Upgrading to a 125 Gallon Tank

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Finally cycling the tank... Well at least I think I am... This is my first attempt at a fishless cycle, but I did transfer the moss balls, the Java Ferns and clippings from another plant.

But there was one snag... After filling the tank, I connect up the FX6 and nothing! No water flow... I checked the power, even plugged it into a different outlet... A big nada! I quickly call Petsmart to see if I can do an even exchange for another FX6... He asked what was the issue, I told him the motor didn't work, it just hummed. He said package it up and bring it in... I quickly drove over and exchanged it. Easy as pie.. Now all is working... Now to wait for the cycling to complete...
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Use a fork to poke the sand and move it around to release air pockets.

What are you using for an ammonia source on your fishless cycle?

Any ferts for the plants?
 
King Fisher said:
Use a fork to poke the sand and move it around to release air pockets.

What are you using for an ammonia source on your fishless cycle?

Any ferts for the plants?
Click to expand...
Using Dr Tim's ammonium chloride as the ammonia source and Seachem Flourish Advance for the fertilizer. The only until I can get back to the store for tablet version.

A fork? Okay... Thanks for the advice...
 
Into day two of the cycle the water is milky white... According to what I've read this is a normal occurrence of bacteria bloom in a new tank and should clear up on its own. I'm using the API Freshwater Master Test Kit to check the parameters. So far ammonia is still at 4 ppm, no decrease since spiking it this high, pH is 7.6, pH Range is 7.4, Nitrite and Nitrates are zero. I had initially added some bio-filter media from my old tank into the filter to perform an initial seeding, today I added some gravel as well. Hopefully, this will take things up a notch. I know it is a long process. So I am resisting the urge to perform a partial water changes to restore the clarity.
 

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1midniterider said:
Using Dr Tim's ammonium chloride as the ammonia source and Seachem Flourish Advance for the fertilizer. The only until I can get back to the store for tablet version.

A fork? Okay... Thanks for the advice...
Click to expand...
I'd try Thrive for fertilizer.
 
King Fisher said:
Use a fork to poke the sand and move it around to release air pockets.
Click to expand...
I have a sand bottom tank that has been running for a year and a half now. Never had those air pockets and I don't even have any snails. So, I wouldn't worry about it at this stage.

Adding a bit of powdered fish food might be useful too. I used this when I cycled my tank to provide the micro nutrients that the bacteria need.
 
I really dislike cloudy water while my tank in cycling. Soooo, I ordered the FX6 Fine filter pad and tomorrow I pickup the FX6 Polishing filter pad, both of which should increase the mechanical filtration effectiveness of my FX6 filter. Just maybe it will pull some of the crud from the water column.

In the meantime I placed some black garden weed-block cloth on the back of the tank to cutdown on the light from the dining area window. So when the tank is cycled and populated I won't have an algae breakout from too much light. I'll see how it works.
 
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Get a polishing pad. It's all you need. Put it above the carbon filter if you are using one. I usually don't worry about cloudiness until I'm cycled but couldn't hurt to add a polishing pad.
 
King Fisher said:
Get a polishing pad. It's all you need. Put it above the carbon filter if you are using one. I usually don't worry about cloudiness until I'm cycled but couldn't hurt to add a polishing pad.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks, but shouldn't be beneath the carbon filter, so as not to clog too quickly? The carbon filter would act as a pre-filter, of sorts.

How long does the cloudiness last? The first tank I cycled I had goldfish in it. So it was daily pwc along with some quickstart bacteria. The second tank was basically transfer everything to a new larger tank to a leaky tank. So the cycle was done before it started. And the same with the 3rd tank. The back glass on the 2nd tank cracked completely from one side to the next for unknown reasons. So once again, it was a transfer from one tank to another. This is the first time for a smooth transition. So sitting back and waiting for the cloudiness to clear on its own is a new experience. :whistle:
 
Starting day 4 of tank cycling. The milky cloudiness appears less intense, but it may simply be wishful thinking. The ammonia level does not appear to have changed any, still at 4ppm.20190711_061957.jpeg20190711_061547.jpg
 
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I guess it wouldn't really matter if you put it above or below the carbon filter. My thinking is you can remove the polishing pad and clean it up in old tank water or dechlorinated water, and Wring it out. You don't really want to be doing that with the carbon filter or you lose carbon. I also notice that my carbon filter pad is surprisingly clean after a month so I decided to put the polishing pad above it. It catches more stuff and has to be cleaned but that's what it's supposed to do. Lol. Either way, the polishing pad did the trick in clearing up the water in my tank. And I had slightly cloudy water after it was cycled. Canisters are kind of that way without using a polishing media IME.

The cloudiness could last until you are cycled. Sometimes, i only get a few days of cloudiness. It seems that the bigger the tank the longer it stays cloudy. Either way, it doesn't harm anything.

Did you seed the tank with BB? I dont remember if you said you did or not.
 
I am in need of an acronym list.... :) What is BB? I initially seeded the new tank with bio-media from my old tank. Later I added some gravel from old tank. Today when I put the polishing pad in the canister I sandwiched in pieces of an old filter in the bio-filter media.
 
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