Murloc's Fish Cycle

[Murloc]

My new Edge tank arrived earlier, and my sister and I (she kinda commandeered the whole 'washing gravel and decor' because she's the only sibling without a tank at the moment) set it up and started it running, (14/3 as we go)

I've added the dosage of Nutrafin water conditioner, fired up the heater/filter and I'm only leaving the lamp on for photo purposes. Tomorrow I'm heading to the decent one of my LFS to get and nab some filter media and to get some ammonia from Boots.
The plants in here are all fake cotton, the only thing I have to add are the two Japanese Moss balls that are in the red container next to the tank. I got some Nutrafin Cycle with the tank, but after lurking and reading on here, I've not added any - I'm guessing that's a good thing?

(Yes, that's an API Test kit peeking around the corner )

 

[clay]

I dig the jack daniels.

 

[Wend]

Thats beautiful

 

[KittyKat]

As you got it free, might as well try the Nutrafin Cycle, some of these things seem to be starting to actually do something useful.

 

[waterdrop]

Are you going to allow the fish to have a little airline from the Jack Daniels or are you going to card them for their birthdays?

 

[clay]

Are you going to allow the fish to have a little airline from the Jack Daniels or are you going to card them for their birthdays?

you just made my day

 

[Warehouse]

That looks really nice. Forget the ammonia, just dose to 5ppm JD, who cares what happens .

Seriously though, if you're getting some mature filter media from the LFS then don't add anything apart from the ammonia, then whack the temperature up to 28 degrees.

 

[waterdrop]

Wait a minute, it's 29C. Are we having a 28 degree rebellion here?

 

[Warehouse]

Wait a minute, it's 29C. Are we having a 28 degree rebellion here?

28.5 cash.

 

[Murloc]

Thanks for the replies.

I'd popped some Nutrafin Cycle in, I figured it couldn't do any harm until I get the media in the tank tomorrow.
In regards to the JD, I'd probably prefer cards for a birthday, I love it too much myself to give it to the fish

Tested with API master kit just after 11:30pm, here's the results so far, bearing in mind I added 15ml of Nutrafin Cycle as the instructions refer to; (14/3)

PH - 7.6
Ammonia - Below 0.25ppm, it's a pale yellow.
Nitrite - Below 0.25ppm, it's a dark blue.
Nitrate - Below 5.0ppm, Dark Yellow in the tube

 

[waterdrop]

It just occurred to me that "carding" may be a term used in the US but not the UK (in the US it refers to the authorities asking for a young person's drivers license to check if they are old enough to drink alcohol.) Is this true in the UK? (or maybe I'm wrong and all blokes are brought in to the pub shortly after birth to begin training on how to identify a good stout? )

 

[KittyKat]

Never heard carding used in UK..

 

[Murloc]

It's called 'getting ID'd' in the UK, at least around where I live

Grandmother wanted a Moss ball demo, so one's been bopping around under the glass for a couple hours now, it looks pretty but the ruddy thing refuses to sink.
The water went a little cloudy last night, I guess that's the filter kicking in?

 

[waterdrop]

Just about every new tank goes cloudy for a while. Once tap water reaches the house, there are small numbers of bacteria that have survived the chlorine/chloramine that keeps down biofilms in the pipes and keeps humans from getting sick. The bacteria are of both the autotrohic type (processors of inorganic materials) and heterotrophic type (processors of organic materials coming from other living/once living things.) The heterotrophic bacteria are capable of astounding exponential population growth if given a food source. Often a new tank will have a food source in the outgassings from the silicone glue used to make the tank and from microscopic materials in the tap water itself. Once the suppression of the chlorine/chloramine has been removed by you adding the conditioner, the heterotrophs will go wild, reproducing until they consume all of what they find. You can literally see the mass of heterotrophic cells themselves as a white/gray haze that looks for all the world as if some milk where spilled in the tank.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Warehouse]

Grandmother wanted a Moss ball demo, so one's been bopping around under the glass for a couple hours now, it looks pretty but the ruddy thing refuses to sink.

Squeeze the air out of it and it'll sink.