Hooray! 70 gallon up and running - cycle time!

[apotocki]

HI - well, after 3 long weeks of gathering all the necessary equipment, I've got my FW 70 gallon tank up and running.

I went to the LFS today and got 25 small goldfish to cycle with. Any advice? Do I need to know anything special besides to watch the Ammonia, get ready for some water changes, and be patient?

I tested my water and the PH (after sitting overnight is 7.0).

I do have a concern/question though...I'm running a Rena XP3 and using the spray bar. The current produced when I crank it up to 3/4 or full speed seems to be very strong. I'm concerned about when I stock the tank with my 'goal' fish (witch are probably gonna be a school of cardinals, 3-4 angels, maybe another 8 or so 'other tetra's, 4 blue rams, and a shoal of cory's. Anyone with a XP3 (or any other canister for that matter have advice/experience with the potential 'current' problem?

THANKS!
Alan

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Congrats on getting the tank up and going! I'm not exactly sure, but I think that the Angels require a tank with less water movement because it will tire them.

 

[lyquidphyre]

What are you going to do with the 25 goldfish when you are finished?

you should have just purchased pure ammonia.. would have been cheaper and possibly more humane

I have a spray bar and an angel.. i moved the spray bar to the right side of the tank.. so my angel hangs out on the right side but then again, you will have more angels.. so I dunno

 

[apotocki]

Lyquidphyre - the 25 goldfish are 'feeder' fish......its what my LFS recommended. I plan on returning them back to the LFS after my cycle is complete (they said they do it this way all the time). Thanks.....I'm not sure about the spraybar as the more I watch it the more concerned I'm getting about the current. There is also a powerjet nozzle that I could try but I figured it would produce an even stronger current.......maybe I'm overconcerned.

Alan

 

[lyquidphyre]

As long as your LFS will take em back
and "feeder fish" are pets too =o)

Can you not adjust the spray bar where it shoots downward?

 

[apotocki]

Lyquidphyre - They will take them back......I think part of my problem is that the tank is fairly narrow - 13 wide and 26 tall......I do have the spray bar point pretty much straight across the top but when the current hits the front of the tank its directed downward at a pretty good clip.

Alan

 

[lyquidphyre]

with mine, I could twist the spray bar to where it goes down the side of the tank (the side its attatched to)... does yours twist like that?

 

[ChileRelleno]

You can try facing it various directions/angles/depths, or you can simply add holes or widen the holes already in the spraybar, this will lower the outflow pressure. You can also try lengthening or remove the spraybar completely.
Best bet for Angels IMO would be to add or widen holes and slow the outflow pressure.

 

[malkore]

You are starting out on the wrong foot.

Bad idea on cycling with fish. Even worse idea to cycle with feeder goldfish. May as well have asked them for the "least healthy, most likely to contain a disease or parasite" fish.

 

[slowboattochina]

Hello, I have the rena xp3 with spraybar in a 90 gallon tank. I had to enlarge the holes with a drill bit because i had a whistling problem. When I did this it also reduced the wake across the top of my tank. You should try adding bio-spira it will cycle your tank in half the time. Just got done cycling my 90 gallon and was amazed. Hope this helps.

 

[apotocki]

Drilling extra holes, duh!!!! why didn't I think of that?!?
I added 4 more holes and that seems to have helped alot. I'm now going to wait until I can add my fish and see if that reduced the current enough before adding any more holes or making the existing wider.
The other thing I noticed with the XP3 is that its a bit noisier than I thought/hoped. But I also read someplace that after a couple of weeks, it usually quiets down a bit.
Thanks for the information/suggestion!

Alan

 

[slowboattochina]

Yes the XP will quiet down considerably, after all the trapped air works out it is almost silent. I actually have to be right up against aquarium to hear it. Best of luck.

 

[TomK2]

Your tank is about five feet long? If you can use the nozzle on your filter. put it in one corner near the surface and point it at the other. There will be a strong current along the back wall surface, with surface agitation, but there will be plenty of spots that the current will be soft eddies. You will have lots of calm surface to drop flakes on. Alternatively, place the spray bar vertically in the tank. you will have Little surface agitation, but the current will have to travel the length of the tank before curling around (it only goes 13 inches when on top facing front), so that the current away from the back wall will be mild. Or leave it where it is. You will find that by watching your fish, there are obvious areas of strong current hugging the surface and front glass, but many areas of soft current. Enlarging the holes in the spray bar makes a little softer too.

I have two fluval canisters with nozzle outflow, one in each corner pointed right at each other. I have lots of surface agitation except for the two forward corners, which are calm for food dropping. the center of the tank is somewhat turbulent (where the outfow from each nozzle collides), but the sides have gentle currents. I have seen my fish playing in the stronger currents. Every now and then I alter the nozzle angles a bit to change the current pattern in the tank. A little variety for them!

 

[tiptoptank]

I think I will widen the wholes on my spraybar as well. Sounds like a good idea

 

[apotocki]

TomK2 - 2 404's on a 55! Wow.....you could place the outflow nozzles at opposite corners and have a whirlpool!!! lol.
Seriously, I since I added a couple of more holes to the spray bar, I think I'll be able to keep it located horizontally near the top. I want to be sure I get some surface movement to ensure O2 in the H2O.

Alan