Just Bought My First Tank

[coldcazzie]

Thanks guys, all very helpful.

I'll certainly aim to stick to a completely fish-less cycle, even though the guy in the shop today just advised me to use Dennies (not sure if that is the correct spelling).

I've got the tank setup in the kitchen now. I'll filled it with tap water and will be adding the dechlorinating stuff.

I just wanted to get it filled and make sure that it basically worked. All seems fine, but there is nothing which "bubbles"

Do I need to add something to "bubble" and help oxygenate the water. I'm sure that's a very stupid question, sorry.

its not a stupid question at all. The only stupid question is one you want to ask but don't.
Your filter will provide ample gas Exchange if you set it so the water agitates the surface, creating a ripple effect

Yes, I'll definitely create a journal of the fish-less cycle. I bought a test kit today (one of the API ones), and I am going to get some ammonia tomorrow (the only place I can find it is Robert Dyas).

Just done my first test, checking the pH of the tap water. Looks like it is 7.8, is that OK?

Fine

 

[Mola Mola]

Your filter will provide ample gas Exchange if you set it so the water agitates the surface, creating a ripple effect

Thanks. It is rippling away.

Just done my first test, checking the pH of the tap water. Looks like it is 7.8, is that OK?

Fine

Great. I suppose I should also check the ammonia, nitrate and nitrate of the tap water too, just in case any of them might be present.

 

[coldcazzie]

yes very good idea!

 

[CrazyAirborne]

Great. I suppose I should also check the ammonia, nitrate and nitrate of the tap water too, just in case any of them might be present.

yep, that will give u a good base to see what your levels are starting at, so you will know when they change!

 

[Mammabe1]

I'm a bit disappointed to hear that it might take 4-6 weeks to do a fish-less cycle of the tank.

I started my 75 gallon tank one week, then added fish the next week.....I did what you call an "in-fish" cycle so you don't have to wait
so long to enjoy fish. You can only start with small amounts of fish though, maybe 2 or 3 to start, then have to do several water changes
to make sure the ammonia doesn't build up faster than the nitrogen cycle can produce bacteria to eat it up.... there is a page on here about it.

Anyway, that's what I did and all my fish from day 1 are fine. I started my tank in April, so it's only been 3 months but it is now cycled because I no
longer have ammonia counts when I test.

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

 

[Mola Mola]

yes very good idea!

OK, so the pH is 7.8, and Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are all reading as zero, so I suppose that is a good start.

I'll be putting the ammonia in tomorrow. I need to look back through the beginner's guide to figure out how much I'll need.

 

[Rynofasho]

People have been doing fish IN cycles for a very long time and you can make them work. I personally was like many people -- listened to the pet shop, let the tank run for a week, then ran out and got fish, THEN found this forum. I know it is exciting and you really want fish in there, but in my experience, it was definitely more trouble than it was worth. Similar to the above poster, I was changing out about 15 gallons of water DAILY. The bad part is that because you are constantly removing the ammonia in the water, that your fish in cycle takes much, much longer to complete if you want to also keep your fish alive. I managed to not lose any fish in doing it, but I was swapping 15 gallons of water every day for between 7-8 weeks. It was a major PITA.

I've now done one fishless cycle and it was done in 4 weeks with no seeding of media. Like everyone said, if you started it and then added fish, you may clear ammonia fast which is more toxic to fish, but you'll still have significant nitrite levels which is also toxic.

My advice is to get the tank filled tonight and slap the filter on. No gravel or anything though, and begin the cycle now. Use these next few weeks to find some mature media to kickstart your cycle and to PLAN. Plan what your substrate is going to be, if youre going to get plants, how you'll be scaping the tank, what fish you'll be stocking, etc. Planning really is important and there are a ton of people who come on the forum and say "OMG why don't my Oscar and Neon Tetras get along well in my 30 gallon tank?"

There is a LOT to learn about fishkeeping, and this forum is a great place to learn it.

 

[Mola Mola]

My advice is to get the tank filled tonight and slap the filter on. No gravel or anything though, and begin the cycle now.

Oh. Well, I filled the tank yesterday, with no gravel, and got it up to temperature while running the filter. However, I then decided to put some gravel in (gave it a good wash first).

When I re-read the advice in the beginner's guide it does say to let the substrate settle for a few days before adding the ammonia (or, I suppose, like you advised, just not add the substrate at the start).

Will it be a big problem if I stick the ammonia in to start the cycle today?

 

[willowstwin]

Try some of the people in other areas and see if they can special delivery you some filter media - sure, it would cost a little, but it would definitely be worth it - I got some mature media and my tank was cycled in 2 weeks.

Be wary of LFS's that tell you to cycle with Zebra Danios "because they are hardy" (I've met a few that do this)... yes, they are hardy little fish, however the stresses they go through during your fish-in cycle make their life span shorter.

At the end of the day, LFS's are businesses first, fish lovers second - it makes more financial sense to say "here, have your fish in 3 days.... what? they all died? bring me a water sample.... oh your water is fine, it must be how you introduced them... " etc etc until you realise you follow everything to the letter and it's just costing you an arm and a leg and a lot of heartbreak... I found an LFS that actually cared - he outright refused to sell me fish until my tank was cycling (I quote "I don't care about your money love, I just want my fish to be alright"). Unfortunately, because of his love for the fish and concern about their well-being, people have gotten frustrated with him saying their water wasn't right and not selling them fish, they took their custom to other less caring places and he is now having to shut up shop

 

[Louiseness]

Will it be a big problem if I stick the ammonia in to start the cycle today?

Shouldn't be a problem at all!

 

[Harlequins]

Use the calculator at the top of the page to ensure you put the right amount of ammonia in,too much ammonia will lead to bad bacteria growing instead of the good stuff.

Have you decided on what fish you will be getting after your cycle? i see you've added gravel,has if you intend on getting corys then sand substrate is a better option

 

[the_lock_man]

It'd also be a great idea to start a journal on here documenting your water test results throughout your fishless cycle so everyone can see and advise.

Hi, thanks for that advice, very helpful.

Yes, I'll definitely create a journal of the fish-less cycle. I bought a test kit today (one of the API ones), and I am going to get some ammonia tomorrow (the only place I can find it is Robert Dyas).

Thanks again.

Mola,

When I was looking for ammonia back in January, I looked in Robert Dyas, but the ammonia in there had other ingredients as well. You need to make sure that all that's in there is ammonia and water (usually 9½% solution). Obviously, Dyas may have changed their ammonia in the last 6 months, but it's definitely worth checking out.

The other way to tell, if necessary, is give the bottle a shake and see if it foams - if it does, you DON'T want it. These other ingredients will, I believe, prevent the bacteria from growing.

The one in Homebase, I found to be fine.

 

[willowstwin]

the ammonia from Boots is good as well

 

[Aqua Tom]

I recomend the Boots one. There is a a link in my sig.

 

[jnms]

Ammonia from Homebase is also fine.