RyeGuy411 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 I would plug your heater in again, you want your tank really warm to cycle and keep pH at 7 this makes the bacteria colonize faster. I always cycle at 86F and use tap water with a buffering substrate. sarah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 It is very odd that you have nitrate on day 5. What did you add for bacteria to start the cycle ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 I have to use RO/DI water as I have 40ppm Nitrates in my tap water. Using the RO side gives me about 13 TDS and 10ppm Nitrate. Using the DI water gives me 0 TDS and 0 Nitrate water. I added 3 pellets of fish food to the tank to start the cycle process. So, knowing that the water I used to fill the tank is pristine, anything else is coming from either the substrate/driftwood/rocks/SL-Aqua Blue Wizard. No additions of cycling bacteria. These first two weeks are usually the "silly season" of a tanks life, so I expect oddities. I also wouldn't put it past my Nitrate test kit possibly getting old. The date on the bottle is 2017. I'll probably end up taking a sample of the water to the LFS to verify my kit is showing the same results. Heater is plugged back in, and maybe I'll add another to bring the temps up around your 86'f suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Since you have such a small tank I would use bottled spring water if you cant use your tap water or add a little baking soda to your RO. You want to use an alkaline water to draw any ammonia from your substrate. And it really helps to add bacteria as soon as you start cycling and often during the first two weeks otherwise you are just wasting two weeks time. It is very possible to fully cycle a tank within 2-3 weeks if you follow a few guidlines. Buffering substrate shrimp tanks are a slighlty different animal when it comes to cycling. If you are in no hurry then I guess it doesnt matter. I am not that patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Good point Rye, as buffering substrate is a new concept to me. My goal is to try and get this sucker cycled in 3-4 weeks. Perhaps I'll see if I can find some bacteria cultures from an LFS here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 Quick update: SafeStart+ added to the tank. (25ml). Will add the delta after the 1st water change. Next up is to find some starter plants. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk aquariumlover10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted July 3, 2015 Report Share Posted July 3, 2015 anubias nana FTW dwarf sag and Cryptocoryne parva are good small plants. Faralon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Found some Anubius Nana, and Dwarf Chain Sword locally, for $5.99ea. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk High5's 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 those look awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Thanks man. Good call on the Nana, it's awesome. Couldn't find any Parva or Sagitarius locally, but I would have used those if I could. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumlover10 Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 your welcome, I have 2 nana that I got from a tissue culture from PETsMART, they have doubled in size in 6months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 1 week update: pH: 6.4. (Finally got a low range kit) GH: 5 TDS: 137 Ammonia is still 1ppm Nitrite: 0 Gonna hold off on all testing until week 2 update. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 So, I actually WON the RAOK from Shrimpscales for10 Mischlings +1 panda. Horray!!! Thanks again Shrimpscales! But, the tank will only be 1.5weeks cycled by the time I get them, and failure is not an option! Thanks to James Aquatics post on his quick cycle, I was presented with a new plan! I put a post up on my local Reef Club forum asking if anyone with a FW setup had some used filter material I could have in exchange for a random Zoanthid Frag that I found still in my 90Gallon reef that I'm taking down. I now have two filter pads from an Emperor 400 HOB that was running a 125gallon tank, and I grabbed 3 gallons of his water. Time to SUPERCHARGE the beneficial bacteria in this 5.5gal and get it ready for shrimp! Draining the tank, replacing the filter pad in the HOB with a pad from the 125 FW setup, adding 3 gallons of his water, and placing the 2nd pad in the display tank for 24hrs. I'll do a quick WC the morning of the 8th before the shrimp arrive. Cross your fingers!! High5's 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted July 7, 2015 Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 The filter material will definitely help speed things up for you, the water is useless though. The bacteria you need are not in the water column but on surfaces. Congrats on winning the raok! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 I was wondering about the water. That solves that mystery. I wanted to read up on if there were any beneficial bacteria in the water column so I got it just incase, but it appears they're all on the filter floss, driftwood, plants, and gravel. Just like "live" rock for reefs. Thanks Rye! I'll just fill it up with fresh remineralized DI. Lyana and RyeGuy411 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 OG Aqueon filter pad vs our SuperCharged pad. X2! Ammonia and Nitrite be Damned!! Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria...GO!!! The cover still fits...kinda. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk JosephKex and Soothing Shrimp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2015 2nd filter pad removed this am. The Aqueon was overstuffed and water was flowing over the media instead of thru it. My guess was there was a pretty good dead spot at the bottom of the back of the filter. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Tank is ready for Shrimp, I'm done obsessing over the water parameters and overall general "readiness". Just going to have to hope that all I did was good enough to cycle this tank quick. pH: 6.3 GH: 6 KH: 0 TDS: 150 Temp: 71 Ammonia: 0 Nitrites:0 Nitrates:0 Added some Ammo Lock just in case, and I'll be diligent with 0.5gal water changes every 2 days for a few weeks. Fingers crossed, shrimps should be here soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Its strange you have 0ppm Nitrates unless you just did a 100% water change. If your tank is cycled it would be creating some nitrate. Are you sure you are doing the nitrate test correctly? you have to shake the absolute crap out of bottle #2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Of course they show up when I'm on a meeting, but the fun will begin shortly... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Oh thanks, add a nice berried up girl too for the new guy...No pressure! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Soothing Shrimp and sewoeno 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Looks like that happened in route. Good she hasn't dropped her eggs. sewoeno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 And we're dripping... Everyone survived the heat. Great packaging by Shrimpscales. Thanks again! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 https://vimeo.com/132957007 They're pretty active in during acclimiation. I just hope they're not swimming around like "Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! I'm Dying!!!!!!!!" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faralon Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 Rye, yeah I just did a 100% change last night. Easy to do in these 5.5gallons factoring in the displacement of the substrate, rock and driftwood. The filter pad I used to seed got a little messy when I removed one of them from the overstuffed Aqueon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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