# Introducing myself, starting a planted tank



## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

A few pointers:

1. It pays to overfilter. The claimed flow rating on filters are almost always a lie. Go heavy on filtration. My personal preference is for Aquaclear filters as opposed to Penguin. Don't have to mess with biowheels, and they really are quite good. You'll have a three stage set of media rather than cartridges, and you can get some really pretty good biological filtration out of them. 

2. Read around these forums carefully in terms of the amount of lighting you use. You don't want an algae bomb. 

3. Make sure you learn very thouroughly how the nitrogen cycle works. Buy an API Master Test kit. Learn about your water chemisty, and don't listen to the clowns at Petco when it comes to stocking. Make sure you learn how to properly cycle your tank before you add fish to it. It can take a lot of time, so patience is in order.

4. This is just a personal preference...but over the last couple of years I've become a strong advocate of dirt substrate for planted tanks. It really makes growing aquatic plants a no-brainer. Google around and read up on the Walstad method, and decide if its for you. As a beginner, perhaps you would benefit from a low tech tank, which has lower lighting, usually no CO2, and the dirt (capped with a thick layer of sand or gravel, of course). The plants grow exceptionally well, and you can avoid a lot of the fert dosing and high light/CO2 considerations that go with a high tech tank.

Cory cats are wonderful fish. Shrimp are a lot of fun. Bettas can be agressive, and I've seen them kill quite a few shrimp. I've finally given up on keeping bettas in community tanks, and have them isolated. 

When it comes time to add fish, maybe try something very hardy in your new tank at first, such as some guppies or zebra danios. They will stand up to swings in tank conditions very well, and I think both are very nice fish.

This stuff is a lot of fun, and addictive. I think a lot of people are put off the hobby early on because they lack the knowledge of how to cycle their tanks, and how to manage algea. Take the time to read up on this stuff, (Don't listen to the people who are trying to sell you something. They are often ignorant or simply lying) and you'll be armed with the knowledge that can best help you avoid early problems.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

Willamette said:


> A few pointers:
> 
> 1. It pays to overfilter. The claimed flow rating on filters are almost always a lie. Go heavy on filtration. My personal preference is for Aquaclear filters as opposed to Penguin. Don't have to mess with biowheels, and they really are quite good. You'll have a three stage set of media rather than cartridges, and you can get some really pretty good biological filtration out of them.



Great points and such but I have a Marineland and I don't have to "mess with biowheels" You put it in and leave it alone for forever. The extra beneficial bacteria it holds is a great...benefit, too.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to take this slow (I'm a patient person). I have been doing research on this for a few months since I discovered this site. I think a planted tank will work well for me because I will have to travel for my job every 1-2 months for a few days. Less maintenance is a good thing.

Any recommendations on lighting other than the Marineland Doublebright LEDs?


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

There's lots of lighting options, do you want high light or low light?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I think right now, I would like low to medium light. I'd like to keep the costs on getting started as low as possible.

Today I went to Petco and picked up a 29 gallon tank from their $1 per gallon sale, a metal stand, and water conditioner/chlorine remover. Tomorrow I am going to go to the LFS to pickup the rest of the supplies.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Update: I have been doing a leak test on my tank for the last few hours and it is going well. Tomorrow I plan to drain it and go to the fish store and buy supplies and then start letting the tank cycle before I add some fish.

I am planning on ordering the Marineland double-bright LED light for my tank.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

You can go that route or you can look into the Odyssea T5HO fixtures. I got my 2x39W 36" for $45. Great bang for the buck in my opinion.

Do you know how to do a proper fishless tank cycle?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

jeremyTR said:


> Do you know how to do a proper fishless tank cycle?


Yes thank you for asking. I am intending to a fishless cycle.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

jeremyTR said:


> You can go that route or you can look into the Odyssea T5HO fixtures. I got my 2x39W 36" for $45. Great bang for the buck in my opinion.
> 
> Do you know how to do a proper fishless tank cycle?


Agreed, I'm loving my Odyssea 2x39 watt light!


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## CatB (Jan 29, 2012)

sounds like you're starting very responsibly!
i agree with not keeping bettas in community tanks, they really are unpredictable.
try to get at least six cories, they do best in groups.


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## Williak (Jun 26, 2012)

Props for starting slow and planning things! Sounds like you've got it planned out, and Willamette offered some excellent advice.

Get ready to start planning the second heh! I got my first tank one month.... the next month, three more... now this month... planning another breeder tank :icon_mrgr


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok I got a few questions. Today I'm gonna go to the store and get the rest of the stuff I need and start the tank cycling. 

I should just add a bit of food each day until I see the ammonia start to register on the test strips right? 
Do I need light on the tank in order for it to cycle? The only light I have is the ambient light in the room, and a small lamp that I only use at night.
What can I do to make the tank cycle faster?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

1. Don't use test strips. They are not accurate, or consitent. Buy a liquid drop test kit. If you've already got them, might as well use them when cycling, but its like trying to explore a cave with a candle instead of a spotlight.

I've heard it said that when fishless cycling it can help to leave the lights on 24 hours, but I really don't know why that would be. The bacteria in question are not photosynthetic, and to me it just seems like it would lead to more early algae, in addition to being bad news for whatever plants you are starting up with.

Something else you can do is to buy a single raw prawn at the grocery store and toss it in. As it decomposes it will release a steady supply of ammonia into the water.

Also, what you an do is seed your tank with biota from an established one. If no access to such, you can use a bottle of tetra smart start. It actually works, unlike most such products.

Raise your temperature up above 80 for the duration of the cycling. Higher temps lead to faster metabolic/reproductive acitivity among your bacteria.

Also, run air stones, and perhaps lower the water level in your tank if using a HOB filter, which will allow the water to splash in. This will oxygenate the water, and will lead to faster metabolism from the nitifying bacteria. This is not as recommended if you are starting with plants, however.

Make sure you are running your filters full blast for the duration.

After the first week or two, you will see a rise in ammonia...a bit later you will see a rise in nitrite. After they have *both* tested at *ZERO* for a couple weeks in a row, your tank is ready to rock and roll. If you add a bunch of fish prematurely, you can crash the cycle (and poison the fish, of course).

The cycle looks something like this:









Wait for both spikes to be over.


