Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[snazy]

Thank you all.
You know, I maybe crazy, but I really like the tannins colour. That's why I wasn't bothered to soak the driftwood for too long.

@DM: what type of ferts would you recommend. I am not going into CO2 stuff, but I have the flourish excel liquid carbon. Is there any brand for ferts you would suggest?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

When I get home (i am at work right now) I will tell you exactly what I am using in my tank. Its relatively cheap, but it seems to work. My plants are looking really nice and growing pretty quick. I have a low tech set-up. Nothing fancy with the lighting and no c01 injectors and such.

And your not crazy, I think the tannins look neat as well. I am still at war with the tannins in my tank, but it hurts my feelings at the end of the week when i do my water change because the water goes back to being crystal clear, and not so darkwaterish.

But yes, I will repost in about 2 hours as to what I am using.

 

[snazy]

Thanks.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I am currently using Tetraplant Florapride and API Root Tabs. The Tetraplant is a liquid you just dose into the tank one a month and the root tabs you put under the substrate. I try to put the tabs under the plant itself.

 

[parker313]

I just wanted to chime in since I'm using the SafeStart with no live plants. I put 8 platies in my 55 gallon (US) tank 9 days ago.

Ammonia <.02
Nitrite 1 ppm
Nitrate <20 ppm

So, slight nitrite elevation but handled with a water change.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

I do begin to wonder whether there is something about the particular mix of bacteria and other chemicals in these bottled bacteria products that just don't like being introduced to immediately high ammonia levels that we use in fishless cycling and that consequently they are being inhibited. It's sort of what afremont was trying to say earlier.

Perhaps the only way to use these bottled bacteria in a fishless cycle is to start with no ammonia and ramp up the dose daily in very small amounts, as would happen naturally if it were a fish in cyle?

I just wanted to chime in since I'm using the SafeStart with no live plants. I put 8 platies in my 55 gallon (US) tank 9 days ago.

Ammonia <.02
Nitrite 1 ppm
Nitrate <20 ppm

So, slight nitrite elevation but handled with a water change.

How did you measure ammonia at less than 0.02?

 

[HayzH]

I just would have been curious to see it cycle without plants...as "most" newbies start with fake plants.

I had to abandon ALL my 4 cycles due to them not working. They have handled my bioloads straight away with no problems.

Hope you dont get a 200 day'er!! lol x

I have cycled my previous tanks from scratch without plants HayzH. And I am not making it up saying that they did cycle in 7-8 days time. Although the time it took to cycle the tanks was very short, there were readings for ammonia and nitrite during this time though, so I can't recommend to anyone to cycle this way unless they are prepared for risks. I did not experience any issues and my fish are still happy and healthy. But I am still to see if thi s shortened their lifes?

As you have also confirmed in your cycles, that managed the bio load of fish, but couldn't cycle 3-4ppm ammonia at the same time, the load of ammonia used in a fishless cycles is way above what fish would produce for the same period of time, or at least it is released so much slower than the sudden dose of ammonia we put in a fishless cycle.

Yeah i agree...My most recent tank was taking 3.6ml Ammonia, and in 13hrs the amm was 0 and the Nitrite was 0.25-0.75

I did a 100% w/c.. and added 6x Peppered cory's (fairly big ones), 1x Betta and 2x Platy's...thats some bioload for a newly cycled tank....

My tests since show Amm = <0.25(slight lime tinge) and Nitrite = 0. That was 4 days AFTER adding them. So i honestly think we do OVERcompensate with the ammount of Ammonia we dose.

OH......and the record is mine!!! Where's my Trophy??

 

[BigbruiserAl]

um snaze off topic a bit but the powerhead in the tank have you a small platic see through nozzle on it cant see in th epics and you need that

 

[snazy]

I am currently using Tetraplant Florapride and API Root Tabs. The Tetraplant is a liquid you just dose into the tank one a month and the root tabs you put under the substrate. I try to put the tabs under the plant itself.

Thanks. I'll look into that.

um snaze off topic a bit but the powerhead in the tank have you a small platic see through nozzle on it cant see in th epics and you need that

Where is the see through nozzle supposed to go and how does it look like?

 

[snazy]

Tested the water now, results updated on post 1#/page 1
Ammonia is down to 0 and I will redose in a minute. NitrIte is down to 0.25. NitrAte looks lighter than yesterday and is about 10ppm.
I am going to put more ammonia now. I hate it when my microorganism pets are starving

 

[snazy]

I do begin to wonder whether there is something about the particular mix of bacteria and other chemicals in these bottled bacteria products that just don't like being introduced to immediately high ammonia levels that we use in fishless cycling and that consequently they are being inhibited. It's sort of what afremont was trying to say earlier.

You know, I thought about this also. Otherwise they would advertise it in a different way you would think. Why harm fish, if you can dose ammonia and still cycle in a week time if you use TSS
Who knows...

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Here Snaz. Though i would show you the difference the ferts made on my tank. This was with the exact ferts that I mentioned to you

Before:


After:
http/imageshack.us/photo/my-images/576/dscn3736.jpg/

 

[snazy]

Thanks.
I just posted on the other thread where you had the pics up. They do look very healthy and they've grown quite a bit. And of course the tank looks way better than it was before.
I'll try to find the ferts you recommended online as I can't recall seeing them around here.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

Are you located in the Uk or US?

 

[snazy]

Are you located in the Uk or US?

Ireland