Cycling a new tank

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Harvardsquare

Small Fish
#1
Oct 3, 2010
11
0
0
#1
I have a new 14 gallon tank that has been running for about a week now. There's no fish just a filter and heater in it right now. How long do I have to wait to add fish ?
 

prsturm

prsturm

Large Fish
#3
Aug 13, 2010
100
0
0
#3
If you're doing a fish-in cycle, add zebra danios. Or, you need to cycle the tank with an ammonia source. Water that just sits, just sits. It doesn't "get better" over time on its own. You need grow the bacteria that help process fish waste. Or your fish will die.
 

aakaakaak

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
#4
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#4
1. Buy an API Master Test Kit.
2. Verify your readings are 0/0/0 for Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate.
3. Check your PH and temperature and then look up fish that can tolerate those conditions.
4. For information on fish that will work for you go to aqadvisor.com and plug in your information
5. Add the appropriate amount of SeaChem Prime to your tank.
6. Add the entire small bottle of Tetra Safe Start to your tank.
7. DO NOT add Stress-Zyme or anything else crazy. Decorations washed in HAND SOAP ONLY and RINCED THOROUGHLY are fine. In fact, you should probably have some decorations for hiding spots.
8. Wait an hour from adding the Tetra Safe Start. (No more, no less)
9. Add one of the fish you want. If you're doing cichlids add them all at the same time.
10. Yes, it's common to see a white cloud. It's called a bloom. It will pass.
11. Test your water for everything in the test kit after the first week.
12. Wait two weeks to do a water change.

Or, you can do what the poster below me says to do. Both ways will probably work.
 

achase

achase

Large Fish
#5
Feb 1, 2010
765
0
0
British Columbia, Canada
#5
Have you cycled your tank? If not then you will need to either do a fish-in cycle or fish-less cycle. Or you can do what aakaakaak said and use a bacteria product such as Tera Safe Start.

Personally, I have always done the fish-less cycle (the link is in my signature) using pure ammonia.
 

Dylandrewsdad

Dylandrewsdad

Large Fish
#6
Aug 13, 2010
870
0
0
Sicklerville, NJ
#6
Do yourself a favor and read up on the nitrogen cycle, then re read it. Then by a test kit, not the strips, the liquid kind, most of us use the API Master kit. Read about the cycle again. Now decide if you want to do a fish in or out cycle. Then.....do it! Good luck!
 

brian1973

brian1973

Superstar Fish
#7
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#7
I thought I saw a post here saying that adding any dechlorinating chemicals (such as prime) would render the tetra safe start useless, may want to double check that before adding it if you go that route.

Most here recommend the fishless cycle but it is a personal choice read up on fish in and fishless so you can decide the best route for you to take, but be warned a fish in cycle is very time consuming with water changes and may lead to fish deaths.

EDIT.. Heres the link to the tetra safe start thread and it does say products that lock ammonia (which Prime does) kill tetra safe start, you can read for yourself but it states to wait 24hrs after using such a product before add the safe start and dont use it for 7 days after adding safe start.
http://www.myfishtank.net/forum/freshwater-general-discussion/62105-tetra-safe-start.html
 

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O

OrangeCones

Elite Fish
#8
Feb 27, 2009
4,395
0
36
#8
I still disagree that TSS is killed by Prime or any other dechlor that binds ammonia. The bacteria you cultivate through other means the live in the tank is not killed by Prime, why would the TSS bacteria be? Bacteria can consume ammonia (toxic) and ammonium (non-toxic).

I'd love to have a Tetra and Seachem rep together explain why their products are incompatable. Seachem sells their own 'bacteria in a bottle' calle Stability, so I am not convinced.

Something that LOCKS ammonia I can see causing problems (whether TSS, Stability, or any other method of cultivating the good bacteria), but detoxifying ammonia is not the same as LOCKING it up.
 

brian1973

brian1973

Superstar Fish
#9
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#9
Complete edit.. You may be correct I went back an re-read it, it doesnt specify a detoxifier with ammonia it says remover or binder but it also depends on what they mean by binding. I would still wait the 24hrs if I was going to use this product.

I have used a similar product but it recommended waiting 24hrs after using dechlorinators but did not say anything about ammonia products.

Ok another edit..sorry its late and i should be in bed..lol. Seachems site does specify that it "binds" ammonia. so I can see your point but at the same time there are actually hundreds possibly thousands of kinds of bacteria that work in this whole process so maybe they have one that has to feed specifically on NH-3. It is common on forums to find info stating that bacteria must have a surface to attach to or it will not survive so if that is true the bacteria in a bottle has to be either engineered to survive without attaching itself to a solid area or having access to oxygen, I will shoot of an email of my own to both seachem and tetra tomorrow night asking that very question and will update in a seperate thread when I get a response.
 

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aakaakaak

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
#11
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#11
I hunted it down late one night when someone brought it up. Prime is one of the few de-chlorinators that doesn't mess with TSS. It did mess with the predcessor to TSS (Which is now exclusively for saltwater tanks), but that was a chemical conflict not associated with ammonia locking.
 

brian1973

brian1973

Superstar Fish
#12
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#12
aakaakaak said:
I hunted it down late one night when someone brought it up. Prime is one of the few de-chlorinators that doesn't mess with TSS. It did mess with the predcessor to TSS (Which is now exclusively for saltwater tanks), but that was a chemical conflict not associated with ammonia locking.
Click to expand...
Any idea where you found that info? I am going to try to email both companies tonight.
 

aakaakaak

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
#13
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#13
brian1973

brian1973

Superstar Fish
#14
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#14
Thanks aakaakaak, I read and then read again both of the threads, I didnt see any mention of prime with tetra safe start. It all focused on prime and bio spira, it did confirm my theory that the bacteria has to consume NH3 to survive, I always thought nitrite was worse than ammonia but from the email that may not be true. More research I have to do. Any way I am going to email tetra because obviously if the bacteria need NH3 to survive that explains why the would starve with the use of Prime.

Edit.. sent email to tetra, their site says all emails will be answered within 24 hrs so hopefully tomorrow I will have an answer.
 

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brian1973

brian1973

Superstar Fish
#15
Jan 20, 2008
2,001
3
38
Corpus Christi, Texas
#15
Email sent to seachem, I did read thru their stability product literature and if correct it may be better that TSS, but I havent used it so I dont know. I do know I prefer seachem products.

Also I recently learned seachem sells an ammonia kit which test NH3 and NH4 seperately, something I may look into when replacing my API kit.
 

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