Fishless Cycle Log/Rebuild - Take II

[zparticle]

Nothing new? Do tell.

 

[librarygirl]

Nothing new? Do tell.

Nope.

Getting the new stand tomorrow and all the new decor is here so I'll be changing out water and moving to the new stand tomorrow night. I'll post pics after it's done.

I'm struggling with when I'll be able to order fish. I had wanted to do it this weekend and get them this week, but due to some last minute expenses with my car I"m not sure I can do it. If I order them next weekend and get them the following week....it's just bad timing as I have a LOT going on that week (both at work and personally) so it may be too hectic to get them then. I'll have to think it over. I really want them, like, NOW, but I also don't want to rush it if the timing is off. Thanks for asking.

 

[JimmyA]

It can wait, just remember to add some ammonia each day, as u already know! Have a good week!

Jimmy

 

[eco23]

Your minions would like an update

Did you get that stand put together? Pics?

 

[Deckape]

Your minions would like an update

Did you get that stand put together? Pics?

Yea we are anxiously waiting. Hope all is well with you.

 

[librarygirl]

Ha what a coincidence, I just finished....

• Full water change
• Put the stand together (it's higher than I thought and I think it overpowers the tank a bit in size but, it'll do for now)
• Put in new decor (what do you think? Not sure I like it yet lol)
• Lowered the temp a bit to 80 to start adjusting down
• Put the CC bag in the HOB filter
• Fixed the background

The PH is holding at least 7.4-7.6 (just did the PH test and it's blue, didn't do the high test); I haven't tested nitrates yet nor have I redosed ammonia yet.

Let me tell you refilling the tank with spring water stinks. I have massive amounts of empty jugs and it was slow going. Plus the water felt freezing....I hope I didn't shock the

On Saturday I'm going to try a LFS here that has some freshwater fish and also does a lot with SW so maybe they'll have the RO Rite instead of me having to order it online. Plus I'll see what fish they have.

Also going to order my Celestial Pearl Danio this weekend so I should have them by the middle of next week. I hope I'm not making a mistake in getting them.

Opinions? Thoughts? Suggestions?

Oh, question: my air stones aren't working properly. I have two air pumps, a larger one and smaller one both hooked up to a double gang valve. One tube goes to the sponge filter and one to the air stone. I would think the two pumps would pump enough air for both, but I have to adjust the valves to get both of them to flow. And the air stone only spews bubbles when it's high off the substrate. RIght now I have it lying on the decor piece but can't leave it there; should I try a more powerful air pump or am I doing something wrong?

 

[Deckape]

You have a well deserved and beautiful tank. Great job.

 

[Deckape]

Do you have the check valves installed the right way in your air pump rig? If so then maybe you need to hook up another smaller pump or get one bigger one. I don't use air stones anymore. The agitation from my HOB filters are sufficient. I have them on standby though.

 

[librarygirl]

Do you have the check valves installed the right way in your air pump rig? If so then maybe you need to hook up another smaller pump or get one bigger one. I don't use air stones anymore. The agitation from my HOB filters are sufficient. I have them on standby though.

I think the valves are OK (I made that mistake before lol). I probably don't need it as I have bubbles from the sponge filter and agitation between the two filters, but I like the bubbles. Maybe I'll try another larger pump and maybe giving each one its own gang valve. Thanks.

 

[zparticle]

Sweet looking tank! Nicely done.

 

[Deckape]

I think the valves are OK (I made that mistake before lol). I probably don't need it as I have bubbles from the sponge filter and agitation between the two filters, but I like the bubbles. Maybe I'll try another larger pump and maybe giving each one its own gang valve. Thanks.

I made that mistake also, now it's experience.

 

[Ickletas]

OH EMM GEE!! That piece of dw sooo wants to be a tree Some weeping moss tied to the "branches" would look awesome! (sorry but I have been scouring the whole world for a piece of dw that looks tree enough and no joy )The tank looks cool my lovely, can't wait to see your little fishy wishys swimming around in there. Totally glad it all worked out in the end, even if it is a pain with the bottled water. Can I uncross everything now or would you like me to hold on a bit longer?

 

[librarygirl]

OH EMM GEE!! That piece of dw sooo wants to be a tree Some weeping moss tied to the "branches" would look awesome! (sorry but I have been scouring the whole world for a piece of dw that looks tree enough and no joy )The tank looks cool my lovely, can't wait to see your little fishy wishys swimming around in there. Totally glad it all worked out in the end, even if it is a pain with the bottled water. Can I uncross everything now or would you like me to hold on a bit longer?

A bit longer please

This is where I got the driftwood piece. It looks a bit different/smaller than the one I saw online but they said the pieces vary. I had wanted a branchy look. Thanks my friend!

 

[librarygirl]

Sweet looking tank! Nicely done.

Thank you. We'll see how long I can go without changing something, I'm never satisfied. lol

 

[eco23]

It looks so good . I think the next pics we see will have little swimming animals as the highlight.

Air stones are ungodly frustrating. You'd think a little rock with holes would be simple...but no. You've basically got to have an industrial air compressor hooked up to them for it to work right for more than a week, lol. Sometimes you can take a razor blade to them and rough them up a bit...I'm not sure that's the issue here though. That's usually for when they're older and clogged.

 

[barterking85]

I find bubble wands work better

 

[librarygirl]

Well I played with it a bit last night and if I press the airline tube against the air pump, the bubbles come out. So something is off. A bubble wand sounds better (oooh maybe I can get a blue LED one....hm......), thanks Ryan!!

