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Thread: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

  1. #1
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    New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

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    Hello guys, I'm a new member in this forum as well as picking up the hobby of rearing fishes & possibly shrimps soon. I hope the community will be helpful to impart some invaluable knowledge so I can ensure I'm on the right route to keeping my tank safe & fishes happy.

    I'm finally done with my trial "1ft by 1ft" tank setup. Took me a while to fully understand what the Nitrogen Cycle was about. Got myself some live plants and threw in a couple of fishes in to help speed up cycling of the tank.
    Current fish population consists of 5 neon tetras, & 4 other unidentified fishes. The tank's been cycling for a week or two, & I believe the water parameters aren't stable yet (I've yet to buy the test kits since its so expensive). I do a 10-20% water change daily to prevent any spikes in harmful levels in the water.,
    Its been 3 days I last added the fishes in, sadly 1 of the unidentified fishes died. The rest remain happy & healthy, SO FAR. Woke up today to see 1 of my live plant totally shredded apart. Not sure which bugger is responsible for it though. I added another betta to the fish community, & it seems to have adapted to the environment. I probably refrain from increasing the fishes in fear of overpopulation.

    I realize that are many types of test kits available in the market. However, I'm unsure of which I should actually invest in due to the wide variety & prices. I've heard of API Master Test kit (Liquid I think) that checks the PH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels in the tank. I'll be heading out later to see what is actually available in the LFS. Also, is it advisable for me to purchase Beneficial Bacteria Bottles?Many hobbyists told me that most commercial bacterial bottles are useless as the bacteria in the bottle is already dead, due to lack of ammonia.

    Well, I'll try to upload a picture of my tank setup later. Please do advise me on the next steps.
    Thanks all!

    Regards,
    Junneh

  2. #2
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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Bro a picture pls. The bacteria to me is useful. For starting. It speeds it up. Or u tank from other ppl their used tank water.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    You could get those Ocean Free 8000 Super Battle Bacteria ($10-11 for 120ml) which will preserved live bacteria in liquid form and the bacteria will be activated when it comes in contact with water after releasing into aquarium, hence it will convert the toxic ammonia to nitrite, nitrite to nitrate, nitrate to nitrogen gas which is what we want to achieve, speeding up the nitrogen cycling process, to add in livestock~

    I've used on my 2 newly setup tanks, the results are amazing which took me just 7 days to get the results of 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite and 0ppm nitrate, and i've just done the testing again today, its still all 0ppm.

    But please get the test kits as soon as possible, its a tool that every hobbyist needs, assumption of estimation doesn't work all the time especially when you have livestock in the tank.
    (Even if you achieve all 0ppm results, do not be too happy yet as it might have spike, can always do a partial water change to lower the chance of sudden spiking and do a few tests over the next few days and take this chance to do a final "adjustment" to your plants/scaping that's for me)

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Gotcha, so I do need the test kit! However, do I buy the 3 in 1 kind? Test strips or liquid form? Also, I'll look around in the LFS later to see what bacteria agent I can get my hands on!
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    All seems good. Forget the strips I have them. But after a while the accuracy is not enough. If fish keeping gonna be long term get the master test kit. Bite the bullet don't be like me buy individual and strips at the end still cannot have all accurate reading....so master test at $50 will be it.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    $50? That's a pretty steep price.. Well, I'll see how it goes. I need to allocate some budget to purchase more live plants, co2, and possibly a few shrimps to clean up my tank ^^
    I'll make an effort to update this thread regularly & seek advices. Thanks all!

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    It's quite worth in the long run, i bought 3 of the individual test kits separately before i knew there's actually a master test kit.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Latest update:

    I couldn't find any master test kits, thus having to buy them individually. Costed me quite a bomb. Well, added 2 more live plants to the tank & a couple more tetras. Sadly, 1 of them failed to acclimate to the new water parameters & is dying soon. Hopefully the rest pull through & thrive in the new environment . Since its late, I'll probably test the water parameters in the morning. Fingers crossed & good luck to my fishes!

