My 120g tank project

FkVtech · 03-01-2010, 11:15 PM

Okay so yesterday I posted in the introduction section under "Semi new guy". This is an update to that thread.

Today I reinforced the aging base using 2x4's and got the tank filled and bought a new canister filter.

Filter Specs-

MarineLand
C-360
360GPH

I also have a traditional "Hang over the back" filter of an unknown brand that my dad used when he used to have the tank. He used that filter in combination with another canister filter when he had the tank running last year.

Even though I read up on "Cycles" here, I bought NUTRAFIN Cycle, in hopes of it speeding up the process a tad. I'm following the directions on the bottle for proper adding amount

I'm cycling with no fish in the tank as I don't have any hardy fish at the moment. Only two 2 or 3 year old angels, two very young angels and my prized striped rapahel cat's that are almost 20 years old. I care ALOT about these catfish and it would devastate me to lose them because I'm inpatient.

Currently these fish are right next to the 120g in a well established 30g tank.

I just have a couple of questions...

1) As far as rocks and decorative "Things" I have some driftwood in the 30g. tank right now. Should I be putting all that in now while during the cycling stages?? The only reason I didn't was because I didn't want to stress the fish by removing all of their hiding spots.

2) I know this question has been beaten over the head here. But how long will this cycling stage last?? I know there are a lot of factors that contribute to it, but is there any way someone could estimate? I'm not in a rush as the fish I have now are in a good tank.

3) Should I be running that second filter during the cycling stages? Or does it not really matter?

I think that's it for now, thanks everyone that replies!!

FkVtech · 03-01-2010, 11:32 PM

Just had an after thought lol. Would it help if I took the water from my 30g. tank when I do water changes and added it to my new tank??

ZeroSystem · 03-02-2010, 06:46 AM

Hey hey, welcome to FTF!

1 - Moving your driftwood into the new tank might help speed up the cycle process a bit, but I don't believe the difference would be so great that it would be worth removing all of the hiding spots in the tank your fish are still in.

2 - Four to six weeks I would say is the norm. However I have known some who have had to wait over eight weeks for their tank to fully cycle. I'm not sure what the difference was that caused their tank to take longer to fully complete the cycle, but as you seem to already understand, it can be a somewhat unpredictable thing. Fishless cycling is usually more consistent than cycling with fish (which really is never a good idea to begin with).

3 - There is really no reason not to run the second filter. Having it running will ensure that it will also gain beneficial bactera within it's media which will help aleviate some of the bio-load off of your main filter (the canister filter). Although I wouldn't say it's totally needed, I believe that running the second filter now would only help in the long run.

3.5 - Nah, adding the water from your tank won't really help much. The water contains waste from your fish, but it doesn't have the good bacteria that breaks the waste down. Thats what you really want to get ahold of. Instead of the old water, using some of the old filter media from your 30g might help 'seed' the new aquarium with beneficial bacteria, and therefor hopefully reduce the overall cycle period. The gravel from your 30g will likely also have some of this bacteria on it (it sticks to surface area, it's not free floating in the water) and so adding some of it to your new tank might also help some in speeding up the time it will take to complete the cycle.

All though these things may help a bit in speeding things up, but be sure not to rush. Testing the water for Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte before adding any fish to the tank is still very important.

Hope that helps ya out some!

Judge · 03-02-2010, 07:49 AM

Hmm, what can I say. Miracle snake oil will not speed anything up. The cycle is a natural occurring event. Getting in a hurry in this hobby can and will cause problems. It has been stated that the only thing that happens fast in a tank is disaster.

FkVtech · 03-02-2010, 05:09 PM

Alright, got a bit of an update for everyone..

I took a little bit of the gravel from my 30g and put it into the new tank. I also put a large piece of drift wood that had a lot of buildup of... I don't know what to call it lol. But I guess slime would be the best way to describe it. I also hung up the sponge filter from the 30g tank and gave it a couple of squeezes and it clouded up the water pretty quickly. Is this good what I'm doing??

I also bought a test kit so I'll post up the results of that tomorrow.

FkVtech · 03-02-2010, 11:23 PM

Okay well I got bored and decided to do a test tonight...

pH- 7.6
Ammonia- (I wanna say 0.25PPM but it's hard to tell)
Nitrite- 0PPM
Nitrate-5PPM

Keep in mind I did ONE dosing of Nutrafin Cycle yesterday.

FkVtech · 03-03-2010, 01:29 PM

Just checked my ammonia about an hour after introducing some.

Ammonia levels at 1.0 ppm

FkVtech · 03-03-2010, 05:05 PM

Okay so I added more ammonia in and my level is currently at 8PPM. When I test it tomorrow what should I be looking for?? And should I even bother testing Nitrates and Nitrites yet?

FkVtech · 03-03-2010, 07:50 PM

Sooooo... It appears that somehow... my tank is all ready... I think. Can anyone please, please chime in on this.

ammonia- 8.0PPm I know, off the charts, but will a 50% water change fix this??
nitrite-0ppm
nitrate-5ppm

Judge · 03-03-2010, 08:02 PM

Not much more I am going to say. In your first post you talked about some of your prized fish..are you planning on putting them in this "miracle" tank? I would continue to monitor for a week AT LEAST. I do not believe that you have built up any real amount of bacteria in this tank after a few days.