The Puffer Forum

That is a crazy fun tank to live in!

Thanks for all the compliments on my aquascaping. I am still deciding on what to put where and that pic is just w/ everything in there, not in its final spots.

I do have another question though, but first PP as I assumed, you were right my cycle was stalled because I added to much ammonia. It has been a week and a half, and the ppm hasn't dropped at all (it looks like the green on the API test has gotten a little lighter but not much, and it could just be that that is what I want to see). So my question now is, should I do like a 25 - 50% water change and get my ammonia down to 3 or 4ppm, or just wait it out how it is and let nature take its course. Although if I wait it out this could end up taking quite a bit of time till I get some trites' and trates', right? Once again thanks for all of your help. Also, I still have 0 nitrites and nitrates, and ph is 7.4 or 7.6 can't remember right now, temp is at 84.

Yes, get it down to 4. Also, get your temp to 78-80.

Will do, thank you very much for your quick response.

Time for another question. I never thought about doing this before,but would taking some filter squeezings' or media from my turtle tank help seed my BB in my new tank? There are 2 red eared sliders in the tank, and it's cleaned regularly and the turtles are healthy. I didn't test the water yet, because I didn't even know if it would work. Thanks again guys & gals.

edit: Now that I think about this it is probably better to just let it go the way it is, or even add some Safe Start or Stability, and continue w/ ammonia till it is completely cycled. Patience is a virtue, or at least so I've heard.

The bacteria from your turtle tank is all the same as it would be in a fish tank. If they are healthy, not that they probably could harbor much that they could give to a fish, then it would be fine. But definitely check the levels in the turtle tank, but at this point I'm assuming it's cycled, unless you just set it up.

For an update:
2 weeks ago I did a WC to get the ammonia down to below 4ppm. I also dropped the temp down to 78-80F, and added Tetra Safe Start to the bio wheel (figured it wouldn't work, so I wouldn't be disappointed if it didn't). Within the first week the ammonia dropped to where it was the lightest green on the API test but not yellow for 0ppm like my tap water. I never got any Nitrites, but from what I read about TSS, that is common. The Nitrates changed from yellow to a tint of Orange, but nowhere near dark enough for the 5ppm on the test color sheet. Last Sunday I added more ammonia to get it back up to between 2 & 4 ppm. Since then it has not dropped at all, and my Nitrates have not increased. I also tested PH when I first started the tank, and it was at 7.4, but I tested it again last night and it was up to 8.4. I am on well water. I am going to try and make it to the LFS that is good around here and get some filter media from them, if I get off of work early enough, and see if that could help things.

Is there anything else I can do at this point or something I should be doing differently. I know patience is key, but I just want to make sure I'm not messing anything up. Thanks guys and gals.

edit: Also, I don't know if it makes a difference. But since I am on a well, should I be getting my water before it goes to the softener, or from inside the house after the softener. The water in the tank is from inside the house which is after it goes thru the softener.

i like the setup and the puffer will love all of the bubbles! i have two gsp's and they play endlessly in the bubbles when i turn them on. they playfully gawk at each other and swim up the bubbles than into the filter current and get shot back down over and over. all in all a blast to watch. beats the hell out of watching my catfish sleep all day. ha!