Tank cycle

[hoang1912]

I have a question about thank cycle. Yesterday, I putted ADA bacter 100 in the bottom then benibachi substrate. I leave a spong filter which was staying a week in my old shrimp tank to the new 3ft tank. I want to ask that how can I know the bacteria is growing? I researched that they are feeding vanish fish in the tank to make ammonia and growing bacteria. Is it true? Cheers

It is better if someone can show me step by step how to cycle the tank properly. I am appriciate that

[Squiggle]

Basically, first you need ammonia in your tank, then as the first bacteria cultures the ammonia will drop & cause nitrite to rise in your tank, once the second bacterial culture starts to grow the nitrite level starts to fall & produce nitrate, once you have nitrate in your tank & zero ammonia & nitrite your tank is cycled :encouragement:

The pic below shows a basic cycle, it all starts with ammonia :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

So I will take some waste from my friend's commet tank or shrimp/fish food, put it in my tank for 1st step_ammonia?

But I putted the air spong filter from my old shrimp tank to this tank, does it help?

During cycle tanks, is it better if I put moss, subwassertang, riccia inside? And we dont need heater for cycle tank?

And what about changing water? I am not sure about this. Please help me.

P/s my last shrimp tank, I didnt cycle or sth like that. Just put shrimp 6h after setting up the tank :p

[Squiggle]

Yeah, you need a source of ammonia to start the cycle but you said you had your sponge filter in another tank so it will have some of the bacteria already on it, I wouldn't put too much food in the tank, just enough to keep the tank cycling & check the ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

AM I have to change water? They said that change 50% water on fist day,.....

And when ammonia, nitrite and nitrate level is 0, that's mean tank's cycle has been finished?

[Squiggle]

Personally I wouldn't change the water till the tank has cycled cause you would be removing the food source for the bacteria. The ammonia & nitrite will go down to zero but the nitrates will rise, once you start getting nitrates it means you have both bacteria. I would do a WC after the tank has cycled cause you will need to get rid of the nitrates that the cycle has created :encouragement:

[DG17]

Bud a good tip I got off dean is to throw a few mussles or pippys to get the ammonia very high like 8ppm once at 8ppm take them out then nitrite will rise and convert to nitrates and plants fees on the nitrates so get some fast growing plants to reduce this with water changes.. Basically the way I see it the higher and worse the ammonia at the start the better the bacteria cycle..

Don't do any water changes till ammonia and nitrite are both at 0 only then should you do water changes and only small ones like 10% every 3rd day this + fast growing plants will help bring nitrate to 0 don't do any 50% water changes as this will disrupt the bio cycle at the start. Later down the track I think is fine but less % more regularly is much better. And I'd probably run the tank 100% normal so heater chiller and all minus additives to the sump other than media and sponges so no nitrazorb or purigen or anything as you want a strong build up as simple as possible..

Slow and steady wins the race!

[OzShrimp]

your mosses wont really help with removing nitrites and ammonia that i am aware of if they do its very low amounts.

I generally use fish food and sea chem stability, by adding an established sponge filter in the tank all you are doing is assisting kick start the bacteria colony however they will not survive if there is nothing to survive on in the first place.

As squiggle said i wouldnt be doing a water change whilst you are in the cycling process. Dependent on the circumstances involving what substrate you have the amount and type of plants you have, whether its a fishless cycle your tank can tank a week up to months to cycle properly.

best thing you can do is try not to rush the process. You can buy stuff like start smart complete which claims to cycle your tank in 24 hrs with high amounts of dorment bacteria in the bottle but i am not convinced that it works.

If you want plants to help removing ammonia stuff with plants you will need a heavily planted tank or fast growing plants because they are absorbing more nutrients from water column.

People do use stuff like pippys, oysters and raw prawns to kick the ammonia into gear i personally have never done it. i dont eat sea food lol :P

[hoang1912]

I am a newb in this hobby :)). What's the fast grow plant doesnt require for Co2 supply? I dont have that equip atm...

About pippys, oysters and raw prawns, does it have to be alive? Dead Pippy and oysters is alrite?

[OzShrimp]

Wouldnt say they are the fastest but you could go with swords and ferns, alot of them prefer to be attached to something like slate or driftwood whatever. You would want to stay away from anubias and what not as they are a slow low maintenance plant.

You dont need Co2 to grow all plants you can buy products like seachem comprehensive and flourish and a few others which allow you to add the nutrients to the water column for plant growth just gotta be weary of the doseage as it may affect shrimp.

[hoang1912]

hmmm. May be I have to leave these plant beside bcause these stuff might effect shrimp which I dont like

I gonna take some pippy/raw prawn on the way home for my bacteria. Just put it in and doesnt matter it's alive or dead? (for pippy).

For raw prawn, I saw somewhere in this 4rum, he/ she just put a half of prawn in the tank for increase ammonia and that is. AS long as ammonia kick to 8, he/she remove it from tank. Is that the way it's work?

Because my current tank have another spong filter, is it ok if I take that spong out, squeze all the waste from current tank to the cycling tank? It might be better than buying shrimo ^^

[OzShrimp]

you dont have to dose with the other plants they just wont grow as well :)

yes squeezing the old filter in the new tank is good :)

[Squiggle]

Water sprite is the fastest growing plant I know, you can plant it or have it floating & I've never had to dose with ferts :encouragement:

[mr_c265]

OOOOH OOOOOH OOOOOOH, i wrote a guide on another forum last week, ill copy it somewhere and link you.

EDIT: Crap, triggs beat me to it. Its in the water parameters section.

Fastest growing plant is hygrophila polysperma hands down. I have a bucketfull of 2 foot long hygro outside.

[hoang1912]

THanks for all advise guys. I just take the sponge from my friend's comet gold fish tank...such as messssssssss..... But it will be fine as I know from these adviser :">.

Anyone have some water sprite? I would like to purchase some ^^. I found 1 from gumtree at Richmond,Vic only for $3 but they're out of stock :(

@mr_c265: Ty, I am appreciate it.

[hoang1912]

This is my tank test after putted some waste from fish tank and cycle in 16h

Ammonia might be around 0.25, everything else is 0 and ph around 6.4.

Is this good? and I just change a little water from now on?

[Squiggle]

Don't do any more water changes till the ammonia comes down by itself, you want to change the water only when the nitrates come up :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

Thx Squiggle. I am on track rite? my tank will be ready in 1-2 more days.... I am so happy :barbershop_quartet_

Learn A LOT from you guys......yayy

[OzShrimp]

my tank will be ready in 1-2 more days.... I am so happy :barbershop_quartet_

expect the unexpected. are you dosing seachem stability or anything similar to help with cycling process?

[hoang1912]

Nope. I am not doing anything. Just done what am I said and asked you guys yesterday. Commet gold fish waste is better :)) lmao.

Just add the canister filter to the spong and put riccia, moss and subwassertang

[OzShrimp]

buy some seachem stability or similar product (i prefer seachem) its bacteria in a bottle and will help with the cycling process. Also beneficial to have on hand to add when you do water changes

[Squiggle]

Stability is an awesome product, I haven't used anything Seachem that isn't awesome :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

So waste from sponge is not enough? I know a lot of things since asking you guys abt these

[Squiggle]

The waste will be enough to feed the cycle, the Stability will increase the bacteria to help speed up the cycle :encouragement:

[OzShrimp]

Correct as squiggle said. Products like Seachem stability are dorment bacteria in a bottle, when you add it to the water it activates it and comes back to life