Need Help?! Please!

5 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


Britt
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 5:17 pm

Need Help?! Please!

by Britt

So i bought this 30 gallon bowfront fish tank. Well i had platys and i didn't know about cycling but they lived a very long life and made 20 more babies out of the 5 that i got. Well where my question is. As i said knew nothing about cycling and now i do. So now after 3 years i wanna start it over again well i filled it up did everything right. No fish in it btw. But anyways did everything right. But the ammonia and nitrate is staying at the same amount but theres no nitrite. I'm basically using everything from before and some more but the stuff i used before i cleaned and everything i tried cleaning the filter as best i could but i think thats the problem with the odd lvls of ammonia and nitrate. So what should i do just let it take its course or buy a new filter. Which isn't a very good option cause i don't have enough money right now to get a brand new one. So help Please!


Alasse
 
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 5:35 am
Location: QLD Australia

by Alasse

You dont need to buy a new filter.

What are the tank stats? Ammonia, trAtes and trItes?

If you are doing a fishless cycle you will need to add an ammonia source to the tank (pure unscented ammonia, or alternatively use fish food) This will truely kick start the cycle.

I cycle with fish in all my tanks (oh except one, it cycled with urine - long story)


esk98
 
Posts: 9
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 6:11 pm

by esk98

make sure you are reading the tests right to, wait a while and then check the level


etag
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue May 10, 2011 1:09 am

by etag

there are a few ways to cycle your tank...

you can do as mentioned above...

or if you plan on having plants...you can get some plants and use them to cycle your tank...it would normally take about a month to cycle down to a safe level for fish using plants...

it all depends on how much time your willing to invest...


Alasse
 
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 5:35 am
Location: QLD Australia

by Alasse

Plants alone will not cycle a tank any time soon. They can help in shortening cycle time if you are adding a ammonia source. If you are not adding an ammonia source or have fish in the tank to add it, plants will sit their until you get the odd few leaves to die and the rotting leaf will add some ammonia, but not enough to keep the cycle running.

Need Help?! Please!

5 posts

Display posts from previous: Sort by: