Wend's Fishless Cycle Log

[waterdrop]

No, they don't interfere with cycling and they are not "bad" per se, it's just a matter of optimization and understanding the various major functions of filtration.

I've got to run but I'm sure the other members will fill this in with more info!

Sponges, ceramic gravels and various other ceramic things are among the top ones. In larger filters, plastic scrubbies are popular but they may be hard to find without soap!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sweetmeister]

Thanks again for the advice.
I have now emptied the tank,refilled and added the chlorine remover.How long do I need to wait before adding the ammonia? Also if I test and the ammonia is not at the required 4ppm and I need to add more ammonia how long should I wait after topping up with ammonia before testing again?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wend]

Hi, the chlorine remover is effective straight away.

I think if you add some more ammonia and give the tank a good stir you should be able to re-test straight away - mind you I only have a little tank.

 

[sweetmeister]

Hi, the chlorine remover is effective straight away.

I think if you add some more ammonia and give the tank a good stir you should be able to re-test straight away - mind you I only have a little tank.

Thanks for that.
Can anyone confirm this is the case for a larger tank?
Can anybody clarify the situation with the carbon cartridges in my filter system?

 

[waterdrop]

It's usually best to let the dose circulate for 20min, half hour, hour, whatever, but not to test right away and probably not more than an hour after. WD

 

[KittyKat]

Hi, the chlorine remover is effective straight away.

Can anyone confirm this is the case for a larger tank

I can confirm that it is the case in a bucket or a container with only the new water and dechlorinator in it. I can also confirm that this is *not* the case if you are putting the dechlorinator into the aquarium and adding new water, unless you put enough into the aquarium to treat all the water which is already in it + new water and give it a decent stir.

Can anybody clarify the situation with the carbon cartridges in my filter system?

Most of us do not use carbon on an every day basis because it is used up in a short period of time. We do use it for removing medication from the water after a course of treatments (alongside water changes).
I normally recommend that it is replaced with more bio media, which is what I do in my own filters.
Some filters, for example bio wheels, use a carbon sponge as a prefilter, which may make the removal of carbon impossible. In these cases, it may be best to treat it just as another sponge anyway.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, I'd like to second what KK just said about conditioning a fill bucket versus conditioning the tank for a direct fill (because it hasn't been said in a while I think and is useful for beginners in general to know.) When you refill via buckets you can dose per the instructions on the conditioner bottle (or at 1.5x to 2x but not more than 2x as we sometimes advise during cycling in order to lower risk even more but not slow the N-Bacs.) But when you are doing a direct refill of the aquarium with a hose, you need to follow the same guideline as above but calculated for the full tank volume, not the amount of tap water added. This is because the tank will have many more organics (whereas the tap water will be quite pure) which will blunt the effectiveness of the conditioners action on the chlorine products.

~~waterdrop~~