Wow! you are my first person that says this works I have only seen posts that say its hit or miss
An unexpected new tank...
- Thread starter jglover
- Start date
Wow! you are my first person that says this works I have only seen posts that say its hit or miss
I've seen the same about bio-spira, either it is the greatest thing in the world or it is a scam. There's seems to be little middle ground on opinions. I've also read that bio-spira has been discontinued. The web page referenced for bio-spira no longer works nor can I find any info on the Marineland page. So ordering it sort of worries me that I will get active cultures old stock that has dead bacteria in it.
In any event, I cannot find anyone locally who carrys it, but there is a dealer near me who sells something called SuperBac Live. This is suppused to be essentially the same as bio-spira. I've also read about a product called Stability by Seachem. Info on both of these is sketchy at best as well.
John
In any event, I cannot find anyone locally who carrys it, but there is a dealer near me who sells something called SuperBac Live. This is suppused to be essentially the same as bio-spira. I've also read about a product called Stability by Seachem. Info on both of these is sketchy at best as well.
John
DAVIDFBT
Extinct? Since when?
if you can find live bacteria it helps to speed the process.
do you have any friends with tanks?
they should have gravel or filter media to help. in a pinch you can use gunk aka filter squeezins to seed a tank..I keep extra sponges in my tanks to seep new tanks or hospital tanks. many times I don't even place the sponge in the new tank but squeeze the live bacteria from the sponge.
as far as getting a larger tank.. go for what you feel most comfortable.. my recommendation of course is go large..for a display tank I prefer at least a 55...:grinyes:
do you have any friends with tanks?
they should have gravel or filter media to help. in a pinch you can use gunk aka filter squeezins to seed a tank..I keep extra sponges in my tanks to seep new tanks or hospital tanks. many times I don't even place the sponge in the new tank but squeeze the live bacteria from the sponge.
as far as getting a larger tank.. go for what you feel most comfortable.. my recommendation of course is go large..for a display tank I prefer at least a 55...:grinyes:
The only friend I've got who kept fish used to have a 55 gallon set up but it sprung a leak last year and she never replaced the tank. But I did find a local store who is a SeaChem dealer so I've going to give the Stability a try and see how things go.
Just as an update we had a bit of an ammonia spike this evening when I got home, about 1ppm. The tetras were not happy, they were hanging low in the bottom of the tank and seemed to just be hanging right above the bottom. The gourami and cory were just as active as ever though.
I changed out 50% of the water and the level dropped to a bit less than 0.25ppm....not zero but less than 0.25ppm. After the PWC, the tetras responded well and began to swim around the tank. I also added some of the Stability solution to the tank as well, so we'll see how things look tomorrow evening.
John
Just as an update we had a bit of an ammonia spike this evening when I got home, about 1ppm. The tetras were not happy, they were hanging low in the bottom of the tank and seemed to just be hanging right above the bottom. The gourami and cory were just as active as ever though.
I changed out 50% of the water and the level dropped to a bit less than 0.25ppm....not zero but less than 0.25ppm. After the PWC, the tetras responded well and began to swim around the tank. I also added some of the Stability solution to the tank as well, so we'll see how things look tomorrow evening.
John
Cories do well in groups, but I've seen lots of tanks with only one in it and they seem healthy.
Get a live plant, it will help with water quality and cycling issues. I have a wisteria in my five gallon that does well. Great actually. I don't know what type of bulb you have, but if it's an incandescent, you'll need to replace it soon anyways. I went through three in about a month and a half. Wal-Mart has a great compact flourescent bulb in their aquarium section for five dollars that is much brighter, better for plants and lasts forever. Give it a try, it will make the tank look great.
Get a live plant, it will help with water quality and cycling issues. I have a wisteria in my five gallon that does well. Great actually. I don't know what type of bulb you have, but if it's an incandescent, you'll need to replace it soon anyways. I went through three in about a month and a half. Wal-Mart has a great compact flourescent bulb in their aquarium section for five dollars that is much brighter, better for plants and lasts forever. Give it a try, it will make the tank look great.
Thanks, I have four plant bundles in the tank as that was my thinking, to use the plants to help out with the cycling. Two bundles of anacharis, one hornwort and one moneywort. The Eclipse system has a small 8 watt fluorescent bulb and all the plants are putting out new growth. I think right now it is just a maater of time and managing the water changes.
John
You know, a 29 has the same exact footprint as a 20L, and has all that extra space. Like many said before, if you upgrade, definitely go for the biggest tank you can accommodate. As far as your fish in cycle goes, just make sure to stay on top of water changes to keep the ammonia levels down. They can apparently slow your cycle down, but are necessary if you want to keep all your fish alive/healthy through the process.
Personally, I like the longer, lower tanks. I prefer schooling/shoaling fish so the 20L hold more appeal as it gives the fish more room to move about in the tank. I have also decided I definitely want the tank planted as well. The one fly in the ointment here is my wife reminded me that we are gong to be painting and re-carpeting our downstairs area this summer (gosh how did I forget that! LOL ). Sooooooo, I'll probably not be setting up 200-300 pounds of aquarium soon.
Still I want something in additional to my son's small tank so I am think of a 10 gallon for the upstairs bedroom for the moment. Once set up and cycled, I can move the cory to this tank, add him three buddies, some tetras and perhaps a small gourami. I found a terrific thread listing a series of stocking options for small tanks (thanks Jon!) so I've been using that as my basis for planning out my strategies for the next tanks. I've also discovered tanks darned near exactly like telescopes and cameras......you can never have to many!
Finally, an update on the six gallon tank. Came home this evening and the ammonia was up to 0.50ppm......much better though than last nights 1ppm. The fish were very active and responsive, all of the listless behavior from last night was gone. Changed out 50% of the water again this evening and gave the tank a fresh shot of Stability. i did not do a repeat ammonia but we should be somewhere in the area of 0.25 or a bit less. I'll check it tomorrow morning and see how it goes. No nitrites at all yet.
So far so good!
John
Still I want something in additional to my son's small tank so I am think of a 10 gallon for the upstairs bedroom for the moment. Once set up and cycled, I can move the cory to this tank, add him three buddies, some tetras and perhaps a small gourami. I found a terrific thread listing a series of stocking options for small tanks (thanks Jon!) so I've been using that as my basis for planning out my strategies for the next tanks. I've also discovered tanks darned near exactly like telescopes and cameras......you can never have to many!
Finally, an update on the six gallon tank. Came home this evening and the ammonia was up to 0.50ppm......much better though than last nights 1ppm. The fish were very active and responsive, all of the listless behavior from last night was gone. Changed out 50% of the water again this evening and gave the tank a fresh shot of Stability. i did not do a repeat ammonia but we should be somewhere in the area of 0.25 or a bit less. I'll check it tomorrow morning and see how it goes. No nitrites at all yet.
So far so good!
John