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## gelbschnee (Jan 23, 2012)

if you start your tank with both dirt and plants from the beginning, the nitrogen cycle will be very fast. I just started a 10g with scott's topsoil (1.5 inches) and play sand (1.5 inches). I planted it heavily from the start. One week later I had 20ppm nitrate and the tank was ready for fish. I have had the fish in for about 1 week now and I have not had any ammonia/nitrite spikes (testing every other day)

I am not going to guarantee that your cycle will finish this fast, but if you start with soil and plants, the soil contains all of the nitrifying bacteria that is needed for your cycle.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Willamette said:


> 1. Don't use test strips. They are not accurate, or consitent. Buy a liquid drop test kit. If you've already got them, might as well use them when cycling, but its like trying to explore a cave with a candle instead of a spotlight.
> 
> Something else you can do is to buy a single raw prawn at the grocery store and toss it in. As it decomposes it will release a steady supply of ammonia into the water.
> 
> Also, what you an do is seed your tank with biota from an established one. If no access to such, you can use a bottle of tetra smart start. It actually works, unlike most such products.


Thank you, good advice. I have heard about dropping a raw shrimp into a tank and letting it decompose. I haven't kept fish for about 15 years (when I was still a kid living at home), so all of this is new for me. Back then it was just put in the chlorine remover and throw in the fish the same day.

I'll ask the guys at the LFS if they have anything I can use to jump-start the cycle. Thanks


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Ya, I started as a kid, too. Then got out for years. (girls, sports, cars, hell yes) Now as an adult I see all the things I did wrong and the fish I mercilessly slayed....


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

We have water! I finished setting up my tank today. The guys at the pet store were very helpful. I got a Marineland 200 bio-wheel filter, a Deep Blue 100-watt heater, a 20 pound bag of Caribsea substrate, a 5 pound bag of generic stones, and a piece of mopani driftwood. The heater is set for 75 degrees but it isn't turning itself on because it's 90 degrees here in Connecticut. The tank temperature is 80 degrees. The tank looks great sitting next to my tv. Now I'll be able to watch TV and my tank at the same time. 

Please forgive the crappy cell phone pics. What should I do next? Add some fish food every day and start the cycle? I need to go buy a test kit but I'll do that in a few days. I'm going to order a light sometime this week.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

WestHaven said:


> Thank you, good advice. I have heard about dropping a raw shrimp into a tank and letting it decompose. I haven't kept fish for about 15 years (when I was still a kid living at home), so all of this is new for me. Back then it was just put in the chlorine remover and throw in the fish the same day.
> 
> I'll ask the guys at the LFS if they have anything I can use to jump-start the cycle. Thanks


That's definitely a good way to do it.

Don't like your ammonia spike higher than 4.0ppm. If it does do a water change. Also there is API Quickstart and a couple others that work really well at instant cycling your tank.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

You're off to a good start, I'd go get some plants if I were you! And some root tabs. Plants help your tank cycle.

But yea just keep adding food everyday to feed that ammonia! Water changes are not necessary unless your ammonia spikes too high


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## HamToast (May 6, 2012)

Seems like you're taking a good route for a beginner. It's more or less along the same lines I followed a few months ago when I set up my 30 gallon tank. If you have problems or want a quicker cycle, I can recommend this Start Smart by TLC as it hurried my cycle along and saved the life of both of my little Mollies (I added fish too soon and the nitrites were at lethal levels).

As for lighting, I wish I had shopped around more before purchasing my lights. I have a dual T5 normal output and it was about $80, as opposed to the Odyssea set ups that seem to be much cheaper on a dollar to wattage comparison. No real complaints with my lights though, they simply cost more than I should have paid.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Questions: 
How long does it usually take for a tank to cycle? 
Should I throw in a piece of shrimp from the grocery store or will feeding the tank fish food every day be enough?
When should I expect algae to show up?

Thoughts on hoods/lights? After more reading I don't think the Marineland double bright will be enough light for plants. Now I think I want a T5 light.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Just bear in mind that if you end up with a lot of light, you'll be forced to get into CO2. If you put high light into that tank without any plants, you could possibly start getting some algae in a few days. 

Best way to beat algae is with dense planting, and making sure the plants get everything they need. If they are limited by lack of something, that creates the gateway for algea to take a foothold. If the plants are thriving, algae can't compete. 

As for cycling time, it varies from tank to tank. Could be a couple weeks, could be a month+. Don't try to time it, just go by your water tests. Once you've had a couple weeks of ZERO nitrites _and_ ammonia, you're done.

Its like cooking a roast. You don't guy by time...you go by when the internal temperature is where it needs to be.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

WestHaven said:


> Questions:
> How long does it usually take for a tank to cycle?
> Should I throw in a piece of shrimp from the grocery store or will feeding the tank fish food every day be enough?
> When should I expect algae to show up?
> ...


Odyssea T5HO

Takes about a month for a complete cycle.


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## Cardoc (May 21, 2011)

I would put a shrimp in the tank a small one, as far as lights go, the odyssea is the best thing for the money I have had mine for over a year and not one problem with it. Once you get the light you can start putting in plants and that will help speed up your cycle


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks for all the tips guys. My tank has been up and running for about half a day now. Already the room is starting to smell like the inside of a fish store.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

yummy lol


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

I agree about over-planting, you can never have too many plants! I have tons of plants and relatively med. light levels with hardly any algae and no CO2. 

Also, over-filtering...I'd add a small Aquaclear to your tank, it can never hurt! I have 3 filters on my 55.

I never added anything (fish food, etc) or did water changes to my tank during cycling. I just added water, gravel, a branch/rocks (hardscape), turned on the heater, turned on the light for 8 hrs a day and waited. The water turned cloudy (beneficial bacteria taking hold), then cleared up on it's own after about a week, week and a half. 

Then, I got a couple hardy fish (for me, it was platies) after about 10 days or so and they did great. Waited another week or 2 (patience is key!) and added plants and more fish. It's been good to go ever since! Good luck!


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

So I come home from work today, and the water has a yellowish tint to it. I'm guessing they are tannins from the wood? There are also a lot of particulates floating around the water (food particles breaking down?).

I stopped at Petco (where I bought the tank and stand) during my lunch break today. I picked up a package of plant bulbs (Aponogeton, Onion, and Waterlily). Can I add them to the tank today, or should I wait until after the tank cycles?

