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[Essjay]

That's the one I use.

When you do a water change once you have fish you will need to add some to the new water. If you use a bucket to refill, add it to each bucketful at the dose rate for the water in each bucket. I have chlorine in my tap water and I can't lift heavy buckets so to refill I put 2 drops of the Tap Water Conditioner in the bucket then put cold tap water and a kettleful of boiling water up to the 7.6 litre mark - that's 2 gallons. API is American so it's US gallons, 1 US gallon = 3.8 litres.
If you use a hosepipe to refill, that's different.

Okay I shall also add some tetra safe start in now
You mentioned “following the method on here”

Sorry we’re abouts will I find that? Or is that a short answer

Sorry, I typed that quickly as I was being nagged to go out and didn't explain fully. The method on here looks very complicated at first but there is a short version which is easier to follow. At the start it's what I said earlier about testing every 3 days till you get certain readings for ammonia and nitrite.

Simplified Fishless Cycling Instructions

So the main sticky for Fishless cycling is great but it suffers a little from information overload and that makes it hard for some to follow the instructions. I thought I would have a go at a "condensed" version. This is in no way meant to replace the original instructions but just act as a...

www.fishforums.net

As for chloramine, you could try contacting your water company to ask if they use chlorine or chloramine. Chloramine is ammonia and chlorine joined together and dechlorinators split them up and remove the chlorine part, the plants/bacteria remove the ammonia part. That API dechlorinator has different doses for chlorine and chloramine. If you have chlorine in your tap water, you need to use the lower dose.

 

[777james777]

That's the one I use.

When you do a water change once you have fish you will need to add some to the new water. If you use a bucket to refill, add it to each bucketful at the dose rate for the water in each bucket. I have chlorine in my tap water and I can't lift heavy buckets so to refill I put 2 drops of the Tap Water Conditioner in the bucket then put cold tap water and a kettleful of boiling water up to the 7.6 litre mark - that's 2 gallons. API is American so it's US gallons, 1 US gallon = 3.8 litres.
If you use a hosepipe to refill, that's different.



Sorry, I typed that quickly as I was being nagged to go out and didn't explain fully. The method on here looks very complicated at first but there is a short version which is easier to follow. At the start it's what I said earlier about testing every 3 days till you get certain readings for ammonia and nitrite.

Simplified Fishless Cycling Instructions

So the main sticky for Fishless cycling is great but it suffers a little from information overload and that makes it hard for some to follow the instructions. I thought I would have a go at a "condensed" version. This is in no way meant to replace the original instructions but just act as a...

www.fishforums.net

As for chloramine, you could try contacting your water company to ask if they use chlorine or chloramine. Chloramine is ammonia and chlorine joined together and dechlorinators split them up and remove the chlorine part, the plants/bacteria remove the ammonia part. That API dechlorinator has different doses for chlorine and chloramine. If you have chlorine in your tap water, you need to use the lower dose.

When I was a teenager I had tropical fish for years and never new about any of this. My fish always seemed healthy colourful etc perhaps I got lucky ?

I got a bit confused by your last post.

Going forward the way I will be filling my tank up with be with with a new plastic container I have purchased that can hold 13 litres.

Yes my apologise I have seen and read the short (and long) methods and I am getting to grips with them.

It was this bottle of safe start that I’m confused on.

it says on the front “for 60 litres” (I have now about 135 in my tank.

So I’m guessing I need another one, my question is… shall I just put this entire bottle in my tank now? To get it going ? (This is just a “speeding up tool” rather than a need. Correct?

 

[Essjay]

Sorry, misunderstood.

I've not used Tetra Safe Start myself, so I've just looked on-line. It seems they say that bottle contains enough bacteria for a 60 litre tank. I wouldn't worry, it takes less than a day for the bacteria to double in number so it'll only mean an extra day cycling than if you'd added two bottles.

Your 13 litre container needs 3.42 drops of Tap Water Conditioner. I suggest you add 4 to every 13 litres water. I use a 1 ml plastic pipette for measuring drops. This type

 

[777james777]

Sorry, misunderstood.

I've not used Tetra Safe Start myself, so I've just looked on-line. It seems they say that bottle contains enough bacteria for a 60 litre tank. I wouldn't worry, it takes less than a day for the bacteria to double in number so it'll only mean an extra day cycling than if you'd added two bottles.

Your 13 litre container needs 3.42 drops of Tap Water Conditioner. I suggest you add 4 to every 13 litres water. I use a 1 ml plastic pipette for measuring drops. This type

Sorry, misunderstood.

I've not used Tetra Safe Start myself, so I've just looked on-line. It seems they say that bottle contains enough bacteria for a 60 litre tank. I wouldn't worry, it takes less than a day for the bacteria to double in number so it'll only mean an extra day cycling than if you'd added two bottles.

Your 13 litre container needs 3.42 drops of Tap Water Conditioner. I suggest you add 4 to every 13 litres water. I use a 1 ml plastic pipette for measuring drops. This type

I have added the whole 60ml to my tank so will just let that mix in for a bit now.
The tanks at the correct temperature and the tetra safe is in.
The PH is almost correct and I the ammonia level is on 4

So I’m going to leave it now till Wednesday night then I will test the PH, the ammonia and the nitrite.

