Beginner - My tank test results.

[Chazwick]

What do you mean why am i waiting for two weeks? I can get out the ammonia rocks and will do... in a minute. I don't have the money to buy anything else, as i've spent it all on these test kits, etc. I cannot do Iggys cycle for numerous reasons1
1) i cannot buy some of the stuff required.
2) My tank is smaller than a 10G.

I just thought it'd be easier to put some fish in there and let the cycle work naturally... ?? Seeing as my test results are quite low it wouldn't hurt them, would it?

 

[Balloon Fish]

ya that could be possible, and what does size have to do with not being able to cycle? And all you need is ammonia, you probably have some in your house and didnt know it (i did at least). Ammonia isn't that expensive, maybe $1 or 2 in the US and that is like 1/4 the price of a test kit... if you hadn't have bought the pH test then you coulda afforded some ammonia... but i guess a pH test would be useful later on... if you realy dont want to do a fishless cycle i guess you could do some research on a fish in cycle but i wouldn't recocommend it and not that many people would either cause its not as good as a normal fishless cycling but its your choice. Don't remember the reason why a fishless one was better but i think there are a few articles in myfishtank.net that explains it and i thought you said your tank was a 10g... Oh ya, if you have money for the fish for the fish in cycle i'm quite sure you will have money for the ammonia.

 

[Chazwick]

Ok - right. I'll buy some ammonia... then what? Can i put fish in?

 

[Balloon Fish]

when you get the ammonia, cycle the tank using iggy's recipe, then when you are finished with the cycling you can get fish. No shortcuts and no adding anything else except ammonia and dechlorinator and your cycle should run smoothly. There is probably only 3 shortcuts i can think of and i'm quite sure 2 of them aren't available in UK. One of them is Biospira, where you just buy a packet of it and stick it into your tank and your cycle is complete in 24 hours. Second is Seachem Stability which takes only 7 days of cycling (i've used it on my 20g when i started off and it worked quite well and the cycle was done in excactly 7 days then a water change on the 8th), and the last one is using filter media, gravel, fake plants from an already established/cycled tank, which can reduce cycling time to around 1 to 2 weeks. In UK i dont think biospira is available to you and either is seachem stability so probably your best bet is using old media from an already cycled tank. Those are proabbly the only shortcuts to cycling a tank that i can think of and there is probably one or two other ones but i've never heard of them. But even if you think you've found a shortcut i wouldn't take it cause you can risk ruining your cycle and have to start over so do it correctly the first time

 

[Chazwick]

kk i understand now.

 

[FishGeek]

There are 2 ways to cycle your tank. You can do a fishless cycle (which from the sounds of it, is what Balloon Fish is pushing you to do) As for me when I get new tanks I get a few (cheaper) fish and add the cyle stuff that I told you about. I have done this with all of my tanks and I have lost less the 5 fish (between 3 tanks). I also find that in adding fish your tank cycles faster becuase your fish are creating waste that will help the cycle. It is your choice on how you want to cycle your tank. But I do advice not getting expensive fish for the cycle. You could even go (if you have one in your area) to a Petco and get the cheap 12 cent minnows and cycle with those. Good Luck!

 

[Balloon Fish]

fish waste turns into ammonia, why wait for the fish waste to decompose when you can just add ammonia straight away and have a stronger biological filter from the start?

 

[SANND]

Agree with BF, plus she doesn't have to settle for cycle resistent fish when she's done. She can get the fish she really wants.

 

[Chazwick]

Okay now i'm confused! lol
I always thought a using fish for the cycle would be quicker.. but also harmful to the fish.. but by the sounds of it, if i added some fish at the weekend, it would be WAY quicker!!!!! lol

 

[Chazwick]

SANND: Yes.. but i want some danios.. and you can use them for cycling.. right?

 

[SANND]

You can but if you do the fishless cycle you'll have a stronger, better bacteria colony and you can add more fish from the start. If you go with fishy cycling you should only add one or two fish every few weeks so you don't over load your bioload.

Just go with the fishless cycle as you can't mess it up, unless you try really hard, and you are less likely to lose any fish at all.

BTW, I thought you were going with tetras. Have you changed your mind?

 

[FroggyFox]

I also find that in adding fish your tank cycles faster becuase your fish are creating waste that will help the cycle.

This is not true. You can artificially regulate the amount of ammonia in a tank when there aren't fish in it. The cycle goes much faster when you dont do any water changes, which when you have fish in the tank you need to do water changes. If you do a fishless cycle correctly and do as many things to speed it up as possible (temperature, seeding etc) then a fishless cycle takes about 2-3 weeks. A fish in cycle can take MONTHS.

I do however agree that however you cycle your tank is up to you...there are two ways to do it. I prefer fishless cycles because they are less expensive (a two dollar bottle of ammonia has lasted YEARS and many tank cycles...whereas fish that die cost a buck a piece or whatever), there are no fish in danger, I dont have to do water changes on the tank while its cycling and its faster than fish-in.

You already have some plants, so if you got a couple of fish...then you would probably be OK.

 

[SANND]

Okay now i'm confused! lol
I always thought a using fish for the cycle would be quicker.. but also harmful to the fish.. but by the sounds of it, if i added some fish at the weekend, it would be WAY quicker!!!!! lol

I cycled my 5 gallon tank with ammonia only in just 2 weeks. I've been told it takes months with fish.

 

[Balloon Fish]

i wouldn't go with a school of danios and tetras in an 8g... not nearly enough room and if you go with small schools the danios will harrass the tetras.

 

[FishGeek]

I dont care how she does it, its her tank. I was giving her options and letting her know there is more than one way to do things. It sounded like she needed another option. To be honest I dont know what to look for in buying ammonia. I dont even know if I can get it here. Plus it does sound like she cant afford to buy a hole bunch more things for her tank. The cycle stuff that I told her about starts at $7.00. And Danios are less than a dollar (at least here) I was just trying to give her a cheaper option.

 

[Balloon Fish]

get a job , before summer i had no money, then i started working at my dad's restaurant and i can buy almost anything i'd like and i still have an extra $300 to hold around

 

[Chazwick]

LOL
As soppy as this sounds - my dad wont let me get one!! lol. Where i live it's impossible to get one because i'm "underage" and i was offered a job at a friends, brothers cafe, but my dad said no, because it's out town, which is about.. half an hour walk, and i'd have to work til quite late, etc, and my dad doesn't get home from work til A LONG TIME, so there was no way to get home.. LOL. I am going to get one next year though

 

[FishGeek]

I buy the tank and set it up and let it run for 24 hours. Then I go and get a cheap hardy fish that I want and bring it home and put it in my tank. I also add the cycle stuff daily (it give different doses but daily works faster) My tanks cycle in 2-3 weeks with fish and the cycle stuff. I added up the fish that I lost in all 3 of my tanks (from a cycle) and there was only 4. 1 in the Cichlid tank, 2 in the Tropical tank, and (when it was a fish tank) 1 in the 7G.

I dont see a problem in putting like 4 Danios if that is all she wanted. (correct me if Im wrong but...)

 

[Chazwick]

I wont be getting money for another three weeks... or something (perhaps i could get it sooner.. i don't know!)... I'll get some of that cycle stuff and wait awhile! What i don't get is, when i've put the cycle stuff in (and i'll only be using that and the dechlorinfying thingy) can i then put in fish, or should i wait a while?

 

[SANND]

Sorry, you came into the conversation a bit late guppy_newbe, we've been over all this with her already and she chose to go with the fishless cycle and now we're just trying to help her get thru it. We don't want to confuse her by switching things on her midway thru.