Ok I have several questions on cycling I hope you guys can answer for me. I plan to buy a 12 gallon eclipse with sand substrate, a 50watt heater, live plants, 3 albino Cory catfish, and 1 female betta. I plan to use the pure ammonia method. I've read read read about fishless cycling the nitrogen cycle all that and was wondering if im doing this right. I plan to add sand, plug in the heater and put it in the tank, plug in the lights, then add water. Then I plan to turn on the filter with the filter media in and let the tank run like that for about 1 day to let the temp stabilize and all that good stuff. Then add ammonia. Here's where I'm confused. Should I add water conditioner (not cycle started or bacteria grower or any chemical lime that just tetra aqua aquasafe water conditioner which removes chlorine and heavy metals such as copper zinc and iron. Also contains slime coating and bioextract which enhances the bio bed. Basically it makes tap water safe. When do I add the plants when I start the cycle or when the cycle stabilizes and I add fish or when? Once the tank is done cycling I plan to add the 3 cories together and then later add the betta. Is this good? I won't add the betta first that way it won't claim everything as it's territory. Anything else such a recommendations advice I'd love thanks!
Cycling
- Thread starter MarkA123
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Crepe
Aquarium Advice Addict
1. Set up hardscape materials (rocks, sand, wood)
2. Add water and dechlorinate. Chlorine will stall the cycle as it kills bacteria
4. Turn on the filter (don't run with activated carbon or zeolite)
5. Set heater to 84-86F to accelerate the cycle.
4. Add ammonia and then Test daily for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. I would get the API master FW kit. Wait for the cycle to complete
5. Turn on lights, do some water changes, add fish.
The plants can come right after the cycle or a little bit before it finishes. Plants can both help and hurt your cycle. They can introduce bacteria to the tank which is good and also process ammonia which can be both bad and good.
It's best to keep the lights off during the cycle and the tank as dark as possible to keep algae from monopolizing the competition free ammonia in the tank.
2. Add water and dechlorinate. Chlorine will stall the cycle as it kills bacteria
4. Turn on the filter (don't run with activated carbon or zeolite)
5. Set heater to 84-86F to accelerate the cycle.
4. Add ammonia and then Test daily for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. I would get the API master FW kit. Wait for the cycle to complete
5. Turn on lights, do some water changes, add fish.
The plants can come right after the cycle or a little bit before it finishes. Plants can both help and hurt your cycle. They can introduce bacteria to the tank which is good and also process ammonia which can be both bad and good.
It's best to keep the lights off during the cycle and the tank as dark as possible to keep algae from monopolizing the competition free ammonia in the tank.
Ok thanks for your help can you give me a link to the fw API kit and tell me how it's different from test strips. How much ammonia do I add? Could you be clearer or go into detail about the plants please thanks. And there's no way to not run the filter without carbon the filter media come with carbon already in the media and the don't sell media without carbon. Why's carbon bad?
Crepe
Aquarium Advice Addict
The Freshwater API Master kit uses liquid reagents which is much more accurate than test strips. The tests take longer to do bu the added accuracy is better. Also one box will last you about 200 tests. More than you will need for 2-3 years, the lifespan of the liquid reagents in the kit. At wal-mart they can be had for about 20 dollars.
Amazon.com: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Aquarian Freshwater Master Test Kit: Home & Garden
Carbon can slow down the cycle as it sucks up dissolved organics and minerals from the water, things needed for bacteria, especially at the very beginning. However, this is in my personal experience and isn't really guarded by empirical data so it may work for you.
Instead of using the pre-made cartridges just buy filter media in the form of sheets. I use "Marine-land Rite-fit Bonded Filter pads" They are available at petsmart for 5 dollars a pop which would last at least a year. I bought mine online for less, but I bought 10 units for the koi pond and the indoor tank.
Anyways, on the plants. Plants are basically living filters. In order to formulate the necessary amino acids for growth they need nitrogen. Nitrogen itself is found in many compounds that are prevalent in aquaria: Ammonia/Ammonium, Nitrite (no2), and Nitrate (No3). Plants have a tendency to sequester their nitrogen from Ammonia first instead of Nitrate. In a cycling aquarium this can make dosing ammonia more guess work than a science as uptake is dictated by a broad range of factors: light, co2, other nutrients in the water, and temperature.
