Cycling my 28g...

[Agnate]

So, I've had 5 Bumblebee Gobies in the 28g tank for almost a month now after I mistaking increased the salinity from 1 to 1.008 in about 2 hours to accommodate my late GSP... However, I just did a water test, and my pH is 8.0 (yay), Ammonia is at about 0.5 - 0.75 ppm, with everything else at 0 ppm, meaning that the tank isn't even CLOSE to cycled. Does it normally take this long? I had my freshwater setup cycled in 3.5 weeks, and this one seems to be stuck in an ammonia spike with no Nitrates/Nitrites.

Do I just give it more time, or should I try something like BioSpira (or whatever it's called)? I'd really like to get a F8 (now that I realize GSPs require a larger tank than I can currently accommodate), and I've been waiting over 2 months for one. I'm patient, but that doesn't make me it any easier to wait!

[Woland]

Hmmm...

There should really be no notable difference between cycling fresh or brackish aquariums.
Could there be that your SG is fluctuating thus making life tough for beneficial bacteria?

How do you measure SG?
How often do you change water?
Filtration?

[Agnate]

I measure SG with a floating-needle hydrometer. I usually do a water change every 1-2 weeks, and it's usually about 40-50%, and before adding the water back in, I measure the salinity to make sure it's in the same range. I use the filter that came with my kit, which is rated (supposedly) at 40 gallons. It's the standard hang-on-back filter, nothing too fancy. When I had it as freshwater, everything worked well and the tank was cycled. Seems odd that it's going so slow this time around.

You're probably right with the change of salinity. Maybe (due to the relatively hard-to-read hydrometers) it's been fluctuating too much.

I also had a question about how often I should change the filter itself? It would seem like it wouldn't really need to be changed, and if it did, I'd have to put the new one in behind the old filter and wait for the bacteria to grow before I could toss out the old one...

[crazedpuffer]

Sounds like you need a new hydrometer. I use Instant Oceans, its like 7 dollars and it's been very accurate IME.

[Agnate]

So is mine. It's not that it isn't accurate, it's that the needle tip is rounded, so it doesn't point at any exact number... if that makes any sense. It is consistent, though. I'll try marking everything to make sure that I put exactly the same amount of salt in each of my bucket-loads. Hopefully it's just been the supposed fluctuations in water salinity that have affected it.

Thanks for the responses.

[crazedpuffer]

That bothered me at first too, all hydrometers are like that. You'll get used to it.
Also make sure to fill it up slowly and that there are no bubbles on the arrow otherwise it will fluctuate.

[Woland]

I have always stayed clear of that kind of hydrometer.
I use this kind.
It does not measure as exact as a refractometer, but its potential misreading will not be fluctuating.
Be sure to remember that the temperature of the water is an important factor when measuring SG.

IMO you should do at least 3 weekly water changes a week when cycling a tank.
(I tend to do it on a daily basis, better safe than sorry...)

I would also invest in a suitable external filter as an addition to the hang-on.
It makes life so much easier.
The external filter will take care of the biological filtration, and needs cleaning 1-2 times a year.
The hang-on would then serve as a particle-filter and could be cleaned as often as you deem necessary without risking the wellbeing of beneficial bacteria.

My brackish tank (for the moment) is a 21 gallon.
Its filtration is an internal particle filter + current maker as well as an external biological filter, both fabricated for 40 gallon tanks.
Hysterical? Sure...
But safe!

[Agnate]

How much would an external filter set me back (generally)? I'm still fairly new to the whole aquarium business. I've read about sumps, how they work, and why they're amazing, but I don't really have the space at the moment to implement such a wondrous invention. In fact, I have a hard enough time convincing my other roommates that aquariums are fun. Thank god my gf at least understands how awesome fish are.

[Woland]

How much would an external filter set me back (generally)? I'm still fairly new to the whole aquarium business. I've read about sumps, how they work, and why they're amazing, but I don't really have the space at the moment to implement such a wondrous invention. In fact, I have a hard enough time convincing my other roommates that aquariums are fun. Thank god my gf at least understands how awesome fish are.

Forget sumps.
To complicated and needs room.
I have no intimate knowledge of global variatons in the price of suitable external filters...

I use this one for my brackish tank: JBL Cristal Profi 120 External Filter, and am thoroughly pleased with it.
Where in the world are you situated?

[Agnate]

Caaaaanada, so I'm looking at $60-80, it seems. Hmm, I'll probably have to wait a bit for this one.