I was sorta doing a fishless cycle. The ghost shrimp in there are for feeding the bacteria.
Should I get live rock to add extra bacteria?
So I'm going to get a puffer fish...
- Thread starter MudskipperFan
- Start date
Should I get live rock to add extra bacteria?
Yep, it's just like freshwater cycling. Ammonia to nitrite to nitrate...even if its fishless the shrimp cannot live in water with ammonia for very long. You still need to do wc's to keep them alive.
What type of test kit?
LR will die in this low of salinty and any thing living on the rock will die as well. That means even more ammonia.
What type of test kit?
LR will die in this low of salinty and any thing living on the rock will die as well. That means even more ammonia.
Liquid test kit.
I'm gonna go get some things from my pond and see if they'll work. If they don't, I'll get those bacteria pellet things in those bags.
The bacteria on anything from your pond will most likely die if put into this tank. They need to be slowly acclimated to BW.
What about the bacteria rings in those bags?
Do I keep it in a separate container and slowly acclimate it in that container and then import it?
What is your SG?
with the sjhrimp in there, you are basically fishy-cycling (using live organisms to provide an ammonia source to build bacterial colonies) and will need to do water changes accordly.
If you want to seed the filter media, change the tank to FW, add the cycled media, then slowly bring up the SG to where you want it. Acclimating seeded media for even a few hours is iffy at best.
with the sjhrimp in there, you are basically fishy-cycling (using live organisms to provide an ammonia source to build bacterial colonies) and will need to do water changes accordly.
If you want to seed the filter media, change the tank to FW, add the cycled media, then slowly bring up the SG to where you want it. Acclimating seeded media for even a few hours is iffy at best.
The specific gravity is under 1.005. I think it could be 1.002 or something. Could I still bring the bacteria in the tank if the gravity is that low? Then could I raise it? By the way, the hydrometer I'm using is that floating tube thing and it has a thermometer in it as well.
I just changed the water so I wouldn't have to worry about acclimating the bacteria.
Here's what I did:
1. Take out 60% of the water.
2. Dechlorinate remaining water
3. Refill with tap water
4. Get bacteria at store
5. Slowly acclimate bacteria to BW
6. Buy figure 8 puffer.
I am only up to step 3, but at least I got something accomplished. Later I might do a water test before I get the bacteria
Here's what I did:
1. Take out 60% of the water.
2. Dechlorinate remaining water
3. Refill with tap water
4. Get bacteria at store
5. Slowly acclimate bacteria to BW
6. Buy figure 8 puffer.
I am only up to step 3, but at least I got something accomplished. Later I might do a water test before I get the bacteria
After several minutes of thinking, I have chosen not to make this into a figure 8 tank but instead turn it into a dwarf puffer tank, due to the fact that it will be easier and cost less money and time. I will obtain the bacteria from pond plants and if I am unable to buy a dwarf puffer, I'll just make it a ghost shrimp tank. I might change my mind back if I am motivated enough.