    Regards,
    Junneh

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Quote Originally Posted by Junneh View Post
    Latest update:

    I couldn't find any master test kits, thus having to buy them individually. Costed me quite a bomb. Well, added 2 more live plants to the tank & a couple more tetras. Sadly, 1 of them failed to acclimate to the new water parameters & is dying soon. Hopefully the rest pull through & thrive in the new environment . Since its late, I'll probably test the water parameters in the morning. Fingers crossed & good luck to my fishes!

    Regards,
    Junneh
    Stop adding fish till parameters are fully cycled..

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    If you want to play safe and ensure the safety of your fishes, just dump in alot of frogbit and hornwort into your tank.. they are very efficient in absorbing Ammonia and Nitrate...

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Update : 06/04/15

    Great news! I woke up this morning & my fishes are doing well, the plants too! The tetra I thought to be dying made a miraculous recovery & is doing well. Perhaps the dose of bacteria is actually working. Haha. I am tempted to add a couple of "sucker fishes" to clean up uneaten food or "algae" in the tank. Any opinions?

    About Frogbit & Hornwort, do they require high lighting & CO2? Most plants I have now doesn't require much of the two. Also, I'm afraid of overpopulating my tank with too many live plants, leading to new problems.

    I've yet to test my water parameters & will do so later when I home.
    I will upload a pic later & feel free to guide me along the way.

    Thank you all, have a nice day!

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Frogbit do not require CO2 and any lighting will do.. most importantly is to aid remove ammonia in the tank..

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Quote Originally Posted by IrvineChen View Post
    Frogbit do not require CO2 and any lighting will do.. most importantly is to aid remove ammonia in the tank..
    Being floating plants they do block out lights for the plants below so don't put too much.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Quote Originally Posted by Junneh View Post
    Update : 06/04/15

    Great news! I woke up this morning & my fishes are doing well, the plants too! The tetra I thought to be dying made a miraculous recovery & is doing well. Perhaps the dose of bacteria is actually working. Haha. I am tempted to add a couple of "sucker fishes" to clean up uneaten food or "algae" in the tank. Any opinions?

    About Frogbit & Hornwort, do they require high lighting & CO2? Most plants I have now doesn't require much of the two. Also, I'm afraid of overpopulating my tank with too many live plants, leading to new problems.

    I've yet to test my water parameters & will do so later when I home.
    I will upload a pic later & feel free to guide me along the way.

    Thank you all, have a nice day!
    I've also just learnt that sucker fish is loosely used by LFS. They are pleco. What you should get is otto. Smaller and less distructive. With the add in bacteria I reckon the parameters are changing for the better.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    What bacteria did you get?

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Actually 1 feet by 1 feet is not very big, try not to add too many livestock as they need space to swim and roam around.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    I'm currently using Super Battle Bacteria 8000. I'll visit the LFS again perhaps during the weekend when I am free. Found a pretty good stall at Bedok, recommended by my friends. The plants are fairly cheap, likewise for the fishes though limited variety.

    Whats the difference between a pleco & otto? I thought sucker fish does no harm besides sucking up loose garbage? Haha. Any otto species to introduce then?

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Update :

    Here's a recent picture of my tank. I'll try to find some floating plants sometime soon, & perhaps buy CO2... hehe
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Nice growth! Pleco I understand will grow quite big. They look the same but different. When they are big the will kick up ur substrate and knock down ur scape.

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    Re: New Tank Cycling with Fishes :D

    Bad news.. I've got an ammonia spike.... Here's the readings

    [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Nitrite 0.5mg[/COLOR]
    [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Ammonium 5mg[/COLOR]
    [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]PH 6.5[/COLOR]
    [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Nitrate 25mg

    Can anyone please advise me what to do? The tank's in dire traits but my fishes seem fine for now.
    [/COLOR]

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