After a failed attempt at fishkeeping a few years ago I am attempting to set up a new tank. Trying to do it properly this time so I end up with nice healthy fish.
I have a 64l tank that I have started running a fishless cycle in. I am on day 3 with ammonia at 4ppm.
Today I have noticed an oily film on the top of my tank. What is it and will it go away when my tank is further along on its cycle?
My tank contains 3 pieces of wood (that have turned the water brown but that is ok) and 8 plants. No fish yet.
I added Interpet Tapsafe when I added the water and Filterstart on days 1 and 3.
Hi Kat,
There are a lot of parameters that need to be covered to get a clearer picture of what may be going on in your setup. I think its great that you are going for a fishless cycle. Don't forget, your plants will eventually need to eat to.
What type of substrate do you have? What type of filtration are you running? What type of media (bio/chemical/physical) are you using? Did you boil or at least soak the wood for 24 - 48hrs (I hope you are using drift wood), the tannin being released as i can tell you are aware of, pose no threat to your setup and will at most cause a dip in alkalinity toward acidic water and eventually clear up with filtration. I have had driftwood leave behind some foul looking water with residue on the surface of my buckets after soaking them. I would do a few water changes before i settle down for the full cycle to occur, just to ensure that i start with some good water parameters. Agitating the water column with some type of filter or air hose can help with surface debris as well as water changes.
Could be many different things. It's hard to narrow down without more details.
JC
My filter is an Interpet CF2 filter. It cam with the tank so don't really know much more than that. It seems to have 3 parts to it inside - a white part, a green part and a part filled with funny plastic things. Newbie ignorance here I'm afraid.
My substrate is gravel and the wood is Mopani wood from the pet shop. Didn't realise I had to boil it until AFTER it turned my water brown - another rookie mistake - as I assumed that buying it from the pet shop meant I could just wash it and it was good to go.
Best way to cycle your tank is to skip the process altogether. How you do that is by adding established filter media to your tanks filter. POW! Instant Cycle
Ammonia is holding steady at 4ppm but the colour of the test may be slightly lighter. Nitrites at 2ppm. Test showing nitrates but they are in the tap water.
I would stop dosing ammonia for sure - let the transferred bacteria colony clear it all out. Once it goes to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite add some fish.
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