First tank..

[Hysteria1983]

It can take up to 6/8 weeks for it to sort itself out. So just take your time.

Part of fishkeeping is learning how to be patient. You won't get anywhere fast.

[Comacchio]

Hysteria1983 said:

It can take up to 6/8 weeks for it to sort itself out. So just take your time.

Part of fishkeeping is learning how to be patient. You won't get anywhere fast.

Oh, I know don't worry. No money for the fish just now anyway so glad (in a way) it's not cycled yet! Hoping to see ammonia levels dropping this week however. Is it ok to top up the tank with a bucket of fresh water treated with tap safe while its cycling (wont affect my ammonia readings much, is what i mean)?

Cheers,

-Allan

[Hysteria1983]

Comacchio said:

Oh, I know don't worry. No money for the fish just now anyway so glad (in a way) it's not cycled yet! Hoping to see ammonia levels dropping this week however. Is it ok to top up the tank with a bucket of fresh water treated with tap safe while its cycling (wont affect my ammonia readings much, is what i mean)?

Cheers,

-Allan

If you top it up, it will make a difference, but you never know it might go in your favour.
If it's a small amount it won't be a huge change.

My tank just seemed to do nothing for weeks, then it basically happened overnight!

[Comacchio]

Changes to the tank! Unfortunately after day 9 the ammonia still hasn't dropped Not to worry I'm patient enough to let it go at the speed it wants to.

Found some new rock and slate in a bucket of gravel the seller gave to me (I decided on sand instead of gravel so the bucket just sat there for a while). I decided to re-scape the tank. All thats left to go in now is the bogwood and plants. (Going to go infront of the heater and extend out towards the orange/red stone in the sand)
.

Re-scape by Allan.Jones, on Flickr

Should I be doing much maintenance to the filters during the cycle since theres not too much crap going through? (Cycling with raw ammonia)

ETA: Made some homes. Cost £1, time to make: 30 mins.

Edited by Comacchio on Sunday 4th September 18:13

[Hysteria1983]

Comacchio said:

Changes to the tank! Unfortunately after day 9 the ammonia still hasn't dropped Not to worry I'm patient enough to let it go at the speed it wants to.

Found some new rock and slate in a bucket of gravel the seller gave to me (I decided on sand instead of gravel so the bucket just sat there for a while). I decided to re-scape the tank. All thats left to go in now is the bogwood and plants. (Going to go infront of the heater and extend out towards the orange/red stone in the sand)
.

Re-scape by Allan.Jones, on Flickr

Should I be doing much maintenance to the filters during the cycle since theres not too much crap going through? (Cycling with raw ammonia)

ETA: Made some homes. Cost £1, time to make: 30 mins.

Edited by Comacchio on Sunday 4th September 18:13

Don't do anything to the filters, just leave it all alone until it's cycled.

As for the little homes, they look great. I have one that's xkveres in java moss, it just jazzes it up a bit. Are you going to be putting any plants in there?

[Comacchio]

Yep going to be planting alongside adding fish once this damn cycle (starts!!) completes!

[revrange]

What about one of these for your new tank? http://www.seneye.com/

Looking to see if anyone has tried one as looks a great idea.

[Hysteria1983]

revrange said:

What about one of these for your new tank? http://www.seneye.com/

Looking to see if anyone has tried one as looks a great idea.

£99 for something that I already do for free. Apart from buy a water test kit once in a blue moon.

It seems to be making an attempt to be a necessity with regards to fish keeping, but it does t do anything special.

[Comacchio]

Yeah I'd rather just stick to the test kit!

Progress! Day 13.5 I tested when i got in from my mammoth 7am - 10pm shift..

Ammonia 4-5ppm, Nitrite 0.1ppm!!! So at least its doing something!

Not sure whether its a massive coincidence or whether the Nutrafin Cycle I used in the last 3 days actually done something?

[Comacchio]

Day 18.

Ammonia: 3-5ppm
Nitrite: 0.3-0.8ppm
Nitrate: 10-20ppm
pH: 7.5-8
temp: 30

Not much change =( This is going to be one of the 100-200 day cycles, I can feel it.

[Comacchio]

Still not too much to report and nearly day 21. Getting worried! Here's some bad images of my tests. I've got an API kit waiting at the post office to collect in the morning since I dont quite like the vagueness of these test charts. Ammonia is yellow, nitrite purple.







The ammonia reading looks a bit lighter in the day. I added 11ml to my 200L tank (which when I think about it is a tad much since I forgot to measure for the substrate etc) which should be around 5 ppm. Which after 21 days hasnt dropped all that much has it?

[Comacchio]

So I picked up my API kit from the post office this morning and tested my levels exactly 21 days after adding 11ml of ammonia to my 200L tank (A slight bit too much - I forgot to take into account for the substrate)

No more ammonia has been added in this time. The ammonia test does look inbetween 4 and 8 from my eyes, but on this image it looks nearer to 8 in my opinion. What are your thoughts on these levels?


readings by Allan.Jones, on Flickr

[832ark]

Are you getting any nitrAtes at all? The fact that you've got nitrItes seems to suggest that the first part of the cycle is working.

[Hysteria1983]

832ark said:

Are you getting any nitrAtes at all? The fact that you've got nitrItes seems to suggest that the first part of the cycle is working.

Agreed. The fact that the nitrites are present is a good sign.

[tenohfive]

Hysteria1983 said:

Agreed. The fact that the nitrites are present is a good sign.

You're definately getting there. Be patient, hopefully in the next week or so you should be good to go.

[Comacchio]

Thanks for the replies. Sorry had been at work since 1 so couldn't reply sooner. Done a nitrAte test there - results are between 30 and 40 ppm id guess.

[832ark]

So your nitrAtes are on the increase then by the looks of it, I'd say you're nearly there just need a little more time for the bacteria to multiply. Once the ammonia starts to drop make sure you keep topping up until you add fish as the bacteria will need a food source. Bet you're getting excited at the prospect of fish now?

[Comacchio]

Yep cant wait! I'm going to do a 25% water change on sunday to bring the ammonia down to around 3-4ppm which should be more manageable for the bacteria and will allow me to see changes more rapidly. Then its waiting on the nitrItes to fall in line and then its fishies!

I've already got my planned stocking ready and I take a weekly trip to several fish shops to try and find everything I want, some of them will need to be ordered online though I think as I've not seen them in any shops

[832ark]

You gonna share that stocking list? (other than the first post)

[Comacchio]

Certainly!

10 x Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon acelrodi)
10 x Cherry Shrimp (Neocardina heteropoda)
10 x Harlequin Rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha)
10 x Panda Cory (Corydoras panda)
4 x Guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
2 x Keyhole Cichlid (Cleithracara maronii)
2 x Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia)
1 x Apple Snail (Pomacea bridgesii)
1 x Albino Bristlenose Pleco (Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus)
6 x Siamese Algae Eater (Crossocheilus siamensis)

I know this leaves me slightly over stocked, but I also over filter and will be doing 30% water changes per week.

This is the intended final stocking, so obviously not all going in at once!

EDIT: The algae eaters are the one I haven't decided on yet. I've also given my girlfriend an opportunity to put a fish in (provided it's suitable). She's currently swaying between rummy nose tetras (I feel I would have too many shoaling fish though) and neon rainbows, so we will see!

Edited by Comacchio on Saturday 17th September 00:13