Can I get away without cycling a 33g?

[yhbae]

I have couple of tanks that are mature - they have been running for over a year. I am in the process of setting up a 33g malawi tank.

The only cycling I did was my first tank, a 25g - I did it with 3 platies over _very_ painful 40 days with daily water change.

During the past year, I've grown a large quantity of java moss and java fern. For all new tanks, they get a very heavy dosage of these plants initially, along with the fish. I also smear mature sponge (AquaClear filterss) into the new one to transfer some additional bacteria.

Using this method, I've yet to detect any ammonia and I haven't lost any fish yet to date due to water condition. This worked great for tanks up to 25g. The plants do seem to keep ammonia and nitrate levels in check - some of my tanks are over-crowded but has zero nitrate levels.

But for 33g, I'm not sure if I should do this, or do this plus fishless cycling just to be sure. I just went through 5 different stores, and I failed to find ammonia. (I'll try Walmart tomorrow).

So, can I put about 8 juv. Lab C or/and P Acei in this tank and cycle it the way I used to do it? If my memory serves right, higher pH makes ammonia more lethal which is not good in this tank since pH is about 8.2.

 

[Sky042]

I have couple of tanks that are mature - they have been running for over a year. I am in the process of setting up a 33g malawi tank.

The only cycling I did was my first tank, a 25g - I did it with 3 platies over _very_ painful 40 days with daily water change.

During the past year, I've grown a large quantity of java moss and java fern. For all new tanks, they get a very heavy dosage of these plants initially, along with the fish. I also smear mature sponge (AquaClear filterss) into the new one to transfer some additional bacteria.

Using this method, I've yet to detect any ammonia and I haven't lost any fish yet to date due to water condition. This worked great for tanks up to 25g. The plants do seem to keep ammonia and nitrate levels in check - some of my tanks are over-crowded but has zero nitrate levels.

But for 33g, I'm not sure if I should do this, or do this plus fishless cycling just to be sure. I just went through 5 different stores, and I failed to find ammonia. (I'll try Walmart tomorrow).

So, can I put about 8 juv. Lab C or/and P Acei in this tank and cycle it the way I used to do it? If my memory serves right, higher pH makes ammonia more lethal which is not good in this tank since pH is about 8.2.

If you're planning a chiclid tank that requires heavy stocking off the bat I'd do the fishless cycle. However if you do the fishless cycle combined with the other procedures you just mentioned (transfer of plants and filter media) your fishless cycle shouldn't take too long.

 

[iloveyou]

im lazy, so i dont really let tanks cycle.. ive never had problems.. i jus add some water conditioner, cycle formula.. and let it sit for a few hours..

ive never had a fish die because of it..

but malawis might be diff im not sure..

 

[G_Sharky]

You won't find ammonia in the LFS I don't know if walmart has it, but check on your local grocery store...If your transfering some filter material and some plants....I think you should be fine, but make sure you check the parameters on a regular basis..I would pick up a bag of nitro-zorb just to make sure....goodluck..

 

[Sky042]

You won't find ammonia in the LFS I don't know if walmart has it, but check on your local grocery store...If your transfering some filter material and some plants....I think you should be fine, but make sure you check the parameters on a regular basis..I would pick up a bag of nitro-zorb just to make sure....goodluck..

Don't know if wal-mart in canada carries the same products. but here its called clear ammonia brand is sam's choice(wal-mart branded) comes in a clear jug with purple label in the cleaning section and sells for 97Cents.

 

[yhbae]

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

I did check the pharmacy and some grocery stores and surprizingly they don't carry ammonia. I will check out Walmart tomorrow - hopefully they will carry them. Thanks for the info, G_Sharky.

You are right Sky042, with the media transfer and plants I don't expect cycling to take long to complete (hopefully within a week).

 

[Cheese Specialist]

I personally just take mature filter sponge from an old filter and put it into another. Saying that, I have 7 filters to choose from. It's easier when you have externals because they can fit so much media in them.

I don't see how anything you said initialy would help to be honest.

 

[DOLORES]

well...... imo i will do the fishless cycle on cichlids and others, and very delicate tropical fish. agree with sky

 

[yhbae]

I personally just take mature filter sponge from an old filter and put it into another.  Saying that, I have 7 filters to choose from.  It's easier when you have externals because they can fit so much media in them.

I don't see how anything you said initialy would help to be honest.

