Downgrading - Need Advice

[marcvelous]

Hi All,

After a two month absence, I am glad to share that I am now the proud owner of my new 2 x 1 x 1ft tank running on Eheim 2217 canister filter and Sanders hang on skimmer with PL lights .

Just started cycling my tank nearly a week ago using 1.5inch worth of grade 1 sand and 5 pieces of dead rocks and sea-water bought from LFS.

Reason for using dead rocks (have been washed and dried in sun) is my phobia of unwanted hitchhikers like crabs , worms , etc and the fact that I intend to keep FOWLR tank consisting mostly of small fishes.

Threw in one market prawn about 4 days ago and the prawn meat still visible.

Adding Nutrafin Cycle on recommended dosage on the bottle.

From experience, the prawn meat is taking so much longer to decompose as compared to when I was cycling my 3ft tank.

Is this due to my usage of dead rocks? Since am using dead rocks, will bacteria grow and colonise the rocks to make them LR?

Sorry , me starting all over again and need any advice wherever possible.

Cheers!

[marcvelous]

It just occured to me... since I am using a canister (Eheim 2217), will I need to invest in one other canister so that when I take one apart for cleaning, the other is still at work and I do not need to "re-cycle" my tank after each cleaning by simply alternating the cleaning routine?

Also, how often do I need to clean the canister filters?

Sorry, was using a sump for my previous 3ft and got no experience with canisters at all.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[victorp]

Unless you take a day to clean your canister, there is no need to invest in another one.

Please remember to use your tank water to wash the media, and there is no need to make it sparkling clean. You can use tap water to clean the canister hardware. I suggest you clean it when you are doing water changes. Refill your canister with a mixture of your tank water and fresh saltwater.

[riot]

If you start with a completely sterile system, its going to take a heck of a long time to build up your LR as filtration agent. Might be better to add active LR that has been carefully screened into your system. I am not so sure on the Nutrafin product.

[hammy]

maybe u can take a few filter medium from some fellow reefer and put it in ur canister to kkickstart the cycling... that will be a bit faster as bacteria multiplying rate is very fast ....

[marcvelous]

Might be better to add active LR that has been carefully screened into your system

Appreciate your good concerns bro riot but in my experience, it's never easy to screen through LR.

I once tried various methods to forcibly evict the hitchhikers from my LR by first soaking them in freshwater, then hyposalinity and even leave them to dry. The haul was horrendous! Still, after I reintroduced the LR into my tank, there were still worms, crabs, and what nots!!!!!

maybe u can take a few filter medium from some fellow reefer and put it in ur canister to kkickstart the cycling

Any bro want to lend me a piece of LR or filter medium? For safety reasons, I will place the LR or filter medium in a netted bag (those used to contain active carbon and the likes). I reckon the bacteria will definitely migrate and multiply but not the hitchhikers. I live in the Bendemeer area. Any offers are welcome!

As mentioned, I am currently dosing Nutrafin's Cycle. I donlt know how good the product is. Anyone care to share their experience or feedback on this product. Since bacteria needs light, air and water to grow and multiply, how good are these bacteria strains we buy since they are contained in a bottle depriving them of light, air and water?

Thanks for all the help!

Cheers

[tineng]

be patient bro.....i'm runing a 2x1x1 and it took me 1 whole month to cycle and put in my first fish....only in the 2nd month did i add in a second fish.....

i guess with a small tank, the level of torance is smaller...you need to be very very patient.....