I also got a small bottle of Tetra Safe Start. Its said to treat up to 15 gallons (half my tank). Should I add it now or is it better to let nature run its course and let the tank cycle naturally?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Throw it in. Go nuts.

The cloudy water is normal. Its a result of bacterial cultures blooming in the water and starting to get a foothold in your tank. The particulates will clear up in time.

Ya, the tannins are leaching from the wood. Also normal. Eventually it will clear up...could be a very long time though. If it bothers you too much, you can use purigen, and it will take the tannins out of the water.

The bulbs are fine whenever. Plants are less harmed by ammonia than fish. They will actually soak some of it up to get at the nitrogen. See if you can find some fast growing plants, like ludwigia repens, hornwart, or wisteria. If you can keep some plants rapidly growing, you will have more luck at controlling algae. Hornwart in particular is easy and grows fast. You could probably grow it in your toilet tank if you really wanted to.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

Activated carbon takes out tannins in a day, easily. Just put it in a mesh bag and add to your filter. Not sure about the impact that'll have on the cycle though, to be honest.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Willamette said:


> Throw it in. Go nuts.
> 
> The cloudy water is normal. Its a result of bacterial cultures blooming in the water and starting to get a foothold in your tank. The particulates will clear up in time.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips on which plants to get. I added the Tetra Safe Start to the tank, so we'll see how that goes. The tank is looking good with just a boring house lamp pointed at it. It will look even better when I get some real lights on it (after my next paycheck).


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> Activated carbon takes out tannins in a day, easily. Just put it in a mesh bag and add to your filter. Not sure about the impact that'll have on the cycle though, to be honest.


The filter cartidges for my Marineland 200 have carbon in them already. I stopped at home on my lunch break today and the water has gotten darker from tannins.

Tannins are a good thing, they give whiskey its color and flavor.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Tannins don't really hurt anything in a fish tank...its just an aesthetic choice. Fish actually like a little color in the water.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

Tannins are a personal taste kinda thing - mine made my water murky and yellow-tinted, now that I cleared it out with carbon, their colors are brighter and the plants look more vibrant. I prefer clear water, but that's just me.

Sounds like you know what you're doing


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I like the tannins, they make the tank look more natural. I wonder if they make the fish feel more comfortable?

So I planted the bulbs in my tank. I have one in the back behind the wood, one just to the right of the wood, two or three (I forget) near the front glass and two in the back corners. How long does it take for bulbs to start growing?

Any ideas on how to make the aquascape better? I may add another piece of wood. I would like to add a few small rocks to help hold down the driftwood. It isn't very stable and wants to fall over if I touch it. Should I add more substrate instead? 

Also I would like to buy a cichlid stone or two and a few small rocks to make a cave area for fish/shrimp/crayfish to hide in. Something like this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21383


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

One thing about the bulbs..don't bury them too deep, leave quite a bit sticking up above the substrate. 

As far as a little murkiness in the water: Some species, specifically tetras like cardinals and neons and glowlights are native to blackwater streams, where there may be little light and a lot of tannins in the water. These streams and rivers move through swampy forest waterways where there is a lot of vegetation decaying which stains the water a nice tea color with tannins, and also causes the soft acidic water conditions these fish like...the reason they evolved those bright irridescent colors is so they can see each other and stay in shoals in this murky water. So at least in their case, tannins in the water do indeed give them some pyschological comfort.

Lookit the color on these tetras in their native river:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzKa7d-Ha7Q


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Willamette said:


> One thing about the bulbs..don't bury them too deep, leave quite a bit sticking up above the substrate.


Yeah that's what the directions said, to leave 1/4 of the bulb above the substrate and bury the rest. That video you posted is cool. I plan on getting a test kit, some fish and a few plants this weekend.

Update: I added 2-3 gallons of water to my tank so that the water level is just below the black "bars" of the tank. This has cut down on the tank noise very much.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

Hope to see more pics of your tank's progression...everything seems to be right on track. Good luck!


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> Hope to see more pics of your tank's progression...everything seems to be right on track. Good luck!


Thank you. I'll add some pics when I add something that looks nice, lol.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Today I bought a test kit, light and 2 plants. Here are the results:
ph - 7.6 or slightly higher
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Temperature - 80 degrees F

I went to Petco and got an Amazon Sword and Wisteria plant. The Amazon Sword came in 3 pieces, and the Wisteria came in 5 pieces. The sword was healthy, only a few dead leaves on the 3 pieces. The Wisteria was half-way dead on all the pieces so I ripped off the dead leaves. I also bought a ZooMed Aqua Sun 2-lamp T5 light. It looks great over my tank. I only bought 1 bulb for now. If I need another one I'll get it next week when I get paid again. 

Do you think I could add a few fish this week?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Doesn't look like your cycle has started. Its only been a few days.

Keep testing every couple of days until you start seeing an ammonia reading...the ammonia will increase and then fall...next you will see a nitrite reading...it will increase and then fall. Both will then read at zero, and you'll be good to go.

You _can_ cycle with a couple of very hardy fish in the tank, as long as you carefully monitor the ammonia/nitrite levels and do massive water changes to keep it under control. Without an established bacterial culture, the toxic chemicals will just build up. This is not exactly humane IMO, but a lot of people still do it. Exposes the fish to pretty toxic conditions, and many fish come out the other side permantly injured if not dead.

To build up the bacteria you need a steady supply of ammonia. This can come from decomposing fish food or, my preferred method, a raw prawn thrown in and allowed to decompose.

Oh, and make sure the crowns of the sword plants aren't buried.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thank you. I have been adding a few dashes of fish food per day. Tomorrow I think I will try adding a raw shrimp and throwing it in there. Since I saw your message, I added a few more dashes of fish food.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Quick question: If I decided to add more substrate to my tank in the future, what is the best way to do it so that it won't cause the tank to cycle again?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work, and they didn't have any raw shrimp available today. I have some frozen, cooked shrimp in my freezer. Would it be ok/safe to add one of those to the tank?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Cooked shrimp should be fine. Will still rot all the same. 

I think its better than fishfood, since you can just pull it out when done with it...while the fish food kinda makes a mess. Doesn't have to be shrimp. A peice of any kind of seafood will do. Best if you can net it up in a mesh bag of some sort.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thanks. I don't have any mesh bags here, so I put a shrimp it in a plastic sandwich bag with some holes cut in it. It looks like a fish floating around the tank right now LOL.

