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Post by thealmightyzugs on Sept 27, 2019 12:55:00 GMT -5
I am wondering if someone could help me with a question I have. I am wanting to do the liquefied fish food flakes method of cycling my tank and I was wondering if I have a 240 gallon (96x24x24) with two FX6's how much flake food I should add in daily and how many times daily I should add it. I am looking to do a full cycle on my tank before adding in 1 12" or 18" Piraya Piranha.
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Post by Carl on Sept 27, 2019 14:45:35 GMT -5
Hi & welcome to Everything Aquatic! This is information I should have had in my Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle article, so your question helped me improve the article too. Here is the answer: With the liquified fish food method, you want to with just a pinch of fish food for every 10-20 gallons per day with testing prior to each addition of liquified fish food. Once the ammonia goes up, reduce amounts and adjust daily until the ammonia goes down. www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html#fishfoodCarl
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Post by thealmightyzugs on Sept 28, 2019 2:10:29 GMT -5
Hi & welcome to Everything Aquatic! This is information I should have had in my Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle article, so your question helped me improve the article too. Here is the answer: With the liquified fish food method, you want to with just a pinch of fish food for every 10-20 gallons per day with testing prior to each addition of liquified fish food. Once the ammonia goes up, reduce amounts and adjust daily until the ammonia goes down. www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html#fishfoodCarl It's great I could help add to the article. It's the only one I've found on the internet that actually covers all the methods and goes into detail of everything. Great work And so, for a 240 gallon, I would want to add like 16 pinches of fish food? After this initial addition, how much should I decrease it by? And I want to do this daily correct?
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Post by Carl on Sept 28, 2019 12:16:42 GMT -5
You would use the same amount until the ammonia goes up, then it becomes a matter of decreasing slowly until your ammonia is near zero
Carl
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Post by thealmightyzugs on Sept 28, 2019 15:09:58 GMT -5
You would use the same amount until the ammonia goes up, then it becomes a matter of decreasing slowly until your ammonia is near zero Carl So I am just trying to make a step by step list of what I have to do and what to look out for. Is this correct? Anything to add? Any specific levels of nitrates, nitrites or ammonia? Step 1: After tank is all setup add 16 pinches of liquefied fish food to the water. Step 2: Wait for Ammonia to appear by testing the water everyday. (If no Ammonia appears then add more fish food after 3 days) Step 3: When Ammonia appears, start adding more liquefied fish food EVERYDAY into the water but in smaller amounts than last time. Start testing the water for both Ammonia and Nitrite. Note: Make sure Ammonia does not get above 6ppm. If it does, do a partial water change to lower it down. Do not vacuum gravel. Step 4: Keep adding fish food to the water in smaller quarantines day by day. All while testing for Ammonia and Nitrite. Step 5: When Nitrite starts to appear start to test for Nitrates. Now test everyday for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. Continue adding in fish food everyday. Step 6: When Nitrate appears, start testing the PH levels, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate everyday. If the PH level drops, do a water change. Step 7. Keep adding in fish food everyday and test the water for everything. Once a reading of 0ppm occurs on Ammonia and Nitrite a few days in a row, the cycle is finished. Step 8. Finally do a large water change to get rid of Phosphates and Nitrates. Also vacuum the gravel at this point. Step 9: Add fish. Step 10: Test the water for Ammonia and Nitrite every day. If there is an Ammonia or Nitrite spike do a large water change. Step 11: Keep doing partial water changes every other day until things are stable.
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Post by Carl on Sept 28, 2019 15:41:56 GMT -5
I think this makes this method more complicated than need be. But I do not necessarily disagree either (other than ammonia levels) There is no exact science to this method too, but I never have let the ammonia get to 6 ppm. Adjusting food dosing along with any water changes should keep it well under this number. Also as per adjusting pH, a water change may be indicated, but not for maintaining a stable pH, this is where knowing your KH & GH comes in, including new water source Reference: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.htmlCarl
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Post by thealmightyzugs on Sept 28, 2019 18:57:37 GMT -5
I think this makes this method more complicated than need be. But I do not necessarily disagree either (other than ammonia levels) There is no exact science to this method too, but I never have let the ammonia get to 6 ppm. Adjusting food dosing along with any water changes should keep it well under this number. Also as per adjusting pH, a water change may be indicated, but not for maintaining a stable pH, this is where knowing your KH & GH comes in, including new water source Reference: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.htmlCarl How would you simplify it? I have Aspergers so I take things literally and like to follow specific directions and know what I am doing. And this is my first time ever setting up a tank so it is very confusing. Would I not be adding feed in everyday? Could I pay you to create a step by step list of what I need to do?
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Post by Carl on Sept 29, 2019 10:16:08 GMT -5
Since this is NOT an exact science, every aquarium will be a bit different, which is why a step by step is not going to be accurate for every situation. I would simply follow this QUOTE from the article: "With this method, you want to with just a pinch of fish food for every 10-20 gallons per day with testing prior to each addition of liquified fish food. Once the ammonia goes up, reduce amounts and adjust daily until the ammonia goes down."www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html#fishfoodBTW, my oldest daughter has Asperger's, so as I would tell her is to not read too much into a procedure or problem Carl
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