I'm slightly (just slightly ) afraid of replacing an old sponge with the new one since that would significantly reduce the amount of bacteria available for the tank for the short-term. Most of my tanks are fully stocked...

You don't think smearing the mature and the new sponges together will help transfer bacteria? Usually what I do is when it is time to clean the filter, I take the dirtier of the two sponges, take a new one, then submerge both together in a separate bucket of tank water and smuge them together for a while. The water really becomes thick and fealthy.

As for adding plants, you are probably right, in 33g I probably won't get much benefit. Most of my smaller breeder/grow-up tanks have no nitrates due to the amount of java moss (and fern) presence.

At the end, I think I will stick with fishless cycling - whether it takes 3 days or 3 weeks, I'll live with it. Don't want to risk this one.

 

[Tropjunky]

yes if u have a mature filter in the tank and no if u don't

 

[yhbae]

Couldn't find ammonia so I went ahead and added 5 x 1.5 inch yellow labs and 5 x 2 inch P Aceis.

Time to seed some bacteria. Took one super mature sponge out of the super mature tank, and gave it a good squeeze or two in the new tank, and took it out, put it back in the old filter.

I turned on the light. Wow, sooooo much waste in the tank everywhere! I couldn't even see any fishes in it! Damn. So I sat there for about 20 mins until it is clear and noted that all fishes were behaving fine.

Then I had to go for a business trip for 3 days, so when I came back, I measured the water parameters again (5th day) - NH3 = 0ppm, nitrite = 0ppm. Hmmm... I remember cycling a 25g with 3 platies, ammonia showed up on the 4th day and its been 5 days with this tank full of 10 _larger_ fishes!

In the worst case if I detect any hint of ammonia, I will buy another AC200 and transfer two mature sponges from other tanks.

So far, so good...

(My kids like these guys soooo much more than the SA species - these African cichlids are not afraid of human hands, especially Aceis - you can hand feed them easily!)

 

[kruzz]

I filled my 60 gal 11 days ago added 3- 1" air stones and oops forgot to rinse/wash the gravel. Poured in some bacteria and water conditioner then watched it turn cloudy and leave a fine red dust over the entire surface of every thing over the next 2 days. Thought I might have to start over but by the 4rth day the water cleared up so I tested it and found nothing so added a small ornament from my mature tank. 4 days later I tested again and found nothing so the bio-wheel filter from the mature tank was added along with 7danios, a small plant, and 2 small algae eaters. 3 days later tested OK again so added a 3" red tail shark. 2 days later tested OK so in goes the pictus cat 3". Yesterday and today the testing remained OK. If there is no sign of anything inthe water tomorrow in goes the bigger of my 2 plecos and 2 more pictus cats.
I think I got away with a twelve day cycle may-be less.
Crazy ?
Lazy yes
Impatient yes
Lucky ?
Oh yeah the red dust dissappeared 2 days after the filter was installed.

 

[vantgE]

yhabaes i know it's a little late but i have found some at
supertore/ the great canadian superstore,
and also at safeways a grocery store

I hand feed my kennyi but he bites a little

 

[Max]

why not just do water changes every day on your other tank and put the water in your 33...?

 

[Sky042]

I filled my 60 gal 11 days ago added 3- 1" air stones and oops forgot to rinse/wash the gravel. Poured in some bacteria and water conditioner then watched it turn cloudy and leave a fine red dust over the entire surface of every thing over the next 2 days. Thought I might have to start over but by the 4rth day the water cleared up so I tested it and found nothing so added a small ornament from my mature tank. 4 days later I tested again and found nothing so the bio-wheel filter from the mature tank was added along with 7danios, a small plant, and 2 small algae eaters. 3 days later tested OK again so added a 3" red tail shark. 2 days later tested OK so in goes the pictus cat 3". Yesterday and today the testing remained OK. If there is no sign of anything inthe water tomorrow in goes the bigger of my 2 plecos and 2 more pictus cats.
I think I got away with a twelve day cycle may-be less.
Crazy ?
Lazy yes
Impatient yes
Lucky ?
Oh yeah the red dust dissappeared 2 days after the filter was installed.

Unless you were giving the bacteria a food source you were never going to find anything. And if you waited too long any bacteria that might have been living in the bacteria product would have died off from starvation.

Out of curiosity are you planning another tank when those pictus get too large?