New Tropical Tank

[white9870]

++1 minnnt , i must agree on everything minnnt is saying, fishless cycle is the best way to do it, and you are not hurting any fish in the process too

 

[mike455555]

i guess i cant win this argument when i cycle my next tank i might do it fishless =]

i set up all my tanks before i joined this forum so ;p

 

[white9870]

its the best way to do it, and i think nearly everyone would agree on it, and i think, by doing the fishless cycle at the end of it few weeks down the line you can add the full stocking amount to the tank instead of adding 1 or 2 fish every few weeks.

 

[mike455555]

very true... =] full stock list does sound nice ;p

 

[minnnt]

Nothing personal mate.

Alot of people are wrongly advised by poor lfs that the bacteria in a bottle will cycle their tank in a week or whatever, p@h have signs up saying don't add fish for three days... So people go back 3 days later, buy 5 neons, 3 guppies, a plec and a few cory's etc... They're then stuck in a fish-in cycle so they have no choice but to do it. But if researching first then surely no one would choose to add fish before cycled.

 

[fluttermoth]

If the OPs brother has a mature tank, he could just get a media donation from that filter; then you can either do a seeded cyle, or if you're brave, are prepared to do water changes for a few days if neccessary and have a proper liquid test kit available, you can stock immediately with roughly (but erring on the cautious side) the amount of fish the media was supporting in the original tank (ie; if the brother's tank has 30 neons in it, and he donates a third of the media, you could add 6 or 8 neons).

 

[Gelt]

+1 fishless cycle is the only way to go....please listen to those with experience, have a look at my cycle log in my sig, 4 weeks and that was a fast cycle with a kick start of mature media.
You will have less problems and why subject you fish to ammonia poisoning? . Then research , research , research , post your thoughts and proposed stocking and the members will help you out.
Bottled bacteria dies not work, it has been tried and tested on this forum by a couple of members , if I remember about 4 supposed leading bands were tested , all failed miserably.

 

[TropicalJuwel]

What white9870 said is exactly correct, by doing a fish less cycle with an ammonia source you are able to add fish so much quicker once filter reads no ammonia or nitrite. Its very simple, buy an ammonia liquid and dose for a few days until you test kit reads the level that the ammonia liquid say to get it up to then stop adding ammonia, now what happens gradually over the next few weeks is good bacteria builds up in you filter as though your tank is fully stocked with fish, gradually as good bacteria multiplies and ammonia lowers, usually then nitrites go up until bacteria grows to consume that, once both of them read zero make sure there stable for a couple of days then add fish but keep testing your water. Problem with fish in cycle that you are using 1 fish to mature the filter, eventually ammonia and nitrite will go to zero but when you add another they rise again and this is because your filter can only cope with that 1 fish's waste so now havimg to wait again for filter to break down ammonia and nitrite again, and so on each time you add more. Your ph is low not perfect, its good that you are using a de-chlorinator but that wont do anything for your water chemistry, that does as it says and removes chlorine which is very harmful to fish, you need to add this everytime you do a water change to the fresh water but dont do water changes while cycling your tank. Take into consideration what everyone is saying and you will be fine. Just be patient!

 

[Dieses Madchen]

It's not logic at all... It's unthoughful. ANY ammonia present in a tank will have an effect on fish whether it be a slight irritation or full on ammonia burn. Why expose a fish to this just because you can't wait for it to cycle properly?

Fish in cycles work, and work very well, but anyone choosing this option AFTER they have found one of the best sources of information regarding fish care, needs their heads looking at! Fish in cycles require alot of work, water changes most days, not knowing how much ammonia is going into the tank, unstable nitrites and nitrates, lethal levels of all poisoning fish etc.

Fish-less cycles are much more reliable as you can control what is being added to the tank, and if it goes wrong then you won't kill any fish or throw any money down the drain... You can give maximum thought and do as much research as you need to regarding what fish work, what they need, how they behave etc. You can also scape the tank how you want (apart from plants) and get it perfect. There is plenty to do and read whilst the tank is cycling.

+1 ALL of my fish that were original to my tank are DEAD long before their expected lifespan and I believe the fish-in cycle cause it. Despite my efforts to undo the damage I did by NOT doing research killed my fish. Maybe not at first, but it did. I HIGHLY recommend doing a fishless cycle. Unless you have time to devote to doing water changes once or twice a day for the next 4-6 weeks. Think of the wellfare of the pets you will be keeping. They are not just fish. They are no different than a dog or cat. Would you have your dog or cat living in their own filth?

If the OPs brother has a mature tank, he could just get a media donation from that filter; then you can either do a seeded cyle, or if you're brave, are prepared to do water changes for a few days if neccessary and have a proper liquid test kit available, you can stock immediately with roughly (but erring on the cautious side) the amount of fish the media was supporting in the original tank (ie; if the brother's tank has 30 neons in it, and he donates a third of the media, you could add 6 or 8 neons).

+1 I seeded my 10 gallon tank with mature media from my 40 gallon. I accidentally overshot the stocking, but water changes for 3 days kept the nitrites at next to zero until it stabalized. I never had a problem with the ammonia, just the nitrite not coming down as fast. If you don't plan on doing a fishless cycle from scratch, at least see if your brother will share his filter media.

 

[Phil Crane]

one of my brothers tanks has just 1 12" tropical cat fish in it cream and brown colour will the filters donation off just that one be enough to get me going or is off that one fish not enough?

 

[mike455555]

id say anything would help to be honest... when i was setting up my 20l i took water from my 120l tank (0nitrates 0 ammonia) and put it in my 20l tank as the water change

but every little helps... its the same bacteria whatever fish you have in the tank

 

[The Taffy Apple]

one of my brothers tanks has just 1 12" tropical cat fish in it cream and brown colour will the filters donation off just that one be enough to get me going or is off that one fish not enough?

Probably the only ways to know is to test the waters...

1/Test your brothers' water for Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte.
2/Transfer sufficient amount of his media (be it sponge, ceramic 'balls' or 'noodles') into your filter, then test that.Your next step will then be to add an ammonia source into your tank and test the water again.

Now would be a good time to do this as you do not currently have any fish, giving you a choice now of 'fish-in' or 'fishless' cycle. As you have read previously, a 'fishless' cycle is always recommended on here.. and with you already having potential access to mature media, you MIGHT already be halfway there !

So, what i would do...

1/Ask your brother for some of his media. When you are sure of what media he uses, how long his tank has been running and a set of his water test results then post it on here, the more experienced members will be happy to advise further.
2/Once the sufficient amount is transferred across,continue a 'fishless' cycle. It may take 2/3 days, it may take a week (mine took 9 days including my 'Qualifying Week' as i had access to mature media like you).
3/Use this time to research into what fish you could possible keep, keeping PH,Temp and compatibility in mind.

But most of all, follow the advice on this forum.. it WILL get you the results and tank you are looking for.

Terry.

 

[mike455555]

+1 for that ^^

 

[Phil Crane]

ok thanks guys, im taking my water sample to my local centre tomorrow to see what the levels are all like and see if or how far away they think i am for adding fish at least if i know what the level sare like ill know were i stand at the moment

 

[Proxo]

ok thanks guys, im taking my water sample to my local centre tomorrow to see what the levels are all like and see if or how far away they think i am for adding fish at least if i know what the level sare like ill know were i stand at the moment

You're best off getting your own test kits too, some LFS do lie about the water sample so that you go ahead and buy fish.
£20 ebay API Master Test Kit