Oliver's New Tank

[waterdrop]

Update: , Well, my A-bacs didn't like only getting to eat from a small bucket of soup apparently and decided to recede back in numbers. I tested after 11 hours and they were only able to drop 4ppm of ammonia down to 2ppm or so, so I'll have to give them time to build back up. NO2 was at zero, so I'm hopeful the N-bacs persisted as a large population.

I also have a second theory that its possible the greater load of decaying plant material (fair number of plant parts and roots not looking extremely healthy after all the shocks) is slowly contributing extra ammonia on top of the straight stuff I'm adding from my bottle.

Wondering if I should consider a very minor "swish-out" of my filter sponges in tank water (even though doing that is usually supposed to just slow a fishless cycle.) What does anyone think?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Miss Wiggle]

the only reason to swish out your filter sponges is if they're full of decaying food/plant matter and are struggling to pull enough water through. if the filter is still pulling water through and out at a decent rate then there's really no need too.

what i suspect you're seeing is actually a mini cycle. sometimes if you clean too thoroughly or you move the tank around or something like that you can disturb things, kill off a small amount of the bacteria population and consequently start a mini cycle that goes in a couple of days. I think that's all that's happened for you, and to be fair your bacteria's taken a bit of a beating!

just keep on adding your ammonia and leave well alone for a couple of days and see how things happen. i reckon it'll just be a blip for a day or two and then you'll be back to cycled again

 

[rabbut]

Unless your sponges are realy filthy to a point where they are almost blocked, I'd leave them Sorry to hear that your bacteria have died back I'd wait untill the ammonia and and nitrite are dropping in 12 hours, then I'd rince them out, in readyness for the week long test to ensure that the bacteria are processing as they should

Good luck
Rabbut

 

[backtotropical]

I thought this might be a good opportunity to show off my very own Scalares?

Notice the vertical stripes in the first pic (although not black).

What do you think, WD?

They are growing like mad. They were only around 1" tall when i bought them around 2 - 3 months ago. Now they're 3 times that size. I like to think its attributable to good water and a healthy varied diet of almost entirely frozen and live foods. Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Blood worm, Krill, Mosquito larvae etc etc

 

[LionessN3cubs]

I thought this might be a good opportunity to show off my very own Scalares?

Notice the vertical stripes in the first pic (although not black).

What do you think, WD?

They are growing like mad. They were only around 1" tall when i bought them around 2 - 3 months ago. Now they're 3 times that size. I like to think its attributable to good water and a healthy varied diet of almost entirely frozen and live foods. Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Blood worm, Krill, Mosquito larvae etc etc

Man waterdrop, poor you and oliver can't catch a break! I'll give ya credit tho, you must have the patience and control of a saint. I'd be freaking out about now...prolly if this had all happened to me on a bad week I'd have scrapped the whole idea until I had a few....months....to calm back down and try again. Redheaded irish temper and all that.

 

[waterdrop]

the only reason to swish out your filter sponges is if they're full of decaying food/plant matter and are struggling to pull enough water through. if the filter is still pulling water through and out at a decent rate then there's really no need too.

what i suspect you're seeing is actually a mini cycle. sometimes if you clean too thoroughly or you move the tank around or something like that you can disturb things, kill off a small amount of the bacteria population and consequently start a mini cycle that goes in a couple of days. I think that's all that's happened for you, and to be fair your bacteria's taken a bit of a beating!

just keep on adding your ammonia and leave well alone for a couple of days and see how things happen. i reckon it'll just be a blip for a day or two and then you'll be back to cycled again

Thanks MW, have the ammonia in there and I'm holding tight!

 

[waterdrop]

I thought this might be a good opportunity to show off my very own Scalares?

Notice the vertical stripes in the first pic (although not black).

What do you think, WD?

They are growing like mad. They were only around 1" tall when i bought them around 2 - 3 months ago. Now they're 3 times that size. I like to think its attributable to good water and a healthy varied diet of almost entirely frozen and live foods. Brine shrimp, Daphnia, Blood worm, Krill, Mosquito larvae etc etc

Wow, they look great BTT! Yes, I can see the stripes in the first picture. I especially like the beautiful long trailers on tail and bottom fin - definately no nipping problems in your tank! Also the deep orange in the eyes that only the older angels seem to get - really nice. They do also look really healthy and well-adjusted - you can tell from their various positions that they are exploring about and they are not pale.

Also like your fine sand - really nice and goes with the driftwood in there. Oliver will like your CO2 ladder. He's really into those.

Thanks so much for noticing my comment and posting the pics!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[waterdrop]

Hi there Lioness - yes, there was a period in there, after the tank broke, when we were all in there on our knees with towels when we had a serious discussion about chucking the whole thing and just getting another cat!

Thankfully we got past that and all day today the tank has looked so nice in Oliver's room.

~~waterdrop~~
ps. I guess the snow's melted now?

 

[tim1]

If my 55gal leaked it would be horrible, as it is beside the Air Duct so everything would leak to the basement...*shudders*

 

[Miss Wiggle]

Hi there Lioness - yes, there was a period in there, after the tank broke, when we were all in there on our knees with towels when we had a serious discussion about chucking the whole thing and just getting another cat!

Thankfully we got past that and all day today the tank has looked so nice in Oliver's room.

~~waterdrop~~
ps. I guess the snow's melted now?

lol, i got offered another kitten last week, nagged ian enough that he said no more cats but i can set up another tank

 

[Gillymore]

Now which button was it that actually takes the pic?

~~waterdrop~~

You sound as technically inept as I am waterdrop lol. Good to hear that you and the lad are getting back on course with the tank.

 

[Gillymore]

Nice Angels matey. Are they ok to keep in a community tank? Always remember my dad kept them when I was a lad and he used to say something like, "they may be called Angelfish....but they sometimes have a bit of the devil in them". But thinking retrospectively, he probably had loads of fish together that shouldn't have been!!!

 

[tim1]

I think that Angel Fish don't like Neon Tetra's. Or was that guppies?

 

[waterdrop]

Hi there Lioness - yes, there was a period in there, after the tank broke, when we were all in there on our knees with towels when we had a serious discussion about chucking the whole thing and just getting another cat!

Thankfully we got past that and all day today the tank has looked so nice in Oliver's room.

~~waterdrop~~
ps. I guess the snow's melted now?

lol, i got offered another kitten last week, nagged ian enough that he said no more cats but i can set up another tank

lol, so our maties are opposites. Your's will let you have more tanks, mine will let me have more cats.

Nice Angels matey. Are they ok to keep in a community tank? Always remember my dad kept them when I was a lad and he used to say something like, "they may be called Angelfish....but they sometimes have a bit of the devil in them". But thinking retrospectively, he probably had loads of fish together that shouldn't have been!!!

I forget your tank shape Gillymore,? Angels are happier with some tall space to move around in..

 

[waterdrop]

I think that Angel Fish don't like Neon Tetra's. Or was that guppies?

Well if the angels are big enough, they will occasionally eat anything that's small. With neons and angels, it makes a big difference when each was introduced to the tank. Angels that are young and come into a tank with neons already there will grow up with them and be used to them and generally not eat them. Relative size and health also plays a big role. Larger neons that are very healthy are quick and less likely to be caught by the angels.

~~waterdrop~~