New AQ., How long for fish?
- Thread starter ThePrep95
- Start date
I've got a couple of cories and danios cycling my 30 gallon tank at the moment. I too was too excited to do the fishless thing. But, I did go out and get a test kit. It's kind of fun...playing with the little test tubes...brings me back to Chemistry class. I also have been changing the water every couple of days. I usually take out about 25%. So far every seems to be going well. No fish casualties yet. All the levels appear to be not too high as far as ammonia, nitrites and nitrates...
There's too much good knowledge on this board to not be successful! Good luck!
There's too much good knowledge on this board to not be successful! Good luck!
Cleanings
I am cycling with the 'fish in', so how often should I clean my tank and when will I just give regular cleanings? (once a week, once a month, etc., what is best). I just went out and returned my 20 gallon (don't get happy yet!) for a 29 gallon... I want a few more fish and I don't want them being crowded.
I just bought this nice pump that drains/adds water with a gravel vaccum. Do I need anything else for cleaning?
I am cycling with the 'fish in', so how often should I clean my tank and when will I just give regular cleanings? (once a week, once a month, etc., what is best). I just went out and returned my 20 gallon (don't get happy yet!) for a 29 gallon... I want a few more fish and I don't want them being crowded.
I just bought this nice pump that drains/adds water with a gravel vaccum. Do I need anything else for cleaning?
The cycle takes as long as it takes (how do you like that answer? 
)
Usually cycling takes a couple of months but bioload, plants, maintenance and loads of other variables affect the length of the cycle.
25% is good, 1/2 - 1/3 is better with even more being necessary if levels get too high.
Always be sure to dechlor the water and not use any other additives (except for Seachem's Stability if you'd like to try that, it'd be ok -- it can actually help a cycling tank) Don't use any pH products or other additives -- they typically do more harm than good.
One other thing the lfs probably won't tell you -- don't change your filter media! Once a week, during a water change, slosh the media around in your bucket of old tank water (never under the tap or in untreated water). You want to knock the worst of the yucky stuff off without killing the beneficial bacteria. Once it's been sloshed relatively clean, pop it back into your filter. The majority of your good bacteria live in the filter pads, you don't want to throw out that which you're trying to cultivate!
) Usually cycling takes a couple of months but bioload, plants, maintenance and loads of other variables affect the length of the cycle.
25% is good, 1/2 - 1/3 is better with even more being necessary if levels get too high.
Always be sure to dechlor the water and not use any other additives (except for Seachem's Stability if you'd like to try that, it'd be ok -- it can actually help a cycling tank) Don't use any pH products or other additives -- they typically do more harm than good.
One other thing the lfs probably won't tell you -- don't change your filter media! Once a week, during a water change, slosh the media around in your bucket of old tank water (never under the tap or in untreated water). You want to knock the worst of the yucky stuff off without killing the beneficial bacteria. Once it's been sloshed relatively clean, pop it back into your filter. The majority of your good bacteria live in the filter pads, you don't want to throw out that which you're trying to cultivate!
That says it. I am VERY new to this hobby, but it is just like anything else I have ever gotten into. There are idiots and experts and all in between, you gotta learn to filter out the BullHockey. Unfortunately alot of the people at LFS's and retail stores that sell fish either don't know crap, or really don't care about the hobby, just money. So what you get is bad info, unnecessary money spent, and dead fish...which ultimately may lead to disinterest. This is very common, not just in this hobby.(Except for the dead fish part)
Your best defense from failure is patience, research, and advice from experienced aquarists. The last being the most valuable (IMO). If you get the impression from someone here that they think you are making a mistake, it's probably because they have already made that mistake. Learn from it. Later down the road, with a little more experience under your belt, you may "push the envelope" a little per se'. But for now, keep it safe.
Just about every post made here has good advice, but there are more than one way to skin a cat...for example...I am not patient. So I knew the "fishless" cycle was a last resort, but the last thing I wanted to do was kill fish. Period.
.............Enter Bio-Spira..According to Marineland this product will instantly cycle a tank by adding the nitrifying bacteria straight away. This will allow you to add fish immediately, but I would choose them wisely. The Cories you have are tough, but 2 or 3 will not produce enough waste in a 29g to keep the Bio-Spira alive. If you could use Bio-Spira, I would add maybe 6-8 Danios or some Black skirt Tetras or another hardy fish to support the bacteria. Without Bio-Spira those fish will have to endure the ammonia and nitrite spikes associated with cycling naturally. This may not kill them, but as others have said, not exactly "Good Karma".
