# Just Started!



## Joat (Nov 2, 2010)

Hi all

I just got myself a 29 gallon starter kit, it's in the link below (Hopefully it is good enough, the guy at the store highly recommended it)

The filter is estimated at 160 GPH, is this adequate for my tank?
Also I don't know how strong the lights are or how strong the heater is.

http://www.incredibleaquarium.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24&products_id=846

I set everything up and it looks like this so far:



Yesterday (about 24 hours ago) I added water conditioner, which will hopefully get rid of the chlorine. Correct?

The water temperature right now is somewhere between 78-80 (26-27 Celsius)

After the chlorine is gone, what is my next step? I'm very confused about all the different ways to complete a nitrogen cycle, despite reading many of the FAQs. If someone could guide me to the easiest path for a beginner that would much be much appreciated.

All I know is I will be making another trip to the fish store on thursday to buy some test kits, decorations, and anything else I am missing.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

Welcome to the show! looks like you got the idea on doing research and stuff; do the cycle however you want. Basically first ask someone on the forums to give you some used filter sponge or something similar, and put it anywhere in your tank. Then either add a bit of pure ammonia or a couple small 99¢ fish, and wait. Test ammonia levels every day until they are down to zero and you're done!

Not really a lot of science once you've done it.


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## Fish_Man (Apr 9, 2010)

Allo and welcome!


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

GREAT Start, look up fishless cycling and starting a new tank on this site. Keeping fish takes patience and time.

good luck


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## Used_Stuff (Nov 5, 2010)

Welcome to GTAA and the hobby of fishkeeping.

you made the important first step: setting up an aquarium with no fish

i read this article here on gtaa as she got a large tank cycled in 6 days: http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18397

you'd need a lot of aeration: bubble discs, bubble wands or air stones connected to an air pump. as the beneficial bacteria needs a lot of oxygen

you'd need ample of bio balls, ceramic rings, etc...resin decor would do as well as this is where your beneficial bacteria would cling onto and live

if you have a non-planted tank, set your heater to 30 degrees celsius as this will speed up the bacteria growth in your tank. if you have a planted tank, try to set your temp to around 25-27 depending on your plant.

make sure everything is running: lights, filter, bubbles, etc...

give your tank 5 drops of pure ammonia per gallon in your tank everyday.

this ammonia will be in lieu of your fish waste (pee and poo) and the decaying left over food

ammonia is toxic to fish (that is why fishless cycle if more humane) even if you have "hardy" fish to cycle your tank and survive, the damage to their gills would be permanent.

the ammonia in the tank would start generating beneficial bacteria that will consume the ammonia. these bacteria, though has a waste product called nitrIte (with an I) at this stage, the ammonia you place in the tank would be consumed and be brought down to ZERO by this 1st generation beneficial bacteria....

nitrIte (with an I) is also toxic to fish.

a 2nd generation of beneficial bacteria would then appear in your tank, this time, they will consume the nitrItes (with an I) but their waste is called nitrAte (with an A)

nitrAte (with an A) is not as toxic (but toxic just the same in large amounts) as Ammonia and NitrIte.

you would then need to get a test kit that will test for Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte so you know how far along you are in the tank cycle.

i suggets testing your water every 2 days.

the first few times your Ammonia will rise (due to the ammonia you are adding and the absence of the 1st generation beneficial bacteria) and you will have ZERO readng for NitrIte and NitrAte

as you progress, you will see through your water tests that your Ammonia will drop and your NitrItes are spiking, this is your clue that the 1st generation bacteria are consuming the ammonia and producing nitrIte

as you progress, you will see your Ammonia and NitrItes are ZERO and your nitrAte is high. this is your indication that your tank has now cycled and that both generations of beneficial bacteria are at work.

until you do decide to add fish, add 2-3 drops of ammonia per gallon to your tank as you wouldn't want to starve the benefical bacteria.

depending on the nitrAte levels on your tank, perform a water change...unfortunately, there is no getting rid of the nitrAte other than water changes. Water evaporation does not count as only water evaporates, leaving the nitrAtes in your tank.

you can now set the heater to the ideal temp for the fish you intend to keep

before adding the fish, i would ensure that the Ammonia reading is Zero from when you last added the 2-3 drops per gallon, because ammonia is toxic to fish..also test your nitrItes and NitrAtes again

if you don't want the bubbles, now is the time to remove them, but i assure you it helped in speeding the cycling process.

in terms of test kits, you can buy them individually (Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte) or as a kit (that comes with PH testing, etc...) either the test strips or the fluid strips will do, but I only use the fluid type.

all of the LFS i know will do a water test free of charge...i wouldn't recommend this if you are testing PH levels as well (because PH is affected by a lot of factors and you may get false reading because of container, trasportation, lighting and time of day) but if you are just looking for Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte, this is a good deal. A kit can run you from $8 (for an ammonia only fluid test at wal-mart) to $40 at big als for the whole shabang.

