Ok, I just got a new 55-gallon tank for my Oscar. I already filled it up and got the gravel in. I also transferred one of the rocks (on the left) to my new tank and added about 10-15 gallons from my old one. I also got a net full of gravel from my old 30-gallon tank and stock it in to the new one. All of this is to help the new tank to cycle. How much time does it actually take? Can I buy some chemicals at LFS to make the process faster? The links below are pics of my new tank set up. Don’t mind the filter it’s just there to move water around, for now.

http://community.webshots.com/scripts/edit...lbumID=60327191

Gee, thanks for all the help. I thought forums were made to help people.

Be Patient my friend.... it may take a while for the people with the knowledge that you require to read your post & reply to it.
I know in the UK there are new tank additives that give your set up a kick start, But i'm not sure what brand names are availible in the US.

This forrum sucks bigtime. Noone knows #### around here!

I seeded my 55g quite well and it still took over a month to cycle. I stay away from chemicals in my tanks so I have no info on that.

hey this forum is good your just asking a question notmany people now or do

This is a great site. Sometimes you need to be a little patient before blasting your mouth off. Perhaps the people with the answers to your questions are busy, like doing water changes maybe, and just haven't had much time to log on.

Looks like KH already responded to your question. Stay away from the chemicals.

I can't wait for a month. I have to transfer my oscar as soon as possible.

Take the filter media out of the filter on your 30 gallon tank and put it in the filter for your new tank. Assuming you already replaced the 15 gallons of water you transferred from your 30 gallon tank, move Oscar and 20 - 25 gallons of his water into the new tank. If you can't take the stuff out of one filter and put it in the other, run his old filter on the new tank for a few weeks. Cycling is all about establishing a colony of healthy bacteria to convert fish wastes from ammonia to nitrites, and eventually nitrates. If you move the filter, you'll be moving a healthy colony with Oscar. Good luck, and try to be more patient next time.

Thanks. I did my water test in a new tank today. Here it is: Temperature = 79F Ph =7.0-7.2 Ammonia =0pph Nitrite =0pph. What else I have to run the test for? Is it safe to transfer my fish now?

This post has been edited by RegularGuy: Aug 23 2003, 12:01 AM

i really em not sure so your gona have 2 wait lol i hope you like it, nobody will ever anweser 2 u i f you are gona be a jerk i think you should be kicked off the forum but they are probley 2 nice.

0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrite means your tank is cycled.

Unless you did a fishless cycle, you can't add more than a couple fish at a time tho. Depending on the fish's body mass and waste load, add a couple and then recheck all the params like you did when the tank was cycling and wait until you get 0ppm ammonia and nitrites. Then after that, keep adding a couple fish at a time and follow previous directions.

If you did a fishless cycle, then add the full compliment of fish at once so you can keep the beneficial bacteria alive to provide the proper colonization w/o losing some of the bacteria colony.

Yean, but it's been only 4 days since i've set it up. Is it possible that it will cycle that fast? I didn't add any chemicals to help it cycle and I didn't add any fish either. some say I have to add fish first to start the cycle and the nitrates and ammonia are 0 is because there was no fish to produce ammonia to begin with. Here is the actual quote: “O.K. you need to understand something. Your ammonia and nitrite levels are 0ppm right now but if you add fish they will begin to spike. The reason you you have no ammonia/nitrites is because you have nothing producing ammonia to begin with hence your tank is completely uncycled. I really think maybe you need to reread the cycling FAQ to gain a thorough understanding of how a tank goes through a cycle. When your tank is cycling with fish you risk poisoning your fish with ammonia which can greatly damage thier gills and nitrites which high levels greatly reduces flow of oxygen in the blood. Both of these chemicals at high levels will ultimatly damage and/or kill your fish. Like I stated before if would be very beneficial for you and your fish to gain an understanding of the nitrogen cycle..”

I may be a day late and a dollar short, but............
I'm also sure there are folks who wouldn't agree with this however, when I'm setting up a new tank, just as you have done, I use gravel from another tank, water from my other tanks, used filter media, ect. I give it about 24 hours and then I put a couple of feeders in it (at $.12 each, its the cheapest way to see if they will survive.) If after about 2 hours the feeders are swimming around happily, I go ahead and add whatever fish I'm going to put in it. The only fish I've had so far that I wouldn't do this with is Angels. Everything else I have are South and Central American cichlids (which the Oscar is). I've done this 3 times and haven't lost a fish yet.
Sorry I couldn't answer sooner, I've been having PC problems for the last 2 days as well as being sick. Hopefully everything is going well and your Oscar is happily exploring his new home!

I'm afraid that with feeders will come the disease. I added something called "Cycle" it's supposedly should jump start it by providing bacteria that decrease ammonia and nitrite levels. I was told to let the tank sit for 2 days and let the fish in.

Not sure how I missed that last night. For some reason I thought this thread was brought up from the past and your ammonia/nitrites were down to zero now when I replied.

I have heard others say that Cycle will instantly cycle a tank in a matter of a couple days and they swear by it, but have also heard some say it didn't work for them. I've heard good reviews about a product called Bio-Spira, also. This is actually supposed to be better although more expensive than Cycle.

Personally, I would go with a fishless cycle rather than use chemicals.

I would use a fishless cycle too. However I don't have time for that since my oscar is in need of immediate transfer.

quote from Regular Guy:

"I'm afraid that with feeders will come the disease. I added something called "Cycle" it's supposedly should jump start it by providing bacteria that decrease ammonia and nitrite levels. I was told to let the tank sit for 2 days and let the fish in. "

Well, I quarantine my feeders for at least 2 weeks to make sure they aren't carrying any unwanted disease. And if that was still a concern, you could always remove them prior to putting in your other fish.
I've never used "Cycle" before. I would be interested in hearing how it goes for you.

I seeded my 55 with media and gravel from a 10 gal. I didn't get any ammonia or nitrite readings. Seems the bacteria took hold right away. After 4 days if you don't have readings i'd say ur ok.

Wow, Thanks. It seems to be the same in my case. Today I transferred my fish to a new tank; I also added another 10-15 gallons from an old tank. My readings today were as perfect as yesterday and the day before that. He seems happy now. Although he is not exploring yet, but did eat and swims around half of the tank. I'll get some pics after he'll get used to the new tank, I don't want to disturb him by walking around and putting on the lights.