I have a 29g, and I used Bio-Spira. I added 6 Danios and 4 Black skirt Tetras with the Bio-Spira. 5 days later 2 Honey Gouramis, 1 week later 3 gold barbs and 1 Opaline Gourami. For the first 2 weeks I checked water parameters DAILY, and did 25% changes every other day or so. The Ammonia and Nitrites spiked at less than .25 ppm, and within a week after startup I was testing positive for Nitrates. Now, a little over a month after startup I test every other day, Ammonia = 0 Nitrites = 0
So in conclusion. Take your time, ask lots of questions, pay attention to the answers, choose your fish wisely, use Bio-Spira if you can, TEST YOUR WATER!!!!!!
Your best defense from failure is patience, research, and advice from experienced aquarists. The last being the most valuable (IMO). If you get the impression from someone here that they think you are making a mistake, it's probably because they have already made that mistake. Learn from it. Later down the road, with a little more experience under your belt, you may "push the envelope" a little per se'. But for now, keep it safe.
Just about every post made here has good advice, but there are more than one way to skin a cat...for example...I am not patient. So I knew the "fishless" cycle was a last resort, but the last thing I wanted to do was kill fish. Period.
.............Enter Bio-Spira..According to Marineland this product will instantly cycle a tank by adding the nitrifying bacteria straight away. This will allow you to add fish immediately, but I would choose them wisely. The Cories you have are tough, but 2 or 3 will not produce enough waste in a 29g to keep the Bio-Spira alive. If you could use Bio-Spira, I would add maybe 6-8 Danios or some Black skirt Tetras or another hardy fish to support the bacteria. Without Bio-Spira those fish will have to endure the ammonia and nitrite spikes associated with cycling naturally. This may not kill them, but as others have said, not exactly "Good Karma".
I have a 29g, and I used Bio-Spira. I added 6 Danios and 4 Black skirt Tetras with the Bio-Spira. 5 days later 2 Honey Gouramis, 1 week later 3 gold barbs and 1 Opaline Gourami. For the first 2 weeks I checked water parameters DAILY, and did 25% changes every other day or so. The Ammonia and Nitrites spiked at less than .25 ppm, and within a week after startup I was testing positive for Nitrates. Now, a little over a month after startup I test every other day, Ammonia = 0 Nitrites = 0
So in conclusion. Take your time, ask lots of questions, pay attention to the answers, choose your fish wisely, use Bio-Spira if you can, TEST YOUR WATER!!!!!!
Thank you. Just paying my dues. I lurked and searched for a long time before posting anything. I gained ALOT of valuable info from the people on this forum, and just want to repay what I can.
Another thing I would like to address concerning the original poster is that "cleaning" your tank and testing the water parameters are two VERY different things. Your tank can be filthy and still have good parameters, and vice-versa.(Super clean looking tank with lots of Ammonia)
The tests will not indicate when you must "clean" your tank, but frequent testing will give you an idea of how often you must do a water change. Remember, more frequent changes of less water is always better than less frequent changes involving more water...if that makes sense.
I feel I need to stress once more...TEST YOUR WATER!!! Especially for the "Big 3" (Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate). You can get the dip-strips from Wally World for less than $10. It's as simple as matching the colors. The thing that I noticed with my cycle was for the first few days, the tests barely showed anything....then all of a sudden, BOOM. Readings. So I started water changes. It will happen fast, and if you are not testing, will be fatal before you even know anything is going on.
Do what you need to do, but remember, the people here are here because they care about their hobby, and the animals involved. Many have been keeping tanks for a long time and have seen, (and probably made) every mistake in the book. These people will be far less likely to tell you what you want to hear, and far more likely to point out pitfalls in your plan. I don't think anyone here will knowingly steer you wrong, but don't expect alot of acceptance of corner-cutting. Pay attention to their advice.
Another thing I would like to address concerning the original poster is that "cleaning" your tank and testing the water parameters are two VERY different things. Your tank can be filthy and still have good parameters, and vice-versa.(Super clean looking tank with lots of Ammonia)
The tests will not indicate when you must "clean" your tank, but frequent testing will give you an idea of how often you must do a water change. Remember, more frequent changes of less water is always better than less frequent changes involving more water...if that makes sense.
I feel I need to stress once more...TEST YOUR WATER!!! Especially for the "Big 3" (Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate). You can get the dip-strips from Wally World for less than $10. It's as simple as matching the colors. The thing that I noticed with my cycle was for the first few days, the tests barely showed anything....then all of a sudden, BOOM. Readings. So I started water changes. It will happen fast, and if you are not testing, will be fatal before you even know anything is going on.
