New tank, move, and power outage.. HELP!

[FreeGT]

Ok so I've gotten myself in a predicament guys... What I thought would be a simple move, turned into a nightmare!

In my old place I have a 18" Jardini in a cramped 125gal. I just got a new apartment and decided to put in a 200gal, which is currently set up. The 200 has been running for about 5 days. I filled the 200 with tap water and put in brand new substrate (sand) and took the 2 foams/filter media/polishing pad out of the 125's xp3 into a new xp3 running on the 200. I assumed this media would help the tank cycle in a week or so. On moving day I was planning on moving the old xp3 and jardini into the 200 and all would be fine....

In my lease ALL utilities are paid, INCLUDING electric, and yesterday my power got shut off becuase my landlord never switched the power into her name....... So I took out the boxed compartments out of the xp3 and rubber banded them together and stuck two airlines from two battery powered air pumps (BPAPs) into the bottom of the box assembly. I woke up and saw that instead of just pushing air through the units it BLEW out ALL of the organic matter into the tank.... Power came on about 24 hours later.

So I did a water test...

PH 7.9/NH3 1ppm/NO2 0ppm/N03 0-10ppm......

I have to move the Jardini in 5 days (1/20/11) What do I do?

I am going to gravel vac all of the organic debri out of the substrate. I was thinking of removing some gravel from a 55 gallon I have to move as well and maybe putting it into a pillow case and running an airstone through it....


I have to move a fully stocked 55gal (xp2) by this time as well, and was wondering if you think I will have any issues if I start with fresh sand in it as well?


ANY help is appreciated guys!


(BTW don't knock on me for the tap water, as I would love a RO unit, but I am POOR! Maybe come tax time the IRS will be nice to me this year......)

 

[FreeGT]

* The nitrates are 5ppm (not 10ppm) in the tank and 5 ppm fresh from the tap as well, which I assumed.

I also bumped the temp up to 85F.

 

[Miguel]

A Special Forces approach is needed, if you have to transfer the Jar to an uncycled tank in 5 days. Is there really no other option??

Do not take the organic stuff out, you need to lower that PH before the Jar is in. ( to what PH is she used ?)
If need be, put in a bag of peat.

Put in the sand of the 55 ( the 55 will have other bacterial loaded stuff that you can leave in there and new sand will not be a big problem, assuming the filters are cycled )

And then you will have to go the "amo-lock" route, putting that stuff in the tank at the right quantities and checking the water as often as you need.

Do not feed the Aro.

This is a tricky, but workable route in an emergency ( beats giving up on the fish )

Remember that NH3 is less toxic the lower the PH is.

This is the way I would do it, in a situation like the one you describe. Many may not agree. Take my opinion as only that, an opinion on one possible route to try.

 

[FreeGT]

Do not take the organic stuff out, you need to lower that PH before the Jar is in. ( to what PH is she used ?)


Remember that NH3 is less toxic the lower the PH is.

I got the Jar when it was about 3 months old. The store I got it from had her in a 7.8 PH and used tap water, so I have been keeping her in 8 PH tap water.

So peat really won't be an option for me, the cost, not to mention the change in PH she won't like. (the tap water is WAY hard, it won't hold a stable low PH)

I have been hearing good things about this seachem stability product, but I always thought bacteria supplements were snake oil.

Honestly if I can't get my ammonia and nitrite back to zero before the move, I will TRY to sell her to a LFS or donate her to a local public aquarium, before I dare put a fish of that size into a 200 gallon sespool!

 

[Miguel]

I mentioned the PH lowering because it really decreases the toxicity of ammonia.

If that is your Aro's PH then it is a more difficult road.

Could your LFS or a friend hold the JAr for the cycling period?

Push comes to shove, with no other options, I would go that Amo-Lock stuff route and check everything from there.

 

[FreeGT]

I called my LFS (not so local, 35 miles), they would buy the jar for about 40-50 bucks which is decent, but atleast I have an option. I just thought there would be a way to cycle utilizing my established media in a timely fashion. I'm gonna try to use some gravel from the 55 and use some stability. And if it doesn't work I guess I'll sell her, what a shame because she is gorgeous!

 

[Miguel]

Any LFS you're privy with that could sell you cycled media, taking it out of one of their sumps, cannisters, etc???

I once started a tank with loaned media from an LFS. Then gave back the same quantity of new media.

This should be possble to do. Talk to them.

 

[SCGeordie]

Use Seachem Prime to neutralize the Ammonia - actually turns it into 'non-toxic' Ammonium which the bacteria will still feed on. Use Seachem Stability as directed on the bottle (shake the bottle really hard before each dose) - it really does work, search his forum for other threads on Stability if you're not sure'. Keep testing the water, you need to get the tank to cycle so you will need to have Ammonia/Ammonium in there untill the bacteria are established so use bottled ammonia (Ace hardware) a few dropps at a time to keep ammonia at 1-2 ppm untill you see Nitrites spike and then drop back to 0ppm, at the same time you should see that ammonia drops to 0, your Nitrates will climb all this time so do WC's to keep them below 20ppm - and don't forget to use Prime every day, each dose is good for 24 hrs. If Ammonia/ammonium drops to 0ppm without any Nitrites showing up first then your tank has NOT cycled, Ammonia/ammonium is first converted to nitrites then nitrites are converted to nitrates so if you never get nitrites then chances are your tank has not fully cycled. The tank may not fully cycle in the 5 days you have but it will be well on the way, if you dose with Prime it will keep the water safe for your fish. stop dosing with Ammonia the day before you add your fish and do a big WC just before you put him in (don't foget the prime), keep checking the water and using the Stability/Prime and it won't be long before the tank is cycled (I've completed a fishless cycle in 8 days using Stability and bottled ammonia).

Same as Miguel, this just my opinion based on my own experiences with Seachem Stability/Prime and the postings of others on this forum who have used these products.

 

[FreeGT]

Use Seachem Prime to neutralize the Ammonia - actually turns it into 'non-toxic' Ammonium which the bacteria will still feed on. Use Seachem Stability as directed on the bottle (shake the bottle really hard before each dose).

I always wondered how prime or other products neutrulized ammonia, I assumed it converted it into ammonium. I wasn't sure so, I was always afraid to dose with prime every day during a cycle (if fish were involved), as it could inhibit the cycle process by depriving the bacteria of ammonia. But if it converts it into ammoniu, then no worries.

I am familar with dosing pure ammonia in a fishless cycle. I guess I will pick up some ammonia and stability, and place come cycled gravel into the tank with a air pump running throught it and cross my fingers......

Good news is if it doesn't work I can sell the Jardini and finally be able to have more then one fish in a large tank! lol

 

[FreeGT]

I picked up some stability and some pure ammonia. I'll go that route and see how it goes....