jgoodstein

First off Thanks for all the help to now and happy new year

My tank is a 29 gallon tank with a Marineland Penguin Power filter 200. THe tank has a single Marineland dual-temp heater. There is about 2 & 3/4 of substrate on the bottom (Crushed coral rocks and small shells,giving it a nice beach floor type appearance without having sand). It has one decorative piece right now with more coming in the very short future (like once i can get to an open store).

For those that have already helped me you know that I rinsed the gravel filled the tank drained the tank then rinsed the gravel again. I refilled the tank with conditioned water and let it sit and stabilize for two days. Yesterday morning I bought the API master test kit and ran tests and the water was perfect ( it had to be it hasn't gone through a nitro cycle yet)

In order to speed things up a bit I went tot the LFS and picked up the Bio-Spira. I added it at 5:30 pm on Dec 31st. When i awoke this morning at 8am I thought I'd give the water a quick test. Well everything is perfect except the ammonia levels test out at .50ppm. Should I test again at 5:30? Is this part of the Bio-Spira/nitro process? I also have ammo chips from API and have them in a bag to place in the filter if i need to but wanted to know what everyone thought before I 1. Dumped Ammo Chips in or 2. gave the Bio-Spira enough time to do its job.

Regardless of the answer when you add ammo chips to a filter where do you add them behind the cartridge or in between the cartridge and the biowheel?

Thanks again for all your assistance

Dino

If there are no fish, Biospira will not function properly.

Personally, I would skip the ammon chips and do more frequent water changes.

jgoodstein

I read in the nitro cycle page thats how i could cycle the tank trough a nitro cycle in order to add fish, am I mistaken ? Now that I am at the point I am at what do you advise? I have a gold barb and Molly waiting in a 2.5 gallon tank for a new home

Dino

I would place both fish into the tank in which you added the Biospira.

Adding Biospira gives you the bacteria that you would have if you had gone thru the process of cycling.

jgoodstein

Added There is now a small molly and a small gold barb in the tank.. they look pleased to have moved up from a 2.5 gallon tank to that!!!!

So I read in a related post that i should not test the water again for a week is that right?

Dino

I don't know about testing.
I do not test much, as I am on a well and have been dealing with the same water for 27 years.

I would NOT to a water change this first week, however.
This will give the bacteria time to settle in.

King_Snuggles

I have heard not to test the water and not to change the water for at least a week. I tryed my hand at a knock off of bio spara, just a petco brand of the same stuff (that was all I could find). It works great in my sisters little 1.5 gal. (that stuff smells really bad.)

COBettaCouple

You don't test the water for a week because the results might make you nervous. You can test, but although the fish are safe, the readings will appear odd that first 7 days as the bacteria establish their colonies. Which is also the reason for not doing any water changes the 1st week. It's very interesting stuff, Bio-Spira.

voiceless_kat

When I first started using bio spira, i made the ".mistake" of testing during the first week, and then I panicked when I saw ammonia registering, and did a water change!

Chickadee assured me that these low registering parameters are not harmful to the fish, and she was right.

Then the techs at Marineland actually told me not to do a water change after 7 days when starting out, since the bio spira is so expensive! So now I wait about 2 weeks, and I have always had successful results.

It also felt weird to add fish at the same time as the bio spira - after having read about the nitrogen cycle - but I have always had good results. I REALLY like this product as it lets you hurry up and get on with fishkeeping.

Good luck with your 29g , it is exciting to be setting up a new tank!

Val