Hold on - I can't let that one pass! Were you shaking vigorously for the nitrates and sling the sucker??
Karls Fishless Cycle With Mature Filter Media
- Thread starter mmccx
- Start date
Hold on - I can't let that one pass! Were you shaking vigorously for the nitrates and sling the sucker??
Curiosity101
Is now at University! :D
Hold on - I can't let that one pass! Were you shaking vigorously for the nitrates and sling the sucker??
I've done something similar, although I wasn't watching what was around me whilst I was shaking and hit something shattering the tube. And another one literally broke as I took the lid off
Good test kit... cheap test tubes. lol.
Hold on - I can't let that one pass! Were you shaking vigorously for the nitrates and sling the sucker??
Had just washed it, was shaking it to dry it and and it flew out of my hand lol
Results for day 3 are as follows!
Tank -
Added 3ml of ammonia on saturday 22/01/2011
Day 1 @ 19:00 PH-7.6, High PH-7.8 a= 4ppm, Ni=0ppm, Na=80-160ppm,No ammonia added
Day 2 @19:10 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = 20-40ppm, no ammonia added
Day 3 @ 19:29 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na= 20ppm, no ammonia added
I know its early days, but the mature filter media has been in there for the best part of the week and the Ammonia levels doesn't seem to have budged one bit, maybe im just second guessing myself, but its just seems the same green as it has been! I would have thought the ammonia would have gone done even a little by now, could it be that i have put the mature media in the wrong part of the filter? this may sound daft but i put both bits of mature media i had in the baskets that used to contain the carbon and zeolite, so its not actually touching the existing media, it might not also even be in the direct path of the flow inside the filter! should i move it durectly onto one of the intakes?
Cheers for you any help in advance!
Tank -
Added 3ml of ammonia on saturday 22/01/2011
Day 1 @ 19:00 PH-7.6, High PH-7.8 a= 4ppm, Ni=0ppm, Na=80-160ppm,No ammonia added
Day 2 @19:10 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = 20-40ppm, no ammonia added
Day 3 @ 19:29 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na= 20ppm, no ammonia added
I know its early days, but the mature filter media has been in there for the best part of the week and the Ammonia levels doesn't seem to have budged one bit, maybe im just second guessing myself, but its just seems the same green as it has been! I would have thought the ammonia would have gone done even a little by now, could it be that i have put the mature media in the wrong part of the filter? this may sound daft but i put both bits of mature media i had in the baskets that used to contain the carbon and zeolite, so its not actually touching the existing media, it might not also even be in the direct path of the flow inside the filter! should i move it durectly onto one of the intakes?
Cheers for you any help in advance!
BIG BAD BARRY
Fishaholic
Just got an email from API and they are going to send me some new ones for freeRESULT!
Cheers for the advice Barry
Your welcome
BIG BAD BARRY
Fishaholic
What a strange looking filter!
I have looked at the manual and it is not much clearer.
I take it the the water comes in through the tail, into the first bit of foam then into the second foam and then into the two side cannisters?
What sort of mature media did you have? sponge?
In an external cannister filter you would put the mature media in the first basket ideally where the water comes in and then the flow to the other baskets would help seed/distribute bacteria to the subsequent baskets media.
As this stingray is an internal filter then it might make that much difference.
See if you get a reply from somebody who has had a similar filter.
Reading the last sentence again i guess its sponge media. If the mature media is in direct path then it would be ideal. But it looks like the two sponges will be housing all the bacteria so you dont want to remove them once your tank is cycled.
Wait and see if somebody more experienced can advise on the structure and best place for it.
In the meantime keep it as is.
It takes time for the mature media to start seeding elsewhere so dont worry!
I have looked at the manual and it is not much clearer.
I take it the the water comes in through the tail, into the first bit of foam then into the second foam and then into the two side cannisters?
What sort of mature media did you have? sponge?
In an external cannister filter you would put the mature media in the first basket ideally where the water comes in and then the flow to the other baskets would help seed/distribute bacteria to the subsequent baskets media.
As this stingray is an internal filter then it might make that much difference.
See if you get a reply from somebody who has had a similar filter.
Reading the last sentence again i guess its sponge media. If the mature media is in direct path then it would be ideal. But it looks like the two sponges will be housing all the bacteria so you dont want to remove them once your tank is cycled.
Wait and see if somebody more experienced can advise on the structure and best place for it.
In the meantime keep it as is.
It takes time for the mature media to start seeding elsewhere so dont worry!
It is some kind of sponge btw
I would have thought that any bacteria in the mature media would have maybe started processing some of the ammonia in the tank, but nothing appears to be happening. I guess i will keep testing and hoping then
I'm not sure about moving the mature media to a different spot. But I will say that it can take weeks for the first ammonia drop, even with mature media. It just depends on your local water quality. You've seen Guppi's thread where that tank is cycling in just a few days, but my ammonia took 26 days for the first drop!
Yes i have read that thread, i does seem very quick, ammonia dropping within 24hrs,
WOW 26 days to see your ammonia drop how long did the cycle take for you? and i bet you were starting to pull your hair out a little!
Added 3ml of ammonia on saturday 22/01/2011
Day 1 @ 19:00 PH-7.6, High PH-7.8 a= 4ppm, Ni=0ppm, Na=80-160ppm,No ammonia added
Day 2 @19:10 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = 20-40ppm, no ammonia added
Day 3 @ 19:29 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na= 20ppm, no ammonia added
Day 4 @18:35 - PH high - 8.2, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm Na= not tested, no ammonia added.
Got a better reading from my PH High range
Same old same old lol
Day 1 @ 19:00 PH-7.6, High PH-7.8 a= 4ppm, Ni=0ppm, Na=80-160ppm,No ammonia added
Day 2 @19:10 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = 20-40ppm, no ammonia added
Day 3 @ 19:29 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na= 20ppm, no ammonia added
Day 4 @18:35 - PH high - 8.2, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm Na= not tested, no ammonia added.
Got a better reading from my PH High range
Same old same old lol
Added 3ml of ammonia on saturday 22/01/2011
Day 1 @ 19:00 PH-7.6, High PH-7.8 a= 4ppm, Ni=0ppm, Na=80-160ppm,No ammonia added
Day 2 @19:10 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = 20-40ppm, no ammonia added
Day 3 @ 19:29 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na= 20ppm, no ammonia added
Day 4 @18:35 - PH high - 8.2, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm Na= not tested, no ammonia added.
Day 5 @18:04 - PH - not tested, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = not tested, no ammonia added
Tank Temp is 29*c
Day 1 @ 19:00 PH-7.6, High PH-7.8 a= 4ppm, Ni=0ppm, Na=80-160ppm,No ammonia added
Day 2 @19:10 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = 20-40ppm, no ammonia added
Day 3 @ 19:29 PH-7.6, High PH - 8.0, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na= 20ppm, no ammonia added
Day 4 @18:35 - PH high - 8.2, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm Na= not tested, no ammonia added.
Day 5 @18:04 - PH - not tested, A= 4ppm, Ni= 0ppm, Na = not tested, no ammonia added
Tank Temp is 29*c
Curiosity101
Is now at University! :D
Just out of interest, where did the mature media come from? Ie. What size tank, what type of filter, how many fish were in it, and what media did you get? (sponge?).
Thing is... imagine you got it from a 200l tank with an external filter and maybe a shoal of 20 neons and a couple of small cichlids (or similar). Firstly the bacteria (apparently) are more likely to set up shop on the bio balls/ ceramic rings due to their position in the filter and the fact they are porus (Which makes sense when you consider what a bacteria considers as the best place to live).
So imagine you got give some sponge from that, you'd be less likely to get many/any bacteria as the sponges are some of the last in the water flow.
Also if it's lightly stocked then there wont be anywhere near the number of bacteria that there would be in your 'average' tank.
Just something to think about. Although we think of the filter as being mature, there is no guarantee that the bacteria is evenly distributed through it. So there is a chance you got some spong from a mature filter... but the bit of sponge had negligible numbers of bacteria on it. So although you may see a slightly faster cycle... (ie. a few days give or take), you wont see the dramatic change you might expect.
Thing is... imagine you got it from a 200l tank with an external filter and maybe a shoal of 20 neons and a couple of small cichlids (or similar). Firstly the bacteria (apparently) are more likely to set up shop on the bio balls/ ceramic rings due to their position in the filter and the fact they are porus (Which makes sense when you consider what a bacteria considers as the best place to live).
So imagine you got give some sponge from that, you'd be less likely to get many/any bacteria as the sponges are some of the last in the water flow.
Also if it's lightly stocked then there wont be anywhere near the number of bacteria that there would be in your 'average' tank.
Just something to think about. Although we think of the filter as being mature, there is no guarantee that the bacteria is evenly distributed through it. So there is a chance you got some spong from a mature filter... but the bit of sponge had negligible numbers of bacteria on it. So although you may see a slightly faster cycle... (ie. a few days give or take), you wont see the dramatic change you might expect.
Cheers for that it came from a tank that I think is around 100lts they have about 10 neon tetras a plec a cory 3 clow loach and I think maybe some gouramis. It is a how I would call a standard interal filter (not sure of the make) sorry if the info is a bit vague. It could well be that the sponge I took had hardly any bacteria as it was only lightly discoloured from the normal sponge colour so I guess the bacteria in there set up has sit up shop somewhere else. I will persevere with the cycle as I want my future to have the best home I can provide
I am currently reading articles regarding having a planted tank durin a cycle pros and cons etc. I want a nicely planted tank primarily for a betta I will be looking to buy sorry if this doesn't make sense I'm writing it on my phone
I am currently reading articles regarding having a planted tank durin a cycle pros and cons etc. I want a nicely planted tank primarily for a betta I will be looking to buy sorry if this doesn't make sense I'm writing it on my phone
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