Fishless Cycle Help

[chigwellhammer]

On Thursday im going to order this tank for a male betta, Can i have some advice and help please to have a cycled tank as quick as poss ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180996541496?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649t

Thanks!

 

[tonyandlisa1]

On Thursday im going to order this tank for a male betta, Can i have some advice and help please to have a cycled tank as quick as poss ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180996541496?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649t

Thanks!

hi if you take some media out of your other tanks and put in your new filter or get some tights and add some biological and mechanical media and drop it in your tank now or get a shed load of tetras to start your cycle hope this helps

 

[chigwellhammer]

Im reading on a few websites that if you do a weekly water change you dont actually need to cycle a tank for 1 betta as they breath different to other fish? Is this correct?

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd put some already mature media (no more than a third) from the filter in your main tank. Depending on how many fish the main tank is supporting, you'll be able to add your betta right away.

tonyandlisa; getting 'a shed load of tetras' to cycle a tank is not a very good idea, and we don't recommend fish-in cycles here.

 

[chigwellhammer]

Flutter is that correct what i said about the cycle though as its just the 1 betta i dont need to properly cycle? Just need to make sure i do weekly water changes

 

[fluttermoth]

No, it's not correct.

Bettas can breathe from the water surface, that's true, but they are still as vulnerable to raised ammonia levels as any other fish. You'd probably only need a small amount of media from your main filter; how many fish are in your main tank?

 

[chigwellhammer]

14 fish in my main tank

So i do need to properly cycle the tank first before adding a betta?

I got my info from here Flutter

http/www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes, you do need a properly cycled tank for a betta, the same as for any fish; I wouldn't trust anything that says otherwise.

As you have a good number of fish in your main tank, just cut a bit of that media off if it's sponge, or move some if it's ceramic rings; you'll only need a small piece; an eighth of it would be plenty, and wouldn't affect the cycle in the main tank

If you do that, and watch your stats carefully, you can add the betta straight away; in fact you'll need to add the betta within a day or two of moving the media, or the bacteria will die off.

 

[chigwellhammer]

Ok thank you for the help, If i wasnt to use media out my main tank does live plants being in the tank make it cycle quicker?

 

[fluttermoth]

No, not really.

If you were to fill the tank (well, at least 75% of the base has to be covered) with plants, you could do a 'silent cycle', where the plants absorb the ammonia, but I've never done that so can't really advise you.

It seems that you don't want to move some media from your main filter; why is that?

 

[chigwellhammer]

Its not that i dont want to i cheated cycling my own tank as i never done it my friend did it, So i want to give it a go doing it myself

Reading about i didnt think i had to cycle the tank for a betta.. It kind of confused me

 

[fluttermoth]

Oh I see, fair enough!

You could still do a fishless cycle if you wanted to, just add a bit of mature media to give it a kick start and make it go a bit faster.

 

[chigwellhammer]

Ok thank you, I will order my tank and see what i fancy doing

Thanks for your help

 

[chigwellhammer]

Where can i buy ammonia from? Not sure what it looks like

 

[fluttermoth]

You can buy it in Homebase and Robert Dyas, or you can order it online from Boots (if you collect it instore, you don't pay any delivery charge), or you can buy it on Amazon or eBay