# Tank up and running (I think)



## mrcrilly (Sep 11, 2010)

Greetings.

I have finally managed to get my little one foot tank all setup. I have water in it, which I treated with AquaSafe before hand, the air pump (TetraTec APS50) is, err, pumping, and the heater is erm... heating! 

At the moment, the air pump is pushing air through the air stone successfully, but I'm wondering if this is enough to supply the under-gravel filter? I think I've plugged all the right tubes into the right places and everything seems right.

I've put some food in the tank and I will continue to do so for the next few weeks to allow bacteria to grow in the gravel. Once done, I shall test the water's temperature (even though I have set the heater to 23˚C) and I'm thinking I should check other things too, such as the PH levels of the water, etc?

I've included a photo below for your review. I hope it's not too dark:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2664389/Images/fish-tank-new.jpg

Kind regards.


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## aconrad (Apr 30, 2008)

Put a few fishies in there to get it going  Maybe a few more decorations to give them somewhere to go get out of the light.


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## mrcrilly (Sep 11, 2010)

aconrad said:


> Put a few fishies in there to get it going  Maybe a few more decorations to give them somewhere to go get out of the light.


The tank isn't ready yet. I've been advised to leave the tank running for upwards of four weeks, placing food in the tank everyday to allow bacteria to grow in the gravel. This comes from a very, very reliable source and someone with nearly 20 years of fish keeping experience, not to mention being one of the most intelligent men on planet Earth 

I'm going to throw Cardinal Tetras in there I think.


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## aconrad (Apr 30, 2008)

What do you mean, "not ready yet". Using fish to cycle actually makes it cycle faster, adding fish food just adds waste to the tank mostly. Not the good bacteria which youre trying to produce.


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## NursePlaty (Feb 5, 2010)

*Both fish food and waste is converted into ammonia. By adding only fish food he is still able to grow the necessary beneficial bacteria. Thats why some fishless cycles are done with raw shrimp, and some with straight ammonia. Fish food should therefore work .

A fishless cycle is faster than cycling with fish because ammonia levels can be higher in a fishless tank to grow the necessary bacteria faster. Whereas a cycling tank with fish will need water changes to prevent the ammonia from getting too high. Toxins like ammonia and nitrite need to be at a therapuetic level to prevent intoxication. So lower ammonia levels will just cycle slower.

Both methods are good, just a personal preference.
I am right now cycling my new tank with only liquid janitorial cleaning ammonia and no fish.*


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## intensejustin (Sep 8, 2010)

Looks good! Throw some decorations in there for the fishies to hide!


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## brimac40 (Jan 11, 2010)

NursePlaty said:


> *Both fish food and waste is converted into ammonia. By adding only fish food he is still able to grow the necessary beneficial bacteria. Thats why some fishless cycles are done with raw shrimp, and some with straight ammonia. Fish food should therefore work .
> 
> A fishless cycle is faster than cycling with fish because ammonia levels can be higher in a fishless tank to grow the necessary bacteria faster. Whereas a cycling tank with fish will need water changes to prevent the ammonia from getting too high. Toxins like ammonia and nitrite need to be at a therapuetic level to prevent intoxication. So lower ammonia levels will just cycle slower.
> 
> ...


Sound advice .

Waste , be it from food , raw shrimp , dead fish or fish waste all produce ammonia . This is why you have to be careful not to overfeed too often , not to stock a newly cycled tank too quickly (by this , I mean that after your tank is cycled purchase and add your fish a few at a time and not all of them you want all at once ) or leave a dead fish in your tank for too long etc; etc; because it could cause an ammonia/nitrite spike which in turn could cause a mini-cycle or completely crash your system .


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## f3honda4me (Sep 7, 2010)

I did the fishless cycle with my tank. I used ammonia from the store (unscented/colorless). On my 29 gallon tank I started by adding 1/4 cup, and added it until it was over 4 PPM. It got as high as 8 PPM, but now reads 0 after only 5 days.

Now my nitrates have spiked so I just have to wait for those to go back down. In the meantime I add a bit of ammonia to the water every day to keep the bacteria alive until I'm ready for fish.


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## mrcrilly (Sep 11, 2010)

Thanks for the responses.

It seems as though I'm taking the right action.

Whilst we're talking about ammonia and nitrate levels, I may as well ask how I test such levels and what kit to buy and from where (UK)?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

f3 - do you mean your nitrites spiked?


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## brimac40 (Jan 11, 2010)

mrcrilly said:


> Thanks for the responses.
> 
> It seems as though I'm taking the right action.
> 
> Whilst we're talking about ammonia and nitrate levels, I may as well ask how I test such levels and what kit to buy and from where (UK)?



API Master test kit would be your best bet . They can be ordered on-line cheap .


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