Search results

I use the digital timer on the stove for one test and the timer on the microwave for another test. I use the "1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi" method for the 30 second shake in the nitrate test and one of the digital timers for the 1 minute shake. My test last night was performed at 7:30 PM. At...

Day 15 updated. I tested the nitrites 3 times, the first two times the test tube sat for appx 5 minutes and returned .25 ppm readings, but since the color changes from purple to blue so rapidly, I decided to do a third test and time it exactly at 5 minutes, this test returned a 0 ppm reading...

The included bulbs are "Marineland" brand F15T8/18" Natural Daylight bulbs... Made in Thailand. Hope that answers your question as far as what size these are. All I can say is they're standard 18" fluoro bulbs with the typical 2 prong socket, but "standard" bulbs in the US may not be standard...

Yep, it was a curiosity test done 10.5 hours later, both returned 0 ppm readings. If all goes as planned, this is perfect, as Friday is payday. :good:

I would think plants with a broader leaf structure would process the compounds in your water moreso than those of a slimmer leaf plant. I'm not saying take my advice, I'm just assuming this because I believe (but could still be wrong) that photosynthesis occurs at a heavier rate in broad leaf...

Hmm.. ok, so a 60 US gal tank - 10-15% of substrate/decor volume should at the most extreme leave me with a needed 51 watts (subtracting 15% of tank volume (9)) of lights needed, with the suggested rule of 1-3 watts per gallon, so I'm going to need 51-153 watts of lights for my tank. How am I...

I've never had a tank this size, so this isn't odd to me because it's new to me. Eventually, I'd love to have a solid length hood/lighting fixture that houses 2 bulbs that span the length of my tank, that way I can do 1 bulb in the front and a different type in the back, but I'm not sure what...

Thanks for the link. Looking at the wavelength, the Hagen Aqua-Glo appears to be a 50/50ish split between blue and natural daylight colors just like the Coralife 50/50 bulb. It also appears that the Coralife 50/50s aren't made in 18" versions, plus like WD said, "actinic" may just be a loose...

This is my exact tank: Marineland 60 Gal Ensemble I'm still using the stock hood, and as you can see in that photograph, there is 1 light over the left side and 1 light over the right side. The aquarium is 48" long by 12" deep, the lights are two 18" fluoros that sit side-by-side longways. I...

My official add hour is 8 PM. This morning I tested ammonia and nitrites(solely out of curiosity) at 6:30 AM and both returned 0 ppm results. This test was only done out of curiosity, but I do know that people say to start testing at every 12 hour mark from about this point on, so I think I'll...

Ok, so you say one of these (referring to a blue or pink bulb, in my case, blue) mixed with a subtle white bulb is usually best. So when I have a blue bulb on the left side and a regular bulb on the right side, will my tank not be split as far as color? Ex: Half is blue, half is white? This...

Ok, since last night at 8 PM when I checked my nitrites they were at .5 ppm, I decided to check them again this morning out of curiosity. So before I left for work, I tested my nitrites, this was about 6:30 AM. Waited 5 minutes per the instructions on my API Nitrite test kit, and they came...

Good evening to us stateside, good early morning to you across the puddle. I'm still in the process of cycling, but I have everything setup and ready to go, except the lighting. Right now we're using the stock hood that was included with our tank ensamble, which houses 2 18" fluoro bulbs. I'm...

These aren't turning brown, so I'm chalking it up as a success. :shifty:

Day 14 updated. Surprised to see such a big nitrite drop today. All 4 anubias seem to be happy and healthy, haven't noticed any growth yet, but I understand they're slow growing plants. Water is crystal clear, smells a bit "aquariumish", but so far so good.

Day 13 updated.

Day 12 updated.

Yep, I've read quite a few diaries here where that exact thing happened. So I'm definitely not counting my chickens before they're hatched here, just hoping that the rest of the cycle goes as smoothly as it has so far.

My regular scheduled tests are done at 8 PM, the second test I took last night was done at 8:45 PM, which is also about when I added another dose of ammonia. I've been off work sick the last two days, and about 15 minutes ago (at 1:00 PM), I tested the ammonia again. All gone. The nitrites...

I added another 9 ml of ammonia to get it up to 4 ppm, as I did a second ammonia test earlier and it came back with a 0 ppm reading.

Ok, Day 11 has been updated and I have a question. Do I wait until ammonia levels are down to 0 or do I need to now add another appx 11 ml to bring it back up to 5 ppm?

When my ammonia levels get back down to next to nothing/nothing at all, I add another 11 ml of ammonia to get back up to 5 ppm again, right? Basically do what I did on day 1 and keep doing this cycle until my ammonia disappears completely in about 12 hours, correct?

Day 10 updated.

My tap water comes out of the faucet with a 7.6 pH, so with this higher pH now and the high pH that's ordinary for my water, I think my cichlids will have a perfect habitat. They should be a happy little bunch. Is there anything to watch out for as far as already picking up nitrates, too?

Day 9 updated. Any comments/questions/suggestions on my readings?

Things seem to be happening. I swapped out my nitrate test kit for one that hasn't leaked today at my local pet shop, and just for kicks I tested it at 5 PM (normal test time is 8 PM) and it came up in between 5-10 ppm. Because of that, I decided to check the nitrate levels and they've moved...

Totally my style, I love Rush (nerd rock rules!) but have never seen them.

It was post-Steve Perry Journey :(, but still, if you've never seen this guy before, he sounds a lot/just like him. It's crazy.

Day 8 updated. No changes.

I'm not going to lie, that's pretty cute. I'd love to curl up inside that bed and snuggle up.

I've been to countless concerts, from local to underground to big name bands. Journey, Korn, 38 Special, Night Ranger, etc. Of all the shows I've been to, by far the best two shows have been the Alice Cooper shows. I don't care if you hate rock or just hate Alice Cooper's music, you should...

What type of fish do you have in your tank already? Have you recently added any live plants or borrowed decor/sustrate/etc from another tank? It's possible this is how the snails were introduced to your aquarium. Of course removing any of this decor at this point might be too late considering...

It's weird, the pink doesn't fall under any color scale on my card. The higher the pH, the darker purple it gets, so I'm just confused. Bottle #1 in my test kit had leaked at one point or another in shipment or on the shelf, so I'm going to take it back to the pet shop tomorrow and exchange...

Day 7 updated. Water is crystal clear, plants look like they're taking well to their new home. All is good so far.

Sorry to disappoint. :P My patience strong enough, but our 4 year old daughter is ready to pick out some "blue and yellow fish", so for now we'll go with whatever method works best. Temps are at 84*F exactly right now and holding. On my API high level pH test kit, the color shows up as a...

Day 6 updated. Temps dropped to 87, then to 84 tomorrow as to let both my heaters and water properly cool without having too drastic of changes. Thanks for the input guys. Hope my questioning wasn't seen as arguing or doubting your intelligence, it's just confusing seeing 100 different...

Oh sure, easy to say when it's not your tank. :P Anybody else have any input on my tank being 90*F? Day 5 updated.

Thanks for the nominations! :)

Thanks Ludwig! Thanks for the nominations so far!

Updated day 4. I've kept the temp at 90*F, I've read multiple fishless cycle how-to's and a lot of them have mentioned temps in the lower-mid 90s. For example: http://www.cichlidforums.com/knowledgebase/idx.php/16/039/Beginners-Basics/article/The-Sacrifish-Aquarium-Cycle.html Should I lower...