Future 10g red cherry shrimp tank

[SpeedEuphoria]

Well I dont think its supposed to be like that, smelly anyway. I know hers is a used piece. I'm not sure if there is a method of storing driftwood. Like you have in in a tank for a year or 2, then take it out. It will be wet/waterlogged, I would think that mold and crap would grow on it easy. The only thing I could think would be to heat/bake it in a oven or something to dry it out. I really have no idea other than boiling the heck out of it, for at least an hour.

The one I got only had slight coloring in the water when I soaked it. I did not boil it b/c it would not fit easily in any pots I have(didnt want to do the 1/2+1/2 thing). I only soaked it for like 2 days. So far so good, but I saw a slight blip in the PH(lower), but have not retested yet. Also had some slight cloudy film at the top of the water and I was paying close attention to the fish as they were kinda slow. But 2 days later everything was looking normal and I added more plants. I was thinking that my filter was slowing down, as it pretty much sucks as it is, who knows.

Tifta post a pic of your wood when you get it, did you order from petco?

 

[new2betas]

Well -- I just checked my parameters again....I put in more ammonia this morning before leaving to take my daughter to the airport. My ammonia is around a 1-2(more on 2) and my nitrites are around .50. What happened with my cycling? Both of those numbers were VERY high yesterday before removing said nasty wood. Am I going through another cycling process? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

If you have NitrAtes then that explains it, you may just have more of the nitrIte>nitrAte bacteria then you do of the ammonia>nitrIte bacteria.

Did you test nitrAtes yet

Other wise rinse and repeat the tests since we are not in good labratory type situations so it can be easy to get some incorrect data sometimes, but if it still shows the same then I would assume its correct and the cycle may have been affected or stalled.

Also have you tested the PH with the before the wood and with the wood and after removing? I'm not sure exactly how this could effect a cycle, but I think it could.

My Ph has gone down slightly b/c I tested again today and its still 7.6, it has been 8.0 for the last couple months. BTW I'm going to test my tap PH right now to confirm it is the wood changing it.

 

[new2betas]

Did you test nitrAtes yet

Also have you tested the PH with the before the wood and with the wood and after removing? I'm not sure exactly how this could effect a cycle, but I think it could.

I had not tested the nitrates yet....but I just did....they are testing between 5-10 ppm. My pH is around 7-7.2. I had not tested pH when wood was in there.

What exactly does this mean for my cycle? If it stalled...how did that stall it? That wood was only in there for two-three days max before I noticed the nasty stuff on it and removed it. When I changed the water last night I kept EVERYTHING in the tank wet so I wouldn't hurt the bacteria.....I thought there weren't many beneficial bacteria in the water....so how could just taking the wood out stall my cycling? I had really good cycling readings before placing the wood in too.....

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

To me I think your right on track, unless your tap water has nitrates(or nitrites), but people say nitrate level is not accurate below 10-20, so who knows?

Have you tested you tap water before?

If tap has 0's then you should be on track.

BTW how high did your nitrates get when you cycled your other tank?

OH, I kinda feel dumb, but since you did a large PWC your nitrite and nitrate level are obliviously going to be largely reduced. So again I think your just fine and the PWC is what reduced the levels. The bacteria are not living in the water much, but the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate are, these are just the food source not the actual bacteria. So you just diluted the levels while the bacteria are still hanging out in the filters.

Give it a day or 2 and retest nitrate, I bet it goes up

 

[new2betas]

nitrates from tap are a 0.....
So...I didn't harm my cycle? I was thinking there was no way I could have since I kept everything in the tank except the wood.
Oh...btw...this may be too much information...but when we were traveling to Charlotte today we passed what smelled to be a sewage treatment facility (either that or someone had septic tank problems) and that is EXACTLY what my tank smelled like last night with that wood in it .... GROSS!

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

Where I used to work, they had there own water treatment plant and it smelled bad, but I think it smelled like chlorine or similar mostly.

