Daphnia and cycling

layna

layna

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Layna
Im in the process of trying to cycle my tank, well its been happening for around 6 weeks now, around 3 days ago i put some daphnia in there and they are still alive.

Could i take the daphnia living as a sign that the water is okay?

On another note when i put some daphnia in the babies tank, they died within hours, yet when they are in this tank which is supposed to be cycling they are still alive days later :eek:

Can anyone explain this?

I guess my main question is do you think its okay to put my juvie in the 'cycling' tank?
Its around 16 degrees celcious, has been cycling for 5-6 weeks and i tested the parameters with a test strip (i know there not that reliable but thats all ive got) and it came up on everything as safe.
 
Personally I wouldn't trust the test strips!

What was your source of ammonia during your cycle? Why did it take so long to cycle?

The daphnia staying alive is a good sign - but it's better to be 100% sure your water is ok before subjecting your axolotl to it. Perhaps you could take a water sample to your LFS & get them to run a full check on it :) it can't be long till they're in - just please make sure water is A.O.K first.



<3 >o_o< <3
 
At first i used pellets and dead bloodworm (there were some living for a few days) for around 4 weeks then recently i bought some kleen off household ammonia, i put a capful in one day then got worried it might do more harm than good in the future so only did it the one time.

I also had a 30ml bottle of 'good bacteria' you put in to feed off the ammonia when i had the pellets and bloodworm in but after reading up people said it didnt help much so i didnt purchase any more.

How reliable are the master test kits? The ones where you put a drop in a sample of water.
I didnt want to pay £30 to find they are just as useless as the strips.

I dont want to add my axie untill i KNOW its safe, this is why i wanted some help :)

Do all aquatic stores test your water for you?
 
The master kit is great - just buy the one with the longest use by date on it. - make sure to read & follow the instructions - some tests requirev2 different liquids & some of the testing liquids require vigorous shaking before even adding the drops then further shaking of the tube for 1 minute (this is the test for Nitrates). That is why test strips cannot be as accurate because certain tests need specific things. Just pretend you are a mad scientist with all your drops & vials ... Lol! ....... Just make sure the test kit includes Ammonia / Ph / Nitrite / Nitrate :) [sorry for the big long paragraph but the stupid iPad isn't giving me a return key option :mad: ]
 
Good aquarium shops should test your water - some do it free & others charge a small amount. :)
 
If the Daphnia survive in the tank, that´s a fairly good test of quality. Cycling typically takes about a month so if you´ve been cycling the tank for 6 weeks, it may already be completely cycled in which case it´d be safe to introduce the juveniles. Strip tests really are unreliable. If you want to be ure, you needa better testing kit.
 
I agree with Rodrigo. If your daphnia are alive, then it's perfectly suitable for amphibians. Daphnia are a great indicator of water quality.
 
Thanks guys, im going to get to the pet store in the mean time, and order one of those kits :)
 
They did a test on the water and found the PH to be very low, paler than the palest colour on there!

How can i resolve this?
 
Add crushed coral in a stocking.
 
Okay thanks :happy:
 
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