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Re: NFC: New tank cycle
Hi Terry,
I only have a minute before going to work, but I wanted to send a reply to
your question. Sounds to me like you are doing fine in many regards. As
for the ammonia still being present there are a couple of things that might
help your situation. First of all you might want to find out if you have
any nitrites in your water. That is the biproduct of breaking down ammonia
and will tell us if you are cycling at all. Secondly, I never vacumn the
gravel when I am cycling a tank. The gravel is the subrstrate on which a
lot of bacteria could be growing, and it is better left undisturbed, at
least at first. Now, to offer a little advice about getting your tank a
little head start. If you have a friend who has a healthy tank, you simply
need to borrow some gravel from him. I have found that this works best in a
small section of pantyhose tied off so the gravel doesn't escape. A cup or
two of gravel placed in your aquarium for a week will introduce plenty of
bacteria to help get your tank cycled. Make sure that the tank you are
getting the gravel from is 'disease free' and has been for a long time,
maybe a year or more. It sure won't help to introduce bacteria to break
down ammonia and three different parasites at the same time. I have used
this method of cycling for years, and I have found it works very
successfully.
I hope this helps,
Kevin
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