HooblaDan
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hello all, here's my prior thread
www.aquariumadvice.com
Following your helpful answers in there, I almost immediately changed the substrate of the tank and planted more plants in the aquarium while chopping the artificial ones off of my decorations.
I have waited 5 weeks with this new set-up, and have some pictures attached and new questions.
I dose Stability once a week along with a 20% water change, in which I use Prime and swish my sponge filter around in the dirty tank water that I have pulled out. My aquarium is kept at 78-81 degrees to promote bacterial growth. I dose ammonia to about 1ppm after the tank has been at 0ppm for one to two days. Each week, I have what I would consider moderate algae growth and my pH goes from about 7.8 to below 6.0 or below (API only reads down to 6.0, I think). It's my understanding that algae growth and pH fluctuations are normal while cycling.
So, questions:
1. Still Not Cycled - My ammonia processing fluctuates greatly and still has not reached the ability to process ammonia from 2ppm to 0ppm in 24 hours (it's my understanding that this should be my goal before I put fish in). Sometimes, my ammonia processing can handle about 1ppm to 0ppm in about 24 hours. Other times, that 1ppm seems to linger for days before finally going down. I frankly have no idea what is going on here, and considering that we bought the aquarium for my boys for Christmas and that I have been trying to get it cycled since then, I'm losing even my own patience, and I'm a fairly patient man. Nitrite processing is also fluctuating but seems to be better overall than ammonia, and I see very little nitrates. I presume that my plants and algae are processing that? What in the world can I do to get this thing cycled about two months and change of work on it? (I know that changing the substrate was a setback for cycle)
2. As you can see, some of my rhizome plants are sprouting new babies. It's my understanding that I should clip these off and attach them to my scenery. My question is, where do I clip them off? Do I just clip off the whole tip of the leaf where they are growing, or just try to cut around the new tiny rhizome? And do I just super glue gel the tiny rhizome onto the scenery?
Thank you so much for any help that you can provide, and please let me know if I can provide any additional information that might help.
New Aquarium - Fishless Cycling - Could Use Help
Hello everybody, I started a 20 gallon long aquarium on fishless cycling the day after Christmas. This is going to be my boys' aquarium, but they are young and I want them to learn to take care of their new pets well. We bought all of the initial stuff at a local fish store in Southern...

Following your helpful answers in there, I almost immediately changed the substrate of the tank and planted more plants in the aquarium while chopping the artificial ones off of my decorations.
I have waited 5 weeks with this new set-up, and have some pictures attached and new questions.
I dose Stability once a week along with a 20% water change, in which I use Prime and swish my sponge filter around in the dirty tank water that I have pulled out. My aquarium is kept at 78-81 degrees to promote bacterial growth. I dose ammonia to about 1ppm after the tank has been at 0ppm for one to two days. Each week, I have what I would consider moderate algae growth and my pH goes from about 7.8 to below 6.0 or below (API only reads down to 6.0, I think). It's my understanding that algae growth and pH fluctuations are normal while cycling.
So, questions:
1. Still Not Cycled - My ammonia processing fluctuates greatly and still has not reached the ability to process ammonia from 2ppm to 0ppm in 24 hours (it's my understanding that this should be my goal before I put fish in). Sometimes, my ammonia processing can handle about 1ppm to 0ppm in about 24 hours. Other times, that 1ppm seems to linger for days before finally going down. I frankly have no idea what is going on here, and considering that we bought the aquarium for my boys for Christmas and that I have been trying to get it cycled since then, I'm losing even my own patience, and I'm a fairly patient man. Nitrite processing is also fluctuating but seems to be better overall than ammonia, and I see very little nitrates. I presume that my plants and algae are processing that? What in the world can I do to get this thing cycled about two months and change of work on it? (I know that changing the substrate was a setback for cycle)
2. As you can see, some of my rhizome plants are sprouting new babies. It's my understanding that I should clip these off and attach them to my scenery. My question is, where do I clip them off? Do I just clip off the whole tip of the leaf where they are growing, or just try to cut around the new tiny rhizome? And do I just super glue gel the tiny rhizome onto the scenery?
Thank you so much for any help that you can provide, and please let me know if I can provide any additional information that might help.
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