We just bought a 20gallon tank, I was wondering which fish would be the best "starter fish" for cycling. We were thinking about Cichlids, and I was wondering if Cichlids would be good for cycling the tank? Also how many should we get for that at once, and Ive heard that Cichlids are semi aggressive and that you can only put other cichlids in with them, or does anyone know of any other fish they are good with? I am a beginner so I would appreciate any information! Thank you!!
A few questions
- Thread starter HeathDus9
- Start date
lol, I didnt listen, I started with two African cichlids, we just couldnt resist! They seem to be doing great, It has been about 14 hours now, We added a conditioner and some aquarium salt to the tank, they seem to be fine, but out of curiosity, anyone know the normal time frame that a fish would die from ammonia poisioning?? hopefully that dont happen, but im curious!
Thanks
Thanks
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Please get a water test kit asap. you can use it to keep track of the cycling process. also you can use it to see if ammonia or nitrites would be present, as those are the most harmful chemicals during cycling.
Your fish may be doing fine after 14 hours, but they still have about a month+ of cycling to get through =/
If you see an ammonia presence, use something like ammo lock. it detoxifies ammonia BUT does NOT eliminate it so that your bio filter development isnt slowed down.
Please get a water test kit asap. you can use it to keep track of the cycling process. also you can use it to see if ammonia or nitrites would be present, as those are the most harmful chemicals during cycling.
Your fish may be doing fine after 14 hours, but they still have about a month+ of cycling to get through =/
If you see an ammonia presence, use something like ammo lock. it detoxifies ammonia BUT does NOT eliminate it so that your bio filter development isnt slowed down.
Yes we do have a kit, and we are checking it right now, it reads .5 ammonia which is considered stress... We have ACE which removes ammonia, and also a nitrate test kit. How often do we do a water change for a 20gallon and how much, ive read things but each site says different, i guess maybe it dont matter exactly how much? Were kind of newbies at this but were dedicated to make it work lol, so any help is much appreciated.
Sure, ill try to help as far as i personally know.
.5 is concidered stress, so i am guessing the cycle is beginning.
the thing is you dont want to REMOVE the ammonia, but detoxify it for the fish. Ammo-lock by API can do this. Also i believe you should invest in Prime by seachem as your water conditioner for water changes.
Reason is that the bio filter needs ammonia to work. if you remove it or keep removing it the filter will take forever to extablish. a never ending cycle is not what you will want.
Ammonia will spike then get to 0, as this happens Nitrites will spike then wil go to 0. Then nitrates will be visibl on your test kit, and as long as they are less than 40ppm then you have finished your tank cycle. So a finished cycle will read 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and around 20ppm nitrate. It will likely take a bit over a month (6 weeks) for this to finish. have patience. LOTS of it.
water changes can be done initially about every other day, removing about 20% of the water and replacing it with aged, treated water. Use tap. treat it with prime and then leave it to stand for the day.
The reason to do it so frequently is to try and keep ammonia and nitrite levels minimum, so no harm is done to our fish. If you are using things like ammo lock, you dont have to change so ofen. maybe twice or once a week of a 25-30% water change is good.
You can test the water every few days initially to make sure nothing is threatening your fish, then just test it once weekly to get a vague idea where you are at. If you personally feel a need to test mroe frequently than that then do so by all means.
Good luck. Dont go bymy opinion alone, wait for some more feedback from other forum members too
EDIT: PH UP CAN BE A BAD IDEA! adding any chemical that raises the pH may not help because of pH rebound. you can change to a desired pH for a few hours, but then in a day itll end up going down again. You need a buffer. Buy a 8.2 pH buffer specifically designed for african cichlids. buffering has to do with KH, and if you had a test for that, things would be simple to understand.
.5 is concidered stress, so i am guessing the cycle is beginning.
the thing is you dont want to REMOVE the ammonia, but detoxify it for the fish. Ammo-lock by API can do this. Also i believe you should invest in Prime by seachem as your water conditioner for water changes.
Reason is that the bio filter needs ammonia to work. if you remove it or keep removing it the filter will take forever to extablish. a never ending cycle is not what you will want.
Ammonia will spike then get to 0, as this happens Nitrites will spike then wil go to 0. Then nitrates will be visibl on your test kit, and as long as they are less than 40ppm then you have finished your tank cycle. So a finished cycle will read 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and around 20ppm nitrate. It will likely take a bit over a month (6 weeks) for this to finish. have patience. LOTS of it.
water changes can be done initially about every other day, removing about 20% of the water and replacing it with aged, treated water. Use tap. treat it with prime and then leave it to stand for the day.
