Finished Cycle

[redevilman]

My tank has been cycled for about four days now and i would be greatful for some suggestions on
the fish i can keep in my water

80l tank

ph 7.8
ammonia 0mg/l
nitrite 0mg/l
nitrates 100mg/l
gh 12
kh 8

I am going to add ammonia for another 3-4 days just to be on the safe side and hopefully by tuesday i can go and get some fish any of your suggestions and quantity would be great.

 

[gaz gun man]

have you done a water change yet? (50-60%?) that will bring your nitrates down.

I'd go for 10 tetras and 3 pearl gourami

 

[locust267]

I would go for Zebra Danios as they are very active and hardy in an immature tank

 

[waterdrop]

I would go for Zebra Danios as they are very active and hardy in an immature tank

I second that. I've always liked having some zipping around up top and they are as hardy as trops get.

You'll maybe want to start looking at the choices of small cories for the bottom part of the tank, but save the actual stocking of these untll later as they are among the more sensitive to new tanks. They like to be in little groups (think 3 or 5 maybe for your size tank.)

The middle third of the tank is the place to think of a couple of larger fish with more personality and to be thinking about a school of tetras -- so many choices.

Of course, be careful in your decision about livebearers - finding homes for babies can be much harder than you'd hope.

Its really a lot of personal choice and the help from members gets better as you begin to get it more narrowed down...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[SOLEXIS]

Hi
Stop adding ammonia and try to use some bacteria instead! It will be helpful. Against NO3, you can find an anaerobic media from JBL, Bionitratex... fantastic!

 

[redevilman]

Hi
Stop adding ammonia and try to use some bacteria instead! It will be helpful. Against NO3, you can find an anaerobic media from JBL, Bionitratex... fantastic!

sorry matie il stick to what im doing

 

[rabbut]

Though I recon that JBL meida looks good on paper, I wonder how it works in practice. It will break nitrate down into oxygen and nitrogen. I can see this making exturnals noisy if it works, which I doubt it is. Our filters are intentionaly designed to have good flow and airobic contions thoughout. These media usualy work by having slower flow through the filter, which isn't nessisarily good.

I am still waiting on your evidence of this JBL bacteria working, which I doubt you will find. Personal experience isn't proof. I fish-in cycled my frst tank without "bacteria" products or waterchanges, without loosing any. After a year I started to loose fish which I later found to be as a result of ammonia poisoning. Just because it semed to work, doesn't mean to say it does

All the best
Rabbut

 

[redevilman]

Though I recon that JBL meida looks good on paper, I wonder how it works in practice. It will break nitrate down into oxygen and nitrogen. I can see this making exturnals noisy if it works, which I doubt it is. Our filters are intentionaly designed to have good flow and airobic contions thoughout. These media usualy work by having slower flow through the filter, which isn't nessisarily good.

I am still waiting on your evidence of this JBL bacteria working, which I doubt you will find. Personal experience isn't proof. I fish-in cycled my frst tank without "bacteria" products or waterchanges, without loosing any. After a year I started to loose fish which I later found to be as a result of ammonia poisoning. Just because it semed to work, doesn't mean to say it does

All the best
Rabbut

Well said rabbut I think this guy has shares in JBL.LOL

 

[SOLEXIS]

Though I recon that JBL meida looks good on paper, I wonder how it works in practice. It will break nitrate down into oxygen and nitrogen. I can see this making exturnals noisy if it works, which I doubt it is. Our filters are intentionaly designed to have good flow and airobic contions thoughout. These media usualy work by having slower flow through the filter, which isn't nessisarily good.

I am still waiting on your evidence of this JBL bacteria working, which I doubt you will find. Personal experience isn't proof. I fish-in cycled my frst tank without "bacteria" products or waterchanges, without loosing any. After a year I started to loose fish which I later found to be as a result of ammonia poisoning. Just because it semed to work, doesn't mean to say it does

All the best
Rabbut

Absolutely right regarding the anaerobic bacteria. That's why the media is a very fine bag to avoid a intense flow of water inside. Try it you'll see, I was not convince before!

I also agree you can set up a tank just by waiting the natural cycle. I just say than know there is some products to cut down the time.
Cheers

 

[SOLEXIS]

Though I recon that JBL meida looks good on paper, I wonder how it works in practice. It will break nitrate down into oxygen and nitrogen. I can see this making exturnals noisy if it works, which I doubt it is. Our filters are intentionaly designed to have good flow and airobic contions thoughout. These media usualy work by having slower flow through the filter, which isn't nessisarily good.

I am still waiting on your evidence of this JBL bacteria working, which I doubt you will find. Personal experience isn't proof. I fish-in cycled my frst tank without "bacteria" products or waterchanges, without loosing any. After a year I started to loose fish which I later found to be as a result of ammonia poisoning. Just because it semed to work, doesn't mean to say it does

All the best
Rabbut

Well said rabbut I think this guy has shares in JBL.LOL

You know RED EVIL, it is not a competition but a fish forum. I come from Germany and it is just interesting to see the fishkeepers don't use the same way to set up a tank. I know you can use ammonia to accelerate the cycle but I think there is a simplest and quickest way to set up a tank.
Rabbut gives very good advice but you know there is lot of way to enjoy his hobby!
I would be happy to have shares from JBL because of there success in Germany! I have just tried a lot of products on the market and for once, JBL seems to answer to my problem.
So you could be a good guinea pig and try my method, you will see if the germans are as bad as you think
Take care mate

 

[waterdrop]

It will be interesting to see if we hear more about the JBL product. Am I remembering that JBL is the company that makes some of the substrates that our planted tank people use?

