Biospira tank cycle help!!!

tktodd

tktodd

New member
Hello

I recently started up a new 35 gallon fish only salwater tank. I added biospira along with five fish. It has been about 40 hours since I added everything. I did test after like 6 hours after adding fish and biospira, and the ammonia was 2.0 or slightly greater and nitrites were at zero. So I got scared and added some AmQuel to the tank just to be safe.This took the ammonia down to 1.0 If my test is showing correctly. The next morning (like 16 hours since biospira was added) I checked the levels again and they were back up to 2.0 on the ammonia and still zero on the nitrites. So I added a little more Amquel and got the ammonia back down to 1.0 again. Now after like 40 hours since biospira was added I tested everything and I got These readings...Ammonia 1.0 - Nitrite 0 - Nitrare 10. Does this sound right?? why is the ammonia still high?? I never saw the nitrites spike at all. Any help would be great.....Thanks
 
Biospira is suppose to cycle your tank in 24 hours. It contains all the bacterea needed for the cycle. It is recommended that you add your full load of fish at the time biospira is added.
 
No, Just one large piece of baserock and some smaller pieces as well. This is Just a fish only tank.
 
Actually live rock in a fish only tank is a great thing. The live rock can be your source of filtration. With a good skimmer and liverock the tank could be real solid and look extremely good.

Back to the biospira, I am thinking the amquel did not help the bio spira. I also think that even as good as it is, 5 fish at once may be a bit much for it.

What type of test kits are you using?

Regards,

Pat
 
Once you use AmQuel, AmmoLock or similar ammonia "removing" products .... you will no longer get accurate test results for ammonia in most instances. Which is really why it's best to never use those products during cycling. It is really much better to let the tank cycle naturally. The tank would be much more stable in the long run.

The exception would be in fry rearing setups, hospital tanks, etc where there is no/limited biological filtration and binding the ammonia is helpful.

I believe the AmQuel bottle states you cannot test for ammonia using any test kit that uses Nessler reagents (it will give a false positive)

Tom
 
Last edited:
tktodd,

biospira is better then most of the cycling products but with 5 fish you are look at a major problem. I would take the fish back to the LFS. Let your tank cycle and then add fish slowy to your tank.
One piece of base rock is not going to do what you want.
Do you have any other filtration systems set up?
IMO any LFS that would let you up for this is off my list of stores I would visit.
 
Theres a whole lot of unknown variables here.

1. What test kit are you using
2. What types of fish are they
3. What size fish
4. What is your tanks equipment, i.e. filter, skimmer etc.

I've used biospira in the past but only with goldfish, I think 5 fish at once (depending on the above unknown variables) is too many regardless of what biospiras packet says.
 
I am using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. Saltwater Master liquid test kit. The fish are...two damsels, one clown, a batfish, and a small bicolor angel. I have a biowheel 150 power filter.
 
NO..he did the right thing by adding fish...if he hadn't added the fish (which is creating the ammoina) all the good bacteria in the bio spira would have died and would have been useless.
In my experiance with bio spira, it usually takes about 3 or 4 days for levels to come down. bio spira is basically just a cushion so the fish don't die from ammo and nitrites combined. thats why you don't have nitrites...means the bio spira worked and zero'd out the nitrites..I think after 40 hours...you could do a water change, that should help bring the ammo down.

IMO
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7186834#post7186834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tktodd
I am using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Inc. Saltwater Master liquid test kit. The fish are...two damsels, one clown, a batfish, and a small bicolor angel. I have a biowheel 150 power filter.
Click to expand...

Okay, just from my personal experience here......

1. Get better test kits, I have used AP tests in the past (still have them under the kitchen sink) and found that they are not the most accurate.
2. You'll get mixed responses on the usefullness of a biowheel in a salt tank or any tank for that matter, on one side there are people that say that the biowheel is a nitrate magnet and just holds in the stuff you want to get rid of, and others that say it works great. In my own experience I found that once I got rid of the biowheel (back when I was using one) my nitrates went substantially down, from something like 40ppm to 10ppm

I think you've got too many fish for that tank anyway, once they all get mature. For my tastes as well as the fish, I think a 35 gallon is good for about 2 clowns when full grown.

Now on to the biospira, I think the amquel should never have been added. If anything it's only going to prolong the inevitable cycling, dont get me wrong it has it's place in fish keeping such as using it in hospital tanks or if something dies in your tank and goes unoticed and causes an amonia spike, but the biospira is "supposed" to jump start the cycle. Id say at this point you just need to closely monitor the water parameters and if you see a huge spike, then do a partial water change to help lower it. The damsels anc clown should be okay, Im not so sure about the bat and angel though with the high monia.

Damsels are often used to jump start a tank by themselves because of their natural high resistance to the amonia, and the clown is a close relative so it may make it as well.

Anyway, I think the biospira is doing what it's supposed to do, but by locking up the amonia with the amquel, it leaves me wondering if the good bacteria in biospira will have enough to live on to create the cycle it's supposed to create.

Oh, and if I were you I'd seriously look into getting some completely cured liverock, and adding that to work as a filter, otherwise you are putting your entire fish population in the hands of the biowheel which will inevitably have to be replaced and hence any good bacteria on it, will be lost (although you could just throw it in the tank for a couple weeks or months until the new wheel has matured). In any event some cured liverock will help in your filtration. Do you have any powerheads going? Because I dont believe that the 1 biowheel 150 is enough flow in the tank.

I have a 20 gallon thats got a 20 gallon sump under it, and use a really high powered pump for the overflow, as well as a skimmer thats active almost all the time and a couple MJ powerheads and still find I dont have enough flow to keep things from settling on the bottom of the tank.
Good luck,
 
I would highly recommend that you take the fish back to the lfs for credit before it's too late. Get some live rock, slow down and do some serious reading here on RC while the tank cycles naturally.

Not to chastize you here, but an Orbic Bat has no business being in such a small tank. Same goes with the two pigmy angels. You'd want only one, tops. Damsels are OK, but will likely end up terrorizing your other fish into submission. The clown is a good choice after the tank has completely cycled.

Just my .02 cents, for what it's worth.
 
iv used bio spira befor and it didnt work worth crap ( one clown fish in a 12 gallon nano) but then again.... it wasnt cold like it was supposed to be. was your bio spira cold when you got it. if not apparently its dead ( even tho cycle can be kept at room temp)

onlything i like using additives liek that for is when i add LR . seems to help keep ammonia down so that the stuff in the lr dosnt die... try this next time any of oyu set up a tank and you will probobly get more life from the rock :P atleast thats what iv knoticed
 
Thanks for all of the great feeback from everyone!! I bought all of the fish small, and I am planning on getting a larger tank sometime this year. Thats why I bought the batfish, and it was only 10 bucks. I also have two air stones hooked up for extra oxygen if that helps at all. I already have a all live rock tank that got a bad case of Ich, so it will be empty for a month. I also have a copper Quarantine tank that is 20 gallon that I can transfer the fish into if I must. From what most of you are saying, I should do this ASAP. I think I will leave the damsels and clown, and move the bat and the bicolor angel over to QT. Any thoughts???
 
You're now creating two problems. Instead of having one tank that's not cycled with fish in it, you'll have two. Take the fish back. Remember the cliche that's our mantra. Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby.
 
The copper tank is cylced and I keep two hardy false percual clowns in it all the time. Its been up and running for six months.
 
coulda just used the water and sand and filter from that tank to cycle your new one then ( unless there was recent treatment
 
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