I wonder if the bubbles would cause too much agitation though. The flow from the AquaClear HOB is pretty decent even with it on the lowest level. In fact it causes little bubbles when it hits the water (even though I raised the water level) and it's making the water look a bit cloudy. Any ideas on how I can impede the flow a bit? I also have agitation from the Fluval U2 internal; I adjusted the flow down but it's still spurts out a good bit; the bubble wand probably isn't needed, I just like the look. If it seems like the fish are bothered by all the flow I"ll have to forego the bubbles and try to ajust the filters.

I also saw some white flaky stuff on the sand after I refilled. I think it came from the filter pads in the Fluval (when I put them back in and turned the Fluval on, all sort of gunk shot out). I hope it's normal. I may have to take the pads out of their casings and swish them around in tank water to clean them off. Not sure how they're so dirty already.

Shoot....I had another question but it just flew out of my head.

Oh, I know (after staring at the monitor for an unknown amount of time lol): I disturbed the sand while vacuuming and it's still turning the water a bit blackish, which means it probably wasn't rinsed enough. I can only imagine Corys playing in the sand only to turn the water black. Will this harm the fish and will it go away in time?

Eco...going to PM you with some PH questions.

Thanks everyone. Just want to get all the questions out of my system now and set up the tank perfectly for fish. Thanks for your help!

 

[eco23]

Odd. Did you check the PS's pH before the CC from the LFS in the AQ HOB or the UF changed the GH and kH or the h2o for the CPD's? Hahahahaha! We have a lot of acronyms. And you know you're a fish geek when that makes perfect sense, lol.

I'm not sure how Poland Spring (PS) sources their water. If it actually is spring water the hardness / pH will potentially be different in each batch. If you have any left in the bottle, check it. CC works pretty quickly, but it should be a little while before it holds it where it's gonna stay. In that case I'd be mildly concerned using it full time since they'll be some fluctuations every water change. Ideally I'd start with a pure water source, then use the buffering powder to achieve the desired level. Like we mentioned, maybe you can even breed the CPD's if you give them ideal conditions. My next task would be to shop around for cheap, readily available purified water (not spring, and ideally without any minerals added back in) and do your experimenting with the RO additive and that. That way you're in full control and can get the water spot on every time. They also make machines that do that at home I think

If you've got room to stick the U2's media into the AquaClear...can you just ditch the Fluval and throw it in the closet as a backup? The debris is probably just buildup. Anytime I have any gunk come out of my filter when I plug it back in tells me it's time to clean my canister hoses.

Since it's black sand, I'd assume the black is just dust (it's hard to rinse thoroughly). It should all get filtered out over time...and I couldn't imagine it hurting fish. I'd have to imagine in their natural environment theres sand churning all over that they're swimming through. Maybe they'd even like it

 

[librarygirl]

Odd. Did you check the PS's pH before the CC from the LFS in the AQ HOB or the UF changed the GH and kH or the h2o for the CPD's? Hahahahaha! We have a lot of acronyms. And you know you're a fish geek when that makes perfect sense, lol.

I'm not sure how Poland Spring (PS) sources their water. If it actually is spring water the hardness / pH will potentially be different in each batch. If you have any left in the bottle, check it. CC works pretty quickly, but it should be a little while before it holds it where it's gonna stay. In that case I'd be mildly concerned using it full time since they'll be some fluctuations every water change. Ideally I'd start with a pure water source, then use the buffering powder to achieve the desired level. Like we mentioned, maybe you can even breed the CPD's if you give them ideal conditions. My next task would be to shop around for cheap, readily available purified water (not spring, and ideally without any minerals added back in) and do your experimenting with the RO additive and that. That way you're in full control and can get the water spot on every time. They also make machines that do that at home I think

If you've got room to stick the U2's media into the AquaClear...can you just ditch the Fluval and throw it in the closet as a backup? The debris is probably just buildup. Anytime I have any gunk come out of my filter when I plug it back in tells me it's time to clean my canister hoses.

Since it's black sand, I'd assume the black is just dust (it's hard to rinse thoroughly). It should all get filtered out over time...and I couldn't imagine it hurting fish. I'd have to imagine in their natural environment theres sand churning all over that they're swimming through. Maybe they'd even like it

Oh boy... lol The last time I checked the PS PH was a few months ago (erm, the first time you mentioned spring water ) and I remember it was 6. I haven't tested since then; I'll test the PH/KH/GH tonight from the jug when I get home and post results. I was going to remove the CC entirely but was afraid to do so in case PH plummeted until I could get the RO powder. This is going to be cutting it close: if I can even get RO Rite locally on Saturday, that'll just give me a few days to play with it and see what it does and how to mix it before I get fish. I'd hate to hold off any more, but should I wait until the water is straightened out?

Not sure of the difference between purified water and spring. I searched for it, but Nestle PureLife comes up (but says minerals were readded), as does AquaFina (which is stupidly expensive). Or should I use distilled or is that something else entirely? So, not sure now.....

Edit: maybe I should just try to stick with the PureLife? If carrying the heavy jugs is the only issue, and I won't need the RO powder, then maybe it's worth it to lug them up the stairs....

 

[eco23]

Darn it!!!!!! I just typed out a freaking novel on the iPad, opened the browser to check a site and it restarted my aquarium app and I lost it all. UUUGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

So here's the short version

Purified water is best because you can start fresh, and figure out x teaspoons per 5 gallons of water = perfect level for the tank.

The Pure Life has been working perfectly, and the fact the bacteria loved it should mean the fish will too. It's switching out brands at the last second that makes me nervous. We've got to find 1 water source and stick with it. The challenge is finding out what works vs what doesn't, and what we'd need to add to different ones.

Ugh. I'm ridiculously frustrated because I had everything explained so perfectly!!! I don't want to type it all out again! hahaha!

Do you have AIM or Skype or anything? This would be a lot quicker and get us on the same page that way. PM me if you do.