Recent content by Madness

As I mentioned: "Daily water changes are a product of fish cycling. But when it's done as I recommend they last only for a week to ten days. It is the daily water change portion of the cycle that lasts a week to ten days. It takes about three or four weeks for nitrite to become measurable...

There is always available ammonia in the water columb whether cycling or not. Otherwise our nitrifying bacteria would be dead. Again, the threat of an algea bloom is always present. The cycle is mute. It doesn't in the least require costly lighting, ferts, substrate, or CO2 injection to...

Throwing in two or three bunches of floating plants is hardly something to "deal" with where weeks of dosing and testing an empty tank is. Fishless cycling is an unnecessary waste of time. If someone wants to do it, or prefers to do it, by all means - enjoy. It's just not needed to produce a...

I didn't pull the week to ten days out of my hat. It's pulled from my experience. It's related to the parameters I use to cycle. Change the parameters - change the time - change what your experience will be. I'll reiterate that algea blooms have nothing to do with cycling - it has to do...

The only truly planted aquarium approach I'm experienced with would require an overhaul of your tank using a soil substrate. But there is no need to go to this length. Java Fern is one plan I know of that does well in most any tank. It doesn't root, it attaches to rock or decor. It doesn't...

You test for both and do daily 50% water changes with heavy vacuuming whenever either are measurable. It's only that with plants and light stocking you likely never have measurable ammonia. The first thing to show up in tests is likely nitrite instead of ammonia. You're doing great. :D...

You place "cycled" in parentheses to suggest that the tank is not really cycled. How unfortunate because the mini-cycle you mention can happen anytime too much stock is added to a tank, regardless of how it is cycled initially. Moreover, with only a few plants and limiting stock increases to...

I think you're going to run into trouble with the amount of fish you have for cycling. To quote my own cycling advice: The best thing you could do right now is get four or five bunches of healthy Hornwort and/or Anacharis. Either grows well floating in the water so you don't need plant them...

To Cycle: Add at least one or two bunches of plants to your tank. Stock no more than 1" of slim bodied fish per ten gallons of water. Test nitrite and ammonia daily. At the first sign of measurable nitrite perform daily 50% water changes with heavy vacuuming. Continue daily 50% water...