Tanks Cycling - Need Advice

HI all,

I have three Betta tanks (all 5 gallon) - they started as 2.5 gallon tanks. One developed a really bad fungus and snail problem, so we completely started that tank from scratch in the new 5 gallon. The other 2 were transplanted into the new 5 gallon tanks, so we are on a fresh 5 days for the start over and 5 days plus 6 weeks in the 2 transplanted tanks.

I am currently adding bacteria to aid in cycling, but given that I am still so new to this, and trying desperately to avoid killing my kids' first pets, was hoping you could give me your take based on my latest water tests.

Tank 1 (the fresh restart): shows about 0.25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5ppm nitrate.

Tank 2 (one of the transplants): shows more than 0 but less than .25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and as best as I can tell, about 20 ppm nitrate.

Tank 3 (the other transplant): shows more than 0 but less than .25 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and as best as I can tell, about 40 ppm nitrate.

The API nitrate reagent test is really hard to read - I think I am close on my numbers, but I do know that tank 2 is just slightly lighter than tank 3.

Anyway, since I am still cycling, I assume I don't yet want to do a water change, but wanted to see if my cycles are on the right track.

Thank you!!

-David

 

Are the old filters still running somewhere? If not what's happened to them?
If the bacteria in them is still alive you could just move it over to the new tanks and instantly cycle them without having to put your fish through the stress of a fish in cycle.

 

The 2 transplanted tanks have the filter medium soaking in the new tanks. The one start over doesn't since the fungus was so bad.

 

I would put the media in the filters, it won't do enough in the water. I would cut one of the bits of media in half (assuming this is sponge) and put it in the filter of the one that doesn't have any. Hopefully your cycles won't take long.

 

The old tank is a carbon filter. The new tanks have carbon and bio sponges. Would I want to open the old carbon filter? Or see if I can just fit the old filter cartridge into the new tanks filter holder?

 

Water changes are not going to stall or hurt your cycle at all and since there are fish in these tank I suggest you do the water changes to get those nitrates down.

If you don't already have it I do suggest you get a bottle of Seachem Prime. It is first and foremost a water conditioner but it will also bind up those low readings of ammonia and protect your fish.

Most of the bacteria you are trying to grow lives on your filter media. Some does grow on all the surfaces in the tanks. Some may live in the water but that amount if present is negligible so changing the water won't hurt the cycling process. It sounds to me like you were successful in moving the cycles (the bacteria) to the bigger tanks and they are now just getting firmly established.

 

Thank you. I will give a water change a shot. How much would you suggest I change?

I am using Prime - so should I use it as directed? I typically use 4 drops per gallon, which is double, per my LFS.

And should I just leave the old filter medium floating in the transplanted tanks, or is it not helping at all?

Thanks!
David

 

Thank you. I will give a water change a shot. How much would you suggest I change?

I am using Prime - so should I use it as directed? I typically use 4 drops per gallon, which is double, per my LFS.

And should I just leave the old filter medium floating in the transplanted tanks, or is it not helping at all?

Thanks!
David

I would change 50% in the one that has 40 ppm nitrate and maybe 30% on the one with lower nitrates. But 50% on each of the 3 wouldn't be too much. Since these are small tanks with just one fish each it should be fairly easy to keep your nitrates down. I try to keep my 5 gallon no higher than 10.

I go by mls instead of drops for my Prime and probably add more than others because I add 1 ml for every 5 gallons.

I am sure it is helping some 'specially if you have them situated to where water is running through them but If at all possible the old filter media would be of more help if it could be inserted in a filter housing. How to use the filter media depends on what kind of filter you are running and what kind of media you have floating in the tanks. I could make suggestions if you could tell me more about your filters.

 

Thank you for the help!!

The old aquariums were Aqueon MiniBow 2.5 and the new ones are Marineland Portrait 5 gallon. Both have integrated filters. Please let me know if that helps at all.

Thanks,
David

 

Thank you for the help!!

The old aquariums were Aqueon MiniBow 2.5 and the new ones are Marineland Portrait 5 gallon. Both have integrated filters. Please let me know if that helps at all.

Thanks,
David

You are so very welcome.

Is there room in them to put your seeded media (the media you now have floating) inside the built in filter housings? If not is there a way to attach it to the area where the water is pulled into the filters? It will work better at seeding your new filters if you can have them in front of the media you are trying to seed. Might not look very good but you should only have to keep them there for about 3 weeks. I really hope that was clearer than mud. I can visualize what I am saying...I hope you can.

I tried googling your tanks but for some reason amazon slowed my internet down to a crawl tonight. I got to see what you mean by integrated filters though. It looks like the whole back of the tank is the filter. I couldn't tell where the water intake is though.

 

Yes, that makes perfect sense. I was able to move the filter to the back of the holder and I was able to fit the old filter media in front of it, so the water should pass through the old filter into the new. I also did a 50% water change on both and added more bacteria. Should I do a nitrate test tomorrow?

Thanks!!!

 

yes, you can wait until tomorrow to check the nitrates. I would actually run all three (ammonia, nitrites and nitrates) If you see no ammonia or nitrites I would say that the seeded media is doing its job. I would try to keep the nitrates down to no more than 20 with water changes.

You can continue adding bottled bacteria but if your original tanks were cycled and now you are running the cycled media from them in these tank I really don't think it is necessary. So often I see unexpected and sometimes unexplainable numbers when bottle bacteria is being added. Your seeded media should already have all the bacteria you need to get these 2 tanks through the minI cycle they seem to be going through.

If the media you had floating is cartridges with carbon in them you can cut the fiber off the plastic frames. Rinse the fiber in some water treated with prime or some water you have removed from your tank after a water change. Cut off about 1/3 of each piece of this fiber and use those 2 pieces to seed your third tank. The seeded media will cut your cycling time down to just a few days instead of a few weeks in the tank you had to start from scratch.

 

This is all such a huge help! Just want to clarify - remove the fiber (front and back?) from the plastic frames and discard the frames and the carbon, correct?

Also, when you say rinse the fiber, do you mean just pour water over it? I assume not so much as to rinse bacteria off the fiber?

And then place a few strips in each aquarium in front of the new filter media? Should I wait until the 2 transplants are done with their cycle, or just go ahead and do it now?

Thanks!

 

Yes, just rip the floss off of the frame.

You can just swish it around in some dirty tank water. The reason to use dirty tank water is because it has been dechlrorinated. Chlorine would kill off the bacteria on the floss.

It's best if you can put the "seeded" media so that when the water flows thru the filter, it passes thru the "seeded" media, then the new media.

 

This is all such a huge help! Just want to clarify - remove the fiber (front and back?) from the plastic frames and discard the frames and the carbon, correct?

Also, when you say rinse the fiber, do you mean just pour water over it? I assume not so much as to rinse bacteria off the fiber?

And then place a few strips in each aquarium in front of the new filter media? Should I wait until the 2 transplants are done with their cycle, or just go ahead and do it now?

Thanks!

When I cut the fiber from the frame there is always a bit of that carbon stuck to the fiber. You are just wanting to get most of the carbon off so that mess isn't floating around in your tank. Rinsing this fiber isn't going to rinse the bacteria off. It is hanging on pretty tight

The reason for doing what we are discussing is to help these new tanks cycle so yes, go ahead and do it now. You have been adding bacteria in a bottle to your tanks to help cycle them. The bacteria on this fiber will do the same thing but in my humble opinion will do it even better.