5 Gallon Shrimp And Snail Tank

[starlitsunrise]

So tested again today, on day...23

Nothing seems to have changed, the nitrites may have gone down a little but I still think it looks to be around 2ppm and the Nitrates are still hanging around in between 80 and 160ppm on my reference chart. 

 

[Mamashack]

This is the painful bit - waiting for the nitrite to drop. Be patient and it will happen. 

 

[starlitsunrise]

*Sigh* nitrites still haven't budged...should I just keep waiting or do a water change?

 

[attibones]

You may need to do a water change if your nitrates are still pretty high. Do about fifty percent and check your levels, then try doing a partial dose.

 

[starlitsunrise]

Ya, that's what I was thinking. I'll test the water again today and if there are still no changes I'll do a water change. Thanks!

 

[starlitsunrise]

I am reviving this journal at last. To begin my snail, Atlas, died suddenly last week. I have no idea what happened as s/he was speedily making their way around the tank s/he was in just the night before. So with the absence of Atlas, the tank will still consist of pond snails and shrimp, I'm thinking 5 cherries and 2 ghosts. I have also just bought the Dr. Tims One and Only bacteria supplement and ammonia solution, I'm going to rearrange the gravel and try to do as much aquascaping as I can now and then add in the bacteria. I'll post again when I begin to change around the tank. 

 

[starlitsunrise]

Ok, so I literally just added in the entire contents of a 2 ounce bottle of Dr. Tims One and Only bacteria as well as 5 drops of Dr. TIms Ammonium Chloride. I also changed up the scape of the tank a little bit, I still need more plants but this is the basic layout I'm going for. I'll be following the guide for fishless cycling on the Dr. Tims website (http/www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling) so hopefully *fingers crossed* the tank will cycle as smoothly as it is supposed to. 

 

[vespabloke27]

hey!, what a great looking tank..
 
keep up the good work and more pics please!!!
 

 

[starlitsunrise]

hey!, what a great looking tank..
 
keep up the good work and more pics please!!!
 

 
JIMMY YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!! Haha it's been so long since I've seen you online! 

And thank you

I'm trying to make it look like some Hobbit Holes from The Lord of the Rings. Here's a (somewhat) better picture of it now that the water has cleared.  


 
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I just tested the water a few minutes ago and the Ammonia and Nitrite levels were negligible if not a true zero. I also tested the nitrate and it looked to be between 10-20ppm (when I had changed the old water there was still 5ppm or so nitrate). I then added in 5 more drops of the ammonium chloride, so according to the guide on the Dr. Tim's website I should now test everyday and when the ammonia and nitrite get back down to .2ppm or lower to add another 5 drops. 

 

 

[vespabloke27]

haha yeah im sorry , i have been so busy at work..
 
yeah i can see that .. it is a great resemblance !
 
how is the other tank going?
 

 

[starlitsunrise]

haha yeah im sorry , i have been so busy at work..
 
yeah i can see that .. it is a great resemblance !
 
how is the other tank going?
 

 
That's alright, I've been the same with school so I understand. And thank you very much! I'm glad it is recognizable

 

The 10 gallon is still going strong, I've just had to put a divider in because my frog was nipping at my betta. 

__________________

I just tested the water again, the ammonia and nitrite were once again pretty close if not at 0ppm, so I added in 5 more drops. In theory the tank could be cycled by tomorrow night (it probably actually is cycled now). Quick question if anybody knows, I can't stock the tank right away, so how much of the ammonium chloride should I add and how often to keep the tank cycled? 

 

[vespabloke27]

i hope you havent been working too hard?.. hehe 
 
 
good to hear the other tank is good also,
 
i removed my betta from the 120l community as he was getting nipped at..
 
i guess i have just been lucky with my fishless cycling and i dont think i can help you, you definately are getting pretty good at it anyways!! 
 
however i would say keep dosing up to 2ppm ammonia wait til it drops to zero as well as nitrites to a reasonably low amount  and re-dose,meanwhile  doing small water changes to keep the nitrates under control
 
im not sure if this would work, however, thats what i would try if it was me.. 
 
 
 hope this helps

 

[starlitsunrise]

Hey there guys, 

So here is a quick update, the tank is cycled and I bought two tiny blonde african dwarf frogs.Currently I'm letting them hang out in the 5 gallon until they get large enough to be with my adult frog in my 10 gallon. In the mean time they will keep the tank cycled until I decided on what to do further.