Air pump or Powerhead for aquarium?

[Mr Bogus]

Put a touch of fish food in the tank today.. the bio material will give the bacteria a head start on ammonia reduction.. you should see a spike in the ammonia (only thing you are really worried about right now) and as soon as it starts to drop (should be close to undetectable), you "could" put your first fish in.. (I would not add more than 1 at a time and give them about a week between for the tank to stabilize) Nitrites are going to read 0 (as will nitrates) until you have had some fish in there for a while..

Fish waste turns to ammonia, that turns to nitrite then to nitrate, and finally nitrogen.. Water changes are the best at controlling the levels IME.. (and I hate test strips.. get some good dropper tests)

[Busa_70461]

pics of my 75 gal.

[redkat05]

So I shouldn't worry bout the "hardness" right now?

I'll put in a pinch of food when I get home then. How long ya think for the ammonia to go back down to where I can add a fish?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Mr Bogus]

if you put a good pinch of food in, it should start to create problems within about 48 hours and the bacteria should populate pretty quickly.. check ammonia about day 4 and see where it is on the scale.. They do make an "ammonia" indicator badge that works pretty good (reads very slow however, like a 4 hour delay).. Ammonia can spike and go away in just a couple hours (bacteria grow FAST)

IF you do miss the spike, a small level of nitrites should show up.. Test strips do not always show this, titration tests tend to be more accurate..

In marine tanks, up to 6 months before adding fish is a good idea (lots of stuff growing in tank) I bet in fresh water 5-7 days should be ok?

[redkat05]

i'll head out & get a good titration kit then...... y'all gonna get me in trouble with r8 makin me buy this fancy stuff lol.

j/k dude you'll have your chedda at end of the month :-)
Posted via Mobile Device

[Mr Bogus]

i'll head out & get a good titration kit then...... y'all gonna get me in trouble with r8 makin me buy this fancy stuff lol.

j/k dude you'll have your chedda at end of the month :-)
Posted via Mobile Device

awww blame John... works for me.. I had far more invested in marine tanks than the Busa... makes you work pretty hard to get up on the learning curve so nothing dies.. The bike can always just sit if need be

[redkat05]

put in a pinch crushed between my fingers. I figured if it were smaller it would "produce" bacteria quicker
Posted via Mobile Device

[Busa_70461]

You could've just added Cycle to your tank. The only chemicals I use is water conditioner, cycle, and every six months I may add 5ml algae fix and 5ml accu clear. When I first set up my tank the guys at the store told me all I needed was water conditioner and the cycle along with my canister filter(Cascade 1500). He said it should be ready in a couple of hours.

[redkat05]

how's this one?

http://www.petco.com/product/103685/Aquarium-Pharmaceuticals-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit.aspx

[mrsBusawhipped]

how's this one?

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit at PETCO

Looks pretty good, but the reviews reguarding no color charts included has me a little weary, even though the product discription clearly says they are included. The one nice thing I like about it has glass tubes.

This is basically the same thing, different company. But I have used their test kits for years. Color charts are easy to read, very easy directions for use. Only thing is it comes with plastic tubes. But hey, it is cheaper.

Red Sea Fish pHarm Fresh Care Multi-Test for Freshwater Aquariums at PETCO

[Busa_70461]

That's just a test kit. This is what I use.

[redkat05]

lol couple hours? holy crap. everything i've read says mine probably won't cycle for a month or so. And my filter has 2 slots for filter cartridges, no sponges. few things I read suggested to have 2 in and when u change the cartridges, actually leave one in & only change one at a time. Reason bein that if both are replaced then i would lose the "good" bacteria
Posted via Mobile Device

[redkat05]

Looks pretty good, but the reviews reguarding no color charts included has me a little weary, even though the product discription clearly says they are included. The one nice thing I like about it has glass tubes.

This is basically the same thing, different company. But I have used their test kits for years. Color charts are easy to read, very easy directions for use. Only thing is it comes with plastic tubes. But hey, it is cheaper.

Red Sea Fish pHarm Fresh Care Multi-Test for Freshwater Aquariums at PETCO

isn't that just a test kit as well or am i missin somethin? I really wanna set it up right this time because last time i didn't even know what cycling a tank meant and i could NEVER get my ammonia levels under control & thats half the reason i shut it down, got too frustrated
Posted via Mobile Device

[Busa1166]

sharks are available here pretty easily, my guess is your location and proximity to the ocean.. FL tank owners have over the years lost animals to the wild (your current lion fish problems for instance) so could be that florida game and fish banned shark sales? I can check with my guy at Premium Aquatics and see what he says..

Leopard sharks are considered "Endangered" at this point in time... going to need a different species.. at a 1000G you could go with a nurse shark..

Nah! The Leopards were the only consistent swimmers that s why I loved mine so much I'll go back to reef keeping the living art is something special also. Just feeding the leopards was a lot of fun gave up reef's for them.

[Busa_70461]

lol couple hours? holy crap. everything i've read says mine probably won't cycle for a month or so. And my filter has 2 slots for filter cartridges, no sponges. few things I read suggested to have 2 in and when u change the cartridges, actually leave one in & only change one at a time. Reason bein that if both are replaced then i would lose the "good" bacteria
Posted via Mobile Device

It was ready for fish in a few hours and I haven't lost a fish due to my tank.

[redkat05]

It was ready for fish in a few hours and I haven't lost a fish due to my tank.

well damn, i'ma have to go get a test kit and some Cycle
Posted via Mobile Device

[Busa_70461]

well damn, i'ma have to go get a test kit and some Cycle
Posted via Mobile Device

Don't forget your Cascade 1200 canister filter system.

[redkat05]

What about live freshwater plants? Would those help cycle at all? I got a couple of those lil plant pods left ya just put under the gravel
Posted via Mobile Device

[redkat05]

I can't afford a canister filter system right now, besides I just started it so i'd have to start al over if I got a canister filter system now......guess it wouldn't be such a big deal then since I just started it......How do canister systems work anyway? is there a "pickup" u put in the tank? how is water delivered back into the tank?
Posted via Mobile Device

[redkat05]

got some Cycle at wallyworld so i'll put that in today
Posted via Mobile Device