Update: The plastic bag got torn on my filter inlet tube and wood and the shrimp got out. The shrimp is a little torn up, bloated and looks like it wants to fall apart. Should I just let it keep sitting on the bottom of the tank? Should I weight it down in a high-flow area like on top of the airstone?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Update: I wake up this morning and check the tank and the shrimp broke up into three pieces which are sitting on the bottom of the tank. I'll do water tests tomorrow.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I think that I am starting to get a little bit of algae or fungus growing in my tank. There is a little bit of reddish and white stuff growing on my driftwood and one of my plants. This is a good sign that the tank is cycling right?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Any ideas for how to change my aquascape to make it better? My idea is to add a few rocks to make a cave/rock pile in the left side of the tank. I would love to add a crayfish to my tank if that will be possible. Can you keep a crayfish in a 29 gallong tank?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

What I recommend is heavy planting for algea control. Floating plants in particular are extremely efficient, also something like hornwort...you can just leave a mass of it floating around in the tank. The more plants, the more the algea has to compete with them. And algea are pethetic little slimeballs compared to the glory of higher plants.  

As for the scape, its entirely your deal. If it were me, more plants, perhaps more hardscape.

It can be expensive and underwhelming to buy plants from the LFS. I recommend browsing through the Swap and Shop on this site, or check the craigslist ads to see if you can buy from other hobbyists. You'll pay a lot less, and you'll get much better plants.

I'm a huge fan of Ludwigia repens and Jugle Val. Also, maybe you could score some Dwarf Sagittarius. It sends out runners and literally spreads like a weed. In my little dirted 10gal I planted a single dwarf sag a couple months ago...and now I've got like 12 of them.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Oh, and crayfish don't get along with plants. Or any fish they happen to manage to somehow catch. I had one for a while years ago...it was fun. Like many, I started with plastic plants, and they he didn't eat those. But he did stalk around and fail at catching my fish for a long time, till he finally snagged a rather stupid cory cat. (That catfish was selected against in the Darwinian sense of things. I mean...he was eaten by a damn invertebrate. Shameful.)


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I took out the old shrimp and threw in a new one (the old one was getting nasty shrimp chunks all over the rocks). I did a water test and Ammonia was between 4-8 ppm, Nitrite was 0 or just above 0, and Nitrate was 0. I guess this means the cycle is officially underway! 

Update: I'm getting a lot of white and light red algae or fungus growing on my driftwood, plants, plant bulbs and pieces of rotting shrimp that are still in the tank. It's really been taking off today. I also added two small air stones to the tank (so now there are three, one large airstone on the gravel behind the driftwood, and two small ones in the top corners.)


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## Aquachic (Apr 6, 2011)

If you can afford an Eheim Canister filter, go for it! They are great. You won't regret them. Also, get yourself a better lighting system. My Hagen T5HO light system seems to produce great plants and they grow like mad. I wouldn't do more than two bulbs (tried three on that size and ended up with algae like nightmare). Avoid the crayfish only because they will eat your other fish but you could get ghost shrimp if you do a community tank. It's super cool to watch them cleaning your plants. They are fun to watch. If you can go for small fish, you'll enjoy your tank more. The bigger fish will take up too much room.


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## Aquachic (Apr 6, 2011)

I also bought the Peace river gravel by Carib Sea with the built in bacteria. I know you can cycle a tank the normal way but I got frustrated with my tank constantly crashing. I bought this type of gravel and put in Seachem's matrix into my canister and my tank stabilized super fast. Don't go crazy with the fish at first - even if you use this method. I know there are a lot of people out there who aren't crazy about the gravels with bacteria but I can tell you, the stuff works amazingly and my tanks have not had any spikes since I used it.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Today I went to Petco and bought another bulb for my light fixture, a pack of extra cartridges, and a 5 pound bag of gravel. I went to my LFS and bought two pieces of Malaysian driftwood. I added another cartridge to my filter and in only a few hours I have seen the water clear up. It was a yellowish color before but now it looks a clearer. The extra bulb has made it easier for me to see the algae and gunk that is in the tank right now.

When the tank is finished cycling, should I add a few fish and snails to take care of the algae ad fungus?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Yes thanks I just saw your message. I don't think I will get a crayfish for this tank. I want this to be a community tank with fish, shrimp and snails.

Would upgrading to a canister filter in the future help the health of the tank considering that it is only 29 gallons?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

What fish/shrimp/snails are good for algae?

Update: I added 5 pounds of gravel and two more pieces of driftwood and replanted all of my plants. In the process, I churned up a lot of gunk so the water is really cloudy right now. I did water change with a few gallons of distilled water. The ammonia was at 4 ppm, the nitrites and nitrates were at 0, and the pH was at 7.6. The water is pretty yellow colored from the tannins in the wood, but I don't mind.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Well, sounds like your on your way. 

Once your tank is mature, my favorite option for algae is the oto cats. They are kinda delicate though, and should have a fair amount of algea ready for their dining pleasure when introduced. If you get them acclimated safely, they actually become fairly hardy. Combine them with a small school of cory cats and maybe some amano shrimp, and your cleanup crew is ready to roll. 

There are also a few species of pleco that don't get so big they could be filleted and served up. But thats a personal preference thing. I think they look like hideous aquatic dinosaurs that hide all day. Don't get a common pleco whatever you do. They can get like 2 feet long.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Willamette said:


> Don't get a common pleco whatever you do. They can get like 2 feet long.


I don't think I will get any plecos, I don't like their look as much as cory cats. I think they are more fun and are more active. Here is a new picture of my new aquascape in my tank. Please excuse the pinkish-colored blob in the middle, that is a piece of rotting shrimp. The white-ish colored algae/fungus continues to grow on the shrimp, wood and rocks.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Ahh, looks much better. The arrangement of wood makes all the difference.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thank you. I think it looks a lot better too.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

What can I do to make the cycle go faster? I tested it today and the ph (regular test) was 7.4, the ph (high ph test) was 7.6, the ammonia was about 8 ppm, the nitrites and nitrates were 0.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

your doing everything you can already. The pH really isn't a problem. Takes time, man. Oftentimes over a month. Last tank I setup was about a month.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks. Would adding plants from an established tank from my LFS make a difference? I decided to stop adding shrimp to my tank because they break down and get disgusting gunk all over the place. Adding a bit of fish food every day is easier and cleaner. Even if I don't have fish yet, looking at a glass box of wood, water and plants is pretty relaxing. 

