manofish123
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- Jun 13, 2012
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As a beginner into the world of freshwater fish keeping, I was fortunate to have ran onto this Forum and people that had a great deal of experience at something I was totally oblivious too. "Fishless cycling"
After reading the Posts on here and following the fishless cycle instructions to the T, my tanks have both cycled in 20 and
21 days. The only thing I did different between the two tanks was to seed the second tank with some of the first tanks cycled water and a 90% water change at about day 10 and after I had begun to have 0 ammonia and reducing the dosage from 5 to 2ppm.
Some tips I guess I would suggest being a beginner to others that are curious or hesitant to go through this process are :
Take the time and effort to go through this fishless cycling period. (It will save money, dead fish, and frustration)
Follow the Posts on here as close as possible. Dont be afraid to ask questions as these folks know how to help.
Boil and wash all your new wood, shells, rocks or any other decorations "before" you add them to the new water.
Avoid adding a bunch of needless chemicals other than PRIME. (I dont care what you hear at the pet shops)
I added ALL my plants at the start and had no problems. I would put the lights on for about 8 hours a day and they did fine.
If the water turns cloudy that first day or two, dont worry, it will clear. If the wood begins to grow tenons, thats normal
and will go away as well or can be cleaned after cycling at the big water change.
After the ammonia and Nitrites go to zero, continue introducing ammonia at the 2ppm dosage for another 5 or 6 days to make
sure the tank doesnt begin cycling again.
Do a 90% water change after this verification period with PRIME only, to reduce the Nitrates, lightly clean your filter
sponges and media in the OLD TANK CYCLED WATER (NOT FRESH), and rearange your tank like you want.
Add fish that are compatable and enjoy.
Hope this helps and thanks to all of you that took the time to educate me on how to properly set up a tank without hurting
my fish. I'm still learning and can see more tanks in my future.
After reading the Posts on here and following the fishless cycle instructions to the T, my tanks have both cycled in 20 and
21 days. The only thing I did different between the two tanks was to seed the second tank with some of the first tanks cycled water and a 90% water change at about day 10 and after I had begun to have 0 ammonia and reducing the dosage from 5 to 2ppm.
Some tips I guess I would suggest being a beginner to others that are curious or hesitant to go through this process are :
Take the time and effort to go through this fishless cycling period. (It will save money, dead fish, and frustration)
Follow the Posts on here as close as possible. Dont be afraid to ask questions as these folks know how to help.
Boil and wash all your new wood, shells, rocks or any other decorations "before" you add them to the new water.
Avoid adding a bunch of needless chemicals other than PRIME. (I dont care what you hear at the pet shops)
I added ALL my plants at the start and had no problems. I would put the lights on for about 8 hours a day and they did fine.
If the water turns cloudy that first day or two, dont worry, it will clear. If the wood begins to grow tenons, thats normal
and will go away as well or can be cleaned after cycling at the big water change.
After the ammonia and Nitrites go to zero, continue introducing ammonia at the 2ppm dosage for another 5 or 6 days to make
sure the tank doesnt begin cycling again.
Do a 90% water change after this verification period with PRIME only, to reduce the Nitrates, lightly clean your filter
sponges and media in the OLD TANK CYCLED WATER (NOT FRESH), and rearange your tank like you want.
Add fish that are compatable and enjoy.
Hope this helps and thanks to all of you that took the time to educate me on how to properly set up a tank without hurting
my fish. I'm still learning and can see more tanks in my future.
