Ok so I wait until its 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite and some nitrates? then what? a big water change? is that a must
[HELP] Tank NOT cycling
- Thread starter prettykitty
- Start date
Yes, it will be a must because of how high the nitrAtes will probably be. But after that, it should be clear sailing with regular water changes as long as you don't kill your bb.
knifegill;4353056; said:
Oh, so 90% water change? when only nitrates? But that won't kill my BB will it?
can't believe i finally almost cycled
I have that many turtles and fish, but I might get more tiger barbs..
Do you think I need more filters?
is marineland canister filter enough?
I have a H.O.B filter and underwater fluval I can use if it's not enough but will that do??
thanks for all your help knifegill i have some surprises when i get my tank cycled soon
You could do 90%, but I like to do 50% or less to reduce stress on the animals. So what I'd do is a 50% change once it's all done, then another 50% in a day or two to keep bringing it down. You will soon find out if you are overstocked or overfeeding. It will become evident in the amount of water you have to change to keep those nitrAtes low. At least, that's the guide I use.
Do you think I need more filters?
is marineland canister filter enough?
I have a H.O.B filter and underwater fluval I can use if it's not enough but will that do??
btw do you think im overstocked? i have a 125 gall with 2 turtles and 10 fish o.o
is marineland canister filter enough?
I have a H.O.B filter and underwater fluval I can use if it's not enough but will that do??
btw do you think im overstocked? i have a 125 gall with 2 turtles and 10 fish o.o
What kind of plecos are they? How big are the turtles? Everything else should be fine stock-wise if it can outrun the turtles.
What is your "1 barb"?
You can never have too much filtration and turtle tanks are usually messier than fish-only tanks, so add as much as you can. You'll want mechanical and biological. Some people will set up one filter for just mech and one for just bio, but then the bio becomes clogged sooner since it's not protected. I've learned now that putting mechanical filtration before the bio in at least two filters makes maintenance soooo easy, and you have two complete systems in case you decide to clean one (reduced bacterial colony) or one shuts down (bacteria stop functioning or die completely). I have three filters on my 125. A magnum HOT with mech and bio, an Aquaclear 500 with a mech sponge over the intake and two bio sponges inside (that take a lot longer to clog now that I have that sponge on the intake!). and an old penguin 330 that's almost dead, so I just dedicated to mech only so if it dies it's no big deal. I use nylon paint strainer bags for all my mech. Really affordable (like $1-$2 a bag) and effective. Aquaclear sponges are my favorite for bio, since they last for eternity and you can easily buy them all by themselves and add them to any brand or model of filter for the most part.
What is your "1 barb"?
You can never have too much filtration and turtle tanks are usually messier than fish-only tanks, so add as much as you can. You'll want mechanical and biological. Some people will set up one filter for just mech and one for just bio, but then the bio becomes clogged sooner since it's not protected. I've learned now that putting mechanical filtration before the bio in at least two filters makes maintenance soooo easy, and you have two complete systems in case you decide to clean one (reduced bacterial colony) or one shuts down (bacteria stop functioning or die completely). I have three filters on my 125. A magnum HOT with mech and bio, an Aquaclear 500 with a mech sponge over the intake and two bio sponges inside (that take a lot longer to clog now that I have that sponge on the intake!). and an old penguin 330 that's almost dead, so I just dedicated to mech only so if it dies it's no big deal. I use nylon paint strainer bags for all my mech. Really affordable (like $1-$2 a bag) and effective. Aquaclear sponges are my favorite for bio, since they last for eternity and you can easily buy them all by themselves and add them to any brand or model of filter for the most part.
my one barb is a platinum green barb,
also two turtles are one 7 inch other is 9 inch
they are both red eared sliders
I have a marineland c-530 canister as i said before its only 530 GPH up to 150 gallons,
i have (not running) HOB penguin marineland filter from my old tank as well as an underwater fluval filter both adding up with filter up to a 75 gallon tank
also two turtles are one 7 inch other is 9 inch
they are both red eared sliders
I have a marineland c-530 canister as i said before its only 530 GPH up to 150 gallons,
i have (not running) HOB penguin marineland filter from my old tank as well as an underwater fluval filter both adding up with filter up to a 75 gallon tank
update on water test:
Ammonia .25 ppm
NITRITE: 1.5 ppm
NITRATE: 30 ppm
is it almost done?
