CYCLING?!?!?!

[FlareBettaGuy]

I got a tank that holds approx. 1.18 US gallons of water. I have an inch of gravel, some plants, a fake rock and a castle thing. I got three guppies. I also have a small filter. I set everything up, and the guppies are doing fine so far. But I looked around, and gathered information on this cycling stuff. Then I realized that it is REALLY important. But I already got the fish. I've had them for a day now, and they are doing perfectly fine, and even eating. But still, I know that soon, after they do their pooping buisiness, that ammonia stuff will come. What do I do? I can't do that fishless cycling stuff now, cause I ALREADY GOT THE FISH!! OH GOD, SOMEONE HELP ME OUT HERE!! WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE THE TANK CYCLE BEFORE THE FISH CROAKS?!! Can't rely on the pet store to keep my fish, cause I know that they will get mixed up with all the other ones, and they are not likely to set up a whole different tank just for my three guppies to watch over for me...this is URGENT, they could suffocate any minute now...

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Wait, the tank is 2.18 US gallons, not 1.18. Sorry about that...

 

[mashimaro_0000]

you said you have a filter... but what kind of filer? under gravel or sponge?

typically guppies won't die cuz they can survive in a harder condition. ( compare to neon tetras, they die off very easily) just change water of 10% every 2 days to lower tha amonia. i am not sure any medications will help... others may now more about it.. just wait for more replies then!

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Guppies won't die of ammonia, you say? I'm not sure about that...from what i've read, ammonia is very deadly. Why else would so many people wait for so long to have a cycled tank? Well, the filter is a sponge one. It hangs over the side of the tank, and has a tube that goes down into the water to suck the water out.

 

[mashimaro_0000]

ahhh may be my poor english~ no i do not mean that guppies are invulerable to amonia. what i mean is they are stronger that rest of other fish type. i have a 10 gal with 3 guppies and 6 neon tetras as my first tank. ( still running) however, during the 6weeks nitorgen cycle four of my neons die and guppies are fine at zero loss . now my tank is full of fry ( about 20) and 4 adults guppies, with 4 neons ( which bought more after the cycling)

the only thing that stops killing the fish is to do a water change every 2 days for me @ 10% .. since your tnak is small try once a day less than 10% ( of your tank size)

i am not sure about this, but having 2 different systems of filtration may actually help. but since you have a small tank, i am not sure will this theory applies in your case.

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Okay, and after I do that for around two weeks, the bacteria stuff will start to grow, right?

 

[mashimaro_0000]

yes, nitrogen cycle is the smae as the bateria boom. cuz the bacteria is creating at an alarming rate thier toixic waste anomia is filling the tank... all we have to do is to contol the water quality

hope this helps

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Great, thanks! Any second opinions on this before I try it? Anyone?

 

[rsz]

just do water changes daily and you've got a better chance.

my 4 guppies all died when i cycled with them you might have better luck than me though

 

[FlareBettaGuy]

Okay, so here's exactly what i'll do:

From now on, every night that I come home, i'll do a small water change. I'll keep doing that for a week. Then, i'll get some gravel from the tanks from the LFS. Just a cupfull, and pour it into the tank. I won't do water changes so frequently now, just once every two days. I'll keep doing this for two-three weeks. Then, it should be okay, right? I know that i'm kinda wasting a week cause i'm putting in the matured gravel a week later, but that's the only time when I could reach the LFS. On weekdays, they are closed by the time I get home.

 

[Lithril]

Make sure you dechlorinate all water before it goes into the tank.

 

[commanderdoom21]

You don't have gravel?!?!? Isn't gravel nessecary?

 

[mashimaro_0000]

oh ic!! hey flare you need some kind of gravel at the bottom to hold the bacterial other wise the whole cycle will be useless. the gravel is providing living space for good bacteria. i am using undergravel and a hang on filter. i am doing that no becaue i am rich . i just want the the UGF to culture the bacteria more faster to reduce my fish lost, the hang on filter is the one taking the floating waste. ( i call this hybraid filtration system)

now my only enemy for my fish lost are those male guppies in my tank. i am kind of short of females, the females may stress out and die easily.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi FlareBettaGuy

Didn't you say, somewhere, that you have a friend with an established tank? If so, it would be best if you could get him to help you. His tank is less likely to be infected than an lfs tank, so the gravel in there would be safer.

You do not need much gravel for a tank the size of yours. Put in between 1 and 2 pounds or enough to cover the bottom 1/2 to 1 inch deep. That is the depth that the bacteria live in. Any more gravel will just take up space that the fish could use to swim in. Do NOT wash it before you put it in your tank. (If your tank gets cloudy from this do not worry, it will settle and get filtered out.) Also, if you can get him to give you water to fill your tank, that should be the end of your problems. The tank would be, for all practical purposes, cycled and your fish would be safe.

You can buy him new gravel to replace what you used. If his tank is 10 gallons or more, the bacteria you would be taking would barely make a dent in his supply. It would, in no way, harm or put any stress on his system.

Guppies are not as sturdy as many fish are. They are overbred and tend to be delicate. You should plan to get a heater for them as soon as possible, since catching a chill is one of the worst things that can happen to them.

When you clean your tank, do not wash the filter in tap water since it has chlorine in it which will kill the bacteria in the filter. Just squeeze it in the tank water you have removed during cleaning. If you can, don't do this very often and never do it until your tank is completely cycled to avoid rinsing away the bacteria you are trying to grow.

You are to be commended, FlareBettaGuy, on your persistance. Many others would have given up fishkeeping if they had all the problems you have had, but you keep trying. This is worthy of praise! Good luck!

 

[smb]

You don't have gravel?!?!? Isn't gravel nessecary?

No, you don't have to have any substrate at all if you don't want. Unless you use a UGF.

I ran many tanks back when I had over 300 of them and most of them didn't have any sand or gravel.