i'm embarrassed :-(

[sunkissedinCA]

reallyreally embarrassed.

so 7 weeks ago i set up a 10 gallon tank with a filter/heater, ya know..the works, hoping that i could cycle it with ladybug. i didn't get a test kit at the time because i didn't know how important it was for the cycling process, and oh boy are those things expensive. big mistake. 3 days went by and thats when the tank got cloudy and i posted my first questions about the cycling process. after doing research on the internet and finding sooo many different sites telling me sooo many different things, i'm positive i messed up the cycle, because it's still cloudy right now even after 10% water changes every 3 days.

i finally took ladybug out after reading on one site that after cycling WITH fish, her gills would most likely be messed up from it and she would require special attention the rest of her life. i feel horrible, even though she's totally fine and has acted like her normal sassy self the entire time, no fin issues or gill issues at all, but that website scared me and i'm not willing to risk putting her back in and having her get sick. right now she's in a seperate bowl, and is doing great.

so now that i'm more educated on the subject, i have decided to start over and go with the fishless cycle, ONLY after i can afford to get a test kit. i do have a couple questions though.

1. should i completely wash the entire tank, meaning the gravel and the filter media? or do you think that there is already some bacterial growth that i can use from the previous try?
2. is there a certain kind of ammonia i need to get? it needs to be 100% pure ammonia right?

i'm sorry for the long post and appreciate any help i can get from you guys.

[Romad]

1. should i completely wash the entire tank, meaning the gravel and the filter media? or do you think that there is already some bacterial growth that i can use from the previous try?

1. IMO you should get the test kit (API master kit is the most accurate) first and post your readings here. your levels will tell where your tank is in the cycling process.

is there a certain kind of ammonia i need to get? it needs to be 100% pure ammonia right?

2. i went with fishless cycling as well. i used the live bacteria that my lfs sells to kickstart the cycle. it can even be added right to the tank after you have fish when you have an ammonia spike.

[sunkissedinCA]

will do, thanks romad!

[dr2b]

I use the API Master kit and I like it. I think you should test it first before you tear it down and start over. You should have been doing 10-15% water changes daily, not every 3 days.

[dramaqueen]

I agree with dr2b.

[CharH]

I'm scared to death now... I never cycled my tanks and put my guys right in. They seem happy and healthy. OMG... I had no idea how serious this was.

[dr2b]

Honestly, I never cycled Flair's tank before I put him in. It cycled on it's own. However, I did keep up with water changes and what not ... everything turned out fine.

[sunkissedinCA]

ahhh, no wonder it got messed up then. i'll be doing daily 10%-15% water changes then once i start the cycle again. thanks dr2b.

[dr2b]

No problem. I actually just found out from Neenjar because I had to completely clean my tank Tuesday lol. Also, don't forget to do your "normal" water change also during the week while doing the 10-15% daily.