I checked my filter, and both of the filter cartridges are covered in a good layer of brown colored gunk (decaying fish food).

Any tips for making the tank cycle faster?

Edit: Why haven't I seen any increase in nitrite or nitrates yet?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Why haven't I seen any increase in nitrite or nitrates yet?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Please read this. This is must know information for the fishkeeping hobby:

Step 1: _Over time_, when ammonia(NH3) is present in a suitable environment, the first kind of nitrifying bacteria begin to colonize and grow. This takes time. 

Step 2: The bacteria metabolize this NH3...eventually this leads to the ammonia being converted into NO2(Nitrite). Once you start seeing NO2, you know the first kind of bacteria have begun to establish themselves. Again, this takes time. Usually weeks.

Step 3: Now that there is nitrite(NO2) in the water, a _second_ kind of bacteria _also_ begins to establish itself. You need _both_ of these kinds of nitrifying bacteria. This second type of bacteria metabolizes the nitrite(NO2) into Nitrate(NO3). This causes the NO2 levels to fall, as the NO2 is being converted into NO3. NO3 is far less toxic to fish and can be diluted out through water changes and as plant food. Most mature tanks have an NO3 reading.

When your testing Ammonia at zero, that means the tank is capable of metabolizing all of the Ammonia present. When your testing nitrite at zero, this means the tank is also capable of metabolizing all the resulting nitrite that is present.

The reason you do not see a nitrite reading is because not enough time has passes and the first type of bacterian culture has not established itself yet. Once the nitrite starts to show up, you'll notice the ammonia drop to zero.

This process takes several weeks.

Refer to this graph:


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thank you Williamette. You have been very helpful since I started this. I was confused because I thought the process would go along faster since I added a bottle of Tetra bacteria last week.

In other good news, I re-aquascaped the tank by moving the left and middle piece of driftwood are closer to the front of the tank, so is more room in the back to add plants. The plants are looking good. The swords are about the same. The Wisteria are having a very bright green color and are starting to get some new growth. I also noticed that one of my plant bulbs is starting to grow! 

From left to right, the plants are Amazon sword in the back corner, Wisteria in the front, Wisteria front and back in the middle, and Amazon sword front and back on the right.

Update: This morning I noticed that a 2nd plant bulb is also growing.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Tonight I did a water test and I think the Nitrite and Nitrate-eating bacteria are starting to grow.
pH - 7.6
Ammonia - 8 ppm (no change)
Nitrite - 5 ppm
Nitrate - 5-10 ppm (hard to tell on the color scale on my API test kit)


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

There aren't any nitrate eating bacteria, you pretty much have to physically remove the stuff from the tank. The plants will also eat it up. In my Walstad 10g, I've never had any measurable levels of nitrate, even with slight overstocking. But the planting is very dense.

But ya, just watch the nitrite, it will likely rise quite a bit as that ammonia gets converted to nitrite. Before too long you should see the ammonia start to fall. That is, if you are being consistant with the fish food you're tossing in.

Cycling tanks is kinda fun. /nerd.

Doing these tests and seeing the toxic chemical concentrations jump around makes you glad you aren't putting any fish through that hell, doesn't it?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Yeah. Having ammonia and nitrites in the water for a fish must be like having carbon monoxide in the air for a person.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

In the case of nitrite, thats exactly right. It literally outcompetes the hemoglobin in their blood for O2. Can suffocate them, and destroy their blood. It converts hemoglobin to methemoglobin, which in incapable of binding oxygen. The blood actually turns brown.

Nitrite sucks.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Another question. I looked at the two filter pads in my filter today, and they are covered in brown and gray colored scum. When I lifted them up, a lot of scum fell off and clouded the water for about 10 minutes until the filter pulled it back in. Would it be ok to take some tank water and rinse the gunk off, or will that get rid of a lot of the good bacteria?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

I wouldn't disturb the filter at all until the cycle is done. Scum is normal. If you really want to rinse it, ya, use tank water and be gentle.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok, I'll clean it after the cycle is over, thanks.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did a water test today, and the results were good. I'm surprised it's moving along this fast (if this is accurate).
Ammonia - 0.5 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
Nitrate - 80-160 ppm


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Oops double post.


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## zoony (Jul 7, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> Activated carbon takes out tannins in a day, easily. Just put it in a mesh bag and add to your filter. Not sure about the impact that'll have on the cycle though, to be honest.


Not trying to start an argument, but I want to point out that this simply isn't true. Mopani driftwood is the debil. Mine left tannins for weeks and weeks and weeks... Not talking about a tint to the water, im talking about water that looked like coffee. Tried carbon, tried taking them out and soaking them in boiling water, even soaked them in a separate bucket for a week... Still got brown water. After enough time and water changes and soaking, finally turned the corner

Also, if you get a snot like substance coating your mopani, this is normal too. Take it out and scrub it off

That stuff is terrible, I wont be using it again


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

zoony said:


> Not trying to start an argument, but I want to point out that this simply isn't true. Mopani driftwood is the debil.


In your experience.

I haven't had any problems since I started my tank two weeks ago. I didn't soak my driftwood at all.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

zoony said:


> Not trying to start an argument, but I want to point out that this simply isn't true. Mopani driftwood is the debil. Mine left tannins for weeks and weeks and weeks... Not talking about a tint to the water, im talking about water that looked like coffee. Tried carbon, tried taking them out and soaking them in boiling water, even soaked them in a separate bucket for a week... Still got brown water. After enough time and water changes and soaking, finally turned the corner
> 
> Also, if you get a snot like substance coating your mopani, this is normal too. Take it out and scrub it off
> 
> That stuff is terrible, I wont be using it again


I had tannins and charcoal took them out. I'm not lying. Perhaps I had a different type of driftwood. Water looked like tea then it was crystal clear after carbon. In a day.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Today I'm going to the store to get some more plants 

Update: I went to the store and got 2 Anachris, 1 moss ball, and 1 crypt. There is also one bulb of an unknown plant growing, but I don't think it's gonna make it. Pictures will come later.

