Beginner: planted nano tank with eventual shrimp

[Danny Archer]

Yes, that should be a bacteria bloom as the beneficial bacteria is still growing if I am not wrong, thanks for sharing your progress!

[schwip]

Yes, that should be a bacteria bloom as the beneficial bacteria is still growing if I am not wrong, thanks for sharing your progress!

Thanks! I'm just a bit worried they all died off because it cleared up by day 4 or 5 and my ammonia levels are off the charts.. about 5-6ppm. I did a 50% water change and it is still about 4ppm right now. Weirdly the plants don't seem burned by it.. yet.

If I use say Azoo bio ball max... and introduce it for a day or so, would that release enough BB to speed up the cycle further?

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[NanoScaper]

Thanks! I'm just a bit worried they all died off because it cleared up by day 4 or 5 and my ammonia levels are off the charts.. about 5-6ppm. I did a 50% water change and it is still about 4ppm right now. Weirdly the plants don't seem burned by it.. yet.

If I use say Azoo bio ball max... and introduce it for a day or so, would that release enough BB to speed up the cycle further?

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

Hey, schwip.

I don't think you should worry about it too much.

Just like what Danny Archer mentioned, what you saw was probably bacterial bloom and it was supposed to go away after a while.

Coincidentally, I just saw a blog post that mentioned this recently and you might want to take a look at it. Cloudy water in aquarium: causes & solutions

Since you have started the cycling process naturally without any bottled bacteria, I think it's best you just continue without making any changes to your setup.

Also read somewhere that naturally occuring bacteria are more stable (than bottled one) but it takes more time to cultivate them in a new tank.

Hope this helps.

[Danny Archer]

Best to let your tank cycle and let the bb grow, shouldn't take long.

[schwip]

Alright guys thanks for the encouragement! I will just be patient ahhaha.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

I realise that my previous progress update stated 12 days. That was wrong... it was 9 days at that point

Here is the latest, at 2days, 9 days and 15 days. The growth is coming along nicely, however ammonia levels are still at 4ppm.

[imtai]

hey bro. jus want to share my updates on the cycling process of my tank.

I'm pretty envious how u manage to add shrimp in in such a short period.



this was my water para before the 3rd water change =*(

still have about 0.25 ppm of ammonia.. I do hope that things gets better later when I test the water parameters!
*fingers crossed*

cheers and have a good weekend !

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

Bro I think you meant to post this in redwan's thread. Nevertheless... thanks for sharing? What were your ammonia levels like at the start of the cycle, could I know?

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[imtai]

Bro I think you meant to post this in redwan's thread. Nevertheless... thanks for sharing? What were your ammonia levels like at the start of the cycle, could I know?

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

oh goodness I got confused with the thread hahah

hmm first week was really bad. I still have the image in my phone. one sec

first week before wc


second week before wc


it's really a slow and torturing process =*(

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

Ooh! Did you add nitrates during the cycle? My nitrates are still low..

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[imtai]

Ooh! Did you add nitrates during the cycle? My nitrates are still low..

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

I din add any nitrates! I'm not sure y the no3 is so high. =*(

but kind shrimpers from AQ what'sapp group suspected it was an issue with my active substrate leeching out the ammonia and no3.

I will be keeping neo.. but I went ahead to get an active substrate instead of a inert one.. as I like the way the soil look in the tank.. thus resulting in this much problems.

soil used was from H.E.L.P advance shrimp soil.

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

Cool thanks! I am using ANS Planta soil myself. But I plant to grow a carpet so the active substrate should benefit me in the long run hahahah.

If the ammonia still doesn't drop I am considering throwing some floaters in soon.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

Day 18:

Finally relieved to see the cycling happening!
Ammonia : ~3-4ppm
Nitrites: ~2ppm
Nitrates: ~5-10ppm

[imtai]

Day 18:

Finally relieved to see the cycling happening!
Ammonia : ~3-4ppm
Nitrites: ~2ppm
Nitrates: ~5-10ppm

yay! congratz to you bro!

