Reply With QuoteGood luck and hope to hear good news from you soon
Attachment 41763
Just started a 2 feet tank to keep better grade CRS. Currently cycling for the 3rd day. Hopefully can throw in some shrimps soon.
Substrate:
Borneowild Shrimp Soil
Additives used beneath substrate: Borneowild's Humic, Minerax, Vigor and Bacter Crystal
2nd hand Ehiem's 2213 filter with ceramic rings
HS 28A chiller
Scape:
Borneowild Minerock
Dead coral fan from CRS Haven (hope it don't affect PH)
Mini Fissiden
Spiky moss
Anchor moss
Moss balls
Malayan driftwood
Current parameters:
PH Below 6. API test kit measures only until 6.0. May need to get a PH Pen.
Gh 4
Kh 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia 0.5
TDS 120
Temperature 31°C (yet to turn on chiller as cycling water still)
Wish me luck to a successful shrimp tank this time round. Been failing and killing shrimps previously as never paid attention to critical parameters. Now I'm gonna learn from past mistakes, especially after investing close to $800.00 fire this initial setup.
Hopefully first shrimps to be in by this weekend once ammonia clears as Borneowild's shrimp soil is supposed to require only 3 days of cycling.
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Good luck and hope to hear good news from you soon
camping here...
I don't understand how borneowild shrimp soil can shorten the cycling time down to 3 days. I know that most active soils contains ammonia to help kickstart the cycling process and you can use an old filter, which already contains the necessary bacteria, but to my knowledge, you still need at least a week to 2 weeks. Perhaps someone can enlighten me?
Xuan87. .Not sure though. That's their sales pitch. Check out GC website. Think it doesn't release much ammonia but heard it's not really good for planted tank. The additives I used helps in making the soil ok for plants though.
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Bacter Crystal and Vigor also boost bacterial activities.
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Ammonia reading this morning. Cycling for 9 days. No signs of nitrate when I did the test. Borneowild soil supposed to finished cycling in 3 days, especially with the additives.
Sent an Facebook message to GC and was told to add more bacteria. Done that too.
Is it cycling? I think if cycling, it will have nitrates but been testing for days and nothing.
I can see some transparent slime on my driftwood and some darker areas which I read online as bacteria colonies.
Am confused.
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NOTHING EVER cycles an aquarium in 3 days.
You are adding the bacteria in,but they won't sustain for long because theres not enough "food" source for them to keep them alive.
A few days later you may see your readings as a cycled tank,
but once the bacteria eats finish its food,they will start dying again and the whole process repeats.
cheers.
Means borneowild is not as claimed I supposed. Invested about $130.00 on the soil and additives.
But I'll need to see nitrate to be sure that it is cycling right?
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It's not even been 2 weeks bro cycling has just begun but from my experience on day 3 I added 3 commandos to test out if their soil really works and until now the 2 commandos are still around. You could try drop a cherry or two to see if their claim is legit. The soil says you can add shrimps in 3 days, it didn't say the tank will cycle in 3 days! Ammonia in an acidic condition immediately converts to ammonium which is less harmless to aquatic life so I guess thats how the commandos survived
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True. Will the ammonium turn back to ammonia when PH increase?
Haha agree that it didn't say cycle in 3 days. Time to test with some commandos.
Yet to turn on chiller too.
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Definitely, make sure your water charges aren't too big or the ammonium will convert to ammonia and be lethal to your shrimps.
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OMG! Any advice?
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Wow that's very low, you sure your ph pen working fine?
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Yes arron. Just bought and calibrated.
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Then I guess you have to do large water changes, anyways there are no livestock so even 100% water change is fine
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Thinking of using baking soda to raise it to about 6..
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I really think you shouldn't because it might cause problems later on by making your soil expire much faster. Just do a water change or 2 every other day and monitor ph
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Hmm good idea too. Think I'll try that too but if my ph buffering is so low it brings down to 4 plus again I'll then resort to baking soda.
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Cloudy water is a good sign which may be a bacteria bloom.
Just tested parameters and delighted to see nitrite for the first time in 2 weeks.
PH 6.6
KH 0
GH 3
NH3/4 0.5
Nitrite 0.25
Will test again tomorrow. Hopefully the PH buffers at around 5.8 to 6.2 and the water will continue to cycle.
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