Update with a picture: Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic. I want a better camera. From left to right are an Amazon sword back-left corner, Wisteria and Anachris center-left, Moss ball center underneath the wood, Anachris and Wisteria and Crypt center-right, two Amazon swords and a Wisteria on the right.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did a water test, here are the results.
pH - 7.6
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 2-5 ppm
Nitrate - 80-160 ppm (can't tell on the test kit).

Should I do a water change to get the nitrites/nitrates down? or just wait a few days and continue to add a pinch of fish food each day?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

What can I do to bring the pH in my tank down? I would like to keep Red Cherry Shrimp and I read that they like a pH of less than 7.

Today I did another water test, and the Ammonia was 0, the Nitrite was 5, and the Nitrate was 80-160 ppm. So I did about an 8 gallon water change (two 5 gallon buckets filled 80% full). The water looks a lot clearer. The water that went down the tub had a dark yellow tint to it. I will do another water test tomorrow.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

The best way to lower pH is with CO2 (creates carbonic acid when dissolved into water). There are a lot of water chemistry products out there for futzing about with pH, and my advice is to avoid _all_ of them. Trying to fight pH is a losing battle, and is much harder on your fish than just letting them acclimate to the pH you've got. You might read up a bit on KH and GH, and their relationship to everything. 

Cherry shrimp will acclimate to your water fine, but invertebrates tend to be more sensitive to NO3, so watch that. RCS will be fine, just need a mature tank and easy acclimation. 7.6 isn't a big deal.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I did a water test tonight after I did a water change earlier today.
pH - holding steady at 7.6
Ammonida - 0
Nitrate - 0 or just above 0
Nitrate - about 40 ppm

Should I continue with adding a pinch of fish food each day? Should I do a water change to get the nitrate level as close to zero as possible? I would like to add fish this week if possible, but I am in no hurry.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Ya, you gotta keep feeding the bacteria something, or they'll die. 

I'd say wait a week and if you are still at zero NH3 and NO2, go ahead and throw some fishies in there. A little nitrate is no biggie.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Willamette said:


> Ya, you gotta keep feeding the bacteria something, or they'll die.
> 
> I'd say wait a week and if you are still at zero NH3 and NO2, go ahead and throw some fishies in there. A little nitrate is no biggie.


That's what I was thinking.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did another water test tonight. Things are looking good.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - about 5ppm
Nitrate - about 40 ppm

Can I add fish this weekend even though my nitrite level is greater than zero?


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## 50089 (Dec 11, 2011)

WestHaven said:


> I did another water test tonight. Things are looking good.
> Ammonia - 0
> Nitrite - about 5ppm
> Nitrate - about 40 ppm
> ...


Nope.  Nitrites are as toxic as ammonia and if they are still spiking like that you dont' want to add fish. I admit I didn't read the whole thread; are you using fish food to cycle or are you adding ammonia? If you're just adding fish food it's hard to get the level to where it should be (usually dosing until ammonia reaches 4 ppms each time it goes to 0; I also just read a few pages behind and saw it got up to 8 at one point; if it gets too high that can stall the cycle too so you don't want to it to rise above 4-5). Once ammonia and nitrite stay at 0 consistently without water changes you can try adding a couple of small fish. Or see if you can get a bottle of pure ammonia; it's cleaner and much easier to dose and get the ammonia levels to where they should be.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

librarygirl said:


> Nope.  Nitrites are as toxic as ammonia and if they are still spiking like that you dont' want to add fish. I admit I didn't read the whole thread; are you using fish food to cycle or are you adding ammonia? If you're just adding fish food it's hard to get the level to where it should be (usually dosing until ammonia reaches 4 ppms each time it goes to 0; I also just read a few pages behind and saw it got up to 8 at one point; if it gets too high that can stall the cycle too so you don't want to it to rise above 4-5). Once ammonia and nitrite stay at 0 consistently without water changes you can try adding a couple of small fish. Or see if you can get a bottle of pure ammonia; it's cleaner and much easier to dose and get the ammonia levels to where they should be.


Thanks for the response. I have been doing a fish-less cycle using fish food. What should I do?

Would adding extra plants help? I know that plants will carry some beneficial bacteria with them. I would like to add more plants anyway.


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

More plants can only be good. 

Honestly, your on the right track, just gotta keep throwing biomatter in there. Eventually the nitrite will read zero consistantly. Shouldn't be long.

I'm cycling a little tank right now. Irritating process.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks. Assuming that my water chemical levels are safe for fish, I'm going to get a few this weekend. I would like to get 5-6 cory cats, but am concerned they would be too much of a bio-load on a new tank. Would it be better to get a small school of top-water fish like tetras instead?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Tonight I added 3 plants. They were labelled as "assorted plants" at the store, so I don't know what they are. I will post pictures later so somebody can ID them. I put two plants in the gravel, the other I wedged into a crack in my driftwood. I also noticed that my moss ball is starting to split in two, so it must like the water in my tank.


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## Bubba Shrimp (May 7, 2012)

I would reconmend getting some shrimp like Amano or Ghost a couple of Bamboo Shrimp are nice to have as a show pieace. Also some snails like Zebra Nerite Snails, Ramshorn snails or something. Spend the $2 on a prefilter sponge for your filter intake and clean it twice a month. It will collect most of the fish pooh. Be sure to cycle your tank before you buy any inhabitants.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Bubba Shrimp said:


> I would reconmend getting some shrimp like Amano or Ghost a couple of Bamboo Shrimp are nice to have as a show pieace. Also some snails like Zebra Nerite Snails, Ramshorn snails or something. Spend the $2 on a prefilter sponge for your filter intake and clean it twice a month. It will collect most of the fish pooh. Be sure to cycle your tank before you buy any inhabitants.


Thank you. My tank is almost entirely cycled. I am doing a water change on it now to reduce the nitrate level. I think I will get a few snails and fish this weekend. Today I bought a sponge to place in front of my filter as you suggested.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Hi. I did another water test doday.
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 5 ppm
Nitrate - 80-160 ppm

This is after I did a near 75 percent water change last night. I added a sponge over my filter intake. I came home today and found that one of my wisteria plants has weak roots so I am going to let it float until the roots grow back. What should I do to get the nitrites/nitrates down? Can anyone identify what my new plants in the pictures are?

