"Fishless cycling"

[George&Ade]

Hi.Sorry to bother you all again,but i want to make sure i get this right.
I had the tropical set up and now im changing over to coldwater.
Ive cleaned the tank,added new gravel,filled with water (added the correct amount of "stresscoat")and now have the pump running along with the airline(just decorative bubbles)
Ive also added the 4 filter pads(uncleaned from when i had the tropical set up) and also added approx. 3lbs. of my old gravel (in a media bag)
Bearing in mind im using the "uncleaned filter pads" and some old gravel,plus i added 3 "Tetra Aqua Bactozym" capsules....(instructions say...Provides ideal conditions for the growth and development of beneficial filter bacteria.This increased development rate of beneficial bacteria enables your filter to work more efficiently and in a shorter time)
Well,thats about it i think.would appreciate any comments on the above,and if ive done right,i suppose ive just got to sit back and wait for the correct "readings" now.

 

[ryan]

Well you have transferred the necessary bacteria to the newly set-up tank so if the readings are right and stay right then you should be fine to leave the cycle. By moving filters from tank to another you are basically moving the bacteria colony and tank enviroment to a new tank so cycling is not required.

 

[George&Ade]

O.K.Ryan....thank you.

My current readings are...Ammonia..0
Nitrites...0.1
Nitrates...5
P.H....7.0

These above readings were the same as when i had my tropical tank,so do you think it would be ok to begin adding a few fish now? (maybe 2 or 3)?
Or wait a while?

 

[ryan]

How long has the tank been set-up like this? Is all the Decor in place? What fish are you thinking of adding?

 

[George&Ade]

Only had this tank running like this for about 3 days.

The filter pads and gravel (from previous tropical set up) were in tank from day one.

The only decor i have in there at the moment is a "bubble wall" around the outer perimeter of tank,and 2 large ornaments (again,these were from previous set up and have not been washed)

Hoping to get some fancy goldfish e.g....orandas,those black ones with big eyes (sorry,cant remember their name).and some with fancy tail fins.

Hoping for maybe 6 or 7 fish in total........not all at once of course.

Thats another question about plants.......would it be better to use plastic or real ones?

Also,i understand that the orandas are a very slow moving fish and was wondering if the "bubble wall" i have in the tank may upset them as they seem so slow and nervous?

 

[ryan]

Is this tank 190L? If your move has been successful and the bacteria colony has been transferred and the parameters stay normal then your fine to add some fish. A strong current can affect Fancy Goldfish, it really depends on the individuals fishes swimming ability, some are worse than others. You should give it a try but be prepared to remove it if the current stresses them and they find it hard to swim etc. Good Luck.

 

[bribones]

black ones with big eyes

black moors
id advise against these with orandas they are very slow swimmers and if you view previous posts they tend to have a lot of problems with the swim bladder