What sort of levels am I “expected to see”

 

[Essjay]

The pH will be what it will be. It depends on what exactly is in your tap water (read your water quality report, you'll be surprised what's in there) But keep an eye on it when you do the other tests and if it starts to drop tell us.

For the next week or so, I would expect zero nitrite and ammonia at the level it is now. Then ammonia will be slightly lower and a small amount of nitrite will appear. Once ammonia is below 0.75 and nitrite is over 2.0 you'll be ready for the next stage.
If the Safe Start works, things should happen a bit faster than it would without it. It may even go from the current level of ammonia to almost zero and nitrite shoot up from zero to a lot between tests.
But the important thing to look for is ammonia under 0.75 and nitrite over 2.

 

[777james777]

The pH will be what it will be. It depends on what exactly is in your tap water (read your water quality report, you'll be surprised what's in there) But keep an eye on it when you do the other tests and if it starts to drop tell us.

For the next week or so, I would expect zero nitrite and ammonia at the level it is now. Then ammonia will be slightly lower and a small amount of nitrite will appear. Once ammonia is below 0.75 and nitrite is over 2.0 you'll be ready for the next stage.
If the Safe Start works, things should happen a bit faster than it would without it. It may even go from the current level of ammonia to almost zero and nitrite shoot up from zero to a lot between tests.
But the important thing to look for is ammonia under 0.75 and nitrite over 2.

Okay thanks, time to be patient now then I guess!
I will check all the levels on Tuesday night and Friday night and then let you know how I’m getting on!

 

[Essjay]

Forgot to mention - it is common in newly set up tanks for the water to go cloudy. If this happens don't panic. It's a bacterial bloom, but it's not the bacteria we want to grow.
Filter bacteria 'eat' things based on nitrogen (ammonia, nitrite). The bloom bacteria 'eat' carbon based things. There are a few in tap water that avoid being poisoned by chlorine, and when dechlorinator is added they can now multiply. Bloom bacteria live floating in the water and they multiply very fast. We see them as the cloudiness and the speed the cloudiness can suddenly appear is down to their fast multiplying. The cloudiness does go away by itself but as every tank is different it's impossible to say how long.

You might not get the cloudiness, but I wanted you to know it's possible so you don't worry if it does

 

[777james777]

Forgot to mention - it is common in newly set up tanks for the water to go cloudy. If this happens don't panic. It's a bacterial bloom, but it's not the bacteria we want to grow.
Filter bacteria 'eat' things based on nitrogen (ammonia, nitrite). The bloom bacteria 'eat' carbon based things. There are a few in tap water that avoid being poisoned by chlorine, and when dechlorinator is added they can now multiply. Bloom bacteria live floating in the water and they multiply very fast. We see them as the cloudiness and the speed the cloudiness can suddenly appear is down to their fast multiplying. The cloudiness does go away by itself but as every tank is different it's impossible to say how long.

You might not get the cloudiness, but I wanted you to know it's possible so you don't worry if it does

Thank you, Iv noticed an ever so slight cloudiness after I poured in the dechlorinator but il keep an eye on it!

When is it best to start adding plants in?
Now or after the cycle ?

 

[jaylach]

Speaking of PH... I don't think it's been mentioned yet but don't test your tap water right out of the faucet. Let the water sit in a container for a day then test. This will give a much more accurate reading of the tap water PH. Tap water PH can change a LOT after sitting for a day.

 

[Essjay]

When is it best to start adding plants in?
Now or after the cycle ?

After the cycle. All the ammonia added during a fishless cycle can harm some plants.

 

[jaylach]

After the cycle. All the ammonia added during a fishless cycle can harm some plants.I

have to question this as plants can be a resource as to removing ammonia which can affect a cycle but I don't see where plants in a tank during a cycle should hurt plants. There are probably some specific plants that could be hurt but I think, in general, most plants could not care.

With many plants I would think a higher ammonia would actually help the plants. After all is not one of the benefits of live plants their ability to suck up ammonia???

 

[Essjay]

We usually recommend either planting after a fishless cycle, or doing a plant cycle instead of a fishless cycle. As you say, plants take up ammonia which makes it impossible to follow the fishless cycle method on here which relies on reaching a certain level of nitrite before adding more ammonia.

 

[777james777]

We usually recommend either planting after a fishless cycle, or doing a plant cycle instead of a fishless cycle. As you say, plants take up ammonia which makes it impossible to follow the fishless cycle method on here which relies on reaching a certain level of nitrite before adding more ammonia.

Im in no rush, I have started the cycle now so will continue and get the plants at a later date!

More of my concern at the minute is still this slate, I don’t know if im being paranoid I don’t know wether to just go down the ornament route as it will save me thinking about it. I did want a big structure in the tank with lots of caves and holes for the fish but they’re quite pricey!

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

I think the slate will be fine personally

 

[777james777]

I think the slate will be fine personally

If I was to go to a fish store… the slate that they sell is that any different/ guaranteed to be okay?