sirval
Xiphophorus
seller
Posts: 18
|
Post by sirval on Feb 11, 2013 23:00:01 GMT 11
Hi all. My son is setting up a Tang shell dweller & rock dweller tank. So, fishless cycling & all, but he read in Back to Nature Tanganyikan Cichlids by Ad Konings that the best method is to add some pure ammonia to the water to help kick start the process.
Of course pure ammonia is on the prohibited list of substances that one can buy. Does anyone know if cloudy ammonia will work at all or is it contaminated with something that will kill the process?
Thanks.
|
|
yanke
Moderator
Posts: 436
|
Post by yanke on Feb 11, 2013 23:22:25 GMT 11
hi i find to cycling a tank i take a used filter and put it in the tank and then i put in some fry in that i have lots of what kind of shell dweller is he going to put in and how big of a tank is it i have some fry Lamprologus ocellatus blacks i have about 12 of them about 2cm or so if he wants yanke
|
|
sirval
Xiphophorus
seller
Posts: 18
|
Post by sirval on Feb 12, 2013 20:43:26 GMT 11
Hi Yanke - his tank is a 3 foot tank - 20 inches high. We started with about a 1/3 full with water from my tank, 2/3 new water & a piece of driftwood from my tank. He has Aqua One marine argonite as substrate & 4 nice chunks of texas rock built into a sculpted tower thingy in the middle. Then kicked off the cycle with some dry food in a stocking leg left in the tank for about 18 hours - stinks up the place nicely His ammonia is currently running at 8ppm but we have just moments ago put in a dose of Start Smart Complete. Filter is an Eheim Classic 350 filtering 620 litres per hour. Will add Matrix to it soon. Anyhow, I will msg you privately re the Lamprologus. Thanks very much. SirVal (Simon).
|
|
|
Post by oldmate on Feb 22, 2013 18:45:33 GMT 11
Anything over 4ppm will kill even the bacteria you are trying to get going so I would be dropping it down to about 3.5ppm and try to keep it there for the first few days it should be fairly stable and then will drop to the point your having to up it morning and night. As yanke said you can clean out other filters in the new tank Thes will make things a lot quicker.
|
|