Visible Bacteria

[Puddle]

hiya all, i am cycling my tank .fishless 3rd week, the nitrite has now droped to zero, the thing is i can see visible bacteria swimming about , is this normal?

 

[modernhamlet]

hiya all, i am cycling my tank .fishless 3rd week, the nitrite has now droped to zero, the thing is i can see visible bacteria swimming about , is this normal?

Bacteria are generally too small to see with the naked eye. You probably see some other critter, like planaria or similar aquatic microlife...

 

[Puddle]

hiya all, i am cycling my tank .fishless 3rd week, the nitrite has now droped to zero, the thing is i can see visible bacteria swimming about , is this normal?

Bacteria are generally too small to see with the naked eye. You probably see some other critter, like planaria or similar aquatic microlife...

okie thanks , but does this mean i have a problem with the water and how do i get rid of them?,

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

What does the wtaer look like? Is it cloudy and milky looking or green or brown etc?

 

[Puddle]

What does the wtaer look like? Is it cloudy and milky looking or green or brown etc?

no the water seems clear. for the fishless cycle i have been using interpet filter start , which puts a bacteria colony in the filter, and have been doing 2 to 3 water changes a week and cleaning the gravel..

 

[kris-b-]

What does the wtaer look like? Is it cloudy and milky looking or green or brown etc?

no the water seems clear. for the fishless cycle i have been using interpet filter start , which puts a bacteria colony in the filter, and have been doing 2 to 3 water changes a week and cleaning the gravel..

bacteria is too small for the naked eye to see so it cant be that!

 

[Puddle]

What does the wtaer look like? Is it cloudy and milky looking or green or brown etc?

no the water seems clear. for the fishless cycle i have been using interpet filter start , which puts a bacteria colony in the filter, and have been doing 2 to 3 water changes a week and cleaning the gravel..

bacteria is too small for the naked eye to see so it cant be that!

i gather it is not bacteria now........... has anyone come across this before while doing the fishless cycle?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

What are your recent stats for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and do you have any fish in the tank?

 

[Puddle]

What are your recent stats for ammonia, nitrates and nitrites and do you have any fish in the tank?

amonia = o mg/1
Nitrite under 0.3 mg/1

Nitrates have not tested, and no fish in the tank..

 

[modernhamlet]

Have you been adding ammonia during the cycle or just the interpret stuff?

 

[Puddle]

Have you been adding ammonia during the cycle or just the interpret stuff?

Ihave just been doing the interpet , as advised by my lfs

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Have you been adding ammonia during the cycle or just the interpret stuff?

Ihave just been doing the interpet , as advised by my lfs

You need to add ammonia as well otherwise the bacteria won't have anything to feed off and won't survive.

 

[Puddle]

Have you been adding ammonia during the cycle or just the interpret stuff?

Ihave just been doing the interpet , as advised by my lfs

You need to add ammonia as well otherwise the bacteria won't have anything to feed off and won't survive.

Okie thanks , will this mean the cycle will start from scratch?

 

[SkiFletch]

I'm going to assume you have a tesing kit here, if not you'll need one for my suggestion

Get some pure ammonia from somewheres. make sure the only ingredients in it are ammonia and water, no soaps. Check it by shaking the bottle. If it foams like dishsoap, try another brand, if it doesnt you're good to go. Very often the cheaper brands of Ammonia cleaner are the ones that are pure ammonia.

Next, add some of this ammonia to your tank until you get a reading of 5ppm. The amount you'll need ranges depending on the size of your tank and how concentrated the ammonia is, but add enough to get it up to about 5ppm. If you overshoot, do de-chlorinated water changes to get it back down.

Then, test your tank 24 hours later. If no ammonia or nitrites are present, then your tank is cycled and ready to add fish. If there is either ammonia or nitrites present post that result here and we can advise you further

Good luk

 

[Puddle]

I'm going to assume you have a tesing kit here, if not you'll need one for my suggestion

Get some pure ammonia from somewheres. make sure the only ingredients in it are ammonia and water, no soaps. Check it by shaking the bottle. If it foams like dishsoap, try another brand, if it doesnt you're good to go. Very often the cheaper brands of Ammonia cleaner are the ones that are pure ammonia.

Next, add some of this ammonia to your tank until you get a reading of 5ppm. The amount you'll need ranges depending on the size of your tank and how concentrated the ammonia is, but add enough to get it up to about 5ppm. If you overshoot, do de-chlorinated water changes to get it back down.

Then, test your tank 24 hours later. If no ammonia or nitrites are present, then your tank is cycled and ready to add fish. If there is either ammonia or nitrites present post that result here and we can advise you further

Good luk

Thanks SkiFletch