Si's Fishless Cycle

[PDSimon]

yup

They don't seem to cover many rocks on the beginners section but petrified wood is almost inert apparently.

Thanks It's quite nice knowing you have fossils in your aquarium

 

[waterdrop]

Let me be clear here. When I say "as far as I know its ok" I'm just saying I don't really know. I'm not saying its something I've had experience with and know is basically ok, I'm saying I really just don't know.

Are you saying you found info that petrified wood rocks are almost inert and ok.. or you knew from geology or something?

No big deal, I'm just curious and even if you don't know I'm sorta like you and think its likely to be pretty inert and ok.

WD

 

[PDSimon]

Let me be clear here. When I say "as far as I know its ok" I'm just saying I don't really know. I'm not saying its something I've had experience with and know is basically ok, I'm saying I really just don't know.

Are you saying you found info that petrified wood rocks are almost inert and ok.. or you knew from geology or something?

No big deal, I'm just curious and even if you don't know I'm sorta like you and think its likely to be pretty inert and ok.

WD

Petrified - i've read and been told they don't affect the pH or hardness.



Are there any meanings to having such a big nitrite spike or does it purely just mean the autotrophs need to speed up?

 

[waterdrop]

No, its just the gap between your A-Bacs and N-Bacs, no other special meaning in my opinion. WD

 

[PDSimon]

I put clingfilm over the bucket of bogwood so no dust and other stuff can get in it from the garage

The clingfilm won't affect the water will it? Its food safe so you'd imagine it would be water safe

 

[kaivalagi]

I put clingfilm over the bucket of bogwood so no dust and other stuff can get in it from the garage

The clingfilm won't affect the water will it? Its food safe so you'd imagine it would be water safe

No worries, just replace the water every other day of something if you want to try and flush out the tannins...

I thought I'd managed to get all the tannins out after soaking for a few weeks but now I've not done a big water change in the big tank since setting up (only 10-20%) I am now starting to see a colouration of the water...it's growing on me and good job the tank is an SA tank...it suits it really. I haven't decided whether I'll try to stop the colouration or not yet...it would be either big water changes each week, twice weekly water changes of 100Litres or so or use carbon which is expensive...

 

[PDSimon]

I put clingfilm over the bucket of bogwood so no dust and other stuff can get in it from the garage

The clingfilm won't affect the water will it? Its food safe so you'd imagine it would be water safe

No worries, just replace the water every other day of something if you want to try and flush out the tannins...

I thought I'd managed to get all the tannins out after soaking for a few weeks but now I've not done a big water change in the big tank since setting up (only 10-20%) I am now starting to see a colouration of the water...it's growing on me and good job the tank is an SA tank...it suits it really. I haven't decided whether I'll try to stop the colouration or not yet...it would be either big water changes each week, twice weekly water changes of 100Litres or so or use carbon which is expensive...

Did you boil yours? I'm not to bothered about water going a bit coloured as long as its not hard to see through!

p.s. you didn't answer an earlier post from yesterday, i think it was just why you didn't like the phantom or black widow tetras?

 

[kaivalagi]

Did you boil yours? I'm not to bothered about water going a bit coloured as long as its not hard to see through!

p.s. you didn't answer an earlier post from yesterday, i think it was just why you didn't like the phantom or black widow tetras?

It was too big to get in any pot, so I just poured boiling water onto it until submerged, then soaked in normal water from the tap for atleast 4 weeks after that, changing the water twice a week to get the tannins out...

It's not hard to see through, I first thought one of the new tubes had gone faulty or something, the tannins give a yellow(ish) hue, kind of blends with the sand in some weird sort of way...still undecided if I like it.

I have nothing against phantoms or black widows, nice fish and all, just not my cup of tea. It's just they can get a little bigger than others and I am not so keen on the way they don't school too well and go all over the tank, maybe some cichlids will keep the shoal tighter than I've seen? I would prefer if you are having a schooling fish that will will go everywhere in the tank that they were slimmer, like rummy's Now if you were to get 20 of those instead of two different species that would be my kind of setup! Bear in mind Rummy's are really really sensitive and should go into the tank a bit later on IMHO.

I am sure whatever you go with it will be nice to see, just my preferences might be a little different to yours that's all

Have you seen the new pic of my glorious male HRP here: http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/328947-solved-hrpblue-convict-rubbing-left-side-only-on-sand/page__view__findpost__p__2731280
Measured him today too, he is between 4-4.5" now, probably as big as he'll get now.

 

[PDSimon]

Yeah apparently you should leave tetras until the tank has had 6 months maturing time and rummy nose are exceptionally sensitive and die when you move them...

I'm unsure to be honest but the list will definately include bolivian rams, kuhli loaches and amano+blue shrimp.

Would bolivians and german rams get along (not now i'm on about in the future..)?


