Cycling Tank Newbie. All Advice Very Welcome

[Bri]

Hi i have a new 120 liter tank that im starting to cycle. I have out the sand in that i intent to use. I am using the filter start stuff i got with the tank although i hear it might be useless i have a few questions i was wondering if ppl could help me with. I only have the tank half filled with water enough to put the heat and filter in. The tank will be moved after xmas so i dont want it to heavy.
Firstly should i turn the filter on? im afraid its too close to the sand.
Does the filter need to be on to cycle it?
Secondly should i take some gravel out of another tank i have with an under gravel filter and put it in the new filter in the new tank?

I have a test kit its not the most expensive one but if needs be ill buy the other one. Ive one with simple strips to test?

So am i on the right path, advice tips?

Thanks in advance..

 

[the_lock_man]

Hi i have a new 120 liter tank that im starting to cycle. I have out the sand in that i intent to use. I am using the filter start stuff i got with the tank although i hear it might be useless i have a few questions i was wondering if ppl could help me with. I only have the tank half filled with water enough to put the heat and filter in. The tank will be moved after xmas so i dont want it to heavy.
Firstly should i turn the filter on? im afraid its too close to the sand.
Does the filter need to be on to cycle it?
Secondly should i take some gravel out of another tank i have with an under gravel filter and put it in the new filter in the new tank?

I have a test kit its not the most expensive one but if needs be ill buy the other one. Ive one with simple strips to test?

So am i on the right path, advice tips?

Thanks in advance..

Since you already have the filter start product, you may as well use it, it may make a difference, it may not. You will still need to use bottled ammonia to get anywhere with fishless cycling, though, so make sure you've got that.

The filter definitely does need to be on, the bacteria will only grow with a regular supply of ammonia and oxygenated water. Try the filter and see if it takes the sand, if it does move it. It would be a good idea to put some of the gravel in the filter, hopefully it will seed the filter media in there, but, at the risk of repeating myself too much, if the bacteria that are on the gravel do not get a supply of ammonia, they will die off, and you will have achieved nothing.

The paper strips are not accurate enough for a cycling situation, IMHO. I would strongly suggest obtaining liquid tests. If a master kit is too expensive for you, start off with ammonia and nitrite.

Other tips for fishless cycling - increase the temperature to 80F, and add some bicarbonate of soda until the pH is about 8.2 (you should be ok with the paper test strip for that, as accuracy on that one isn't too vital, although getting the liquid kit for that is next on your list of purchases.

 

[Bri]

ok. you are like the budda of tanks. god bless this site. where will i get ammonia? i might just put more water in. when it needs to be moved remove it and put it back in. any suggestions for test kits to buy on ebay?
so to do list ammonia, gravel in filter and a test kit and increase the temp. sound.

 

[the_lock_man]

ok. you are like the budda of tanks.

You calling me fat? Are ya? Are ya?

where will i get ammonia?

Household supplies retailer. Are you UK, US or elsewhere? Make sure when you buy it, shake the bottle, if the bubbles don't burst straight away, then don't buy it. It needs to be only ammonia and water, no other fragrances, surfactants, etc.

 

[Dan-CR4]

Hello, the biggest piece of advice with a fishless cycle is patience, when i first got my tank thats the hardest thing I had to cope with, but once its cycled and you can put the fish in, you will think it was worth it. The paper test strips are not good, as said above get liquid test kits, the api master test kit runs at around £35 in some local fish shops but you can get it for around £20 delivered off ebay, thats where I get mine and it does loads of tests so you wont be buying it all the time.

If you need ammonia, I got mine from boots, some smaller boots stores dont stock it though, but the bigger ones will.

And if i aint said it before on another thread, welcome to the forum

 

[Bri]

ok im off to boots. just ammonia and water. yay.!!!! ya im struggling to be patient but i know that when all your fish die and u cant stop it its not nice so its better to get it right from the start. My tank is massive. 120 liters got it on sale. im super excited. might start a tank journal as i want to put wood and plants in it keep it natural. cool thanks guys for all the advice.
Im sure ill have tones of questions, im new to a tropical tank and plants but this site is amazinf for info so hopefully if i continue to annoy you guys lots and lots itll be an enjoyable learning experience.
ok last question for the day. how do i decide how much ammonia to put in???

