Ask Questions About Cycling

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Yeah I think tetras are a very easy group of fish to work with - you will likely see a lot of bumping each other around, jostling for position in the ranks but no serious or damaging violence. Most of them tolerate large ranges of PH and heat which makes them a great beginner fish. Most don't get over 2" .
 
Ember tetras will be fine as long as the tank is fully cycled -which you are planning on doing. Most other tetra species are really to small for a 10G.
Edit: Wrong way round, 10G is too small for most other tetras :)
 
Thank you! That's why I was thinking of the ember tetra's, they're small enough for the 10 G and are very colorful. I'm getting closer, my tank is now cycling about 3 ppm ammonia a day! It is also cycling nitrites because they don't go up or down when the ammonia is being cycled so I know more is coming in, it just isn't cycling the full amount to 0 yet. That API test is so hard to see how much nitrates you have I'm considering diluting the aquarium water 1 part plus 3 parts tap water that's stood out, so I can have a better idea how much when I multiply by 4! I hope that made sense. Even the 10 and 20 ppm are almost impossible to keep apart, let alone the 40 and 80 ppm.
 
Just a reminder for any giving advice for this last member... its a 10 gallon tank. Having a lot of fish in a small container can lead to a lot of problems, especially for a new fishkeeper. Experienced fishkeepers can 'bend' rules and get away with it, knowing how to cope with the extra stresses. New fishkeepers will often times fall prey to overload and walk away from the hobby.


Also... it is more common for schooling species to school when they are with the same species. They 'get along' with other species, but won't exhibit their true behaviors in that situation. That is actually a stressor for those fish and they are seeking their own species, but in lieu of that, will 'make do' with a like genus as a surrogate, but its best to keep the same species together.
 
Thank you for your warning, I have to think about that and which of the two I might want if/when I do go with one species.
 
hi! would be setting up a fish tank soon. will be following the cycling guide https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

would just like to ask if it is possible for me to set up my tank (scaping the tank), and fill it with water and leave it there for about 2-3 weeks, then start with the cycling as per the guide? or will that 2-3 weeks of leaving the water there already kick start some natural cycling process?

will be setting up the tank with some driftwood, plants, soil + gravel + sand substrate.
 
would just like to ask if it is possible for me to set up my tank (scaping the tank), and fill it with water and leave it there for about 2-3 weeks, then start with the cycling as per the guide? or will that 2-3 weeks of leaving the water there already kick start some natural cycling process?
What do you mean by scaping? If you mean adding plants be aware that adding ammonia is likely to be detrimental to your plants. But if you are adding plants (and more than 1 or 2) fertilise them from day 1. Once all your plants are showing active new growth (usually between 3 & 6 weeks) you can go ahead and add fish without worrying about cycling.

Google "silent cycle" or search through posts by @Byron for the details of this.
 
What do you mean by scaping? If you mean adding plants be aware that adding ammonia is likely to be detrimental to your plants. But if you are adding plants (and more than 1 or 2) fertilise them from day 1. Once all your plants are showing active new growth (usually between 3 & 6 weeks) you can go ahead and add fish without worrying about cycling.

Google "silent cycle" or search through posts by @Byron for the details of this.

Hi sean, thanks for the reply! Yes, by scaping i meant by adding plants, driftwood, rocks etc. I will likely be heavily planting 1/3 of my tank, and the rest of it with rocks and substrate only. Does this mean i dont have to cycle? Instead just let nature take it's course as the plants itself would kickstart some sort of cycling? if so, how would i know if it's in the process?
 
Plants use (take up) ammonia to grow. They do not produce nitrites or nitrates as part of the process so the only condition is that they are actively growing. New plants often take several weeks to "settle" in the tank and may not grow immediately.

A side effect of this is that there is much less ammonia available for the nitrifying bacteria. The cycle does establish in the background at a much slower rate than normal, but there is no danger to fish as the plants are using up the ammonia as quickly as the fish are producing it. That is why it is called a silent cycle.
 
I concur with seangee's post.

In post #471 you mention soil, sand and gravel. Can you explain this? "Soil" is frankly a problem in most cases, and rarely beneficial to plants long-term. Ammonia is an issue. Fish that dig or burrow can also make a real mess even with a cap of sand.
 
I concur with seangee's post.

In post #471 you mention soil, sand and gravel. Can you explain this? "Soil" is frankly a problem in most cases, and rarely beneficial to plants long-term. Ammonia is an issue. Fish that dig or burrow can also make a real mess even with a cap of sand.

