Cycling New Tropical Biorb & Beta Tankmates

[fabsal]

Hello

I have a Biorb (30litres) that I was using as a coldwatertank. Ive decided to switch it to tropical as Id love to have some more pretty coloured fish especially a betta splendens.
So I have a few questions for you

firstly I think id prefer to start the biorb again ie replace the ceramic media. This is because it a bit algee now as its stood in fishless water for a while & also Im not sure what killed my old fish but suspect it was a parasite/infection as they all dropped dead within 2 days after adding some new fish, (the original ones were several years old & always fine until then)
So I need to cycle the tank 1st, how should I do this?
Biorb supplies bacteria to colonise the tank they say within 24hrs a fish can be added, will this be OK, or should I wait longer?

Secondly Id like help selecting fish please. Id like a betta (just a single female I think) so i need others that would go well with it to add 1st. I like balloon sailfin mollies, guppies and any brightly coloured small fish (id love a birght multicoloured tank if possible!), but i dont like sucky fish (plecos?) or snails.
Im open to any ideas of fish I can easily obtain & look after! The tank is 30L.

So to summarise here's my Qs:

How long do I need to leave it to cycle & get to temperature before adding fish?

Which fish will go well with a Betta?

Which fish should I add 1st?

When can I add the Betta??

Whats the max no fish I can have in my 30L Biorb?

Many thanks!!!

 

[Thomas 2507]

Leave the tank for about a week with the water, heater, filter and whatever else in before adding fish. This is enough time for it to cycle - one day is nowhere near enough.

As for female bettas, mollies and guppies should be okay. Just keep an eye on them to check nobody gets picked on.

A 30L tank could hold around one female betta, two mollies and three guppies comfortably although I would leave some space if you intend for your livebearers (mollies and guppies) to breed.

Add the mollies first - they are quite hardy. After another week, add the guppies and then you should wait about another two weeks before adding the betta. They prefer a slightly more mature tank.

Hope this helps.

 

[littlest]

Leave the tank for about a week with the water, heater, filter and whatever else in before adding fish. This is enough time for it to cycle - one day is nowhere near enough.

No offence to Thomas, but this is wholly inaccurate. Leaving the tank filled for a week will do nothing. You need to carry out a fishless cycle which takes around 4-6 weeks. You need ammonia and test kits for thise. There is a sticky topic at the top of this page which explains the fishless cycle in detail. Read through it, andy questions, come back and ask.

Your tank is small and mollies and guppies are probably too big for it (particularly if you get mixed sexes, in which case they will breed like mad).
You should be looking at very small fish such as the spotted rasbora. There's a sticky about suggested stocking for a ten gallon tank at the top of the page too. Your tank is smaller so you will have to stock less, but some species may be alright.

If you are wanting tankmates for your betta, its best to get a female as males are more difficult to keep with other fish.
A 30L tank with just a betta would also be good though.

 

[DarkEntity]

Leave the tank for about a week with the water, heater, filter and whatever else in before adding fish. This is enough time for it to cycle - one day is nowhere near enough.

As for female bettas, mollies and guppies should be okay. Just keep an eye on them to check nobody gets picked on.

A 30L tank could hold around one female betta, two mollies and three guppies comfortably although I would leave some space if you intend for your livebearers (mollies and guppies) to breed.

Add the mollies first - they are quite hardy. After another week, add the guppies and then you should wait about another two weeks before adding the betta. They prefer a slightly more mature tank.

Hope this helps.

Please dont post information like this, especially when its totally incorrect. It will confuse newcomers and lead to people putting fish through unnecessary stress when there is ammonia etc present in the water.

 

[Thomas 2507]

Sorry, guys. No offence taken. I've been keeping and breeding fish for a couple of years not and have four tanks. This has always worked for me but I'll take it from you that I'm wrong.

 

[nakomis90]

if you want a betta stick away from tetra's...
your best bet if you want a betta is too have 1 or 2 shrimp with it!

 

[fabsal]

Thanks for all this info, i see theres debate over the best way to do things!

Now i see how complex & potentially dangerous this cycling business is i wonder whether i should just keep the slightly algeey gravel that I have had for the last 3 years that is already colonised & start from there?
I was worried that there might be something in the water (bateria/parasite?) that killed my old fish so i wanted to replace everything, although now I think maybe if i replace the water & keep the colonised gravel that might be less dangerous in terms of ammonia?
Also I would then be able to start earlier than 4-6 weeks, which would be nice! (old fish tank looks very sad in middle of my livving room empty)

Any thoughts on this?

Many thanks for your help

ps i dont like shrimps either!

 

[charlton]

Thanks for all this info, i see theres debate over the best way to do things!

Now i see how complex & potentially dangerous this cycling business is i wonder whether i should just keep the slightly algeey gravel that I have had for the last 3 years that is already colonised & start from there?
I was worried that there might be something in the water (bateria/parasite?) that killed my old fish so i wanted to replace everything, although now I think maybe if i replace the water & keep the colonised gravel that might be less dangerous in terms of ammonia?
Also I would then be able to start earlier than 4-6 weeks, which would be nice! (old fish tank looks very sad in middle of my livving room empty)

Any thoughts on this?

