my new tank - suggestions required!

[mlennox]

Hi Guys,

I took the plunge and purchased a 250litre 3ft tank w/ fluval 204 filtration & fluval heater (pics below).. I filled the tank with water yesterday and added the sufficient quantity of Aqua master water ager for 250litres... the substrate is a marble/sand mix which apparently helps keeping the pH in check?

I guess my question is where to from here? obviously i need to buy a pH testing kit to findout the pH? then cycle the tank for 2 weeks to attempt to fill my fluval with good bacteria?

Any direction would be muchly appreciated!

Cheers - ML

 

[sudz]

Definately want to cycle first. I've heard putting a bit of food or even a piece of shrimp in there can get the healthy bacteria a foot hold. Definately get a tester KIT, Nitrate, Nitrite, and ammonia. PH is nice too

Once you have NO ammonia or nitrite, you're safe to SLOWLY start stocking your tank. even though you may have no ammonia or nitrate, it doesn't mean your filter can handle a full bio load.

 

[Purrbox]

Unless you have access to some seed material (filter media, gravel, etc) from a healthy established aquarium, the cycle will probably take quite a bit longer than 2 weeks. Six weeks is much more common.

 

[RoseHippi]

Can you purchase some Cycle? BTW for my stupid brain how many gallons is that?

 

[Purrbox]

You can get a rough estimate of gallons by dividing liters by four. So that aquarium would be about 60 gallons.

 

[AndrewH]

I suggest using a product called Bio-Spira or Tetra Safe Start. Both products contain the beneficial bacteria to help cycle you're tank. When you add the prawn or ammonia source add this product. But make sure you have a good source or a lot of the bacteria will die off. Also the product has to be kept cold so it may be difficult to find it. Oh.. and don't waste you're time with any other product that says they will help cycle you're tank or build bacteria they are bogus products.

I have never done this fishless cycle myself. I used Tetra Safe Start with six Bloodfin Tetra in a 29 gallon, and the tank cycled in about 5 days. If you keep up the ammonia source you should see the same results I'm sure.

 

[DallasFish]

I've had good luck with this starter as well (seems to be by the guy that invented BioSpira):

Setting up a new aquarium: Ammonia Removal: One And Only Nitrifying Bacteria by Dr Tim's Aquatics

 

[RoseHippi]

Thanks for the tip.
I have never used those other products. However I did have Cycle and it had my tank ready for fish in 3 weeks.

 

[mlennox]

hi guys,

thanks for the feedback, i went to the pet store today on my lunch break and picked up..

API - pH test & adjuster kit
API - NH3 & NH4 test kit
API - Stress Zyme

They don't sell ammonia and the guy was kind of freaked out i wanted to buy pure ammonia for a fish tank (note to self - don't wear the suit to the pet store they think your a terrorist)

Anyone here from Australia and know where i can get pure ammonia for cycling? If not, prawns right? or fish food? but how the **** am i going to consistently measure the stuff?

i fired up the pH tester kit and my pH is sitting at about 7.6 so i have added the necessary pH down to bring it down to a more reasonable 7.0 (60 drops, sheesh)

just tested the nitrate/nitrite - suprise suprise 0 ppm...

Ok so this other stuff the pet store dude was talking up API Stress Zyme apparently "contains millions of live bacteria that speed the development of the biological filter to elimate ammonia and nitrite.. sounds similar to the stuff mentioned by AndrewH... give it a go you reckon?

P.S. the tank is actually 150l which is 50 gallons...

 

[mlennox]

ok i have added the sufficient amount of API Stress Zyme, it says to do so on the 1st, 7th and 14th days to get the cycle going... there is sufficient fish poo from the previous owner in the substrate to feed these critters for a while (i assume...) how often should i be adding fish food/prawns to introduce ammonia? daily?

 

[rich311k]

Put a couple of prawns in a stocking and toss it in. Sit back test and wait. All that needs to be done for 6 weeks or so. If you go with fish food put a heavy pinch in. You should see ammonia in a few days.

 

[Purrbox]

Bio Spira is one of the few additives that has been shown to actually help with the cycle as long as it's stored properly from manufacturer to final use. Unless an additive has to be refigerated, it's unlikely to add much in the way of beneficial bacteria.

Please discontinue the use of pH down. Fish do not need an ideal pH, they need a stable pH. The only notible exception being when you want to breed certain fish, and then there are other better ways of getting the correct water parameters. Products like pH Down generally end up with a bouncing pH and not the targeted pH because they remove the buffering in the water.

If there is currently no ammonia source and your tap water doesn't contain any Nitrites or Nitrates, it's not at all surprising to see 0 Nitrite and Nitrate. This is just a sign that it needs to be cycled.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

P.S. the tank is actually 150l which is 50 gallons...

Well the tank does look to me as 50 US gallons. But there are US and imperial gallon measurements which are different.

