seeding

[momo]

Im getting some gravel from my aunts 55 gal. Shes had it going for years. Where is the best place to put it? Im putting it in panty hose because our gravel is way different.

My tanks been cycleing for three weeks. Still no nitrites. Will the seed help alot since its this late in the cycle?

 

[Bettababe1011]

The seed will definitely help. I would just hang it so that all of the gravel is wet. I hang it at the top, and the lid keeps it from falling.

 

[TraceyB4602]

Make sure when you get the gravel that you keep it wet while bringing it to your tank. I don't know if you can but I would try and get some of the sponge in her filter, that will seed your tank much better than the gravel. If not get as much gravel as you can. I would place it in the filter if you can, if not hanging on the side of the tank will do.

 

[eco23]

I place it near the intake, so it sucks it up into the filter. I've recommended this to other people who've had success with it.

But yeah, I've you've got a HOB filter and you can squeeze it in there, that's even better.

 

[momo]

Thanks guys. Im hanging it on the side.

 

[eco23]

Thanks guys. Im hanging it on the side.

The side near the intake?

 

[momo]

Yesir

 

[eco23]

 

[eco23]

I joke, but it really will make a difference. Good luck!

 

[momo]

Thanks again for the advice.

im eagerly waiting to get my tank set up. red cherrys and mystery snail's in a blue and black themed tank.

And eco, random question, have you ever had one of those LED air wands? if so how are they? pro's/cons?

 

[eco23]

LED air wand? Don't think I've ever heard of it. I looked at LED upgraded lighting but went a different direction. I'll google it real quick.

 

[momo]

Somthing like this,

Marineland Blue Led Bubble Wand 8.5" Aquarium Air Wall | eBay

 

[eco23]

Yeah I checked it out. To me...it looks a little juvenile...but to each their own. I'm 30 now, I would have loved it a few years ago. If you've got a few dollars to drop you should look at the lighting system I upgraded to. It can give you similar effect, but much higher quality. Plus it replaces that cheap looking light that's on top of most people's tanks. I've got a 2 T-5 light fixture that's controlled independently. So, I can have just my bluish/violet light on at night, or turn on my white with it during the day. Ive got it in my album if you click on my profile. I think the pics are on the right side of the screen, otherwise I can post the pics here if you want. Check out the night shot from across my room.

 

[momo]

your tank looks great!

but i think it'd be to blue for me, haha

Once i my tank finishes cycling and i get the light, ill post a pic.

 

[eco23]

It's actually not that blue at all...just the way it uploaded to the site for some reason. It's much more violet than blue and about half as dim as it appears in the pics. If you decide you want to look at upgrading the lighting, PM me and I can email you a couple pics that will hopefully come through better than they uploaded to this website. Good luck with your new tank! BTW, what level do you have your ammonia up to in your fishless cycle? That's one topic I definitely have experience in, I can maybe help you kick it up a little bit.

 

[momo]

around 4-5 ppm ammo and somewhere i heard about adding literally about two flakes of fishfood ground up real small, apparently theres somthing in them other then ammo that helps, but you only need very little. i dont know if its true but what could it hurt?

 

[eco23]

That's to add phosphates and other nutrients if the cycle is stalled. It couldn't hurt anything if you did it now, just make sure you only add a tiny bit, and that you ground it into a fine powder with your fingers. Can I ask what you're using as an ammonia source (pure ammonia, shrimp, etc...), what test kit you're using and if you know what your pH is?

 

[momo]

Pure ammo
API
8.0

and 8.0 from what i read is alright for RCS And MS

 

[eco23]

It's not unheard of, but 3 weeks seems too long to not even have a drop in the ammonia level. Couple stupid questions just to get out of the way...Are you using a dechlorinator (like Prime)? Are you sure the ammonia is pure (no surfactants, dyes, perfumes, etc...)?

The reason I'm skeptical that we're not missing something is because myself and a buddy of mine on this site just raced to see who could complete a fishless cycle faster. I used some seeding material and he didn't. We both completely finished in ~ 20 days.

Sometimes it's tiny little things that can make a huge difference if we catch them. But yeah, 8.0 is fine, in fact one of the bacterias you're trying to grow thrives in that pH.

 

[momo]

from what i understood, once it hit 1ppm or lower you dose it back up. is that right?