Hello, new here, and already crashed my tank :(

[GoldsGuy]

Got it. So the nitrite will just appear one day? When it does, how do I know when to do a pwc? I know to add ammonium when it gets to 1.0 ppm till I get it to 4.00 ppm. Then let the BB do it's job. Question is when do you do pwc's to benefit nitrite and nitrates?

Yes the nitrite is the second stage and will appear once enough of the first colony establishes to convert ammonia to nitrite. Since you are doing fishless you may not need to do a PWC until your cycle is complete and before you add fish. Maybe someone with more experience with fishless can chime in.

 

[GoldsGuy]

Got it. So the nitrite will just appear one day? When it does, how do I know when to do a pwc? I know to add ammonium when it gets to 1.0 ppm till I get it to 4.00 ppm. Then let the BB do it's job. Question is when do you do pwc's to benefit nitrite and nitrates?

Btw you should post pics of your progress. Love to see.

 

[jlk]

Got it. So the nitrite will just appear one day? When it does, how do I know when to do a pwc? I know to add ammonium when it gets to 1.0 ppm till I get it to 4.00 ppm. Then let the BB do it's job. Question is when do you do pwc's to benefit nitrite and nitrates?

You will need to keep an eye on your tanks ph (daily checks). If your ph drops or jumps, its time for a water change to re-establish your buffers. Once you have nitrites, water changes may be necessary to bring these under control if your cycle starts to slow or stall. Once your tank is cycled, a big water change is necessary to drop your nitrates as low as possible before introducing fish. Hope this helps!

 

[e30 gangsta]

Ok guys just tested my tap water that sat out. Here are the specs.

ph 7.6
ammonia 0.25ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm

Thats what im starting with. Now to start the tank and cycle, should I just use some prime, and ph decreaser? Since tropical fish like a ph of 7.0? I also have water de chlorinator, but I think the prime already does that for me?

Also here are some pics after I finished setting up my tank the first time. Now it has a new filter, and heater, and no more rocks.

 

[nanofish]

Don't use the ph decreaser. What you're looking for is a stable ph. That's much more important than trying to get to something specific. The prime and dechlorinator will do the same thing so I'd just add the prime.

 

[jlk]

Agreed! Your ph is fine & your fish will adapt to whatever your ph is as long as its stable- so do not worry about it! We just need to keep it reasonably stable through cycling.Just prime is fine to use as well.

 

[GoldsGuy]

We all agree don't mess with pH. It's better to keep it stable and let fish adapt versus trying to manipulate with chemicals. Fish need stability to thrive. If you are fishless cycling and you have a regular dechlorinator I would use that and use the Prime once you introduce fish as Prime protects the fish from ammonia and nitrite toxicity. Add one or two fish at a time as each time you add fish you may see a small spike in ammonia and nitrite until the BB are able to handle the new bio load
Nice tank and stand btw!!!

 

[e30 gangsta]

So don't use the prime until iIm ready to put the fish in the tank, but do use the de chlorinator? ( top fin )

Can anyone else vouch for this method?

And thanks again Jeff.

 

[GoldsGuy]

So don't use the prime until iIm ready to put the fish in the tank, but do use the de chlorinator? ( top fin )

Can anyone else vouch for this method?

And thanks again Jeff.

It probably wouldn't matter as both dechlorinate the water. I only suggested that as the Prime is probably the more expensive of the two you have and would be more beneficial once there are fish as it protects them from ammonia and nitrite. Since you currently are cycling without fish I feel it's a waste.
Also have you decided what you will use as substrate and what fish you will restock?
One thing to keep in mind when restocking is the size the fish will be when mature. Not what size they are when you buy them. Stock according to adult size and capacity of your tank unless you will be upgrading as they grow.

 

[e30 gangsta]

Bought that sand you suggest from pets mart. I will fill the tank and set everything up again, and take some pics.

 

[GoldsGuy]

Bought that sand you suggest from pets mart. I will fill the tank and set everything up again, and take some pics.

Awesome. Good luck with it. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

Have you thought about seeing if they could also give you some established filter media to help cycle your tank?

 

[e30 gangsta]

So I dosed my tank with ammonia. I put too much though the test came back black lol. I did a complete water change and dosed with a lot less ammonia. Now im around 3.0ppm. You really have to be careful how much ammonia you add. 1ml is literally enough for a 10 gallon tank. Ammonia is there, now time to test the water daily and wait for it to drop. That means the party is getting started

 

[jlk]

So I dosed my tank with ammonia. I put too much though the test came back black lol. I did a complete water change and dosed with a lot less ammonia. Now im around 3.0ppm. You really have to be careful how much ammonia you add. 1ml is literally enough for a 10 gallon tank. Ammonia is there, now time to test the water daily and wait for it to drop. That means the party is getting started

Yes, ammonia is potent stuff & it ony takes a tiny bit to reach @4ppm! Keep us posted & once it starts to drop, you will need to redose your amm daily to keep your bacteria fed!

 

[Exotics]

My opinion start over cycle your tank if possible squeeze some water out of somebody's filter and throw it in your water to jump start the cycle. But only do it if you trust their water you don't want any diseases to start off with. Also throw a couple cheap goldfish in there to help also. They are really dirt fish and produce a lot of waste! And like everybody else said keep testing your water, and when the parameters are good lose the gold fish and throw in the ones you want

 

[GoldsGuy]

Good luck Guillermo. Let us all know how it goes. You got the API liquid test right. Strips aren't accurate.

 

[e30 gangsta]

Api master test kit is what I used. Ill never be using strips again.

I also bought and installed that sand substrate you recommended to me. Its in there, just waiting for the sand to settle to start placing my decorations.

 

[GoldsGuy]

Api master test kit is what I used. Ill never be using strips again.

I also bought and installed that sand substrate you recommended to me. Its in there, just waiting for the sand to settle to start placing my decorations.

Did you put sand in before or after you added water? I put sand and deco in first and slowly added the water. I didn't have an issue with sand floating around.
Do u have HOB filter? If your sand is not settled I would not run filter until it does so sand doesn't affect filter.

 

[GoldsGuy]

My opinion start over cycle your tank if possible squeeze some water out of somebody's filter and throw it in your water to jump start the cycle. But only do it if you trust their water you don't want any diseases to start off with. Also throw a couple cheap goldfish in there to help also. They are really dirt fish and produce a lot of waste! And like everybody else said keep testing your water, and when the parameters are good lose the gold fish and throw in the ones you want

I would agree if u could get some filter media from a pet store or friend it would help start your cycle.
However I would never recommend using fish to just cycle your tank if you don't intend to keep them. That's sorta cruel.

 

[jlk]

My opinion start over cycle your tank if possible squeeze some water out of somebody's filter and throw it in your water to jump start the cycle. But only do it if you trust their water you don't want any diseases to start off with. Also throw a couple cheap goldfish in there to help also. They are really dirt fish and produce a lot of waste! And like everybody else said keep testing your water, and when the parameters are good lose the gold fish and throw in the ones you want

This is poor advice and cruel for the goldfish involved in the process. The only fish that should be stocked in your tank are the fish you plan on keeping. The purpose of doing a fishless cycle is to prevent any harm to future fish by establishing the biological filter first before stocking.

 

[e30 gangsta]

I have a aqueon quiet flow 10, that hangs on the edge of the tank. Its not a intank filter. I added the sand then added the water and let it settle before turning the filter and stuff on. Should I change the carbon filter to get any of the sand that is stuck in it out? Or should I just leave it since there is BB on there.