BTW knifegill, my tank is very murky than before the cycle.. the water isn't as clear ( u can't see thru in the end of the tank to the start.. the water is very murky and theres a lot of fish/turtle crap under the rocks that are swept up when turtles dig under them..
I want my tank to be clear water and stuff, I have a background it has two sides, one side is blue with white rocks and the other is full of plants and kinda darkish with logs, which one would you think goes best?
personally I like the blue one
Ammonia .25 ppm
NITRITE: 1.5 ppm
NITRATE: 30 ppm
is it almost done?
BTW knifegill, my tank is very murky than before the cycle.. the water isn't as clear ( u can't see thru in the end of the tank to the start.. the water is very murky and theres a lot of fish/turtle crap under the rocks that are swept up when turtles dig under them..
I want my tank to be clear water and stuff, I have a background it has two sides, one side is blue with white rocks and the other is full of plants and kinda darkish with logs, which one would you think goes best?
personally I like the blue one
Well, not quite almost done, but looking the way it should at this point.
Murky is normal. Give the bacteria time to settle out. Either that or your filtration is too weak. Definitely add on those extra filters you have, after you clean them out. The cloudiness will usually go away once you've got enough gph of filtration and the cycle is complete. Understocking is an even better way to avoid cloudiness.
No, never ever let crap stay in the tank. Keep a new turkey baster that has never seen soap near your tank and anytime you see a turd, suck that polluter out of there. A shrimp net is good, too, but lets a small cloud of waste trail out of the poo as you remove it. Either way, with turtles, you will never stop battling. You could also add a strong powerhead to your tank and point it down to stir the poo up into your filter, but then you have a nasty filter. I prefer to remove turds when I see them. Usually every other day I get my arm in there and scoop out whatever I see. Barebottom tank is best for this, especially in a heavily stocked tank that you're genuinely determined to keep as healthy as possible.
Background opinion? I like pure black, but blue isn't too bad, either. Out of the two options you have, I'd choose blue.
Murky is normal. Give the bacteria time to settle out. Either that or your filtration is too weak. Definitely add on those extra filters you have, after you clean them out. The cloudiness will usually go away once you've got enough gph of filtration and the cycle is complete. Understocking is an even better way to avoid cloudiness.
No, never ever let crap stay in the tank. Keep a new turkey baster that has never seen soap near your tank and anytime you see a turd, suck that polluter out of there. A shrimp net is good, too, but lets a small cloud of waste trail out of the poo as you remove it. Either way, with turtles, you will never stop battling. You could also add a strong powerhead to your tank and point it down to stir the poo up into your filter, but then you have a nasty filter. I prefer to remove turds when I see them. Usually every other day I get my arm in there and scoop out whatever I see. Barebottom tank is best for this, especially in a heavily stocked tank that you're genuinely determined to keep as healthy as possible.
Background opinion? I like pure black, but blue isn't too bad, either. Out of the two options you have, I'd choose blue.
I used an alage scruber thing that fits on my hand from python to clean off the algae, but do you really think my 350 dollar filter is weak for a 125 with turtles/fish?
it has done a very good job before my cycle, maybe its because i havn't done a lot of water changes lately, or i just put super bac in 2 days ago and it says it makes water cloudy for a few days.
I have a penguin bio wheel I think its the 330, but it makes a lot of noise since its a H.O.B, and saying my tank is not filled to the top, its only 90% water and 10% free for turtles to bask remember, so it'll make a lot of noise unless I mod it to make a "slide" thing so it makes the water slide in to the aquarium, but I dont know how,
it has done a very good job before my cycle, maybe its because i havn't done a lot of water changes lately, or i just put super bac in 2 days ago and it says it makes water cloudy for a few days.
I have a penguin bio wheel I think its the 330, but it makes a lot of noise since its a H.O.B, and saying my tank is not filled to the top, its only 90% water and 10% free for turtles to bask remember, so it'll make a lot of noise unless I mod it to make a "slide" thing so it makes the water slide in to the aquarium, but I dont know how,
