it's a miracle

[karrihug]

we started in feb with a borrowed 10 gallon that my daughter brought home. fish started dying she started crying and i started researching. the friend wanted the 10 gal back so i got the 56 column, and then i was hooked. got the 56 up and running, and was trying to cycle with way to many fish, and precious little knowledge and then my daughter bought the 10 gal she has now at a garage sale. she didn't want to fishless cycle so i had two tanks cycling with fish. then we got a 2.5 bowfront for a betta, and then the 56 gallon with nitrite finally dropping exploded in the middle of the night. saved most of the fish adn dropped them in the 10 and 2.5 for about 16 hours till i could get the replacement tank up and running, but lost all my benifical bacteria in the process, and blew the roof off the small tanks that had about 5 inch per gal each for a while. the new 56 started to cycle, and the smaller tanks started to settle, i bought a 55 for upstairs, and insisted on fishless cycle this time. set it up, got it running and was going to buy ammonia next day and the 56 sprung a leak in the night. so i moved the filters and the fish to the upstairs tank and drained the 56, and the adventure started anew. well, it was worth it, last night i tested all the tanks and they are all 0 amonia 0 nitrite, and anywhere from 5 to 20 nitrate. again i say "IT'S A MIRACLE" but i am awful happy about it

 

[bunjiweb]

blimey sounds like you've had enough trials and tribulations but it's nice to know you have stuck with it!

How come you had 2 tanks explode / leak? are they on an un-level surface which is meaning the tank warps when full of water and breaks?

Got pics?

Ben

 

[karrihug]

the surface was level, the tanks were defective. the first one was supposed to be tempered glass, but it blew a piece of glass 3 feet wide by about a foot high right out the front. when i went and got the replacement tank the kid who helped the manager load it in my car said that the seams didn't look too good, maybe add some aquarium sealant, but they didnt have any and i figured it would be ok. i was wrong ) the new one looks good, all seams are good, and the tag in it says who built it at the factory and it is not the same person who built the first two. wish me luck

i will try and find the pics when i get home this evening and post one of the mess

 

[tstenback]

Congrats

The rest of this should be a piece of cake after what you have already gone through. Nice to see you stuck with it for so long. Hope you have fun from here on out.