Cycling or not?

[tawnylane]

Hi guys
There is so much great info here! Started up my 25g 5 days ago, will eventually be home to a FEW smaller cichlids, so has a cichlid mix base. Rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed and...still had calcium dust suspended after the water went in but 3 days later a poly filter insert in my Fluval 3plus has solved that problem. Will remove it in a couple of days... This is a display tank in our office waiting room (it is NOT a typical 25g, it presents BIG) so started it that day with 6 long fin danios, a java fern, 1 val, 1 anubis? and some hmm..green stem stuff like asparugus fern... PH is 8.0, GH 15 drops?, ammonia between 0 and 0.25 ppm (can't decide if it is all yellow or has a very little green to it), nitrite 0 ppm. Haven't got nitrate test yet. Also 82 degrees. Has this tank even begun to cycle??? Do I have enough fish to load it? We seem to have literally lost one - no dead body or parts anywhere to be found and a good cover, not outside the tank either. Was there late Sat. nite - this AM not anywhere....

Thanks for all the great advice you give us newbies!

[OrionGirl]

As long as there is a source of ammonia, the tank is cycling. The test results will be on the low end though, as the plants are helping out by consuming ammonia. So, not a bad thing--high levels will kill the fish. Take it slow, don't add any more fish for a while, then add slowly.

[tawnylane]

Thanks OG,
got the nitrate test kit today - 5ppm. Good or bad???

Ummm - adding fish slowly - I'm planning on a very few smaller cichlids. Wanted to add them all at once?

thanks

[OrionGirl]

Good. Nitrates should be kept low--how low depends on the tank. In planted tanks, nitrates are frequently added as a food source for the plants. In many cichlid tanks, nitrates below 40 are good. In most unplanted community tanks, below 20 is an achievable goal.

[tawnylane]

Goodness - you're on right now. Edited my post about cichlids
:p

[OrionGirl]

Adding them all at once will represent a huge increase to the bioload, unless you remove the danios. If the added cichlids are close to the same mass as the danios, this will be okay, but you'll still want to monitor the ammonia for a spike, just to be safe.

[tawnylane]

Looking to get ALL juvies, 'xept the yellow labs seem alittle hard to find as true juveniles:)
Have you every gotten river rocks for your tanks? I've read about testing them and such - my DH says 'why buy them? They're just ROCKS!' but around here we have such high bacteria levels (e. coli !!:sick: ) that I think it would be way more trouble and risk than it's worth!
Also, just where do people get shells for shell-dwellers???:p

Thanks
TLJ

[OrionGirl]

I have lots of rock that I pulled out of my backyard in most of my tanks. I rinsed it in hot water and scrubbed off all the particles that I could, then tossed (well, placed it gently and strategically ;) ) in. No problems. Most rocks are okay, and if you're worried about importing nasty bacteria, scrub and boil them, let dry for a day or three (this will kill off many bacteria as well).

Ditto for wood, but be prepared to weight the wood down. I only use the wellaby wood, because it sinks immediately.

Many LFS sell shells, often labeled as hermit crab shells. Some hobby/craft stores sell them as well--make sure they are untreated. My local LFS will collect the larger snail shells from their SW tanks and give them to me--but I have a pretty good relationship with them. Couldn't hurt to ask, though!

[tawnylane]

Didn't think about the yard! We have a few rocks, mostly clay tho':rolleyes: I have a small piece of wood, just had it in the sink whilst RINSING all that coral sand, rinsed it , attached the java fern and it has never floated.

Do you silicone your rocks together? Do the smaller Rift Lakes tend to move rocks around? I don't worry so much about the acrylic breaking, just have a weird footprint that needs to stay balanced...

[OrionGirl]

I'm not a cichlid person, so can't really help you with them. Start a thread in the Cichlids forum--I'm sure you will get lots of reponses!

[tawnylane]

Will do!

Thanks

[Grassguy]

Originally posted by tawnylane

Do you silicone your rocks together? Do the smaller Rift Lakes tend to move rocks around? I don't worry so much about the acrylic breaking, just have a weird footprint that needs to stay balanced...

Yeah, my Dad and I used to silicone slate together to make all kinds of different shapes with it. Arches, double, triple arches, cave stunnels, you name it. You just have to be patient. We would usually do a few pieces, and then wait for it to dry, do a few more etc, etc. Just remember to use AQUARIUM SILICONE.:cool: