Cycling tank - not getting any nitrites
5 posts
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urgolden - Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:45 pm
Cycling tank - not getting any nitrites
Hi, I have a new 29 gallon glass fish tank with the usual gravel, rocks and I've added about 4 different types of real plants. I am using the Penguin 200 filter and a marineland 100w heater. I have no idea what my lighting is. I have had it set up for about 3 weeks. I still do not get readings that any nitrites are developing. I did "seed" the tank with a bit of gravel from a friend's mature tank. Am I just being impatient? I thought I'd be seeing something by three weeks....or do I need the test systems instead of the strips? Are the kit systems more sensitive?
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a1k8t31524 - Posts: 939
- Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 5:10 am
are you feeding your tank anything in order for you to get you cycle started you need to have some sort of waste in the system
i.e. food, a dead shrimp ......piss
any of these will work
and also adding plants before the cycle is complete will extend your cycle.......
i.e. food, a dead shrimp ......piss
any of these will work
and also adding plants before the cycle is complete will extend your cycle.......
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Tmercier834747 - Posts: 887
- Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm
yeah plants actually take in nitrates so if your levels were really low to begin with you might not be seeing any due to the plants (if they're surviving and showing signs of growth).
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urgolden - Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 10:45 pm
Oops. I hadn't read that anywhere. The plants look really healthy. I am feeding the tank. Sorry, I should have said in my first post that I am using some fish to cycle it. I let it cycle with no fish for a week, and then added 4 small zebra danios who are thriving, but looking very lost in there. I'm feeding them a very small amount of food.
Should I take the plants out? Of just keep waiting...and waiting, and waiting, and waiting...
Should I take the plants out? Of just keep waiting...and waiting, and waiting, and waiting...
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tomargir - Posts: 39
- Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:18 pm
"food, a dead shrimp ......piss"
Sorry but these are REALLY REALLY BAD IDEAS. The only thing that you should use for fishless cycling (and you should always cycle fishless) is PURE AMMONIA.
Go to your local pharmacy and buy an ammonia bottle. Then calculate the volume needed to obtain a reading of 2-3mg/L. Then you should be adding this amount of ammonia every day. At some time ammonia will start dropping and nitrite rising (you will still be adding ammonia daily). As soon as nitrite drops to 0, you should do some water changes to get the nitrate to around 10-15ppm and stock with fish IMMEDIATELY.
In order to do this you must get the danios out of there obviously. And a word of caution. If you plan on keeping a small amount of fish you should cycle with less ammonia (ie 1mg/L). And i would recommend adding the plants after the cycle has finished.
Now you will have to do some research about aquatic plants and fishless cycling. I know that plants consume both ammonium and nitrate (as a matter of fact many aquatic plants prefer ammonium over nitrate) but i can't tell when is the better time to add the plants in the tank. You could ask an expert at wetwebmedia.com
Sorry but these are REALLY REALLY BAD IDEAS. The only thing that you should use for fishless cycling (and you should always cycle fishless) is PURE AMMONIA.
Go to your local pharmacy and buy an ammonia bottle. Then calculate the volume needed to obtain a reading of 2-3mg/L. Then you should be adding this amount of ammonia every day. At some time ammonia will start dropping and nitrite rising (you will still be adding ammonia daily). As soon as nitrite drops to 0, you should do some water changes to get the nitrate to around 10-15ppm and stock with fish IMMEDIATELY.
In order to do this you must get the danios out of there obviously. And a word of caution. If you plan on keeping a small amount of fish you should cycle with less ammonia (ie 1mg/L). And i would recommend adding the plants after the cycle has finished.
Now you will have to do some research about aquatic plants and fishless cycling. I know that plants consume both ammonium and nitrate (as a matter of fact many aquatic plants prefer ammonium over nitrate) but i can't tell when is the better time to add the plants in the tank. You could ask an expert at wetwebmedia.com