Thanks


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did another water test today.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 5 ppm
Nitrate - 5-10 ppm

I'm a little confused as to why the nitrate level would drop so much in only one day. But anyway I think will get a few fish this weekend.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Update: Did a water test today
pH - 7.6
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 5 ppm
Nitrate - 20 ppm

Do you think I could get a few fish tomorrow?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Wait till the nitrite reads zero, man. You can actually upset the cycle if you toss fish into the middle of it. To say nothing of exposing the fish to nitrite.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thanks.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Today I went to Petco and bought two plants labelled Kyoto and Argentine Sword. The tank is looking great now. The Kyoto and a few swords filled up a blank space in front, and the rest of the Sword pieces are filling up the sides and back nicely. The other plants are still looking good.

I also noticed that Petco had bamboo shrimp there, interesting critters. I think I will get one or two in the future.


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## 50089 (Dec 11, 2011)

Be careful with PetCo and PetSmart plants. They tend to sell some that aren't fully aquatic. Kyoto (Mondo Grass) is one of these. It isn't meant to be submersed and it'll eventually rot in the tank and really mess up your water. The Argentine Sword is OK.


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

WestHaven said:


> What fish/shrimp/snails are good for algae?
> 
> Update: I added 5 pounds of gravel and two more pieces of driftwood and replanted all of my plants. In the process, I churned up a lot of gunk so the water is really cloudy right now. I did water change with a few gallons of distilled water. The ammonia was at 4 ppm, the nitrites and nitrates were at 0, and the pH was at 7.6. The water is pretty yellow colored from the tannins in the wood, but I don't mind.


On algae in smaller tank.
Red Cherry shrimp, Amanos and Otos.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

librarygirl said:


> Be careful with PetCo and PetSmart plants. They tend to sell some that aren't fully aquatic. Kyoto (Mondo Grass) is one of these. It isn't meant to be submersed and it'll eventually rot in the tank and really mess up your water. The Argentine Sword is OK.


Thanka for the warning. My other Petco plants (Amazon Sword and Wisteria) are doing just fine but they are fully aquatic plants of course. I will watch the Kyoto/Mondo plants to see how they do. I found one article online that says they can be grown underwater, but they may require a CO2 system. I don't have a C02 system. I think I will pull them out and buy a glass bowl and let them grow on my windowsill. I get paid in a week so I will do it then (moving halfway across the country makes your financial status tough for a few months).


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

kalawai2000 said:


> On algae in smaller tank.
> Red Cherry shrimp, Amanos and Otos.


Thanks. I was thinking of RCS and Cory catfish, but Amano and Otos would be good additions as well.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Another update. I did a water test.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 5 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm

I will continue to add a pinch of fish food each day. Hopefully by the end of the week (when I get paid), I can get some fish.


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## 50089 (Dec 11, 2011)

Hm, no nitrate? The nitrite phase can take a while, it's the longest of the phases so I'm not too concerned with that. I'm just wondering if the cycle is stalling due to the lack of feeding the bacteria. Fish food doesn't really add much ammonia and you need to add a lot of it to get any decent readings. If you can get some pure ammonia I'd try that, even just dosing to 2 instead of 4 would be good. Have you tested PH? PH drops are common in cycling tanks and if it drops too much it can stall the process.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

The last time I did a pH test it was 7.6 (3 days ago). I'll try to get get some pure ammonia tonight after work, add some, then do a water test.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

After work today, I went to three stores (Home Depot, Harbor Freight, and Wal-mart), HD and Walmart had ammonia, but it had surfactants and perfume in it. Where can I find plain ammonia? I also added a larger-than-normal amount of fish food today, about twice as much. Hoping to get an ammonia spike tomorrow.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did a water test (only 3 hours later), here are the results.
pH - 7.6 (holding steady)
Ammonia - .25 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm
Nitrate - 40-80 ppm

I think I got the ammonia spike I was looking for. Your thoughts?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Water test. I have been adding fish food each day.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 5 ppm
Nitrate 20 ppm

Why doesn't the nitrite level want to go down?


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## Willamette (Jun 19, 2012)

Looks to me like your just waiting on the second half of the cycle to finish. 5ppm is pretty high, wouldn't hurt to do a water change. 50% might be good, as too high a concentration can slow things down. No biggie though.

If you're getting that much nitrite, you know you've got plenty of ammonia in the system. The only way to get nitrite is from the bacteria metabolizing the ammonia. So the presence of nitrite tells you that the ammonia _is_ there and _is_ being properly dealt with. The fact that it doesn't show up on the test tells you that the bacteria are doing their job.

Once the nitrite eating bacteria take a hold, the levels will fall pretty rapidly.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thanks. The ammonia is coming from fish food and decaying plant matter. I think the Kyoto grass I got at Petco is starting to die because it isn't a fully-aquatic plant (didn't know that at the time). All of them are browning up. I am getting good growth from the Wisteria, and a few of the Amazon swords are putting up new leaves.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Today I went to Petco and bought a few supplies; a bottle of chlorine remover(ran out of it), airline tubing, and some ceramic bio-balls. The bio-balls were put in the first chamber of my filter. I also bought 3 plants. The largest one in my tank is the back-left. There is a smaller one next to it behind the driftwood but you can't see it in my picture. The third one is some type of Anubias, it's in the front-right. Very healthy roots on all of them. All of the plants are looking good. I removed my central large airstone to make room for the plants. The tank seems to have good water movement from the filter and two small airstones.

Can anyone identify what the large plant is? Petco doesn't label their plants.


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## viwwo (Jan 15, 2010)

I would even ask the store to give you some of their fish water. That has a lot of crap in it and it will help you start. And take your sweet time.

Edite: looks like amazon sword.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

viwwo said:


> I would even ask the store to give you some of their fish water. That has a lot of crap in it and it will help you start. And take your sweet time.
> 
> Edite: looks like amazon sword.


Thank you, but I don't think it's an Amazon sword. The plant to the left to the biggest plant is an Amazon sword. The new big plant has a light green/dark green striped pattern, and all of the leaves are coming out of the central stalk, not from the base like the Amazon sword.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

I wonder if your new plant is one of those semi-aquatic ones more for terrariums. If so, that's a bummer...sometimes they don't mark the plants clearly as aquatic or not. Petsmart has the same issue with their prepackaged plants.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> I wonder if your new plant is one of those semi-aquatic ones more for terrariums. If so, that's a bummer...sometimes they don't mark the plants clearly as aquatic or not. Petsmart has the same issue with their prepackaged plants.
> 
> The plants were a few of their plants in their main tank, so I hope they are real aquatic plants.