Dottie I think your fine, just you diluted your levels from the PWC, as thats why you do PWC's

 

[new2betas]

Dottie I think your fine, just you diluted your levels from the PWC, as thats why you do PWC's

yeah....I just thought it could screw you up if you did a large water change in the middle of cycling that is why I was hesitant and wanting feedback last night before I took that wood out....until I smelled it and then I needed NO feedback....that sucker came outa there!

 

[new2betas]

Also...if I am on track with my cycling when should I be ready for my cute little shrimpies??

 

[Purrbox]

Also...if I am on track with my cycling when should I be ready for my cute little shrimpies??

Generally you don't want to add live plants to an aquarium when doing a fishless cycle. Ammonia + Light = Green Water more times than not.

I'd move the plants to another aquarium until you're done cycling and turn the light off. Once the cycle is complete, add the plants back in and let them get settled for 2-4 weeks. Once the plants are established and growing well add your shrimp.

 

[bs6749]

Umm, do any of you realize that you don't need to cycle a tank that is going to have RCS in it? If the water has no ammonia/nitrites/nitrates to start with you can add some SeaChem Prime to take out any chlorines/chloramines and even ammonia, nitrites, nitrates if they ARE present. RCS have an EXTREMEMLY low bioload on a tank. I have 4 RCS tanks setup (3 ten gallons and a 29) and have never cycled any of them, just did what I recommended above and haven't had any significant losses. I have about 150 RCS in each of the ten gallon tanks and they are perfectly healthy.

Adding plants right away is the BEST thing you can do. I recommend any type of moss. I keep my tanks filled with java moss...the shrimp are constantly on it. Moss balls are great too. The plants will take in the wastes that may be harmful to the shrimp, especially the moss balls. I hear they are nutrient hogs.

For what it's worth, I'd get rid of the gravel in the tank. Shrimp like to dig around and filter through sand. Either get some washed playsand or do what I did and get a 40lb of pool filter sand for $8. That was enough to use in my 55 and 29 gallon discus tanks and 2 of my ten gallon shrimp tanks. Adding some slate to the tank can make it attractive as well.

 

[new2betas]

I'm sorry...I am very new to this and was under the impression that any tank that is set up should be cycled first....I had no idea that it wasn't necessary for red cherry shrimp. There are several members on here who have red cherry shrimp also and no one ever mentioned to me that it didn't need to be done. My cycle is just about complete so I will continue on the way I have been and put my shrimp in soon.

 

[bs6749]

There's no need to be sorry. Not all tanks need to be cycled. In fact, I've only really cycled my 55 gallon tank 2 years ago and then either used seeded substrate or foam filters to establish new tanks. Quite often, such as your case, tanks won't need to be cycled before adding animals.

In your case, the plants will take care of any excess wastes which will be extremely low anyhow as shrimp don't produce any significant amount to begin with. Water conditioners such as Prime will take out any as well if you add that to the tank to start with. I'm just saying that I know you could easily have 100 shrimp in that tank to start with and they'd all be fine if you have plants in there. The biggest producer of waste in the tank will most likely be from you and not from the shrimp because of overfeeding, however, the plants are there to "detoxify".

It seems like most people on here are under the assumption that a cycle needs to take place before anything can be added to any tank, which unfortunately for you and others who believe them is not true. Take discus for example. They are thought to be one of the more difficult freshwater fish to care for but there is no need to cycle their tank as regular PWC's need to be done to keep them healthy. Cycling is not going to hurt but there are certainly instances, namely yours, where it's not required. Do you know where you are getting your shrimp? I am going to be listing some of mine on Aquabid next week. I have lots of juvies available and I also have java moss and ramshorn snails that you might want as a cleanup crew for that tank. If you are interested just shoot me a PM and maybe we can work something out.

 

[kimo]

I just measured this sucker and it is too long to be put in width wise. It is around 17". So, I will need to put it in the tank length wise and still possible lean it to one side of tank (if it will all stay submerged). I don't want any pieces sticking out of the water. I also don't want to have to cut it now as it is all wet. It isn't even close to being water logged yet either. I don't think the rock slabs I have in the tank are enough weight to keep it submerged either. I will just wait it out....I still have time as my tank isn't cycled yet anyway. Although, I know it would probably further the cycle along if I could get it in there.

