Are 5 Mountain Cloud Minnows Enough To Cycle 125l Tank?

[serbusfish]

I was just wondering if 5 of these small fish will produce enough ammonia to get it done? They have been in for nearly 2 weeks, with the tank set up 1 week earlier. My ammonia readings will rise to 0.25mg/l, so I do a 50% water change, and they stay at 0mg/l for a day then the day after are back to 0.25mg/l, so another water change is done.

 

[LongS]

Yes the fish will be producing ammonia so the cycle will be under way I believe. When the tank is cycled it will only be cycled to deal with the minnows efficiently so don't stock too heavy after and gradually add to what you have already. This will allow the filter to catch up.

What I don't know though is how long it will take. In a fishless cycle there is a constant supply of ammonia that will eventually be broken down by the bacteria which is why you need to top up along the way. As you are in this instance diluting the ammonia I believe the cycle will take longer. I'm not entirely sure of the scientific side of this, maybe someone else can help here?

But the answer to your question is yes they will produce the ammonia to begin the cycle, people have been cycling this way for years. The trick with this way is to gradually add the fish.

As you will no doubt be told in this thread 'you should have done a fishless cycle', it doesn't really help so yeah, slowly stock and keep up with the water changes.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[serbusfish]

But the answer to your question is yes they will produce the ammonia to begin the cycle, people have been cycling this way for years. The trick with this way is to gradually add the fish.

As you will no doubt be told in this thread 'you should have done a fishless cycle', it doesn't really help so yeah, slowly stock and keep up with the water changes.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Right thats ok then, I was worried they would not be producing enough ammonia to feed the growing bacteria.

I know a fishless cycle is the better option, I was planning to do this, however I was told that leaving fish food in a tank can produce very harmful gases which if get established will require completety stripping the tank and starting from sctatch. I did not want to risk that so decided a proper ammonia source was necessary.

The problem with adding more fish is all the ones I want for my tank are supposed to be put in 'established' tanks (correct me if im wrong?); Dwarf Frogs, Fan Shrimp, Zebra Loaches, German Blue Rams, and a few tetra's (Black Widow, Columbian, etc).

 

[Chad]

For me the answer is yes and no. Of course I also will point out that fishless cycling is not really the way to go. The yes answer is the same as above in that yes they provide ammonia and that starts a cycle. But, I found this with my 210 gallon tank that it doesn't seem to be enough to really colonize much of that tank. So what I learned was that while I had some biological filtration it really wasn't to the degree I needed it to be. It took forever for the marine tank to go through the uglies and get into a stable mode.

I personally think you would be better off doing a fishless cycle with some liquid ammonia or my favorite method of using table shrimp.

That said...the quantity of water is likely to be a protection against too much ammonia...the ppm will be smaller due to the ratio of water to ammonia.

 

[gregswimm]

IMO white clouds are too fragile to cycle with. You can always cycle the tank with fish food (don't use shrimp, your tank will smell like hell), once you get some colonization its uphill from there. If you know someone with an old healthy tank, ask for a bit of media to seed your filter with (just stick the bit of media in your filter).

 

[serbusfish]

For me the answer is yes and no. Of course I also will point out that fishless cycling is not really the way to go. The yes answer is the same as above in that yes they provide ammonia and that starts a cycle. But, I found this with my 210 gallon tank that it doesn't seem to be enough to really colonize much of that tank. So what I learned was that while I had some biological filtration it really wasn't to the degree I needed it to be. It took forever for the marine tank to go through the uglies and get into a stable mode.

I personally think you would be better off doing a fishless cycle with some liquid ammonia or my favorite method of using table shrimp.

That said...the quantity of water is likely to be a protection against too much ammonia...the ppm will be smaller due to the ratio of water to ammonia.

Mine is 125 litres not gallons, dunno if you misread that part? It is only around 27 gallons I think. Ive got to stick with the fish in cycle now as I dont have anywhere else to keep them, so with that in mind would you say that enough bacteria will build up with just these fish or will I perhaps need a few more?

IMO white clouds are too fragile to cycle with

"White Cloud Mountain minnows are considered good fish for beginners, especially young children, as they are extremely forgiving with regard to aquarium temperature and water quality. They are often sold as ideal "starter fish" for cycling a new aquarium"

http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Cloud_Mountain_minnow#In_the_aquarium

Make from it what you will

 

[gregswimm]

Its going to take 7-14 days for ammonia to go to nitrite and longer to go from nitrite to nitrate. Your fish should be fine if you monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels, do 25% daily changes and feed sparingly (roughly 1 flake every other day). Alos heavy aeration will help the fish survive a nitrite spike.

Use these tables: http/dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/AmmoniaTox.html

 

[DreamertK]

Just wait until for sure you know the tank is cycled before adding in more fish.

The NO2 spikes are a hell of a pain to keep changing the water for. I was doing like 80% every day for two weeks.

 

[Chad]

I always misread liters...I'm so used to US gallons that it's the first thing that pops into my head. I'm getting better though. Yes...125 liters is much different than 125 gallons which is what I was thinking. So...you know...never mind.

 

[serbusfish]

Its going to take 7-14 days for ammonia to go to nitrite and longer to go from nitrite to nitrate. Your fish should be fine if you monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels, do 25% daily changes and feed sparingly (roughly 1 flake every other day). Alos heavy aeration will help the fish survive a nitrite spike.

Use these tables: http/dataguru.org/...AmmoniaTox.html

Im always worried im not feeding them enough! I sometimes put flake in twice a day.

Ok so I did a water change on Thursday afternoon, and I just checked my ammonia levels (saturday evening) and they are at 0mg/l. Obviously the cycle is moving along, who knows perhaps it will be back to 0.25mg/l tomorrow, but it seems to me that pretty soon I should be getting the high nitrite readings, correct?

 

[gregswimm]

Remember, the fish are tiny and so are their stomachs (roughly the size of an eye). If you keep the tank on the cool side their metabolism will be lower and they will need less food.

If you have 0ppm of ammonia then I would look for nitrites. Also, check the water before you change it.

 

[serbusfish]

Remember, the fish are tiny and so are their stomachs (roughly the size of an eye). If you keep the tank on the cool side their metabolism will be lower and they will need less food.

If you have 0ppm of ammonia then I would look for nitrites. Also, check the water before you change it.

Well, its Sunday morning and Ammonia is STILL at 0mg/l. So I guess I need to look at nitrite now. Only problem is I dont currently have a liquid test kit for nitrite, just the paper one...