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## gelbschnee (Jan 23, 2012)

the plant in question is not aquatic at all. i made the mistake of buying that one myself when i was getting started. take it out and try to grow it as a house plant


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thanks, I will take it out. I could use a nice houseplant anyway. From now on I will only buy plants for the LFS or order them online.

Update: I removed the non aquatic plants from the tank. I bought a bag of Miracle grow Organic potting soil, a bag of stones and a pot from Home Depot. I added some of the stones into the tank to create a rock pile, and to hold down the driftwood (they weren't very stable). I will do a water test on the tank tomorrow.

Here are the plants in their new home. The towel was because I over-watered them.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Hello. I did a water test tonight.

Ammoia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 - 5 pp
Nitrate - 10-20 ppm
What are your thoughts? I would like to add a few fish this week.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did another water test tonight. I think the cycle is almost complete.
Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0.5 ppm
Nitrate - 5 ppm

If this trend continues, could I add a few fish this weekend? Thanks


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

I would! I think you're good to go. Then again, I'm not the patient type, but I haven't lost any of the 1st fish I've ever added in my many years (25+) of fish-keeping (and still have the original 4 platies I started with 7 mos ago - added with no testing, just after 2 wks of cycling). Get something hardy that you won't mind having stick around a bit - platies, mollies, barbs, some tetras (black skirts, red minors, bleeding hearts - not neons or cardinals) etc and go slow - just 2-4 at a time. Acclimate slowly - float for 10 or so minutes, then add your tank water little by little to the bag. Feed sparingly too, it's very easy to kill with kindness!

Add more plants too if you can!


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> I would! I think you're good to go. Then again, I'm not the patient type, but I haven't lost any of the 1st fish I've ever added in my many years (25+) of fish-keeping (and still have the original 4 platies I started with 7 mos ago - added with no testing, just after 2 wks of cycling). Get something hardy that you won't mind having stick around a bit - platies, mollies, barbs, some tetras (black skirts, red minors, bleeding hearts - not neons or cardinals) etc and go slow - just 2-4 at a time. Acclimate slowly - float for 10 or so minutes, then add your tank water little by little to the bag. Feed sparingly too, it's very easy to kill with kindness!
> 
> Add more plants too if you can!


Why do you say no cardinal tetras? They are great looking fish.
If I add any fish this weekend, I think they will be cory cats, and a few snails.

I think adding the ceramic bio-balls in my filter helped a lot because they have a ton of surface area for the bacteria.


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## RavenSkyfire (Jun 16, 2012)

I don't think they were saying no in general to the Cardinals, just to not use them for the first inhabitants of the tank until your cycle is complete and the tank is stable. 

Manda in Auburn, WA


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

WestHaven said:


> Why do you say no cardinal tetras? They are great looking fish.
> If I add any fish this weekend, I think they will be cory cats, and a few snails.
> 
> I think adding the ceramic bio-balls in my filter helped a lot because they have a ton of surface area for the bacteria.


Oh, cardinals are awesome. I love them to pieces - they're just not the hardiest fish around.

I also wouldn't add cories yet...they're not the hardiest either.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thank you both. I'll try to add a few hardy fishes this weekend.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Did another water test tonight. It looks like the cycle is complete or nearly complete.
pH - 7.6 (where it's always been)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0 or slightly above 0
Nitrate - 0

If the nitrate is 0 does that mean that the plants are eating it?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did another water test today. The tank is ready for fish!
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0-5 ppm


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Fish are in the tank! I got 5 tetras and 3 cory cats, don't know what kind they are but they seem to be doing well. I floated the bag for 15 minutes, then drip acclimated them in a bucket for a half hour. Right now they are just slowly cruising around the tank together. They look great when you turn the lights on, but I will leave the lights off today so they won't be stressed.

I noticed that my fish store also had some cherry shrimp in today, I think I'll get some next time I'm there in a week or two. I also bought a back of the tank cover in dark blue.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

congrats! can't wait to see pics of them


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> congrats! can't wait to see pics of them


Thank you. I'll take some pics tomorrow. I added to my last post that I got 3 cory cats also, but forgot to say it. The fish are healthy and happy exploring their new home. I love how they school together. I gave them a pinch of flake food and they went nuts ripping it apart.

Update: The fish are still doing well a few hours later. The tetras are all schooling together. With the corys, they school most of the time, but two of them seem to be best friends while the third one is more of a loner. They are having fun digging in the gravel and eating algae. I also added a dark blue background to the tank.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

The fish survived their first night in the tank! They all seem to be doing well. The cory cats are very active, swimming non-stop all around the tank. The tetras like to hang out in the mid level of the tank swimming slowly.


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

Did you get sinking pellets for the cories? They'll love that. I have noticed that they love to school and/or pair up. Probably my favorite fish after congo tetras. I just never have luck with them - they can be very sensitive  

Glad to hear your fish are happy!


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

if_fishes_were_wishes said:


> Did you get sinking pellets for the cories? They'll love that. I have noticed that they love to school and/or pair up. Probably my favorite fish after congo tetras. I just never have luck with them - they can be very sensitive
> 
> Glad to hear your fish are happy!


Yes I do have some sinking algae wafers for the corys. I gave one to them yesterday but they were semi-interested. They are Wardley brand wafers. They took a few bites of it but then moved on to foraging on algae on the rocks. One of the mystery snails (I have 2 of them, hitchhikers, about the size of a dime) liked eating it.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

I did a water test tonight. The fish are all looking happy.
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5 ppm

The tetras really like flake food and brine shrimp, and the corys really like blood worms.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Everything is doing good. The fish are swimming and active. The one snail is going a good job eating the fungus and algae. I topped off the tank with a few gallons of water and the fish seem really happy.

Sorry for the crappy pics. My 5 year old point-and-shoot camera sucks at close range. I need to get a DSLR (maybe for Christmas).


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## if_fishes_were_wishes (Jul 29, 2007)

If you can keep those neons and copies happy, you're off to a very good start  Looks perfect!.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thank you! I certainly hope they are happy. It looks like they are doing well. The snail is doing good too. He's sleeping for the night.


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