Fishy Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Hello all, been reading your forums for the last few days now. Some good info and advice here as well as other sites I have visited. I started a new tank set up a few weeks ago and tried to cycle my tank with some mbunas. Bad Idea. They all died. I should have started this tank with either a fishless tank cycle or cheap hardy fish! Could not find out for sure why the mbunas died, but I think it was because I used water from outside from a garden hose to fill the tank. I tested my water everyday for amnonia and it was fine. The mbunas all died within a week one at a time, I bought 8 of them. Could have been copper in the water or something in the garden hose. I took a water sample to the Lfs and he could not find anything wrong with the water as well. Anyways I started a new cycle, cleaned everything in the tank with a diluted pure bleach mixture and rinsed throughly. Filled the tank from the kitchen using buckets and treated the water with conditioner. Let the tank (55g) run for 2 days with no fish, and then added 5 tiger barbs. On day 4 I added 10 more tiger barbs. I will not add any more, just using them to cycle the tank and they are neat to watch shoal in schools. I have been testing my water everyday, no amnonia at all. I decided to test for nitrites, again nothing. So I then tested for Nitrates and came up with a reading of 5 ppm. Is it possible that my tank cycled that fast? Or do I have to wait a little longer before I get amnonia spikes? Im also using Stability by Seachem to help with new tank syndrome and bacteria. My ph is 8.2. Water temp is 76 F The tiger barbs will eventually be moved to another smaller tank once the cycle has been completed on this tank. Any suggestions on a good mix of african mbunas for this 55g tank? I want to eventually go into breeding them as well. Possibly 3-4 different species maybe in groups of 4-5 with very distinct colours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Good luck with your new tank. I"m not sure why your mbuna died. Maybe you jsut got a bad batch and they would have died anyways. But definately not a good idea to cycle a tank with them. Since you had a second chance to cycle your tank i woudl have chosen to fishless cycle it. This is a good methode to use with mbuna as it lets you add most of your stocklist right away. I find it better because all the fish are added at once,there for there is no fighting like ther is when fish are added a few each week. With the fish cycling way, each week you add a new fish. Each week your fish have to sort out a new pecking order which causes possible fighting. Just sometime to think about trying next time. So what kind of fish are you planning on adding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Hello and thank you, Not to sure right now. Possibly Pseodotropheus demasoni, Yellow labs, Melanochromis Johanni, and maybe one other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Where are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Edmonton, i dunno how to add it to my profile...........lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandopsis Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Click on "My profile" on the top right of the main page and the rest shouldn't be a prob. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nandopsis Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Oh it's already in your profile, I switched your member group, which was probably what you ment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 thank you, thought I did something wrong......lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 im on day 5 on cyclying my tank with fish. No amnonia or nitrates yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Keep checking those numbers as they will start to climb soon enough. Keep us posted as to how its coming along. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahim101 Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Also, watch your feedings as execess food does and will cause ammonia. As far as you stock list, Demasoni may not be the best bet for a community tank as they are VERY aggressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 I agree with Rahim about the stocking list, forget demasoni unless you plan on making that 55 a species tank, in which case get approx 20 dems for that tank. Yellow labs work well in a 55, and instead of the M. johanni I would recommend Melanochromis cyaneorhabdos. (which are often confused with the johanni) They can be seen here: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=756 The colors & aggression levels would compliment each other nicely. A friend of mine spent 5 months on Lake Malawi & has wild caught breeding groups of both of those species, so if you are interested in breeding some quality fish let me know & perhaps I can hook you up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Will do, I check the water daily. I also watch the amount that is feed to them, twice daily and all the food is eaten. Too bad about the demasoni, those are great loking fish. Maybe when I get another tank I will get them their own tank :P Thanks for the offer RD, I will let you know once im ready for my cichlids once the cyclying is over and I transfer the barbs to a new tank. I really do want to get into breeding a few for sure. And I appreciate all of your comments here, some good advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Quote>>I have been testing my water everyday, no amnonia at all. I decided to test for nitrites, again nothing. So I then tested for Nitrates and came up with a reading of 5 ppm.<< Fishy: Keep on testing the water numbers. If you are getting NO3 readings and "NO' NH3 or No2's the tank's [ filter] has cycled. Congraudlation! OR - you may have NO3'S IN YOUR TAP WATER !! already. Have you tested the raw tap water.?? Always good to know the parameters of the water you use for the W/C's. EX: - Crowsnest Pass tap water numbers: pH= 8.4 GH= 180 ppm KH= 140 ppm Ca = 80 ppm Iron=0.0 ppm [ non-cleated and cleated tested] NH3- 0.0 ppm [ we are fortunate, no need for it]. Cholorine= 0.1 ppm [ we are fortunate] NO3= 0.0 ppm [ mountain water, nevery been used before]. :smokey: N02= 0.0 Depending on where you live in Edmonton, the tap water numbers can differ, [ different water sources are used for different parts of the city]. Keep us updated on the tank, Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted December 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 (edited) No I haven't tested my raw tap water yet. But yes those NO3 could be there in the raw water already. So far my daily tests are going fine, tommorow is day 7 of the cycle. GH= 180 ppm KH= 140 ppm Ca = 80 ppm Iron=0.0 ppm What kits do I need to test for those? Edited December 14, 2004 by Fishy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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