50 US gallons=189.27 liters
50 Imperial Gallons=227.3 liters

That filter is prob small for that tank as far as water movement. Depending on the decorations/live plants you could benefit from additional water movement. Koralia power heads are a great product for this. Just to keep in mind

 

[Menagerie]

They don't sell ammonia and the guy was kind of freaked out i wanted to buy pure ammonia for a fish tank (note to self - don't wear the suit to the pet store they think your a terrorist)

WELCOME
Straight ammonia is hard to find no matter where you are! Prawns are a good way to go. I would hope that there is not enough fish poo from previous fish to cycle a tank. YUCK!
Definitely get rid of the pH adjuster. A stable pH is better than a "perfect" pH!

 

[mlennox]

thanks for the responses..

39 gallons to be exact.. i have done away with the pH up and down

prawns are in the tank - god they look random haha

 

[mlennox]

That filter is prob small for that tank as far as water movement. Depending on the decorations/live plants you could benefit from additional water movement. Koralia power heads are a great product for this. Just to keep in mind

would this one do the trick? Hydor Koralia's Copy 5000L/H Power head 12 Watt Marine - eBay Other Supplies, Fish, Pet Supplies, Home. (end time 19-Sep-08 07:52:23 AEST)

 

[mlennox]

also i'm thinking of going with a planted tank and read a section on this site that suggested 150w for this size tank?? so would the below be appropriate?

Florescent T5 Light Fittings - T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 4x39W 900 Long (3FT) - Guppy’s Aquarium Products Online - T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 4x39W 900 Long (3FT)


just checked the pH and ammonia for the fun of it.. 7.6 and 0 ppm

 

[Sahabo]

I have found pure ammonia in the cleaning sections at local grocery stores in the US...not sure where it would be for you. I would suggest putting the prawns in a stocking so it doesn't make a complete mess in your tank. Get a pair of new, unwashed pantyhose to use. I highly recommend reading up on fishless cycling and the nitrogen cycle, it will give you a lot of good info on how to cycle your tank using pure ammonia or prawns or some other source... good luck and welcome to AA!

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

would this one do the trick?

Hydor Koralia's Copy 5000L/H Power head 12 Watt Marine - eBay Other Supplies, Fish, Pet Supplies, Home. (end time 19-Sep-08 07:52:23 AEST)

Well that one is a copy, not the real deal. From the price it looks like you can get a real one for the same price as that copy. I would suggest a Koralia #1(rated at 1500L/hr), this with your current filter should be Good. It may look too strong to you at 1st but is a good idea for heavily planted tanks since the plants will block water movement. You could wait awhile on it till you have things going.

also i'm thinking of going with a planted tank and read a section on this site that suggested 150w for this size tank?? so would the below be appropriate?

Florescent T5 Light Fittings - T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 4x39W 900 Long (3FT) - Guppy’s Aquarium Products Online - T5 AQUARIUM OVERHEAD LIGHTING 4x39W 900 Long (3FT)


just checked the pH and ammonia for the fun of it.. 7.6 and 0 ppm

If your not using CO2 then you want to stick around ~2wpg(watts per gallon) of T5 light. More will only hurt you unless you have CO2.

 

[Alaris]

I have found pure ammonia in the cleaning sections at local grocery stores in the US...not sure where it would be for you.

Probably not. Usually ammonia sold in grocery stores contain "surfactants." You don't want to use it. Pure ammonia doesn't contain surfactants. If the bottle doesn't say one way or the other, shake it. If you see bubbles then it has surfactants. Here you can find pure or "janitorial" ammonia sold at hardware stores.

Definitely get that ammonia test kit! You'll need it for as long as you have that tank.

FYI: don't tell the lfs you're putting ammonia in your tank. They freak. lol

You're going with shrimp as ammonia and that'll work just fine. You can check out more info on fishless cycling in my signature.

So I assume you didn't clean the used tank since you didn't clean the used sand? Typically you want to do this b/c you don't know what's in it. White vinegar is a great cleaning product to use on aquarium stuff. No soap. Bleach is good for disinfecting, just make sure you rinse it out well.

Do you have a dechlorinator? Prime is an excellent choice. It takes care of both chlorine and chloramine. You can also use it in an emergency spike.

ok i have added the sufficient amount of API Stress Zyme, it says to do so on the 1st, 7th and 14th days to get the cycle going... there is sufficient fish poo from the previous owner in the substrate to feed these critters for a while (i assume...) how often should i be adding fish food/prawns to introduce ammonia? daily?

First, ditch the API Stress Zyme. It won't help you. Only BioSpira that has been properly stored and shipped and refrigerated can truly add the beneficial bacteria you need to your tank.

When the shrimp are about ready to disintegrate, add more. Use your ammonia test kit to check the level of ammonia to see if the 2 shrimp are providing a high enough level.

150L = 39 gallons (US) Using the <2wpg that Speed suggested you want less than 80w total. At 150w you would need to inject CO2