I realised you were cycling your tank without any added powder or liquid bacteria!

great perseverance and patience man. your plant should carpet real fast with the amount of nitrates in the water now!! =)

I had to add floaters as my Moss ain't taking up much no3 =.= but also means to me that my bacteria is working hard in the nitrogen cycle !

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

Thks! And yes I have not added any additional bacteria formulas.

I will monitor the parameters till there is sufficient carpet before deciding if I want to add floaters...since the more plants there are the more nitrogen uptake there will be hahaha.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[NanoScaper]

Thks! And yes I have not added any additional bacteria formulas.

I will monitor the parameters till there is sufficient carpet before deciding if I want to add floaters...since the more plants there are the more nitrogen uptake there will be hahaha.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

Hey, schwip.

You have much better patience than me.

If I'm not wrong, it's been three weeks since you set up this tank.

Have you encountered any algae yet and how did you manage it?

[schwip]

@rezdwan

Hey man you are right, I am just approaching three weeks (tomorrow will be day 21).

I have not encountered green algae like the kind you have at the sides of your glass... if what you show in your pics is indeed algae.

I have had a few strands forming on dying/dead leaves and once on a piece of soil. I just remove them before they spread further.

I am also not following a strict light cycle... as I read in another thread that changing up when to turn on the lights tends to discourage algae growth. I am dosing both P and K so I am a bit wary of this. My tank does not sit in direct sunlight but my curtains are thin.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[schwip]

Comparison of Day 2 and Day 21.

Water smells very earthy, am not sure if that is indicative of anything. Parameters before a 25% water change as follows:
Ammonia : ~3ppm
Nitrites : ~ 2ppm
Nitrates : ~10ppm

I have been soaking a piece of wood I plan to introduce once the carpet is established. I boiled it for about 45 mins before starting the soak. In the first week it started growing some of that white slime fungus but after washing it off it has yet to come back. Still leeching tannins and some sort of sap I expect (film gathers on the water surface)

It's quite a big piece of wood and will be the centrepiece once introduced. It will probably block out a lot of light as well in the carpet so... letting that grow first.

[NanoScaper]

@rezdwan

Hey man you are right, I am just approaching three weeks (tomorrow will be day 21).

I have not encountered green algae like the kind you have at the sides of your glass... if what you show in your pics is indeed algae.

I have had a few strands forming on dying/dead leaves and once on a piece of soil. I just remove them before they spread further.

I am also not following a strict light cycle... as I read in another thread that changing up when to turn on the lights tends to discourage algae growth. I am dosing both P and K so I am a bit wary of this. My tank does not sit in direct sunlight but my curtains are thin.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

Hey, schwip.

You are right.

Those green stuff at the sides of my tank are algae but what's left of it after each weekly maintenance. I clean them up as much as I can before taking those photos. It isn't a big issue at the moment.

Can you elaborate on what you meant by "not following a strict light cycle" as mentioned above? Do you mean you will switch on the lights at 9am one day, maybe 8am the next and 7am after that?

The wood that you're preparing for this tank looks good, by the way.

[schwip]

With regards to light cycle: some days I go for 8 hours, some days 12. Some days I start at 8am... some days at 1pm... some days maybe through the night. I also dose Excel when I start the lights for the day, to encourage the plants to take up the nitrogen in photosynthesis versus other organisms.

I think because you are using soil and your tank isn't heavily planted... the algae might be the ones using up the nitrogen in the water. Are you lowering your lights duration?

I've actually got some white fungus/bacteria/algae (online threads generally label it harmless and "will go away eventually) that is on some of my substrate. It is similar to the white slime I described on the wood. I am choosing not to worry too much and hope it doesn't take over before it is safe to introduce the shrimps.

I also have some growth occuring in my tubing, but it is not compromising flow at the moment so I am not too concerned. It looks more like bacterial slime at the mo.

Thanks about the wood! Terrified that I will have slime outbreak once it is introduced but what is life without risk.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk