37 Gallon Journal: Cycled! Now What To Stock?

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

Well here's the new 37us gallon tank on my dad's old stand with the gravel in and the Top Fin 40 Filter on the back. It's 30by13by22.

Here's two pics of it all set up (I need some better suction cups to keep the bubble bar down still and I havn't put the valve to adjust the bubbles on yet.)

And here's My Zebra Danios

And now for the boring stuff

My Fish in Cycle
Day: Date: Ammonia: Nitrites: Nitrates: Any extra Notes (~means about. I have trouble determining what color it is most of the time.) I have the API Master test kit btw (AWC means After Water Change)

1 : 3/22/10 : Added 7 Zebra Danios
2 : 3/23/10 : ~.5 : 0 : 0
3 : 3/24/10 : ~.5 : 0 : 0
7 : 3/28/10 : Between .5 and 1 : 0 : 0 : I was away for 2 days not by choice, and came home to a dead fish. Did 10% water change
8 : 3/29/10 : Between .25 and .5 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think : One more fish was dead this morning.
9 : 3/30/10 : ~ .25 AWC Between 0 and .25 I think : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think : 10% water change.
10: 3/31/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
11: 4/01/10 : ~.5 AWC Between .25 and .5 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
12: 4/02/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
13: 4/03/10 : 1 AWC Between .5 and .25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think : 10% water change.
14: 4/04/10 : Broke up with bf of a year the night before so didn't get around to measuring.
15: 4/05/10 : Between .25 and .5 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think : 10% water change.
16: 4/06/10 : Was on FFA trip couldn't test
17: 4/07/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
18: 4/08/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think : Can't find fifth fish
19: 4/09/10 : Whoops forgot to test
20: 4/10/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
21: 4/11/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think : Now I can't find the forth fish either D:
22: 4/12/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
23: 4/13/10 : Was on FFA trip couldn't test
24: 4/14/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
25: 4/15/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
26: 4/16/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
27: 4/17/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
28: 4/18/10 : ~.25 : 0 : Slightly above 0 I think
29: 4/19/10 : Whoops fell asleep without checking
30: 4/20/10 : ~.5 AWC >.25 : >0 : >0 I think : 10% Water change
31: 4/21/10 : ~.25 : >0 : >0 I think
32-36 : 4/22/10-4/26/10 : Been checking just forgot to post everything about the same as always
37: 4/27/10 : ~.25 : <.25 : >0 I think
38: 4/28/10 : ~.25 : <.25 : >0 I think
39: 4/29/10 : ~.25 : <.25 : >0 I think
70: 5/30/10 : 0! : >0 : >0 : The inhabitants are and have been 2 Zebra Danios(One got caught in the filter)and 4 Platy fry (they're about 7 or 8 weeks old now.)
So how is it going? This is my first ever tank (Well proper one) And any feedback is appreciated! Thanks

I'm thinking about this for stocking or atleast untill I can get a better filter.
2 Banded Gouramis
3 Zebra Danios (Current)
2 Golden Zebra Danios (Will these stick with the regulars?)
4 Kuhli loaches (assorted)
~ 5 Platys
1 Starynight Pleco (L-183)
1 Snail(nonreproducing, any suggestions?)
~10 Shrimp (Assorted, suggestions?)
I really like corys but I don't know if I have enough bottom room...
So is this a good list and are all of them compatible? If so what order should I add them in once my tanks cycled?

 

[waterdrop]

Looks like it fits the old stand pretty well! That TopFin40 looks tiny on the 37G. I don't know how large a bioload it would support but perhaps OM47 will see this one and comment - he's observed some pretty small filters working ok up to a point.

Well, I guess you've now reinforced first hand why we recommend keeping the ammonia and nitrite levels below 0.25ppm at all times if possible during a fish-in cycle! Getting above that moves you from just scarring the gills to actually losing fish outright. It looks like you're beginning to get it under control though.

The goal is to play with the sizes and frequency of your water changes to achieve the 0.25 only by the point when you can change water again.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

I find that the top fin filters are just marginally adequate for the rated capacity that they give. A lightly stocked 40 gallon will work for biological control with a filter rated for 40 gallons. It will not provide any reserve capacity for any slight overstocks but it can work if you are careful not to overstock the tank. I guess what I am saying is that you can use it until you can afford something better, with more media capacity.

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

Yeah I'm planing on getting one when I can. This one came with the tank and as a Highschool Freshman without a job I don't have alot of money and what I had has mostly already been spent on this lol

 

[roadmaster]

Yeah I'm planing on getting one when I can. This one came with the tank and as a Highschool Freshman without a job I don't have alot of money and what I had has mostly already been spent on this lol

You can help yourself out by feeding these fish half a dime size amount of flake food every other day, to every two days. This will help keep ammonia levels more manageable and fish will not starve.Leave the filter alone for the next month and if you get a new filter within the next month,,run it along with the filter you presently have for another month. If you don't overfeed the fish,the filter material should not need to be cleaned, If it should need cleaning from this point until the tank is tore down,,simply swish the filter material cartridge,pads,sponge,etc around in old aquarium water that you take out during water changes. the filter material is home for a large portion of beneficial bacteria and should make effort to protect this bacteria at all costs.

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

Thx and how long does the cycle usually change? I almost always get the same readings, Is there something else I should be doing?

 

[waterdrop]

We often say to expect about a month for a Fish-In Cycle. It varies pretty wildly but at least that gets you in the ballpark. What you'll notice is that ammonia and nitrite will begin to have zero ppm readings more often. The test is to get double zeros for two days in a row with no water changes - when you get that its a good sign you'll be able to make it through a qualifying week and be cycled.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

I totally meant last sorry it was late and I had just got back from my military ball. But okay thanks still a while to wait then lol

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

I currently can't find one of my fish... I havn't seen him for a day or two. I just now lifted up the ship and skull to look for him but nothing, I also checked in the filter all produced nothing. Any ideas?

 

[waterdrop]

Well you just have to keep an eye out. Fish can be much harder to find and count than you first think when you're getting in to the hobby. They also jump more than you think and can find the tinyest hole in your top cover, so the body might be found somewhere outside your tank. Or, of course, it might be the cycling. Fish-In cycling is pretty often a life or death situation for fish despite our efforts to control it.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

Yeah If he did jump out the cats will have got him but he'd had a bit of a bad fin since I got him (Just missing a bit of it)He was always the smallest, weekest looking one so I think he might have died but I just can't find him anywhere

 

[waterdrop]

Often the filter will suck in what's left. --wd--

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

Yeah but I'd thought I'd see an ammonia spike of some sort because of the dead fish so maybe they did get out somehow...

 

[waterdrop]

Or it could be that your filter has handled it just fine (which is a good thing!) or it could be that the heterotrophs just haven't had enough time to turn it into ammonia yet and the spike is yet to come!

edit: "...dead fish in the middle of the road..." isn't that a song?

 

[Torchwood~Mindfreak]

Okay cool, any ideas on my stocking? (The bold writing)