Stocking a 10g tank

[dundadundun]

you add dechlorinator first or you kill some of the benificial bacteria.

pffft...

a few drops of dechlor doesn't immediately come into contact with every drop of 5 gallons of water as you add it to the tank anyway. as long as you're not waiting, it shouldn't matter much if any at all. it's only 5 gallons... should take less than a minute or two to fill.

 

[nerdyrcdriver]

Thanks for the help again dundadundun!, I was going to ask what to do when I got to the switching point. I dont know if the 10g is done cycling or not. I wasnt going to drain completely but close. I just know that the tank will get cloudy for a while after I put new water in.

Next time, I am using dr tims one and only!

 

[dundadundun]

cloudy happens. it's just one of them things you get used to. should be clear within a few hours to a day as long as the tank isn't cycling/doesn't have issues. if you stir up too much crud from the substrate, you might want to change some water again anyway as a precaution... at least until you get used to gravel vac'ing in a way that what you stir up goes straight into the vac. thinking out loud, here...

as far as dr. tims... i don't see why you'd need it at this point. from where i'm sitting i'd say it's safe to assume that at least your 5 gal. is cycled by now... and your ten shouldn't be too far behind. enough ammonia to cycle a massive tank should only cost about $1 and you should have plenty of seeding material by the time you need it again. in the event you shut down the tanks you're currently running and have to start all over again, then i'd say sure... go for it... or if you make a mistake/switch out all your substrate/the tank resets itself and ammo spikes... absolutely... it can't hurt...

 

[nerdyrcdriver]

as far as dr. tims... i don't see why you'd need it at this point. from where i'm sitting i'd say it's safe to assume that at least your 5 gal. is cycled by now... and your ten shouldn't be too far behind. enough ammonia to cycle a massive tank should only cost about $1 and you should have plenty of seeding material by the time you need it again. in the event you shut down the tanks you're currently running and have to start all over again, then i'd say sure... go for it... or if you make a mistake/switch out all your substrate/the tank resets itself and ammo spikes... absolutely... it can't hurt...

Thats what I was talking about, NEXT time if there is one.

 

[dundadundun]

gotcha

 

[nerdyrcdriver]

Well, that was exactly the opposite of what I thought I would hear and what I wanted to hear. Apparently everything is really high and deadly. I did a 35% water change and gravel cleaning the night before we left for WI, my dad gave 3 crushed flakes on one of the 4 days we were gone. We get back, a 2 days later (today) I bring in the water and that was the result. He dumped the stuff out before I could even see them. I was looking around at all the fish while we were waiting a couple minutes for the results.

I guess it is up with the water changes and down with the food. Getting about time to get a new filter cartridge too. 4 decent size fish in a 10g to cycle, probably not right now that I think about it. Many videos and articles say to use that number for a 29g tank. I will have to get a test kit even if my wallet doesnt like it. I think a couple drives to the store to have water tested adds up to a new test kit. Should I see about getting rid of 2 fish? Honestly, I kind of want to start all over with a bottle of dr tims. But we will wait a couple weeks to find out if that will be my way of cycling this tank.

 

[nerdyrcdriver]

Ok, Just did a wc and a gravel cleaning. I dont know how I missed all that junk in the gravel last time. Probably stirred it up. The filter was absolutely filthy full of food and poo. I will get a new filter cartridge tomorrow. I went very slow and steady through cleaning the gravel. Finished the wc and turned the light back on. All sorts of crap still in the water. I dont know how to get all that stuff out now. I dont want to do an immediate wc again and by tomorrow it will all be back in the gravel. Then I will get some of it and the rest will go back up in the water. Should I just stirr up the gravel and then just try to get all the junk out when it is in the open water?

 

[allaboutfish]

NO! dont get a new filter cartlidge just wash it in OLD tank water.

 

[nerdyrcdriver]

Well, I did, but the old tank water is also filthy. But I suppose that every water change the "old" water gets cleaner and cleaner. This cartrige is over a month old now. Isnt that about the time the carbon cant do much anymore. From what I understand my levels were through the roof and could have killed the hardy fish by now. I dont see how that could really be with how good I was with water changes before I left for 4 days unless the filter just cant filter out the stuff anymore. But I am kind of a noob so I could be wrong.

 

[allaboutfish]

thats what they tell you to do but you'll be cycling again if you remove it.