5 Gallon FW Build/Journey Thread
- Thread starter daileene
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
Hi fort. I am using Prime as my dechlor..I know...I am pretty frustrated with this coz I think I did a bobo somewhere and I cannot think where and what...it does appear that I started cycling again which is not good, coz I am getting antsy on getting my stocks in here....
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
UPDATES WITH LEVELS:
3/14/11 = 34th day of fishless cycling around 1:18PM:
Ammo: 1ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added a little pinch of fish food)
3/15/11 = 35th day of fishless cycling around 7:56PM:
Ammo: 0.50ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added a pinch of fish food)
3/18/11 = 38th day of fishless cycling around 3:06PM:
Ammo: 1-2ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added a little pinch of fish food)
3/14/11 = 34th day of fishless cycling around 1:18PM:
Ammo: 1ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added a little pinch of fish food)
3/15/11 = 35th day of fishless cycling around 7:56PM:
Ammo: 0.50ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added a pinch of fish food)
3/18/11 = 38th day of fishless cycling around 3:06PM:
Ammo: 1-2ppm; Nitrite: 0ppm (added a little pinch of fish food)
OhNeil1969
Aquarium Advice Addict
I'd hold off on adding anymore fish food. Remember, it'll take a few days for the food to convert/decay and become ammonia. I would really recommend trying to find some actual ammonia in the bottle. It really makes it a lot easier to properly dose your tank.
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
I know...that's why I only put like very little pinch. I haven't put any again since friday...I know I should have done the pure ammonia but somewhere I read that if I do, I have to clean the whole tank and redo the whole thing from the very beginning. :-(
I added plants in this tank and I will check levels in a bit. I will see if the ammonia is holding good.
I added plants in this tank and I will check levels in a bit. I will see if the ammonia is holding good.
Not true on using pure ammonia. If you had to break down and clean the whole tank, it would kind of defeat the purpose of cycling it in the first place 
The nitrosomas process/eat all the ammonia, so once the tank is cycled, the water is good to go.
What kind of filter is on this tank? It is taking too dang long to cycle, even accounting for using fish food instead of pure NH4.
The nitrosomas process/eat all the ammonia, so once the tank is cycled, the water is good to go.
What kind of filter is on this tank? It is taking too dang long to cycle, even accounting for using fish food instead of pure NH4.
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
It had the Aquatech 5-15 Power filter...it came in with the tank kit...
I know...it is very frustrating..
I know...it is very frustrating..
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
UPDATES:
Levels on 3/20/2011 (40th day):
Ammo: 4ppm
NO2: 0ppm
Levels on 3/21/2011 (41th day):
Ammo: 4ppm still
NO2: 0ppm
Picture updates! Added plants...BEWARE! It is a jungle! Added the 2 smaller malaysian driftwood here..2 dwarf subulata (?), crypts, water wisteria, rotala, cabomba (green and purple), and the crypt balansae here....
Levels on 3/20/2011 (40th day):
Ammo: 4ppm
NO2: 0ppm
Levels on 3/21/2011 (41th day):
Ammo: 4ppm still
NO2: 0ppm
Picture updates! Added plants...BEWARE! It is a jungle! Added the 2 smaller malaysian driftwood here..2 dwarf subulata (?), crypts, water wisteria, rotala, cabomba (green and purple), and the crypt balansae here....
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
I had the 5 gal kit with that same filter on it for my hospital tank; the filter is now on that "new" 10 gal I picked up on Craigslist the other week for lack of anything better to put on the tank at the moment. Are you running the cartridges made for it or something else?
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
Hi Alisha..I used the filter cartridge that came with it from the very beginning coz I did not have any thing that was already established. I started from scratch on this one. Just seems lately that my cycling restarted for some reason.
Todays levels are the same around 1:30PM, Ammo=4ppm and NO2=0ppm.
Todays levels are the same around 1:30PM, Ammo=4ppm and NO2=0ppm.
