Mola Mola - Fishless Cycle Log

[Mola Mola]

Just tested again, 18 hours after re-dosing, and all of the nitrite is gone, so must be getting pretty close now.

I've just re-dosed to 1.5ppm, to give them something to work on, with the hope that it will be clear by 8:30pm, when I will re-dose to 5ppm for another 12 hour test.

 

[Blubble37]

VERRRYYY Close now mola!

 

[Mola Mola]

VERRRYYY Close now mola!

Thanks Blubble. Seems that those bacteria have finally done it.

Day 28 - 9:30am

ammonia - 0 ppm
nitrite - 0 ppm
nitrate - not tested
ph - 7.6

So, 12 hours after dosing ammonia to 5ppm, both ammonia and nitrite are clear!

Yippeee!!!

 

[Miles_hot]

so now the qualifying week starts

 

[Mola Mola]

so now the qualifying week starts

Yeah, although a have a bit of an issue.

I am going away for 3 days, and I am not sure what to do with the tank in the meantime. Should I put a big dose of ammonia in just before I go, and if so, how much? (the bacteria can handle 5ppm in well under 6 hours, and I don't want them to die off).

Alternatively, I wondered whether I should consider doing a 50% stocking now. I'm pretty confident that the 12 hour test isn't a fluke, because I tested yesterday and it had all gone within 18 hours, but I certainly haven't done several days of qualification.

 

[Tizer]

i would just dose up the morning before you leave then leave it, it should be fine for 3 days, then dose when you get home and carry on. better than buying livestock and returning to dead fish, that will put you off keeping fish straight away. You could leave some fish flake in there aswell, which can potentially rot over the time you are away and provide a little something.

 

[Mola Mola]

Hmmm...well...a funny thing happened today.

I went into the fish shop and came out with 8 platies, 6 black mollies and 2 Thai Red Crabs.

I wanted to resist, but I had told the kids that once the nitrite test was light blue, we would get them. They were too excited and I buckled!

Anyway, I am only going to be away for a couple of nights and the guy in the fish shop told me (yeah, I know! ) that they should be OK.

One of the crab seems to have some green stuff growing on its back (like very short grass), not sure if it is algae. Anyway the mollies are chasing it around the tank, trying to chomp at the stuff on its back.

EDIT: BTW, I asked the guy about the crabs being brackish, and he said that they seemed to do fine in freshwater. Yeah, I know! They are just a lot more visible for the kids than shrimp.

 

[Tizer]

Seriously, crabs? I know some people keep them, but they really do need salt for a long and healthy life. I wouldnt dream of putting any in a tropical tank

Seriously, i know sometimes its hard to resist and advice on here isnt always right, but wouldnt it have been wise to perhaps buy them after you got back from holiday, perhaps asking advice here first? Your fish are either going to attack them, because they are probably the most dumb fish alive (most live bearers are pretty stupid and uninteresting) or your crabs are going to turn around and chomp off fins and the fish will be too daft not to keep away from them.

Have fun worrying about the Ammonia spike if something dies from mad pincers of death when you are away!

Sorry, i sound harsh, but seriously, make full use of this forum!!

 

[Mola Mola]

Seriously, crabs? I know some people keep them, but they really do need salt for a long and healthy life. I wouldnt dream of putting any in a tropical tank

Seriously, i know sometimes its hard to resist and advice on here isnt always right, but wouldnt it have been wise to perhaps buy them after you got back from holiday, perhaps asking advice here first? Your fish are either going to attack them, because they are probably the most dumb fish alive (most live bearers are pretty stupid and uninteresting) or your crabs are going to turn around and chomp off fins and the fish will be too daft not to keep away from them.

Have fun worrying about the Ammonia spike if something dies from mad pincers of death when you are away!

Sorry, i sound harsh, but seriously, make full use of this forum!!

Yeah, I know, probably not the wisest of moves!

I am only going to be away for a couple of nights, so I thought that the tank could cope. I suppose that I felt fairly confident that the tank would be able to handle it, given that it seems to be pretty well cycled.

As for the crabs, it seems that I may not have gotten very good advice at the fish shop.

I guess that I'll just have to see how it goes, and keep my fingers crossed that the crabs keep their pincers to themselves.

 

[Miles_hot]

seriously - keep the fish (don't feed before you go) but get rid of the crabs otherwise you'll probably come back to rather less fish!