Hey Byron! i am thinking of aquasoil for a side of the tank, sand in the middle, and gravel at the other side, and using rocks to separate the substrates. Have not really looked into the brand of the soil etc, but thought it makes sense that soil is a better substrate for plant growth (correct me if im wrong), such as carpets. i am likely looking at plants that require low co2 as i wont be getting a co2 canister.

Another alternative is to having a sand cap over the soil to prevent stirring up of the soil by the bottom feeders.
 
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Hey Byron! i am thinking of aquasoil for a side of the tank, sand in the middle, and gravel at the other side, and using rocks to separate the substrates. Have not really looked into the brand of the soil etc, but thought it makes sense that soil is a better substrate for plant growth (correct me if im wrong), such as carpets. i am likely looking at plants that require low co2 as i wont be getting a co2 canister.

Another alternative is to having a sand cap over the soil to prevent stirring up of the soil by the bottom feeders.

First, I do not recommend different substrates. They tend to look artificial, and they draw attention to the size of the tank and make it look smaller, whereas a uniform substrate will make it look larger, especially when it is sand. In order to keep the substrates separate, you need to separate them completely, which means the "dividers" must be siliconed together so there are no gaps, and siliconed to the tank floor. Water moves through the substrate naturally, and until you do something like this you cannot imagine how much it will occur. But from a visual aspect, I would have one substrate throughout.

Second, soil generally has no benefit for plants, certainly not long-term. Now, there may be specialized soils that are different, and very expensive, but unless you are intending a high-tech method with an aquatic garden having high light, diffused CO2, and (hopefully) no fish, I would not waste the money. I tried one several years ago and after two years it got dumped in my back garden with my regret that it cost so much for no benefit and in fact detriment to my poor fish.

Sand is the overall best substrate both for fish and plants. It is easy enough to use substrate fertilizer tabs for large plants, and minimal liquid fertilizer for non-substrate-rooted plants (which obviously would derive no benefit from an enriched substrate anyway).

Substrate carpet plants are not easy except in a high-tech system, but there are a few that do the job to some extent. Depending upon the intended fish, you usually want some open areas anyway (cories, loaches, cichlids especially).
 
Afternoon, I’m currently cycling my first tank and am on the 3rd day. I’ve just come in from work and the water is turning A murky green colour.
I have a 57l tank with 3 live plants in a few rocks and a piece of wood I got from a fish shop
When I left this morning it was clear is this just a part of the cycle? Do I need to do a full water change and start again? Or am I just over reacting to the tiniest thing? (Probably the answer)
 
Murky green color water is normally a sign of 'green algae' growth - likely phytoplankton. Take a sample of the water. If the water is green, then its phytoplankton. If the water is clear, then its green dust algae.

Algae is caused from imbalance between: light, CO2, and nutrients. Depending on what you have too much of, different algaes can thrive.

Green water algae - phytoplankton is usually due to excess light, either too bright or too long a duration. 8 hours is generally all the light that's needed for your tank plants. Too much light and the algae take advantage. If the light brightness is the culprit, that means your other areas are too weak, CO2 deficiency or nutrient deficiency.... but this discussion should take place in the Planted tank section, so that we don't distract from cycling.


Long story short, this is not due (directly) to cycling.
 
I have a question I probably know the answer to but I'm gonna ask anyway. Started a 29 gallon tank two weeks ago for my nephew who lives with us with some plants from my established 110 gallon and a filter I had on it about two months ago before changing the filter for a bigger one. This is a Marineland canister filter that holds 3 gallons of water and still had most of the old media in it.

I started the cycle 10 days ago with a full dose of ammonia to 3ppm.

Waited four days tested and ammonia .5ppm nitrite .25ppm and Nitrate was showing but not quite 5ppm.

So I did another full dose and waited 4 days again and tested. Ammonia was 0, nitrite was 1ppm and nitrate was between 5 and 10ppm.

I waited one more day and tested yesterday. Ammonia and nitrite were 0ppm and nitrate was again 5-10ppm. I figured it was cycled but wanted to be sure so I dosed another full dose and tested again this morning. I also stupidly told my nephew that we could get fish today after school cause it was cycled.

Well I tested today and Ammonia is 0ppm, Nitrite is .5ppm and Nitrate is not quite 10ppm. It's only been about 19 hours since I dosed ammonia last. pH of this tank is 7.4 because he liked the livebearers. My question is though it may not be completely cycled, would it be safe to get some platys (was planning six) and wait for a week or so to get the rest of fish while testing everyday to ensure good water quality?? I just hate to disappoint him.
 

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