! You could dose ammonia, but a lot of people use a shrimp or some fish food. I've also had very good results from bottled bacteria. You can find it at the LFS. Find the one with the furthest expiration date so there's more alive.
Even the most diligent reef keeper usually uses a timer because the animals we keep need stability in th lighting cycle. So that's not an issue of you forgetting, it's more that they need day to start and end around the same time every day. Well, need May be too strong a word. Let's call it highly recommended.
And huma-huma, just call me Mac. Easier to type quickly. Lol
What a lot of people do for a qt tank is have a hob filter in the sump or display tank to get filled with the beneficial bacteria, and then move that to a bare tank for an instant cycle, then just do small water changes frequently while a fish is in the qt tank.
Even the most diligent reef keeper usually uses a timer because the animals we keep need stability in th lighting cycle. So that's not an issue of you forgetting, it's more that they need day to start and end around the same time every day. Well, need May be too strong a word. Let's call it highly recommended.
And huma-huma, just call me Mac. Easier to type quickly. Lol
What a lot of people do for a qt tank is have a hob filter in the sump or display tank to get filled with the beneficial bacteria, and then move that to a bare tank for an instant cycle, then just do small water changes frequently while a fish is in the qt tank.
huma-huma
Aquarium Advice Addict
buy a small HOB filter, ditch the carbon-loaded filter pad for some filter floss, then simply leave that filter floos in your main tank for 2-3 weeks to seed it. then when the time comes, just setup your qt, put the established filter floss into the hob filter, and tada!! you have a qt tank
Thank you for your insight.I have been looking at hobs or think I have.When you say an hob are you talking about a hang on the back refugium?When I searched for hob filter I got sumps,bio wheel filters and refugiums.i am a little confused.I did find this on Amazon and this is the description:
Flow Rate: 4.15 - 4.9 GPH
Breeding, Qaurantine Capabilities, Refugium
Air Pump Included
Finnex FugeRAY included!
Dimensions: 10.25" x 5.5 x 5 | 1 Gallon/will this work?
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