The reason to do it so frequently is to try and keep ammonia and nitrite levels minimum, so no harm is done to our fish. If you are using things like ammo lock, you dont have to change so ofen. maybe twice or once a week of a 25-30% water change is good.
You can test the water every few days initially to make sure nothing is threatening your fish, then just test it once weekly to get a vague idea where you are at. If you personally feel a need to test mroe frequently than that then do so by all means.
Good luck. Dont go bymy opinion alone, wait for some more feedback from other forum members too
EDIT: PH UP CAN BE A BAD IDEA! adding any chemical that raises the pH may not help because of pH rebound. you can change to a desired pH for a few hours, but then in a day itll end up going down again. You need a buffer. Buy a 8.2 pH buffer specifically designed for african cichlids. buffering has to do with KH, and if you had a test for that, things would be simple to understand.
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Try other big chain pet stores. I know my Pet Goods store has them. Petsmart, Petland Discounts...cant think of any more right now lol.
I have to give this bit of advice though:
really try to limit you fish choice to the conditions of your tap water. Depending on your tap water's pH, you could keep anything from discus to african cichlids. What is the pH of your tap water?
try to stick with fish that can handle that pH. I say this because for example, if you tried to hold african cichlids that need no less than 8.2 pH in a home that has tap water with a pH of less than 7, youre gonna be wasting a LOT of money trying to alter and keep a suitable pH. Its the same the other way. For example my home tap pH is about 7.5
That means that i will have to waste TONS of money on a tank full of Discus (or other acidic water loving fish), like wise i would also spend a lot on running a tank with African cichlids cuz id have to keep the pH high.
I'm NOT trying to dissuade you from your favorite fish, im just giving a friendly warning.
I think both discus and african cichlids are wicked, but i cant seem to provide an affordable home for them so...
So guess what i have chosen? Livebearers. things like swordtails would live perfectly in water like mine because they love a pH of round 7.5, with 7. 5 being the ideal pH for them.
Given of course the water in my tank fluctuates around 7.4-7.6 thats still very good.
So if your tap water has a pH of 7 or something less, i would really be shying away from african cichlids, unless you're devoted and are prepared to spend good money on them.
Just a suggestion.
I have to give this bit of advice though:
really try to limit you fish choice to the conditions of your tap water. Depending on your tap water's pH, you could keep anything from discus to african cichlids. What is the pH of your tap water?
try to stick with fish that can handle that pH. I say this because for example, if you tried to hold african cichlids that need no less than 8.2 pH in a home that has tap water with a pH of less than 7, youre gonna be wasting a LOT of money trying to alter and keep a suitable pH. Its the same the other way. For example my home tap pH is about 7.5
That means that i will have to waste TONS of money on a tank full of Discus (or other acidic water loving fish), like wise i would also spend a lot on running a tank with African cichlids cuz id have to keep the pH high.
I'm NOT trying to dissuade you from your favorite fish, im just giving a friendly warning.
I think both discus and african cichlids are wicked, but i cant seem to provide an affordable home for them so...
So guess what i have chosen? Livebearers. things like swordtails would live perfectly in water like mine because they love a pH of round 7.5, with 7. 5 being the ideal pH for them.
Given of course the water in my tank fluctuates around 7.4-7.6 thats still very good.
So if your tap water has a pH of 7 or something less, i would really be shying away from african cichlids, unless you're devoted and are prepared to spend good money on them.
Just a suggestion.
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Oh Wow! My level read 6.8// So maybe I will have to consider other options like you said that dont need such high Ph. I think I will stick with these two and try to do the best I can, and if all fails, then go for less accidic loving fish. I didnt realise when we bought them about the Ph levels they needed and how much it takes to get there, I am new to this, and I think I researched everything but the Ph the fish liked. Thanks for your advice. Were going to keep checking the levels and look into that buffer stuff and try to keep these fish healthy but if it fails we will probably swich to different types. But yeah like you said its expensive to keep the ph to their standards lol. Thanks for that much needed info!
So maybe I will have to consider other options like you said that dont need such high Ph. I think I will stick with these two and try to do the best I can, and if all fails, then go for less accidic loving fish. I didnt realise when we bought them about the Ph levels they needed and how much it takes to get there, I am new to this, and I think I researched everything but the Ph the fish liked. Thanks for your advice. Were going to keep checking the levels and look into that buffer stuff and try to keep these fish healthy but if it fails we will probably swich to different types. But yeah like you said its expensive to keep the ph to their standards lol. Thanks for that much needed info!