However, in an established tank, plants can help reduce nitrates and keep ammonia in check, both of which at sufficient levels is toxic to fish. In a cycled aquarium ammonia is generally not present and plants will use Nitrates for a nitrogen source. Nitrates however are the end product of the nitrogen cycle and will therefore be of no benefit to any Nitrifying bacteria in the system and are best remove via plant uptake or water changes.
Anyways. On to how much ammonia to add!
What brand ammonia do you have? More specifically, what % ammonia is it.
Finding how much to dose is dependent on the starting Molality, or concentration of the solution.
Sorry for the verbosity of the post. It's late and these are the first words that come to mind.
I think I'll actually be hitting the sack for now but okay:
Your starting concentration of ammonia should be 4ppm inside the tank. That is, by mass 4mg of Ammonia ions/1 litre of water since a litre of water is 1kg.
If your starting concentration is 10%. That means 10% of the mass contained within that bottle is ammonia. In 1L of solution, that is 100g of ammonia. You need 4mg!.
To obtain this amount you must figure out how much water is in your tank.
12g is more or less 45L(big guestimation)
Anyways so within 45L you have 45kg of water and need 180mg of ammonia. Phew.
So using solution stoichiometry:
I can find how much ammonia is in 5ml of 10% ammonia- .5g of ammonia. I need 180mg, .0180. You therefore need about 1ml of ammonia or 1/4 tsp! Tada! (These are very rudimentary estimations but will land you between 3-5ppm ammonia)
Amazon.com: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Aquarian Freshwater Master Test Kit: Home & Garden
Carbon can slow down the cycle as it sucks up dissolved organics and minerals from the water, things needed for bacteria, especially at the very beginning. However, this is in my personal experience and isn't really guarded by empirical data so it may work for you.
Instead of using the pre-made cartridges just buy filter media in the form of sheets. I use "Marine-land Rite-fit Bonded Filter pads" They are available at petsmart for 5 dollars a pop which would last at least a year. I bought mine online for less, but I bought 10 units for the koi pond and the indoor tank.
Anyways, on the plants. Plants are basically living filters. In order to formulate the necessary amino acids for growth they need nitrogen. Nitrogen itself is found in many compounds that are prevalent in aquaria: Ammonia/Ammonium, Nitrite (no2), and Nitrate (No3). Plants have a tendency to sequester their nitrogen from Ammonia first instead of Nitrate. In a cycling aquarium this can make dosing ammonia more guess work than a science as uptake is dictated by a broad range of factors: light, co2, other nutrients in the water, and temperature.
However, in an established tank, plants can help reduce nitrates and keep ammonia in check, both of which at sufficient levels is toxic to fish. In a cycled aquarium ammonia is generally not present and plants will use Nitrates for a nitrogen source. Nitrates however are the end product of the nitrogen cycle and will therefore be of no benefit to any Nitrifying bacteria in the system and are best remove via plant uptake or water changes.
Anyways. On to how much ammonia to add!
What brand ammonia do you have? More specifically, what % ammonia is it.
Finding how much to dose is dependent on the starting Molality, or concentration of the solution.
Sorry for the verbosity of the post. It's late and these are the first words that come to mind.
I think I'll actually be hitting the sack for now but okay:
Your starting concentration of ammonia should be 4ppm inside the tank. That is, by mass 4mg of Ammonia ions/1 litre of water since a litre of water is 1kg.
If your starting concentration is 10%. That means 10% of the mass contained within that bottle is ammonia. In 1L of solution, that is 100g of ammonia. You need 4mg!.
To obtain this amount you must figure out how much water is in your tank.
12g is more or less 45L(big guestimation)
Anyways so within 45L you have 45kg of water and need 180mg of ammonia. Phew.
So using solution stoichiometry:
I can find how much ammonia is in 5ml of 10% ammonia- .5g of ammonia. I need 180mg, .0180. You therefore need about 1ml of ammonia or 1/4 tsp! Tada! (These are very rudimentary estimations but will land you between 3-5ppm ammonia)
Similar threads
