Accelerated Tank Set Up for MTS sufferers

[kaiofcanada]

Okay...so it seems I am on a mission to rescue 2 Indian Dwarf Puffers. I already have 2 dwarf puffers, which basically means I needed a new home as the current one is too small. These guys are true freshwater and only grown to 1 in long. Even though they are small they prefer 3-4 gallons of space and lots of plants. So, what did I do....I asked around and to my delight a 12 gallon was volunteered. Perfect!

I get the new guys this Friday, and they go in quarantine 'til who knows when....but I gotta get the tank set up to acclimate them all to a spanking new home. They will be the only guys living in this tank except for some snowball shrimp (hope they don't eat em), snails (they are supposed to eat to keep their teeth from overgrowing), and some plants. This is what I have done so far.

12 Gallon Freshwater set up for Indian Dwarf Puffers.

Day (-2):
Added an extra sponge filter to my 20 gallon mature tank to seed with bacteria.
Set up 12 gallon with gravel ~3 lb from established tank and 10lb new.
Added 5 gallons water from my established 20 gallon and 7 gallons Prime Treated Tap water.
Threw in a handfull of guppy grass.
Added 2 flakes of food.
Started filter without a filter sponge...for water circulation and aeration.
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0-5ppm

Day (-1):
Bacterial Bloom
Ammonia: 0.5ppm
Nitrite:1.0ppm
Nitrate:10ppm

Day 0:
Still cloudy
Added sponge filter from 20 gallon mature tank (now primed for 2 days)
Ammonia: 1.0ppm
Nitrite: 1.0ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm

Any opinions on when/ if I should feed the tank some more fish food? or any other opinions?

I am hoping to add some more plants tomorrow and complete the aquascaping before the puffers are added.

 

[krap101]

I think most people try to keep the ammonia at 5ppm

Also, I expect your shrimp to get "pecked" to death.

 

[HN1]

I wouldn't feed the tank anymore. By moving the mature sponge over, you moved enough bacteria to handle the minor added load of the puffers. I'd test again before acclimating them and do a water change. JMO

Edit: I agree... the shrimp may be in some trouble.

 

[severum mama]

Well, if you chuck in some fast growing plants like anacharis or hornwort (both of these do better floating rather than planted IME), they should help suck up some ammonia. Maybe that would help move things along?

As far as adding fish food, I've done it once before for a marine tank but found it to be a pretty inexact method... for that reason, I really couldn't tell you how much more to add. I'd caution, though, that fish food can cause your phosphate level to rise. If you have a phosphate test kit it might be a good idea to monitor your level so you don't have algae issues. I prefer cycling with a raw shrimp, but fish food will definitely work (so will pure ammonia, but I've never used that method so can't really comment). As I understand it, most folks that fishless cycle get ammonia up to 4-5 ppm and keep it there until the biofilter can convert it, but with the small fish that you're adding this probably isn't necessary.

Anyway, these are just thoughts. When I use the media transfer method, I just add the media at the same time I add a small bioload of fish, and slowly build from there. I'm not sure that 2 days is really enough time to seed new media from an old tank, but again I've never tried it that way, I've only used established media from old tanks so I can't really say.

Good luck to you! I'm interested to hear how this cycle goes. And, I'd recommend keeping an eye on your snowball shrimp. I would expect that the puffers would at least pick on them and stress them, if not outright eat them. My best advice would be to have a backup plan for your shrimp in case it doesn't work out.

 

[kaiofcanada]

I think most people try to keep the ammonia at 5ppm

Also, I expect your shrimp to get "pecked" to death.

Hrm, I don't know how to correlate the 5ppm for ammonia in this setup as I seeded the tank with gravel from a mature tank as well as water. So I gave it a head start. Not sure what effect that has had on ammonia or nitrite levels thus far.... Maybe I will add some more fish flakes for good measure and see if I get a further ammonia spike or not. If not, then I know I have enough Nitrosomonus bacteria and just hope that the Nitrobacter will do their part as well. Unless you have a different suggestion...

And, yea...I am a bit worried about the shrimp, but hopefully I will have enough snails to keep them amused. I went to the petsmart and the girl gave me seriously 50+ snails, ramshorn, mts, and pond snails.

 

[kaiofcanada]

Well, if you chuck in some fast growing plants like anacharis or hornwort (both of these do better floating rather than planted IME), they should help suck up some ammonia. Maybe that would help move things along?

As far as adding fish food, I've done it once before for a marine tank but found it to be a pretty inexact method... for that reason, I really couldn't tell you how much more to add. I'd caution, though, that fish food can cause your phosphate level to rise. If you have a phosphate test kit it might be a good idea to monitor your level so you don't have algae issues. I prefer cycling with a raw shrimp, but fish food will definitely work (so will pure ammonia, but I've never used that method so can't really comment). As I understand it, most folks that fishless cycle get ammonia up to 4-5 ppm and keep it there until the biofilter can convert it, but with the small fish that you're adding this probably isn't necessary.

Anyway, these are just thoughts. When I use the media transfer method, I just add the media at the same time I add a small bioload of fish, and slowly build from there. I'm not sure that 2 days is really enough time to seed new media from an old tank, but again I've never tried it that way, I've only used established media from old tanks so I can't really say.

Good luck to you! I'm interested to hear how this cycle goes. And, I'd recommend keeping an eye on your snowball shrimp. I would expect that the puffers would at least pick on them and stress them, if not outright eat them. My best advice would be to have a backup plan for your shrimp in case it doesn't work out.

OKay thanks ...I will try the shrimp method then. I don't really want any phosphates. I wish I had anacharis...but the Excel melted it and it is all gone now. I do have hornwort though. I will transfer some of that tomorrow.

As for the shrimp, I plan to put a fair amount of plants in there. Hopefully they will have enough cover., If not, they will goback to their current home.
Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[severum mama]

I missed the part where you added gravel from your established tank. Although I don't expect that your media was seeded long enough to put much of a dent in your ammonia, I think the gravel will be a huge help.

You don't have to try the raw shrimp, it's just the way I've preferred to cycle in the past vs. fish food. On the other hand, the bioload you are adding is small and it's doubtful to me that you'd need to cycle to the point where your are converting 4-5 ppm ammonia. Then again, puffers are messy eaters. I guess I really just don't know what to tell you. LOL

 

[krap101]

I usually use the pure ammonia (although walmart sells it with surfactant now=bad) and it ends up being pretty easy for me. After the first test, I try to get it to 5ppm, and about every other day I add another glug (not sure if that's the best measurement). (also I'm lazy)

 

[kaiofcanada]

I missed the part where you added gravel from your established tank. Although I don't expect that your media was seeded long enough to put much of a dent in your ammonia, I think the gravel will be a huge help.

You don't have to try the raw shrimp, it's just the way I've preferred to cycle in the past vs. fish food. On the other hand, the bioload you are adding is small and it's doubtful to me that you'd need to cycle to the point where your are converting 4-5 ppm ammonia. Then again, puffers are messy eaters. I guess I really just don't know what to tell you. LOL

I see. I think I will try the shrimp to test things anyways, see if I get a bigger spike in ammonia. You are right about puffers being messy eaters. I feed mine black worms when I can find them and otherwise they eat blood worms and beef heart. Yuck! I want to be sure everything is stable before the little guys go in. I put a cut piece the size of a quarter in from a jumbo prawn I just picked up from the market fresh tonight. Washed, deveined and such. How long should I leave it in there before I test it? The temp is currently 84F.

I usually use the pure ammonia (although walmart sells it with surfactant now=bad) and it ends up being pretty easy for me. After the first test, I try to get it to 5ppm, and about every other day I add another glug (not sure if that's the best measurement). (also I'm lazy)

Glug is a fairly accurate description lol...Unfortunately, I have no ammonia sitting around. Just for reference....using ammonia, how many times do you dose your tank. I have only used fish food in the past to cycle.

 

[krap101]

I haven't done it in awhile, but I think I actually did test it kind of often... maybe 2-3 times a week, where if it was under maybe 3 or 4 ppm, I'd add the "glug". And for all intents and purposes, the "glug" was for a 29 gallon, so anything smaller and you might want to try a "miniglug"

 

[kaiofcanada]

Okay...so it seems I am on a mission to rescue 2 Indian Dwarf Puffers. I already have 2 dwarf puffers, which basically means I needed a new home as the current one is too small. These guys are true freshwater and only grown to 1 in long. Even though they are small they prefer 3-4 gallons of space and lots of plants. So, what did I do....I asked around and to my delight a 12 gallon was volunteered. Perfect!

I get the new guys this Friday, and they go in quarantine 'til who knows when....but I gotta get the tank set up to acclimate them all to a spanking new home. They will be the only guys living in this tank except for some snowball shrimp (hope they don't eat em), snails (they are supposed to eat to keep their teeth from overgrowing), and some plants. This is what I have done so far.

12 Gallon Freshwater set up for Indian Dwarf Puffers.

Day (-2):
Added an extra sponge filter to my 20 gallon mature tank to seed with bacteria.
Set up 12 gallon with gravel ~3 lb from established tank and 10lb new.
Added 5 gallons water from my established 20 gallon and 7 gallons Prime Treated Tap water.
Threw in a handfull of guppy grass.
Added 2 flakes of food.
Started filter without a filter sponge...for water circulation and aeration.
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0-5ppm

Day (-1):
Bacterial Bloom
Ammonia: 0.5ppm
Nitrite:1.0ppm
Nitrate:10ppm

Day 0:
Still cloudy
Added sponge filter from 20 gallon mature tank (now primed for 2 days)
Ammonia: 1.0ppm
Nitrite: 1.0ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm

Any opinions on when/ if I should feed the tank some more fish food? or any other opinions?

I am hoping to add some more plants tomorrow and complete the aquascaping before the puffers are added.

Updates:
Day 1:
Still slightly cloudy water pH 7.4
Added a piece of fresh shrimp to tank
Temp 84F
Ammonia: 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm

Day 2:
Clear water pH 7.4
Added a couple bunched plants
Shrimp still in
Temp 84F
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm

Not sure what to think. I guess HN1 might have been right about adding the filter from my mature 20 gallon .

I also checked my 20 gallon which has the new filter that was seeded from the one now in my 12 gallon. Ammonia: 0 nitrites:0 and nitrates: 5ppm. Everything is looking good so far.