cycle

[xander]

I had a tank running that was into the nitrite spike (I think) that I had to tear down(seam split). So now I have it fixed ( I hope) and have started it up again. Its been running for 2 days and I have about 15 minnows in it. I added enough AmQuel plus for 30 gallons and started the filters. I have a Fluval 203 and a Emperor 280 on it. There is NO ammonia NO nitrites and as far as I can tell NO nitrates. This AmQuel I added as water treatment claims to remove Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia. Chlorine and Chloramines. My feeder fish are still alive and well(much better success rate than a bait bucket). So will this AmQuel just delay the cycle or will it start under its protection? What's going on?

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

You might have just temporarely stopped the problem, it will come back to haunt you. My suggestion is if you cant wait for the tank to cylce, you sould add every three days bacteria additives until you know that the Ammonia, Nitrite are at 0 for at least 3 weeks, then you will know that it's time for the real fish.

 

[xander]

I don't see it as a problem. I want it to cycle. And the minnows are the real fish. If I keep them in the tank with the fish I intend to feed them to then my bullhead will eat himself to death. I assume I should take out the zeolite for now?

 

[BettaLisa]

I have used Bio-Spira with great results. I would not use Amquel because it removes the food source for the bacteria that you need to cycle your tank. It's a temporary fix & as soon as you stop using it, your tank will go through another cycle all over again. My advice to you is to stop the Amquel & just start adding a bacteria product like Bio-Spira.

 

[Allivymar]

*nods and agrees*

While most of those ammonia converters claim not to affect the cycle, most folks have discovered it slows down the cycle. Apparently the nitrifying bacteria don't chow on the converted ammonia the way they do the toxic type, so the colonies aren't up to speed in a decent amount of time.

My suggestion would be to use a treatment that only removes chlorine/chloramine and maybe heavy metals. Keep a close eye on your water parameters and water change as needed to dilute ammonia/nitrites. Bio-Spira may help; its the only bacterial starter out there that contains the correct nitrifying bacteria and cycles a tank instantly. Its made to deal with rising levels of ammonia, and while its not recommended to add to an established tank to take care of existing levels of nitrogenous waste, it does sound like thats not an issue for you yet xander. Do remove the Amquel Plus and zeolite before adding it if you decide to go that route tho (a few water changes should do the trick for the Amquel).

And thumbs up for breeding your own feeders!