Do what you need to do, but remember, the people here are here because they care about their hobby, and the animals involved. Many have been keeping tanks for a long time and have seen, (and probably made) every mistake in the book. These people will be far less likely to tell you what you want to hear, and far more likely to point out pitfalls in your plan. I don't think anyone here will knowingly steer you wrong, but don't expect alot of acceptance of corner-cutting. Pay attention to their advice.
I can only re-iterate what Unclejackrock has posted. I bought a test kit, and it's fun (sort of in a mad scientist way) to test your water. I've been checking almost everyday as I cycle my new tank. I've been changing about 10-20% of the water every couple of days too. Starting to see more nitrAte (good) and lower of ammonia and nitrite. It's been a couple of weeks for me, so just stay patient. It'll all be worth it in the end.
I'm just here to echo the sentiments of others.
I had a tank back in college that I shared with a roommate. He knew more about fishkeeping than I did (or so he said), so I let him take the reins as far as how to set it up, etc.
Our fish lived a long time, but we did almost everything wrong - from cycling to grossly overcrowding to overcleaning/killing the helpful bacteria. Despite the fact that all our fish lived long enough that they were still alive when I gave the tank away to a local friend (after buying out my roommate's interest, so to speak, a year or two earlier), I consider that tank a complete disaster. There's no way my fish were happy, and I am very remorseful to this day over that tank.
Now, it's been a few years since I gave that tank away, and I recently decided (with the help of a co-worker that owns a beautiful planted 90 gallon tank) that I missed my fish and was ready to get back into the hobby the right way.
What did I do? I found websites like this one and read (and continue to read) everything I could get my hands on. I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and I have learned a lot - but also know that I have miles left to go. I'm narrowing in on the mix of fish and plants I want, I know what kind of filtration I'm going to use, I'm considering lighting options, asking as many questions as I can, and so forth, so that I can be as ready as possible to put together a healthy, happy tank.
And guess what? That tank won't even be purchased until July, and depending on how long the fishless cycle takes (plants will help, I'm told) may not have fish until August or September.
As others have repeatedly noted, this hobby takes patience, and most people here take it very seriously. If you're not willing to be patient - at least enough to learn the shortcuts (like bio-spira) and the risks, etc. on the front end, and to care for your tank later - I wouldn't expect you to find much sympathy here, though these message boards are more forgiving than most - simply because so many people here do take the time necessary to ensure the best possible conditions for their fish.
I'll close by again echoing the sentiments of other people: first of all, welcome to the hobby and good luck. Second, people around here truly care about this hobby and know what they're talking about, so listen to them as much as you can and open yourself to learning about fishkeeping.
Welcome to the board, and again, good luck.
I had a tank back in college that I shared with a roommate. He knew more about fishkeeping than I did (or so he said), so I let him take the reins as far as how to set it up, etc.
Our fish lived a long time, but we did almost everything wrong - from cycling to grossly overcrowding to overcleaning/killing the helpful bacteria. Despite the fact that all our fish lived long enough that they were still alive when I gave the tank away to a local friend (after buying out my roommate's interest, so to speak, a year or two earlier), I consider that tank a complete disaster. There's no way my fish were happy, and I am very remorseful to this day over that tank.
Now, it's been a few years since I gave that tank away, and I recently decided (with the help of a co-worker that owns a beautiful planted 90 gallon tank) that I missed my fish and was ready to get back into the hobby the right way.
What did I do? I found websites like this one and read (and continue to read) everything I could get my hands on. I'm trying to learn as much as I can, and I have learned a lot - but also know that I have miles left to go. I'm narrowing in on the mix of fish and plants I want, I know what kind of filtration I'm going to use, I'm considering lighting options, asking as many questions as I can, and so forth, so that I can be as ready as possible to put together a healthy, happy tank.
And guess what? That tank won't even be purchased until July, and depending on how long the fishless cycle takes (plants will help, I'm told) may not have fish until August or September.
As others have repeatedly noted, this hobby takes patience, and most people here take it very seriously. If you're not willing to be patient - at least enough to learn the shortcuts (like bio-spira) and the risks, etc. on the front end, and to care for your tank later - I wouldn't expect you to find much sympathy here, though these message boards are more forgiving than most - simply because so many people here do take the time necessary to ensure the best possible conditions for their fish.
I'll close by again echoing the sentiments of other people: first of all, welcome to the hobby and good luck. Second, people around here truly care about this hobby and know what they're talking about, so listen to them as much as you can and open yourself to learning about fishkeeping.
Welcome to the board, and again, good luck.
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