sand storm.............

[Harlock]

Keep both power heads running? How long does it have to cycle before I can add Red bellies?

Are you adding ammonia and measuring nitrites?

 

[racingjason]

Keep the powerheads running--particulates fall out of moving water faster than they do standing water. The small grains are acutally very valuable--they provide better media for the bacteria than the larger grain sizes (surface area: volume). This is true in SW as well--I don't rinse sand for my salt tanks, I just take precautions to prevent it from being agitated (ie, don't aim a powerhead at it), and let it settle on it's own.

I wouldn't try that with natural sand, the amount of debris that comes out is STAGGERING!

 

[Benson]

When I put play sand in my 55 gallon I did not rinse it at all. I place a plate on the sand in the tank and poured in the water in very carefully. I did not have a cloud at all! It was clear as a bell...

B

 

[CHARD]

"Are you adding ammonia and measuring nitrites?"

Not yet... Im buying a kit today....


Im going to get some of the cotton from the filter at the pet store, to speed up the benificial bacteria...

 

[Harlock]

"Are you adding ammonia and measuring nitrites?"

Not yet... Im buying a kit today....


Im going to get some of the cotton from the filter at the pet store, to speed up the benificial bacteria...

Well, if you're not adding ammonia then the beneficial bacteria will having nothing to feed on and just end up dying. See, it takes ammonia in the tank to get a fishless cycle going. You may want to drop into the Freshwater Newbie forum and read the Sticky thread titled Cycle to get the whole process and also the instructions for a fishless cycle.

 

[CHARD]

im going to put some bull**** fish in to cycle it....

I got a very used filter from the pet store today... plus some used gravel.....

im gonna get a few fish in a few days, once the dust cloud is gone...