quick cycle question...

[Sergiotorr]

Nice.. congrats and thanks for allowing me to follow your progress. I learned alot from you

Lol really? I'm happy I could help at least 1 person but I'll have more tips tomorrow keep an eye out and I'll add pictures also!

 

[Deckape]

Really. I am just starting a fishless cycle and yours is the first posting that I saw. I gained alot of knowledge from your experiences...And the advice you received. Interested in continuing following your progress in the future too.

 

[Sergiotorr]

Really. I am just starting a fishless cycle and yours is the first posting that I saw. I gained alot of knowledge from your experiences...And the advice you received. Interested in continuing following your progress in the future too.

Thanks bro! That means a lot! But what size is your tank? How long into the process are you?

 

[Deckape]

Got a reqular 55 gallon. 10 days into the cycling process. 4 ppm ammo. Zero nitrites and a stable ph of 7.5.
Water temp 82, good surface agitation and a 2:1 filteration ratio, via an Aqua Tech 30/60 and an Aqua Clear 50. I guess all is good right now. Used a little bottle Safe Start yesterday evening. Probally a waste of money but we will see. No seed material or substrate, I don't have any close aquarium friends and none of the LFS want to hook me up with any. So awaiting and a reading I am. Goonna make it a guppy tank and get my kids into the sciences of marine life. Keep in touch and maybe we can shoot the breeze sometime.

 

[Deckape]

What fish are you going to be enjoying?

 

[Sergiotorr]

Got a reqular 55 gallon. 10 days into the cycling process. 4 ppm ammo. Zero nitrites and a stable ph of 7.5.
Water temp 82, good surface agitation and a 2:1 filteration ratio, via an Aqua Tech 30/60 and an Aqua Clear 50. I guess all is good right now. Used a little bottle Safe Start yesterday evening. Probally a waste of money but we will see. No seed material or substrate, I don't have any close aquarium friends and none of the LFS want to hook me up with any. So awaiting and a reading I am. Goonna make it a guppy tank and get my kids into the sciences of marine life. Keep in touch and maybe we can shoot the breeze sometime.

That's dope bro! I tried TSS and i wasnt sure how to use it and dropped it in the tank with no ammonia lol! so i didnt see any results at all lol but in your end since you do have 4ppm of ammonia it might just work out for you! ButI'm planning on settings up a community tank i have a few pictures let me put them up in a quick sec.....

 

[Sergiotorr]

ok so were do i begin lol...i have a product i recommend everyone who is starting a new tank and see it as a must have.

Live Meter Master Fresh Water Test Kit - Water Conditioners - Fish - PetSmart

this baby will save you the stress of testing ammonia for the first 2 weeks since it does it for you for 1 month! i got a little stressed out having to test ammonia on a daily basis in the first week lol. its actually very accurate! i was very surprised with the unit and gave it 5 stars! if you want a easy relaxed cycle this is a must have! it takes the pain of having to test every day to a total new level lol!

as i stated before i cycled my tank in 3 weeks with fluval 405 with all my baskets full of Fluvals bio max!

all in all cycling a tank takes time and lots of patients! trust me guys in the end its worth the wait! One major issue i ran into and i figured it out from common sense was when my tank started to gobble up ammonia over night and i started to raise my ammonia levels to 4ppm on a nightly basis. this caused my nitrite reading to turn my testing reading to a funny color thats wasnt even on the charts lol. what i did to fix this was to a PWC and reduced the ammonia i was putting back into the tank. i went from 4ppm to a tablespoon or 2 a night!

thats all i can think of for now but ill add picture of my tank now!

 

[Sergiotorr]

ok so i have:

T5 lighting system
Fluval 405 filter
2 L-18 gold nugget plecos
1 L-200 green phantom pleco
1 L-46 Zebra pleco
10 tetras
4 red cardinals

 

[Deckape]

Looks great buddy, I really like the stonehenge look with the rocks. Did you use hot glue or tank silicone to stick them together? Awesome tank

 

[Sergiotorr]

Looks great buddy, I really like the stonehenge look with the rocks. Did you use hot glue or tank silicone to stick them together? Awesome tank

Honestly no glue just balanced them on one another lol! But with your tank def get 3-4 beautiful plecos! I have a buddy who gets things that local fish stores don't if your interested i don't mind helping you out

 

[Deckape]

Looks great buddy, I really like the stonehenge look with the rocks. Did you use hot glue or tank silicone to stick them together? Awesome tank

I also love the blue led lights. Nice! Where did you get them? My neighbor may come up short on some stones from his garden (Haha)

 

[Deckape]

Honestly no glue just balanced them on one another lol! But with your tank def get 3-4 beautiful plecos! I have a buddy who gets things that local fish stores don't if your interested i don't mind helping you out

I don't know anything about them?? Are they safe with guppies?

 

[Deckape]

I don't know anything about them?? Are they safe with guppies?

I will let you know what fish I want. The LFS here except one have suspect fish. The other one is EXPENSIVE. But I will buy from your buddy if you're recommending.

 

[Sergiotorr]

I also love the blue led lights. Nice! Where did you get them? My neighbor may come up short on some stones from his garden (Haha)

Lol if you need more look for a local rockery you can get a big bag full for 8 bucks and you can pick whatever rocks you like from. The LED bar is dope I found it at a local fish store for $75 not a bad deal let me upload a picture with only the LED on....give me 1 min

 

[Deckape]

What is the make and model of the blue lights? They are super cool

 

[Sergiotorr]

one photo is with flash on..make and model not 100% sure let me run back to the LFS i bot it at and ill let you know asap!

 

[Deckape]

Don't make a special trip. Let me know whenever bro. I love those pictures Great job

 

[Viper]

Honestly no glue just balanced them on one another lol! But with your tank def get 3-4 beautiful plecos! I have a buddy who gets things that local fish stores don't if your interested i don't mind helping you out

Be careful with plecos. A lot of them get bigger than a 55 gallon should allow for. Unless they are a smaller type of pleco, I wouldn't get 3-4 of them. Even with the smaller ones, 3-4 may be too many.

 

[Sergiotorr]

Fancy plecos tend to stay around 3-6" long. My gold nuggets might get around 10-12" before they get that big I plan on selling them and picking something else up maybe a red scarlet or a vampire Pleco!

 

[Viper]

Fancy plecos tend to stay around 3-6" long. My gold nuggets might get around 10-12" before they get that big I plan on selling them and picking something else up maybe a red scarlet or a vampire Pleco!

No offense intended, but how can you buy a fish with intentions of selling them back once they have gotten too big for your tank? Shouldn't you just not buy them in the first place?