 

[the_lock_man]

ok im off to boots. just ammonia and water. yay.!!!! ya im struggling to be patient but i know that when all your fish die and u cant stop it its not nice so its better to get it right from the start. My tank is massive. 120 liters got it on sale. im super excited. might start a tank journal as i want to put wood and plants in it keep it natural. cool thanks guys for all the advice.
Im sure ill have tones of questions, im new to a tropical tank and plants but this site is amazinf for info so hopefully if i continue to annoy you guys lots and lots itll be an enjoyable learning experience.
ok last question for the day. how do i decide how much ammonia to put in???

I believe I'm right in saying that no Boots stores have it, but you can order it online for free delivery in-store. I bought mine in Homebase, and I believe you can get the Jeyes Kleenoff one off Amazon, but for that, also try any small independent hardware stores.

Have a read of this link, it details everything you need to know. To work out how much ammonia to put in, click here and scroll to the bottom.

 

[Dan-CR4]

I got mine in store and last week they still had it on the shelve, but it was a bigger store, the smaller one on the high street did not have it

 

[the_lock_man]

I got mine in store and last week they still had it on the shelve, but it was a bigger store, the smaller one on the high street did not have it

Fair 'nuff.

 

[Dan-CR4]

Fair 'nuff.

But you was right quite a few boots stores dont stock it so a lot of people do say they cant find it in boots stores and as you also said homebase is another good place to find it.

Im sure ill have tones of questions, im new to a tropical tank and plants but this site is amazinf for info so hopefully if i continue to annoy you guys lots and lots itll be an enjoyable learning experience.
ok last question for the day. how do i decide how much ammonia to put in???

Theres plenty of good guys here and im still learning and always asking questions, and theres no such thing as a silly question, they way I see it is, I would rather ask a silly question then make a silly mistake, so ask away plenty of members will help, and good luck with your cycle.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

ok. you are like the budda of tanks. god bless this site. where will i get ammonia? i might just put more water in. when it needs to be moved remove it and put it back in. any suggestions for test kits to buy on ebay?
so to do list ammonia, gravel in filter and a test kit and increase the temp. sound.

The best kits are Salifert and API. Go for the master kit if possible.

I use API Master Kit. It includes the ammonia test, nitrIte, nitrAte, pH (6.0-7.4) and high pH (7.6-8.6, IIRC).

You will want the high pH for testing your pH during cycling as the "sweet spot" for the bacteria seems to be around 8.0-8.4. The temp sweet spot is 84F (30C).

The key to the cycle is to log your results and keep an eye out for potential pitfalls. Posting results here will allow members to give you tips along the way. Like how to avoid excessive nitrite, and what to do when the pH crashes.


Welcome to the forum and best wishes for a speedy cycle. Use the cycling time to research your fish choices, scout out a few LFS and check compatibility. (Take everything you hear at the LFS with a grain of salt, they are just trying to sell you things. Never buy anything based solely on their recommendation, but do your own research ahead of time to see what steps you should take and what you should purchase.)

 

[Bri]

ok boots didnt have the ammonia and seen as its so close to xmas i cant go shopping for stuff so if its not too much trouble could anyone recomenD ammonia and a cheapish test kit to buy on the internet. I never knew there was so much to cycling a tank. no wonder everyones fish die first time around. Fish shops should tell ppl but i suppose its how they make their money. I might start a tank jouranl after christmas so i can track what im doing with the tank and get advice and stuff.

 

[Bri]

ok founf the test kit its a bit expensive but i ill get it. now ammonia? no way to shake the bottle over the internet so does anyone have a link to one they bought and know is ok. i should probably wait till after christmas for this but im too excited and want to get the ball rolling while im away from the holidays..

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Drop a pinch of fish food (tiny little amount! and rub it between your fingers to break up the bits - dropped directly into the filter will keep it from fouling up the tank itself) into the tank for now. Then when you get the ammonia, your cycle will already have a bit of a head start. It won't matter much in the long run, but it might make you feel better that you are doing something right now.

 

[Bri]

Ok so I was reading more in the forum and realized I'm a bit silly. So I was going to cycle the tank from scratch but I'm new to that and it would be expensive. But eureka I have a sister with a fish tank running for years, hurray. So I plan to steal some of her filter media and use that! How much should I take and will it be bad for her tank? Is this an ok plan. It just sounds so much easier. I can't wait to get going on this tank holiday project....