There appear to be two topics discussed here? First, there may be a "bacteria in a bottle" being discussed (apologies if I've misunderstood.) If so, it will probably meet some stiff skepticism here as the collective experience of TFF seems to be that almost none of these products have ever worked. There are scattered reports of BioSpira and Bacinettes(?) occasionally seeming to work if they have been refridgerated during the entire delivery process, but these reports are rare.

Second, there are indeed some interesting threads on TFF regarding the existence of Nitrate filters. These have existed for a long time, and they can work, the the bottom line has always been that they are way too much trouble to run, too expensive usually and just don't make sense when there is a need to perform water changes any way for other reasons (removal of all sorts of other trace substances besides nitrate.) Water changes are just too good a solution - they remove nitrates and other things and give the water chemistry a fresh start for the week.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rabbut]

I won't be trying the JBL media if it is designed to slow filter flow thankyou. If I don't use enough to cover teh entire surface area of my filter it will cut the flow, and with my stocking levels in most tanks, and the expence of the fish in others, I'd be comcerned that the drop in flow rates would crash my tank... If I don't use enough to cover the media trays, it will simply get by-passed and won't do a great deal, if anything at all

You say that Bionitratex works from personal experience, but still haven't seen proof. I won't waste any of my money on it, and will advise others away from it untill I see this proof, as other than Bactinetts and Biospira, I have never hear of such a product that acctualy works for freshwater, and there are hundereds of different ones out there that I and others have tried

I though JBL specialised mainly in the planted tank area of the hobby. That said, I know little about them as their products aren't seen all that much round my way. When they are seen, they are miles more expencive than compeeting products. It may just be my area of the UK though... Their filters are supposed to be excelent as are their substrates but again, never used any personaly.

All the best
Rabbut

 

[redevilman]

Hi SOLEXIX first of all the fact that you mentioned that i think of germans in a bad way which never crossed my mind seems to me you suffer from paranoia secondly i have done my fishless cycle so that i wont harm my fish when i get them in any way.But can you say the same about your fish. So unless you can provide me with proof that your not harming your fish i would be grateful if you kept your self pity about being german to your self.

 

[SOLEXIS]

It will be interesting to see if we hear more about the JBL product. Am I remembering that JBL is the company that makes some of the substrates that our planted tank people use?

There appear to be two topics discussed here? First, there may be a "bacteria in a bottle" being discussed (apologies if I've misunderstood.) If so, it will probably meet some stiff skepticism here as the collective experience of TFF seems to be that almost none of these products have ever worked. There are scattered reports of BioSpira and Bacinettes(?) occasionally seeming to work if they have been refridgerated during the entire delivery process, but these reports are rare.

Second, there are indeed some interesting threads on TFF regarding the existence of Nitrate filters. These have existed for a long time, and they can work, the the bottom line has always been that they are way too much trouble to run, too expensive usually and just don't make sense when there is a need to perform water changes any way for other reasons (removal of all sorts of other trace substances besides nitrate.) Water changes are just too good a solution - they remove nitrates and other things and give the water chemistry a fresh start for the week.

~~waterdrop~~

Hello,
Water change could be a very simple and good solution if the local tap water is compatible with your tank. In my area, NO3 from the tap is about 50 mg/litre which is too high. You understand why we try different solution. An anti NO3 filter is interesting cause the anaerobic bacteria will transform NO3 in NO2 then NO2 in nitrogen (gas harmless for the fish).
A filter like this is going to have a very low flow of water to reduce the quantity of oxygen. It is expensive and annoying to set up. So a simple product is this media I have found from JBL (bionitratex). That is a bag with fine to create a very slow flow of water inside. That is doing the same job than an anti NO3 filter. It is so efficient you can have a peak of NO2 if your level of NO3 was above 50mg/l!
Now, take it easy and have fun!

Hi SOLEXIX first of all the fact that you mentioned that i think of germans in a bad way which never crossed my mind seems to me you suffer from paranoia secondly i have done my fishless cycle so that i wont harm my fish when i get them in any way.But can you say the same about your fish. So unless you can provide me with proof that your not harming your fish i would be grateful if you kept your self pity about being german to your self.

Interesting

 

[OldMan47]

A point that Solexis is making is correct. There are many ways to have a successful tank that is good for the fish. An interesting approach is the El Natural method that comes mostly from people interested in planted tanks. The essence of the approach is to use a heavy planting and a light fish load to reduce water changes to almost none. If you read about the method at a deeper level than many of us are willing to do, the method is designed to set up an anaerobic bacterial area in the region of the plants roots so that the plants can be more effective in using the nitrates that would otherwise build up in the tank. As waterdrop said, some of the methods that use anaerobic bacteria to remove nitrates are more trouble to set up than most of us would be willing to do but that does not mean those methods are not effective. I even have an El Natural going right now to prove to myself one way or the other whether it is worth the trouble. For me the jury is still out on that subject.
As far as Rabbut's comment about the threat to fish, the El Natural that I am experimenting with does not have many nor expensive fish in it. It is admittedly an experiment. I use the methods that I really understand for the main part of my fish population.