Easiest way to cure the size of the driftwood is: get a new 29g tank! LOL
MTS anyone?

 

[kimo]

"The bacteria are not living in the water much, but the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate are, these are just the food source not the actual bacteria. So you just diluted the levels while the bacteria are still hanging out in the filters"

The nitrite an nitrate ARE the bacteria... nitrosomonas and nitrobacter.
The ammonia is the food source. The nitrite is the food source for the nitrate.
The bacteria is everywhere, not just in the filter. On the glass, in the gravel, in the filter and a small portion is still in the water until the cycle is complete.

 

[neilanh]

The nitrite an nitrate ARE the bacteria... nitrosomonas and nitrobacter.

I don't think so. NitrIte and nitrAte are the waste products of the bacteria. It's true some bacteria does float around the water column, but most of it adheres to surfaces. High flow, high oxygenation, higher temperatures - areas of the tank with these things will grow higher concentrations of the bacteria as well due to more acceptable environment for the bacteria.

 

[kimo]

There's no need to be sorry. Not all tanks need to be cycled. Quite often, such as your case, tanks won't need to be cycled before adding animals.

In your case, the plants will take care of any excess wastes which will be extremely low anyhow as shrimp don't produce any significant amount to begin with. Water conditioners such as Prime will take out any as well if you add that to the tank to start with. I'm just saying that I know you could easily have 100 shrimp in that tank to start with and they'd all be fine if you have plants in there. The biggest producer of waste in the tank will most likely be from you and not from the shrimp because of overfeeding, however, the plants are there to "detoxify".

It seems like most people on here are under the assumption that a cycle needs to take place before anything can be added to any tank, which unfortunately for you and others who believe them is not true.

This is exactly what I have been trying to teach everyone on this board since I joined.... Fishless cycling has it's place but is not nessarily needed in each and every case. A silent cycle works in every case and you are not subjecting any animal to any cruelty. The same goes for "with fish" cycling.
Done correctly no harm is done.

 

[kimo]

I don't think so. NitrIte and nitrAte are the waste products of the bacteria. It's true some bacteria does float around the water column, but most of it adheres to surfaces. High flow, high oxygenation, higher temperatures - areas of the tank with these things will grow higher concentrations of the bacteria as well due to more acceptable environment for the bacteria.

Nitrosomonas and nitrobacter ARE the bacteria...

Maybe I should have made it clearer that you are measuring the waste products given off by them. If you had read the post correctly, you would have seen that I said 99% of the bacteria were on fixed surfaces. That 1% is floating around because it is deposited there as spores from the air. Where do you think they came from in the first place...? Given that it wasn't transferred in from another tank.

 

[bs6749]

"The bacteria are not living in the water much, but the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate are, these are just the food source not the actual bacteria. So you just diluted the levels while the bacteria are still hanging out in the filters"

The nitrite an nitrate ARE the bacteria... nitrosomonas and nitrobacter.
The ammonia is the food source. The nitrite is the food source for the nitrate.
The bacteria is everywhere, not just in the filter. On the glass, in the gravel, in the filter and a small portion is still in the water until the cycle is complete.

Nitrite and nitrate are NOT living and are NOT bacteria. Nitrite is the was product of the bacteria that consumes ammonia and nitrate is the waste product of the bacteria that consumes nitrite. The bacteria will always be in the tank. They don't just magically disappear when the cycle is complete. The majority of the bacteria will be found on surfaces especially in filter media and in the substrate and yes, even some in the water column.

 

[kimo]

Nitrite and nitrate are NOT living and are NOT bacteria. Nitrite is the was product of the bacteria that consumes ammonia and nitrate is the waste product of the bacteria that consumes nitrite. The bacteria will always be in the tank. They don't just magically disappear when the cycle is complete. The majority of the bacteria will be found on surfaces especially in filter media and in the substrate and yes, even some in the water column.

Nitrosomonas and nitrobacter ARE the NAMES of the bacteria!!!

"They don't just magically disappear when the cycle is complete."

I never said they did.