I saw, really nice fish

edit: I spoke to that guy selling the shrimp, very helpful and honest. He said they can kill fish so I don't really want to risk it. In the future I'd like a shrimp tank though with those guys in

 

[kaivalagi]

Yeah apparently you should leave tetras until the tank has had 6 months maturing time and rummy nose are exceptionally sensitive and die when you move them...

I'm unsure to be honest but the list will definately include bolivian rams, kuhli loaches and amano+blue shrimp.

Would bolivians and german rams get along (not now i'm on about in the future..)?


I saw, really nice fish

edit: I spoke to that guy selling the shrimp, very helpful and honest. He said they can kill fish so I don't really want to risk it. In the future I'd like a shrimp tank though with those guys in

Some tetras could go in straight away, you might lose one or two but I think generally it would be okay...just go cheap to start with...did you look at those danios I told you about btw?

On the rams front, I am guessing it depends on whether you get any pairings taking place, I would have both in there if one of the species bonded a pair and they started breeding...if the bolivians never got it on then I guess you could add GBR but again you wouldn't want a breeding pair forming as the other rams would be there...for me I would just stick with one or the other...still thinking of lowering your p|H aye Good luck...


If you get those red claws when all your fish are bigger you would be fine I reckon....or try to get some of those others I posted about, mexican blue I think, same sort of thing but blue claws instead of red and they don't get bigger than 1-1.5"!!!

Any downwards movement on the nitrites yet? I bet you're getting a little impatient now

 

[PDSimon]

Yeah apparently you should leave tetras until the tank has had 6 months maturing time and rummy nose are exceptionally sensitive and die when you move them...

I'm unsure to be honest but the list will definately include bolivian rams, kuhli loaches and amano+blue shrimp.

Would bolivians and german rams get along (not now i'm on about in the future..)?


I saw, really nice fish

edit: I spoke to that guy selling the shrimp, very helpful and honest. He said they can kill fish so I don't really want to risk it. In the future I'd like a shrimp tank though with those guys in

Some tetras could go in straight away, you might lose one or two but I think generally it would be okay...just go cheap to start with...did you look at those danios I told you about btw?

On the rams front, I am guessing it depends on whether you get any pairings taking place, I would have both in there if one of the species bonded a pair and they started breeding...if the bolivians never got it on then I guess you could add GBR but again you wouldn't want a breeding pair forming as the other rams would be there...for me I would just stick with one or the other...still thinking of lowering your p|H aye Good luck...


If you get those red claws when all your fish are bigger you would be fine I reckon....or try to get some of those others I posted about, mexican blue I think, same sort of thing but blue claws instead of red and they don't get bigger than 1-1.5"!!!

Any downwards movement on the nitrites yet? I bet you're getting a little impatient now

I had a little look... they didn't shout out to me

and I'd love to keep electric blues, so I was just thinking ahead But i know its best to keep the more hardy fish to start off with!

And yeah, its just theres a risk still, the shrimp get to like 3 inches! if they attacked an innocent tetra they'd seriously damage it..

I will find out in an hour - i was impatient 15 days ago

 

[PDSimon]

Do you think it would be a good idea to do a water change?

I read some of waterdrops posts about an excess of nitrites causing the bacteria to slow. Surely if I did a 50% change it would make it easier and not really effect the process anyway? Assuming that theres 20ppm+ of ammonia atleast(if not 50 by now!!) that hasn't been processed then surely it'll make the lives easier on the bacteria to produce in optimum conditions? I Just want to hurry the spike up a bit. Still no signs its dropping...

 

[kaivalagi]

I assume you mean 20ppm Nitrite not Ammonia?

Not so sure what to do, if you do a water change you'll need to dose some more ammonia to make it up to 3ppm?

 

[PDSimon]

I meant ammonia, I was referring to ammonia being processed. For example since the readings have been off the chart, I've added 30ppm of ammonia. Well if that 1ppm of ammonia converts to 2.7ppm of nitrite then theres 81ppm of nitrite? I imagine some of it has been processed although I've still only got 5ppm of nitrates.

I just figured 81ppm would be over the optimum and maybe a waterchange would help. I'd redose yeah

Its only a theory really, which I was wondering waterdrops opinion on Like human cells are optimum at 37(i think) and going under that or over that changes thing considerably. Obviously this is different but hopefully you get the point I am making

 

[kaivalagi]

I meant ammonia, I was referring to ammonia being processed. For example since the readings have been off the chart, I've added 30ppm of ammonia. Well if that 1ppm of ammonia converts to 2.7ppm of nitrite then theres 81ppm of nitrite? I imagine some of it has been processed although I've still only got 5ppm of nitrates.

I just figured 81ppm would be over the optimum and maybe a waterchange would help. I'd redose yeah

Its only a theory really, which I was wondering waterdrops opinion on Like human cells are optimum at 37(i think) and going under that or over that changes thing considerably. Obviously this is different but hopefully you get the point I am making

But your Ammonia reading on the first post is zero?

Why did you add so much ammonia? What happened to the 3ppm once until nitrates drop and then add again? Or am I missing a trick here?