In adding fish, some people would recommend adding all of them (the stock you've decided on) all at once and some people would suggest, 1 fish at a time....my take on this is if you put too little, it may not provide enough 'waste" and may end up starving your beneficial bacteria...put too much and you may have an ammonia spike (which is toxic to fish) bringing you to a new cycle because there is just too much ammonia for your bacteria to process.

what i usually do is to follow the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule in adding stock. i admit that this is a rough estimate and leaves room for a lot of error because i will not recommend you buying a 3 inch ID shark in a 3 gallon tank when they can grow to 4 feet...would not recommend you put a 10 inch oscar in a 10 gallon tank because with the amount of space this fish needs, its like an isolation chamber. but if we're talking platties, guppies, tetras, corys, zebras, etc...you're ok.

if you are a level 7 - 10 hobbyist cycling a tank, you should be able to figure out the stocking requirements for your tank.

but then again, if you are a level 7 - 10 hobbyist, i should just shut my mouth right now 

things to speed up the cycling:
-high temp with no plants
-if you have plants, this too will speed up the process but make sure you adjust your temp
- lots of surface area for bacteria to cling onto: bioballs, ceramic rings, resin decor
- bubles, bubbles and bubbles, oxygenate the water..if you have a hang-on-back (hob) filter, try to set the water level lower than usual so the splash of the water returning to the tank will oxygenate the water.
- no lights if possible (unless it is a planted tank) because with the amount of ammonia and nitrite in the tank adding light is the right recipe for algae
- seeding: getting resin decor, media, gravel, filter from an established tank will speed up the process
- you can add water from a well established tank to your new tank if you like but i dont generally do this as the amount of bacteria on the water is minimal, they are on the surface of the solid objects in the tank.
- if you ever seed your new tank, make sure it is from a disease free, medication free tank.

the questionable part is CARBON, carbon is a filter media that is used to remove odour and makes your water crystal clear...a lot of hobbyists suggest against having carbon during a fishless cycle...i use it.

i use it because, having ammonia and nitrIte spike in your tank will somehow, regardless of how negligable to most, emit certain odours. if you read the bottle of an ammonia product "do not inhale fumes" the carbon helps neutralize the odour. also, if the ammonia you bought is not pure ammonia and unknowingly contains scents or other stuff that is not supposed to be in the tank, the carbon will help neutralize it. lastly, i want my bacteria to know as they regenerate that there will be carbon in my filtration, whether i add it after the cycle or not...so better get used to it 

i guess that's it...if i remember anything else i will just come back later...otherwise, any questions, let us all know...we are here to help.

Welcome to GTAA and welcome and enjoy the hobby.

CIAO!


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Take the easy way get some used media swish it around in your tank then put it in your filter you should be ready to go in 24 to 48 hrs as long as you do not add to many fish at once. I do this with all my new tanks. If you do not have the money for a test kit and want to test your water just take it to BAs and get them to test it.


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## zimmy (Aug 30, 2010)

I would determine the appropriate amount of ammonia to add by measuring parts per million (ppm) not by a prescribed number of drops you add (you'll need a test kit for this). The desirable target is 2-3 ppm of ammonia. Although this might in fact be achieved by 5 drops there is some variation in the purity of the ammonia (it's diluted to varying degrees depending on the brand you purchase). 2-3 ppm is a good target. Going above this can actually slow your cycle down. More isn't better in this case. You also only want to add the ammonia one time not daily in the beginning. Once you've added it, you should measure your ammonia about every other day to see if it has reached 0. Once it does, only then you add more. Note that this stage of the cycle is usually the longest and can take as long as a couple of weeks (although many people get there more quickly).

You also want to remember exactly how much you used to get to 2-3 ppm of ammonia with your initial dose because you will be adding this same quantity daily once your ammonia reading has reached 0 several days later and your nitrites have spiked. You'll add it daily and then be testing just for nitrites to get those down to 0. The ammonia is being added at this point because the ammonia is the food keeping the bacteria alive.

I'm not sure anyone else has mentioned this but you also want to ensure the ammonia you use has no additives or scent added (shaking a small amount and looking for bubbles is one way to check - you don't want any). The additives can harm your fish.

Good luck and try to be patient. Cycling a tank can be frustrating because of the time it takes but doing it right will ensure you don't suffer from "new tank syndrome" later and kill your fish.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Welcome to GTA Joat. Some very good advices posted here. Hope the amount of information didn't scare you away.
One thing first though, don't be tempted into using a fish to cycle your tank. It's not worth the trouble and like some of us said, you can do it without torturing a fish. That's just not a good way to start a fish hobby. Go with the ammonia approach.

Preferably, I wouldn't put any decorations in right now until the cycle has completed. There have been cases where the decorations are introducing it's own sets of chemicals that stalls the cycle. So it's one less thing to worry about. Gravels can stay in simply because it's too troublesome to add it after the cycle.

Aerating your tank is good, but if you don't have a pump you can do without. Just leave tank open top.

Take the activated carbon out, it's more than just an odour adsorbent, it adsorb chemicals, including ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. So basically what will happen is that you need to put so much ammonia that the activated carbon becomes fully adsorb until it can't anymore, and then the bacteria gets to eat. So it's an added obstacle to slow the cycling process down.

Otherwise, they are very good advices.

Good luck,
Oh forgot one more thing. Don't add too much fish at once, you will over power your sensitive ecosystem and caused the cycle to collapse.

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