OhNeil1969
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hey Daileen,
I've been following your thread and I'm sorry the cycle has been so difficult. I was going to suggest that you treat today as day #1 and not worry about the past. For the next fews days (maybe even a week or more) I wouldn't do anything. Just test the ammonia after a couple of days and be patient. It will go down eventually. Don't even worry about testing anything else. In fact, you should take a break and not even think about the cycle for the next couple of days (take a moment to reduce some of the stress and frustration). We're here to help with any questions you may have. Good luck and remember, ENJOY!
I've been following your thread and I'm sorry the cycle has been so difficult. I was going to suggest that you treat today as day #1 and not worry about the past. For the next fews days (maybe even a week or more) I wouldn't do anything. Just test the ammonia after a couple of days and be patient. It will go down eventually. Don't even worry about testing anything else. In fact, you should take a break and not even think about the cycle for the next couple of days (take a moment to reduce some of the stress and frustration
). We're here to help with any questions you may have. Good luck and remember, ENJOY!
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
You can take my word with a grain of salt, but if I were you, I'd ditch the filter cartridges. That filter IME is big enough to put other filter media in that will give you not only much more life (won't need replaced like the cartridges) but will also give you more surface room for bacteria to grow on (the filter cartridge casing gives you little and the carbon inside isn't necessary for your tank anyway.) I did this with ours. I just took out the black plastic casing that holds the little piece of Bio-Fiber and ditched the plastic. I shoved the bio-fiber into the bottom of the empty filter, then took an extra sponge and bio-media bag that had laying around from my AquaClear50. I had to cut the sponge in half since it doesn't completely fit in length wise, put that in the filter with the entire bag of bio media on top. Works like a charm and no more cartridges to deal with! You just occasionally rinse the sponge and bio-media bag in tank water to clean, you don't have to replace them unless the sponge falls a part.
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
Hey Daileen,
I've been following your thread and I'm sorry the cycle has been so difficult. I was going to suggest that you treat today as day #1 and not worry about the past. For the next fews days (maybe even a week or more) I wouldn't do anything. Just test the ammonia after a couple of days and be patient. It will go down eventually. Don't even worry about testing anything else. In fact, you should take a break and not even think about the cycle for the next couple of days (take a moment to reduce some of the stress and frustration
Thank you OhNeil...that's a great advice....Since I did that last water change, I did treat that day as the beginning of the cycle...I forgot about my last 4 weeks of cycling...it will eventually be cycled...just get antsy once in awhile coz I want to see the residents on it already..LOL. You know what I mean. But I am getting patient again.
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
That's a good idea...I will try that pretty soon...where can I get the bio media bag though?
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
More:
tyspot1000
Aquarium Advice Addict
Looks Great
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
Thanks ty..
Coleallensmom
Planted Tank Enthusiast
I'd recommend you do it now rather then later; while cycling you're working to build bacteria (which of course live in your substrate and filter) so if you change later, you will be getting rid of any bacteria that is living on the surface of your filter cartridge. You don't have to make the change..it's just a suggestion. However, IMO it is a lot lesss headache using individual filter media then using a filter cartridge that eventually needs to replaced (and therefore causes you to lose bacteria).
This is what I have in my sons Aquatech:
One of these:
AquaClear Foam Filter - Filter Media - Fish - PetSmart
and one of these on top: (it comes with it's own bag)
AquaClear BioMax Filter Insert - Filter Media - Fish - PetSmart
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daileene
Planted Tank Addict
Thanks Alisha. I will be ordering them tonight when I get home. They are not expensive as I thought.
Okay, so as I understand your instruction, I will toss the plastic casing of the bio-fiber and put the bio-fiber in the bottom of the filter. Then insert the foam filter and put the biomax filter insert on top of it, am i right? Should I still have the old filter cartridge inside the tank as a seed? Or should I just toss it away?
Please advice..thanks in advance.
Okay, so as I understand your instruction, I will toss the plastic casing of the bio-fiber and put the bio-fiber in the bottom of the filter. Then insert the foam filter and put the biomax filter insert on top of it, am i right? Should I still have the old filter cartridge inside the tank as a seed? Or should I just toss it away?
Please advice..thanks in advance.
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