tcherry

I've been reading through your site and I want to get it right. I set up a 20 gal tank on Sat 6-27. Added a dechlor and a product called Cycle. Added the cycle product for three days in the quantity directed on the package. Yesterday I noticed the water that had been clear before had a white haze. Today I used mardel 5 in 1 test strips. nitrite is good-zero. nitrate turns a color not on the key. pH & alkalinity are high 8.5 & 300 respectively. ammonia was a zero. Do I need to do something to lower the PH & Alkalinity? Do I need to wait for the white cloudy water to clear back up? Will it clear on its own? The bottle of cycle claims I should be able to add fish immediately- but I havent. My kids are getting antsy. My 5 year old already has names picked out & I dont want to end up with dead fish, if I can help it. Help

Lucy

Hi Welcome to Fish Lore

Cute that your kids have named fish they don't have yet!

At this point, your tank isn't ready for fish.
Unfortunatly Cycle contains the wrong kind of bacteria, it not aquatic and dies off quickly. You have to add it for the life of the tank. If you stop using it, the cycle will crash. It's uses up the ammonia the beneficial bacteria needs to develop.
So, it would be a good idea to stop using it now.

I see you know about the nitrogen cycle, so I would suggest that you cycle your tank using ammonia or a peice of raw shrimp. Be patient, cycling can take up to a month.

A product that several members have had luck with is Tetra SafeStart. It allows you to add fish at the same time as the product.
Theres another product members have been trying and have had some luck with it. I'm sorry the name escapes me right now. Perhaps someone else will come along hat has experience with it.

It would be a good idea to get a good liquid test kit. The strips can be inaccurate.
A lot of us use the API master kit. It's very reliable and less costly than the strips in the long run.

What kind of fish are you going to stock with?

Good luck and have fun with your new tank.

Robin4

Lucy

This is one of those products that you add with very water change.
A properly cycled tank won't need bacterial supplements.

eiginh

Welcome to Fishlore!

I support Lucy with every word she states, please try to stay away from Cycle or any bacteria supplements that need to be added for each water change. In the long run it will cost you a lot of money. (correct me if I'm wrong)

I believe the other product Lucy is talking about is SuperBac, it contains the bacteria needed to give a big jump start to finishing the cycle in a week. I also think it is less expensive than Cycle, I bought a 16oz for 12 bucks and used only half. My tank cycled in two weeks but that's b/c I did something stupid (long story). It usually takes a week. Anyway with Tetra SafeStart and SuperBac, you may add fish along with the product and it would be safe for them. Actually the directions on SuperBac states, add 4 oz for each 10 gallons assuming the tank is not being overstocked, if so add more Superbac. The only problem with these instant cycle products is they are hard to find. You may have to buy it online. Here's a website for SuperBac, it shows it's dealers. http://www.naturbac.com/dealers.html I can't find a website for SafeStart for locations of it's dealers =/


Good Luck with everything Cherry!

Lucy

Thanks Pete, that's it....Superbac..I think MissMTS and Alessa posted recently about having good luck with it.

jdhef

Well to answer your origional question, the cloudiness is usually caused by one of two things, Bacteria or algae.

If you have green cloudiness it is algae, if white it's from bacteria.

When cycling a tank without a using a product that puts bacteria into your tank (SafeStart, Cycle, etc) you will generally get two "bacteria blooms" that will cloud your water for a few days. The first occurs when the ammonia eating bacteria developes, the second time is when the nitrite eating bacteria developes.

When using a product to cycle that contains bacteria, you will get cloudiness right away, since you don't have to wait for it to "bloom", since it was introduced all at once.

Most bacteria supplements contain a terestrial form of bacteria that can convert ammonia to nitrite, and one that can convert nitite to nitrate. But the bacteria in those products is very short lived and cannot reproduce in the tank, since it is a terestrial form. That is why you need to add it regularily for the life of the tank.

The naturally forming bacteria as well as the bacteria in SafeStart (and I assume SuperBac which I have no experiance with) is an aquatic form of bacteria that is self sustaining. That is why you only need to add SafeStart one time, since it will continue to live and reproduce.

tcherry

Thank you all so much. Do I change the water during a cycle?

jdhef

It depends. If cycling fishless, there is no need to do any waterchanges until you finish cycling.

If using SafeStart you add the SafeStart & fish at the same time, then wait a week to 10 days before testing your water. If testing shows zero ammonia and zero nitites, then you should wait another week or so (as long as nitrates aren't high) before doing a water change.

If cycling with fish, you need to do daily 50% waterchanges using either Prime or Amquel+ as a water condition. The Prime or Amquel will detox the ammonia that the fish produce for 24 hours, at which point you will be doing another waterchange with Prime or Amquel.

Oh and BTW sorry I didn't mention it in my first post but...Welcome to FishLore!

tcherry

I'm so glad I found the FishLore website! I'm unable to locate the Safestart any where near me. Petsmart tells me that their Top Fin Bacterial supplement is the same thing that it introduces beneficial bacteria into the aquarium & unlike the Cycle product doesnt have to be replentished unless I drain the aquarium completely because it does reproduce in the tank. Is anyone familiar with this product? Does it work? Because I really dont want to spend more money and it be a waste- as in the Cycle product.

Lucy

So this thread doesn't get confusing, Robin's question has been moved to it's own thread.
It can be found here: TopFin Bacterial suppliment

Lucy

If you go to their petsmarts website you see these instructions:
Top Fin Bacterial Suppliment
In a properly cycled tank, you wouldn't need to add any bacterial suppliments.

tcherry

I finally found SafeStart at a shop that specializes in aquatic pets the next town over. They've been there at least 25 years. I spoke to the guy there this morning then drove over to pick it up. They keep it refrigerated. I also picked up eight small fish that he recommended for this. The kids were causing a rucus and I've forgotten what kind they are. I added the TSS and then after bag soaking and adding water from the aquarium into the bag I released the fish. So far they seem happy. I'll pick up a liquid master test kit here today or tomorrow. Do I have to wait the week to 10 days before testing the water or can I test sooner?

kimb

I have never used TSS, but from other members, you are best to wait out the full time before testing, as readings will be all over the map during these 10 days (which will be nothing but frustrating). If you get your test kit, I would suggest testing your tap water for nitrates and PH. Knowing what you are starting out with, helps later if levels are not what you would expect, also helps you get used to testing!

tcherry

Update: I'm positive that 4 are black neon tetra's. I still can't figure out the other 4. Will see about uploading a photo of the fish.

tcherry

I've uploaded photos to an album of my fish & setup. This morning all fish seemed well zooming around the aquarium. They all ate well. Now two of the new fish (that I'm not sure what kind they are) are just staying in place at the back of the aquarium- one at the top near where the filter is and one at the bottom near the gravel and filter intake and heater. One of the others rubbed itself against the fish at the top then they all raced around the aquarium but soon the two resumed their spots. I'm not sure if this is normal or if there is something wrong with them. They didnt do this yesterday when introduced.

Lucy

The fish in your pics look like Black Skirt Tetra

Shawnie

keep a close eye on your cycle as TSS should NOT be put in the fridge....extreme cold/hot will effect the bacteria and may make it unstable