Menacer's Fishless Cycle Log

[Ifti]

I may check for that if I get no movement in my cycle soon. Cheers.

 

[kporteo]

Just remember to not take all of your gf's media or she wont have any bacteria in her tank!!!
K

 

[menacer]

But she changed her sponge every 6 weeks?

 

[Ifti]

When changing the sponge I believe you should cut it in half, and change half of it rather then the whole sponge, so you still have some bacteria left in it. After a few weeks you can change the last of the old sponge out since the bacs will have multiplied onto the new sponge.....

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

The general rule used is never to renew more than a third of your bacteria housing media. Whether thats sponge or bio balls etc.

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with BBB, any time you want the benefit of a biofilter (automatic continuous control of ammonia and nitrite) you need to maintain it by changing no more than about 1/3 of the main biomedia (thus retaining all the bacteria and their biofilms on the surfaces of the other 2/3 media that stays the same when the change is taking place inside the filter.) And that could be coldwater or tropical, doesn't matter, same principle. The idea of tossing out a whole biomedia section of a filter and replacing it with new media is a sales thing devised by people who could care less about what biofilters and good fish environments are all about.

Menacer and ifti, I hope you two will hang in there with your tanks and fishless cycles despite all the troubles. I know it would be easy to start thinking this whole thing is crazy and that you should just not go to all this trouble. But it's my experience that any time we go through really difficult troubles we tend to remember the whole experience much longer and often learn the lessons from it better. So all this could lead to you being better hobbyists in the long run. And I hope something in the current "restart" will change things and lead to a different outcome soon!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[menacer]

Thanks every one for the replies, BBB thats some great information cheers. Waterdrop... thanks i do feel like i have stored alot of what has happened in my head and hope i can also pass on my knowledge to the new people starting cycles. Thanks for your kind words.

 

[menacer]

Ok just spoke to her she said she only relaces the hard cartrisge, the sponge and noodles have never been changed

 

[nehpets81]

Any movement in the last few days? Just wanted to add some moral support - after my cycle stalled once, my tank has finally started to process Ammonia again. I have just got to 0.25ppm (as close to zero as I have ever got), and this took over 60 days. It coincided with a water change, among other desperate measures to get started. Hopefully that, along with the mature media will set you on your way.

 

[menacer]

Unfortunately no changes as of yet thanks though

 

[KittyKat]

Did you seed the filter in the end?

 

[menacer]

seed the filter? What does that mean?

 

[waterdrop]

"Seeding" is the short term for adding mature media to your new filter from someone else's (or your own if you have another freshwater tank) long-time-running filter. When you move some filter media you are also moving the bacteria that live on that media and they are providing the "seed" that will grow into a mature colony if tended properly.

I assume KK was wondering whether you'd ever worked it out to get a 1/3 donation from your gf's tank (I assume this would be worth a night on the town to her, not to mention you buying her a fresh set of media from which to subset new media material for her filter.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[menacer]

"Seeding" is the short term for adding mature media to your new filter from someone else's (or your own if you have another freshwater tank) long-time-running filter. When you move some filter media you are also moving the bacteria that live on that media and they are providing the "seed" that will grow into a mature colony if tended properly.

I assume KK was wondering whether you'd ever worked it out to get a 1/3 donation from your gf's tank (I assume this would be worth a night on the town to her, not to mention you buying her a fresh set of media from which to subset new media material for her filter.)

~~waterdrop~~

Oh ok thanks for that information waterdrop, unfortunately her tanks media is set in plastic and you can not remove it without ruining the way that it would work as far as i know and she has explained. I am thinking about buying anotherfilter though as this one is making a funny squirting noise every so often? like its squeezing water out it does it at random times and random amounts is this normal?


I have heard that the filter i am using is not good anyway so would it be worth me getting a new filter?

Thanks

{}--{Menacer}

 

[menacer]

Now thats the movement i have been looking for!