There is considerable preliminary details to consider as to why I'm seeking the advice regarding how to set up a new aquarium which I will detail in italics below.
During autumn of 2012, I ordered a custom made open-top aquarium. I filled it up with dechlorinated water, assembled a Fluval 406 external filtration system, added a heater (and set it to 28 degrees C) and also added various rocks (similar to sodalite) and play-sand. I began a fishless cycle, adding 5ppm of pure ammonia every 24 hours until the ammonia concentration depleted to 0 ppm every 24 hours and then added ammonia every 12 hours until this was processed down to 0ppm every 12 hours. I added table spoons of bicarbonate of soda to keep the PH level at 8.2 as I was told this is the optimum PH level when conducting a fishless cycle.
As there were no fish in the aquarium, I saw no reason to clean the filter sponges. Additionally, I didn't want to disturb the nitrobacter and nitrosomonas colonies that were developing on the biological filtration sponges during the fishless cycle, so I also avoided cleaning the sponges for this reason also. Eventually my fishless cycle completed 2 months later (both ammonia and nitrite would be processed down to 0ppm every 12 hours during every day of a given week) but there was a strange orange slime that had developed on the glass and filtration pipes and orange flaky chunks (which resembled skin) were deposited on the substrate and all the filter sponges; it had no smell. Emptying the water contents from the Fluval 406 filter into a bucket revealed millions of extremely small fleshy particles. No matter how hard I tried to remove the slime and flaky substance, the original amount, prior to cleaning, would re-develop 5-6 days later. The substance was removing all oxygen from the water as indicated by a Tetra Oxygen test result and as indicated when 3 black neon tetras died within 5 minutes of being introduced to the problem-tank.
It is only now, in March 2013, after disinfecting the tank twice (with bleach and over 5kg of salt), replacing the substrate, rocks and filter (at a cost of over £200) that the aforementioned substance is no longer growing and spreading.
- With the above details in mind, could it be that in some circumstances, the chemicals that are involved in fishless cycling can cause deadly conditions in the aquarium? Conditions such as no oxygen and what seems to be a persistent, fast-spreading visible orange bacterial growth?
- Also, to avoid the same happening again, is it possible to avoid doing a fishless cycle altogether in favour of heavily stocking the aquarium with plants (ammonia and nitrate is then used a fertiliser by the plants for growth)? Would an un-cycled aquarium, full of plants, be healthy enough to introduce fish into?
I have posted this message on both Fishforums and UKAPs to help get a varied response.
Thanks in advance for any help given!
During autumn of 2012, I ordered a custom made open-top aquarium. I filled it up with dechlorinated water, assembled a Fluval 406 external filtration system, added a heater (and set it to 28 degrees C) and also added various rocks (similar to sodalite) and play-sand. I began a fishless cycle, adding 5ppm of pure ammonia every 24 hours until the ammonia concentration depleted to 0 ppm every 24 hours and then added ammonia every 12 hours until this was processed down to 0ppm every 12 hours. I added table spoons of bicarbonate of soda to keep the PH level at 8.2 as I was told this is the optimum PH level when conducting a fishless cycle.
As there were no fish in the aquarium, I saw no reason to clean the filter sponges. Additionally, I didn't want to disturb the nitrobacter and nitrosomonas colonies that were developing on the biological filtration sponges during the fishless cycle, so I also avoided cleaning the sponges for this reason also. Eventually my fishless cycle completed 2 months later (both ammonia and nitrite would be processed down to 0ppm every 12 hours during every day of a given week) but there was a strange orange slime that had developed on the glass and filtration pipes and orange flaky chunks (which resembled skin) were deposited on the substrate and all the filter sponges; it had no smell. Emptying the water contents from the Fluval 406 filter into a bucket revealed millions of extremely small fleshy particles. No matter how hard I tried to remove the slime and flaky substance, the original amount, prior to cleaning, would re-develop 5-6 days later. The substance was removing all oxygen from the water as indicated by a Tetra Oxygen test result and as indicated when 3 black neon tetras died within 5 minutes of being introduced to the problem-tank.
It is only now, in March 2013, after disinfecting the tank twice (with bleach and over 5kg of salt), replacing the substrate, rocks and filter (at a cost of over £200) that the aforementioned substance is no longer growing and spreading.
- With the above details in mind, could it be that in some circumstances, the chemicals that are involved in fishless cycling can cause deadly conditions in the aquarium? Conditions such as no oxygen and what seems to be a persistent, fast-spreading visible orange bacterial growth?
- Also, to avoid the same happening again, is it possible to avoid doing a fishless cycle altogether in favour of heavily stocking the aquarium with plants (ammonia and nitrate is then used a fertiliser by the plants for growth)? Would an un-cycled aquarium, full of plants, be healthy enough to introduce fish into?
I have posted this message on both Fishforums and UKAPs to help get a varied response.
Thanks in advance for any help given!
