The first 3 Weeks- BORING

[vally206]

Hey Peeps,
As we all know when u first set up a tank u have to let it sit for about 3 to 4 weeks.
And i want a tropical tank. SO what i was thinking for those 3-4 weeks i could just buy 2 gold fish and a yabbie just for laughs if they die they die... im getting tropical fish anyway. So my question is... ' would the tank still reach its purpose of sitting there for 3 weeks even if there are 2 gold fish swimming around?
(i have trouble staring at an empty tank.. i need a fish dammit )

Also.... is it a good idea to have white stones (pebbles) instead of gravel. cause stones tend to look better

Catchas
Val

 

[Vip]

Hi Val, why dont you get some water from someones tank and put into yours to finish off the cycle? thats what i do, so when i start a new tank i only ever wait a day or 2 till i put my fish in.
Also the goldfish and yabbies will survive forsure.

God luck.

 

[Ben]

how big is the tank anyway?

 

[vally206]

Hey, thats an idea but i dont know anyone with a tank, all my mates are against it.
'waste of money they call it' like weed isnt, morons

Can u please explain to me what a 'cycle means'
like what is the process and how do i start? cause i have no idea what that is. (im new)

Val

 

[vally206]

how big is the tank anyway?

Hey, The tank is 3 foot

92 x 41 x 41 (cm)

Well built tank with very beasty glass

 

[Vip]

Its cool, we are here to help.

A cycle is done to grow bacteria in your filters witch makes our fish thrive and survive, having none can make them get sick and die (thats about how easy i could explain it sorry lol).

You could even goto a lfs and get the water off them that there going to chuck out, most people would be against this but i think it would be fine as long as you do a 30% water change before you add fish into your tank.

PS: Adding thegold fish will speed up the process as well, so IMO go for it and buy them cause i will tell you now that will not die.

 

[corrosive]

I wouldnt go with a goldfish for a tropical tank, get some hardly live bearers or something.

Goldfish poop alot, and theyre cold water fish too.

 

[skimpy]

As we all know when u first set up a tank u have to let it sit for about 3 to 4 weeks.

Ok I'm confused, perhaps I missed something ) if so I'm sorry.

Letting your tank just sit for 3 to 4 weeks will not cycle it. You need to read up on fishless cycling, adding ammonia etc. or put in fish so that they start off the cycle with the ammonia they excrete. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong, but no ammonia = no cycle.

Can u please explain to me what a 'cycle means'

Perhaps this link will help The Nitrogen Cycle and also my own cycling experience listed here My Tank cycle history may give some idea's to you.


Hope I've not missunderstood you and this post helps - Good Luck

 

[Joviella]

You do need ammonia to start a cycle,whether its from a fish or alternative source. Leaving a tank sitting for 3 weeks will do nothing to cycle the tank....the water will just go stagnant.
Good luck in setting up your tank!!

 

[vally206]

well im getting my gold fish tommorow finally and the yabbies, how long do you guys rekon i should leave them in there for? until i actually set up the tropical stuff like the heater and the tropical fish... So if i just leave the tank by itself for 3 weeks nothing will happen? what will i need to do?

 

[clutterydrawer]

what are you going to do with the goldfish afterwards?

 

[Joviella]

If you have fish in your tank...something will happen,as they release ammonia into the water in their waste products. Have you read up on cycling your tank and water changes etc?........In a cycle....ammonia converts into nitrites,which convert into nitrates.

 

[Andyman1]

Find someone with Oscars and feed them to them?

 

[Shooter]

You need a water testing kit and you need to read up on cycling a tank, just like what is suggested in the previous few posts. Up at the top of this forum there are pinned topics. The one called avoiding and treating new tank syndrome has two articles in it regarding fishless cycling. At any rate, you have to monitor levels of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates...
I have been researching it myself and there are lots of places you can find online with a simple search on the topic or in here with some of the previous topics available.

 

[sinistral]

And i want a tropical tank. SO what i was thinking for those 3-4 weeks i could just buy 2 gold fish and a yabbie just for laughs if they die they die... im getting tropical fish anyway.

I think it would be a good idea to reread one of your first threads and look at the advice you got. Here is the original post of yours. In that thread, CFC recommends that yabbies be kept by themselves, as they are not a good choice for a community tropical tank.

(i have trouble staring at an empty tank.. i need a fish dammit )

Impatience is your enemy when you are trying to keep tropical fish. The more quickly you rush into things, the more problems that might arise. You might make out just fine, but you also might run into 10 problems that could have been prevented with a bit of research and thoughtful consideration.

Best of luck. Also, I'd hope you might consider fish as your pets and treat them as you would any other pet that you own. Everybody's different, of course. HTH~