Advice for Cycling 20L nano tank

[jordy89]

Hello everyone,

I just set up a 20L nano tank. Im just getting a little lost in all the advice I find in regards to the cycling process. With fish, without fish, add pure ammonia, adding fishfood, plants are good, plants eat to many nutrients preventing need of the bacteria growth, change the water dont change the water...

I have a 20L dennerle tank. New Eckfilter and heater running on 23 degrees, a dennerle bio co2 bottle. A few plants and dragonstone and a shot of 'sera bio nitrivec' bacteria.

Its been running for 4 days now, bit cloudy from the bacteria shot still perhaps. Since today also what looks like a biofilm layer on the surface. Lights on for 6 hours a day. Ammonia measurements are 0.

I'd be very gratefull for and recommendations (or a source with proper info) on how to continue this cycling for the best results.
Specifically, should I add fish food or ammonia to start the cycle (and if so how much). Do I leave the co2 running in this fase? And what is the regiment for water changes i should follow in this fase.

Thanks!

 

[Konsa]

Hi
Lift the filter a lil to ripple the surface while adjust the CO2 to be stable.
You can add air stone during lights out period to break the surface film.Or lift the filter further to break surface but will be tricky to get it down in exactly same place when CO2 is on so you have stable CO2 levels.
Do not add ammonia or critters.Wait 6-8 weeks the plants to grow in.
Congratulations your tank will be cycled once the plants have grown in.
Regards Konstantin

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

With fish, without fish, add pure ammonia, adding fishfood, plants are good, plants eat to many nutrients preventing need of the bacteria growth, change the water dont change the water.......Specifically, should I add fish food or ammonia to start the cycle (and if so how much). Do I leave the co2 running in this fase? And what is the regiment for water changes i should follow in this fase.

I think the problem is that <"cycling is a divisive issue">, with a lot of people holding entrenched positions. If you don't have plants you are obliged to <"cycle with ammonia"> or wait a lot longer for tank stability to occur.

I totally agree with @Konsa , in terms of fish welfare, you want a stable and resilient system established before you add any livestock. Recently I've found a video that gives stability and resilience a name, and that name is <"seasoned tank time">.

Unfortunately <"most of what you read">, or <"are told">, is either based on an <"outmoded view of the cycling process">, or told to you by some-one <"with a product to sell">.

To answer the specific questions,

• Oxygen (O) is the <"key metric"> in nitrification, not ammonia / ammonium (NH3 / NH4)
• You don't need to add fish or <"any ammonia source">. If you want to feed the plants with a <"fertiliser that contains urea (CO(NH2)2) or ammonium (NH4+)"> that is fine. Plant growth is the parameter we are interested in.
• Keep the CO2 on for the same reason, it will assist submerged plant growth.
• Change some water, even 50 % is still a small volume of 20 litres
• Plant the tank (you've already done this) and feed the plants when they need it. I actually use the growth of Amazon Frogbit as a <"visual indicator of when fertiliser is required">.
• Let the Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) cover <"most of the tank surface">.

cheers Darrel

 

[aec34]

Hi @jordy89 I have just the same set up as you but without CO2. If you have the little spray bar which fits on the outlet from the filter I’d use it and see if it helps with any scum - you can angle the jets really easily.
As others have said just leave the tank to grow in for a few weeks then it will a lovely home for shrimp 🙂
Mine is not running at the mo but I had a great time with it for the year and a bit it was set up for.

 

[jordy89]

Thank you all for your responses, the information is super useful and I really feel much more confident as to how to move forward the coming weeks!