Cycling?

[danny101]

Hi everyone,

Im getting ever closer to my new tank, but havent given up researching (i want to get thing's perfect)!

I've read the article about fishless cycling and i do agree with it.

However because i want to get things right, is there anything that i can do to ensure that all my new fish are as happy as possible after introduction?

Will a brackish tank still take an average of 2weeks to cycle properly?

Thanks

Danny

 

[aquamanA]

what you need to do is make sure that you clean out teh gravel becasue dont ever put gravel in the water as it is because it is full of dust and pollution what you need to do is keep a record of the health of your fish test the water every once a week and do it in regular motion and dont whatever you do dont buy a large fish buy a smaller fish that should do for a begginner like you, your a begginner right? yes I thought so just do that and you shall make a success cheers.always ask for advice.

 

[nmonks]

Hello --

Dirty gravel is messy, but it won't have much effect on the filter, beyond perhaps clogging up the filter media too quickly. If you do put messy gravel in, just use disposable filter wool in the filter to clean it up. There are also "potions" called things like Filter Aid that help, by sticking silt particles together. I've used them, and they seem to work very quickly and do not harm the fish.

I've never done fish-less cycling, so I can't speak for how long it takes. When using hardy fish (like mollies) it takes about 6 weeks to mature the filter. But to be honest the number of weeks is irrelevant; use a nitrite test kit to measure how well the filter is working directly.

Brackish tanks seem to take a little longer to mature than freshwater ones. I cannot explain why.

For your first fish, choose hardy, nitrite-tolerant species to begin with. Rhinogobius and Dormitator spp gobies, mollies, and halfbeaks are all nitrite-tolerant; while monos, scats, and puffers are not. Mudskippers are surprisingly hardy but not ideal fish for other reasons. Using hardy fish means that you can breeze through the delicate first month or two without risking lives. Even when a tank is mature, it can be unstable, and there's a good case to be made for avoiding delicate fish for at least 3 months after setting the tank up.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[danny101]

Thanks again neale,

Yeah i definately wont be using gravel but silica sand. I wont be using real plants(i dont think), so there would be no need for a gravel substrate.

I figured as much about the mollies, i suppose sail fins are work just aswell?i was pretty set on half beaks too.

So i'll have to wait untill i can get my bumblebee's then!



Thanks

Danny

Im a brackish beginner aquaman but not a fish keeping beginner. ive pretty much always had a community tank, but just wanted to know if the process is different with a brackish set up, but thanks for the reply

 

[nmonks]

Sorry if that last reply was overkill!

Real plants can work fine in brackish, you just need to pick the right species, and then make sure everything else is optimal. Cryptocoryne ciliata, Crinium calamistratum, and Java fern are three plants that normally occur in brackish water and work just fine in aquaria. They do need bright light though (except the fern, perhaps). At an SG of 1.001 to 1.005, these three plants will do well.

Sailfin mollies do well in immature aquaria, as do halfbeaks. While Celebes halfbeaks aren't brackish water fish, red-fin halfbeaks and wrestling halfbeaks will do well at low salinities (SG 1.003 - 1.005). Wrestling halfbeaks in particular seem very hardy and among those few fish I've never seen die "from mysterious causes". Since bumblebees only need a tiny amount of salt, SG 1.001 to 1.003, they'd make excellent companions. In fact I routinely keep gobies and halfbeaks together.

To be honest, with brackish, the fish that come in from the sea tend to be much more delicate than those that are otherwise considered freshwater fish.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[danny101]

Sorry neale,the last bit was directed towards aquaman!

Ive never had much luck with real plants, i suppose there is a first time for everything!
you never know i might discover an affinity for it!

Thats good news about the BBG's and the sail fins.

Looks like im nearly set!

Thanks again

Danny

 

[pufferpoison]

as for cycling a brackish water tank, imho, takes much, much longer than a freshwater tank. my 29G is over 5 1/2 weeks and hasn't completely cycled yet, my 55G cycled in under 4 weeks. From what i've read, they are not sure if the bacteria is freshwater that adapt to the salt or saltwater that adapt to the low levels of salt, or a completely "new" type of bacteria to grow, but i have added both freshwater and saltwater bio-spira and it's still taking this long. i've done so many water changes, I can complete this process of 50% change in under 9 minutes, LOL. My SG in the tank is kept at 1.010SG. speaking of that, it's time for another water change. Good luck.

 

[pufferpoison]

as for cycling a brackish water tank, imho, takes much, much longer than a freshwater tank. my 29G is over 5 1/2 weeks and hasn't completely cycled yet, my 55G cycled in under 4 weeks. From what i've read, they are not sure if the bacteria is freshwater that adapt to the salt or saltwater that adapt to the low levels of salt, or a completely "new" type of bacteria to grow, but i have added both freshwater and saltwater bio-spira and it's still taking this long. i've done so many water changes, I can complete this process of 50% change in under 9 minutes, LOL. My SG in the tank is kept at 1.010SG. speaking of that, it's time for another water change. Good luck.