Many thanks for your help

ps i dont like shrimps either!

I'm only a newbie on here aswell but i think i'm right in saying that any bacteria that builds up in a filter will die off if there's no fish in the tank, ie no ammonia to feed off !! I'm quite sure i'm right in saying this but if i'm not someone else will put me right !! As for the debate about how to start a tank, there isn't one ! It's alot safer and kinder to fish to do a fishless cycle, exactly the same process but your replacing fish waste with bottled ammonia, its not hard, i managed it and it only took about 4 weeks and now i'm up and running !!

 

[ibbledibble]

Thanks for all this info, i see theres debate over the best way to do things!

Now i see how complex & potentially dangerous this cycling business is i wonder whether i should just keep the slightly algeey gravel that I have had for the last 3 years that is already colonised & start from there?
I was worried that there might be something in the water (bateria/parasite?) that killed my old fish so i wanted to replace everything, although now I think maybe if i replace the water & keep the colonised gravel that might be less dangerous in terms of ammonia?
Also I would then be able to start earlier than 4-6 weeks, which would be nice! (old fish tank looks very sad in middle of my livving room empty)

Any thoughts on this?

Many thanks for your help

ps i dont like shrimps either!

If the tank has been stood fishless for a while then there will not be any bacteria left as without the fish producing waste the bacteria dies. So keeping the existing gravel should make very little difference.

If you start with a betta you could carry out a fish in cycle, as they are air breathers and cope quite well with high ammonia levels. You would want to carry out large regular water changes though, to keep him/her happy and use a test kit to check ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte. but many people keep bettas in unfiltered tanks just using regular water changes, without problem.
Bettas like water temps of 76-82 ideally and are happiest and most active in this temperature range.

Do you like corydoras? they tend to be quite a good companion for bettas.

 

[littlest]

I'm only a newbie on here aswell but i think i'm right in saying that any bacteria that builds up in a filter will die off if there's no fish in the tank, ie no ammonia to feed off !! I'm quite sure i'm right in saying this but if i'm not someone else will put me right !!

Charlton is indeed right. If there tank has been without fish then the bacteria would have died anyway I'm afraid. Anyway, gravel doesn't hold that much bacteria to start with. The vast majority is in your filter.

If you only wanted to keep a single betta, you could probably get away without cycling, and just rely on water changes instead. Bettas produce very little waste. You would need to test the water regularly to check ammonia/nitrite (and do water changes when needed).

If you want to keep any other fish, definately do a fishless cycle. Easier on the fish and you.
You can spend the time of the cycle researching the fish you might want and learning lots about them so you can give them the best care possible when you do get them

 

[fabsal]

Thanks thats interesting

The fish only died a few days ago so i thought the bacteria might still be surviving with the ammonia reaming in the tank, also its not normal gravel as its a Biorb its the ceramic media they supply and there isnt much of a filter, just a sponge & little bit of carbon type stuff, so should I keep that if I start again, or start with a new one?

Is it wise to start with a betta? Id love to if I can but they look so delicate!
I think Il get some of this ammonia to do the fishless cycle & keep the old ceramic media in case its still got bacteria in it. Is the ammonia readily available in pet shops? How long should i leave it for?

Thanks so much you guys are V helpful.

 

[littlest]

If you planning to get other fish as well as the betta, it is probably better to get the other fish first (after fishless cycling of course). If you get a betta first he/she might think the whole tank is his/her terrortory and won't appreciate newcomers.

If you are unsure what your fish died of I wouldn't recommend using the media. If good bacteria survived, then bad bacteria might have done too.
You might also want to consider disinfecting the tank if you don't know what the other fish died of.

I've heard that the biorb filters aren't that effective, and what you say about the filter seems to confirm this. This will limit your stocking also as the filter might not be able to cope with the waste produced if you have too many fish.

Ammonia isn't sold in pet shops. It is sold as a cleaning product. In the UK you can buy it in Boots and Homebase.
Make sure that the ingredients are just ammonia and water (no surfacants or perfumes). You can test this by shaking the bottle and opening it. If it's foamy at the top, don't buy it. The Boots and Homebase ones I mentioned are fine to use.

It terms of how long you should leave it, the sticky at the top of the page explains it much better than I can [URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-the-hobby/113861/Fishless-Cycling/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/[/URL]

 

[charlton]

Ammonia isn't sold in pet shops. It is sold as a cleaning product. In the UK you can buy it in Boots and Homebase.
Make sure that the ingredients are just ammonia and water (no surfacants or perfumes). You can test this by shaking the bottle and opening it. If it's foamy at the top, don't buy it. The Boots and Homebase ones I mentioned are fine to use.

and robert dyas, most hardware stores will stock it though