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Well of course I'm not going to get in an argument. I just need things to tell him to persuade him to a fishless cycle.

Thanks for the pro's on it... didn't you also say that you have a more bacteria to add more fish when it finishes the cycle?
 
You have to balance the finished cycle with your new fish's bioload. Stocking slowly (ie: a 3rd of your total stocking) at a time will keep up with the bacterial colonies as they grow.

Glad to hear that you weren't intending on arguing...many a member have had their tanks torn down due to bringing their parents over to the computer to see "What they said is right and you are wrong".
 
Yea I don't like to start unecessary arguments with my parents. Also, I love my tanks too much to have them torn down lol. And my dad is stubborn so I will try out the pro's to fishless cycle with him, and if it doesn't work, don't disown me for doing a fish cycle :( lol. I would prefer fishless, but if I can't, then I can't.

And... do ya'll leave your lights on 24/7? cause that is another thing my dad insists on. He claims it doesn't matter if you leave the lights on... Wow, I feel stuck in a pickle here. As long as I get my cichlids and stuff, I'll be happy.

But!! the thing that bothers me about the fish cycle, is how will I lower my pH to 7.0-ish and then after the cycle, get rid of the fish used for the cycle and raise my pH back up tio 8.3(my nomal pH). Because if I do a PWC, won't that get rid of alot of my bacteria?
 
No, I only leave my lights on for about 12 hours on my planed tank and 8 on my others. The 150 and 55 fry tank only get about an hour. I had to put them in my office because I'm too afraid to put a 150 Tall in a 2nd story apt with 107 year old soft pine floors. :) My boss usually feeds them in the AM when she gets to work then turns off the lights because they "need to nap" after they eat. Turn them off every night. You will have algae issues if you leave them on all the time plus the fish need darkness.

You don't need to lower your pH. Why do you think you need to get it down to 7.0? If you HAVE to use fish and some survive the cycle, ask your lfs if you can return them. Many will let you. Not all, but some will. And they usually won't give you money back for them.

PWCs won't get rid of bacteria. Bacteria is on the decor, substrate, on the glass, and in your filter. Removing water isn't going to do anything but remove the toxins. Just don't vac the gravel for a while until enough bacteria is in the filter.
 
Ah, I see. I told my dad that I want to get a 50/50 and an actinic bulbs and he says that they are a waste of money and aren't neccessary.I would prefer to get them to bring out vividity in the fish, but eh, I will have to buy the bulbs if need be. Also where can I get texas holey rock? any sites or do lfs's sell em?
 
The difference is night and day. The color really pops with the Actinic and 50/50 bulbs. If anything it will be beneficial since it will cut down on the amount of pure light the tank receives. Less algae to deal with.

Don't buy online. They are far too heavy to ship. You should be able to get it at your lfs. If not, try landscaping stores. It will be cheaper IF you can find them at landscaping stores. I haven't been so lucky as to find them there but some members have.
 
Lucky me, the neighbor hoods near town are big on landscaping and there are like 4 land scaping places within 5 blocks of each other lol. I told my dad I will be having major algae problems but he still thinks that the spectrum of light doesnt matter for my fish :( Why is my dad stubborn lol. Not a bad way stubborn, he just doesn't belive the stuff I tell him about my tank, except for the water parameters for the Mbuna's :- /

**EDIT**

My pH is still really high... well normal for cichlids... I am at 8.36-8.41 on the pH meter... Kind of wierd it keeps jumping around, but I have a pretty good idea where it is at. I am still looking for fish to stock it with... if not Mbuna's... what others do you guys suggest?
 
I've had the opposite problem with actinic lighting. I think it causes more algae.....at least that's been my experience.
 
***UPDATE***


Hey guys, been gone a while, my sister graduation party, my birthday, and other stuff. Figured I would let ya'll know that my tank is lookin BEAUTIFUL!! If you look at it just the right way the glass just disappears and looks fantastic! My water is crystal clear. I lost 2 mollies, one was stuck against the filter intake for I don't know how long, I just noticed him this morning. The other my dad took out cause he thought it may have had tapeworms. I am down to 10 mollies. My pH is 8.47-8.5 which is pretty stable. I haven't added any chemicals and that in my opinion is best. I just want to use water out of the tap, I hate adding chemicals. Cycle-wise I have no idea, tomorrow I am going to buy a complete freshwater test kit. So I will see where I am at for the cycle. I think I am in my nitrite spike or at least starting in to it. I am starting to have algae growth which according to my dad(not me) means I have nitrates otherwise it wouldn't grow. Other than that, things are going fantastically, I will attempt to get pics up as soon as I can so you can stop waiting in suspense :)

Later

Andy
 
I doubt you have Nitrates showing from the cycle. If you do have Nitrates, I suspect your water supply and not a result of the cycle. You're looking at anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks. How much light do you have on the tank now? What kind of algae are you seeing?
 
Umm... just green algae. Lighting wise, I have the 4 65 watt compact florescent lights. I usually have 1 strip on in the morning till about 10 then I put the second stip on till about 4 and then i have 1 strip on until 8, and then I turn the lights off for the night.
 
Is it spot algae or is it more like sheets? That's a LOT of light to put over that tank. I'm not surprised that you have it. You need to cut back on that lighting or you're going to be in for a wild ride of algae.
 
My dads choice on the algae and I don't like it but if I tell him otherwise he will say "umph thats not true" So no use there... the algae is just mostly on the glass and kind of in spots, depends on how much light, but you know that :p, other than that I haven't had many algae problems. I have been tryin to keep 1 light strip on for like 7 hours a day. But like I said I don't want to argue with my dad. I suggested actnic lighting and/or 50/50 lights and my dad says those dont make a difference.
 
Actinic's make a huge difference. Spot algae is hard to get off and requires lots of elbow grease. And by the wattage that you are pushing, you're going to be scraping it a lot.

Good luck with the cycle.
 
Well, I will attempt to get Actinic bulbs the thing is that getting 2 of them will be really expensive. They are like $30 a bulb for my compact florescent, ugh I wish I had more money.
 
Alright I think I convinced my dad to get me Actinic bulbs for my tank. But now he wants to know that aside from cichlids (which i am pretty sure i want) being in the tank, What else is available to be put in there with them?
 
If you are going for African Cichlids, your options are limited. Not many fare well due to the Cichlid aggression. Some keep clown loaches but I prefer to keep my tanks strictly African (with the pleco of course. :) )
 
Hehe, I'll try out a pleco, but not a common one because that is too much you-know-what to deal with on my bio load. GREAT NEWS!!! I called some landscaping companies and found one that has small pieces of limestone!! I asked how much he said its $0.25/#. So 50#'s is $12.50 if I did my math correctly, I am not that much of a math wiz. I am not sure how thick I want or how many #'s I'll need, my dad thinks 50# should suffice. I showed him a pic of a tank that I liked and showed him my ideas for the rocks. Thickness-wise I called and asked them if they had 1/2" thick and he said yes. So, I'll keep you updated on this... PLEASE GIVE ME MORE IDEAS ROCK-WISE ON WHAT I NEED!!!! hehe I am sooo excitecd :mrgreen:
 
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