My 7.5 gallon Penn Plax

I’ve decided to start a journal for my new tank so I can look back and learn from it in the future. This is my second tank, but the first one running a fishless cycle with ammonia and cycled media from my other tank. So far it’s not going well. I was all excited because two days after I started my tank I already had reduced ammonia, high nitrites and high nitrates. I figured I was almost set. The next day the nitrites and nitrates were off the charts so I did a 50% water change. Ever since then I cycle seems to have died and I’m starting from scratch. I have no idea what I did to wreck it. The only thing I can think of is maybe I forgot to put prime in my tap water. Disappointing anyway.

Last night I remembered I had some Prodibio Start Up vials that I planned to use on the 12 gallon long I have sitting gathering dust. I have big plans for that tank that will require more money than I have currently so it will remain sitting for the time being, so I decided to use the Start Up on this tank. We’ll see how it does over the next few days/weeks now.

Start Date

March 17th, 2017

Tank

Penn Plax 7.5 gallon

Lighting

Fluval Nano Aqualife LED on 2:30pm to 11:30pm daily – it seems way too bright, at least compared to the 16” Fugeray I have on my Spec V.

Filtration

Zoo Med 501
Biohome Biogravel

Temperature Control

Hydor Theo 50W
Finnex Max-300 Digital Aquarium Heater Controller

Hardscape

Spiderwood

Substrate

Fluval Stratum
Seachem Flourite Dark cap

Fertilization

Seachem Flourish Root Tabs. Far more than recommended because I was dumb and didn’t read the package. Maybe this is what killed the cycle? I don’t know, I’m grasping at straws.

Flora

Rotala Indica so far. I’m planning to add java fern, ludwigia mini red and some buces and mosses, maybe some red root floaters. I’m also thinking of trying an HC carpet. I’m going to wait until it’s done cycling before adding anything other than the rotala though. I’ll update as I add.

Fauna

For fish I’m thinking red neon blue-eyes and pygmy cories.
I want shrimp, but the only shrimp I plan on adding are amanos for the foreseeable future. I have terrible luck with shrimp other than amanos.
A nerite snail or two plus I have lots of red ramshorns and MTS in my other tank so I’ll add a few of each of those as well.

Bump: So this was how things looked on the 20th. My water tests showed the cycle was well on its way and I was having a bacteria bloom.