Help Needed Please With Cycling A Tank

[dave1987]

iv just tested my water with a api test kit the results are

pH 7.6
nitrate 5.0
nitrite0 ppm
ammonia 0ppm
should be getting mature tank water and filter media fri...... what sould i do now?any suggestion much appreciated


T.I.A

 

[Miss Wiggle]

can you give us a bit more background please, how long has the tank been running, have you started adding ammonia for the fishless cycle, etc

 

[dave1987]

tank is 200 litres, this is the 3rd day havnt got any ammonia as im getting mature tank water 100 litres and filter media on fri... shall i leave the tank running or wait till fri when i get the mature water and media and fill it up then

 

[doresy]

Hi, either way you'll need some ammonia......Homebase (household dept) £1.99

If you mean old tank water then forget it. No benefit in that. Use fresh water and dechlorinate it with dechlorinater.

Use as much mature media as you can get hold of but do remember that the bacteria will soon die if it is not fed (ie, once removed from the old filter keep moist and get it running asap)

Once in your tank, add the ammonia. Calculate the amount using the Aquarium calculator at the head of this forum.

Follow the pinned thread on fishless cycle in New to the hobby

 

[Miss Wiggle]

don't bother getting water form another tank, just get the media. the bacteria you need don't like free swimming in the water. start with mature media but brand new dechlorinated water, set the tank up now, fill it and run all the equipment, this will give you a chance to spot any potential problems with equipment. Then when you have the mature media start adding 5ppm of ammonia straight away as per the usual fishless cycling technique, you'll find that the cycle just takes maybe a week or so rather than the usual 4-6 weeks

 

[dave1987]

il be adding a couple of fish to it at the same time so it would be like doing a 50% water change that is ok right?

 

[doresy]

il be adding a couple of fish to it at the same time so it would be like doing a 50% water change that is ok right?

The clue is in the title (Fishless cycle )

If you add fish then you can't add ammonia so therefore will be entering the zone of cycling WITH fish.

I do not advise on that subject as I prefer not to go there.

You will have to state what fish they are and exact quantity. You'll ned a testing kit and be prepared to do very regular water changes.

 

[dave1987]

im only getting 4 yellow labs.... if i get 100litres of mature tank water and enough mature filter media to fill mine surely its like you only doing a big water change and ur not even cycling the tank??

edit: i have api liquid test kit aswell

 

[dave1987]

is it better to not do it this way then?.. but surely by adding mature tank water that would adding ammonia to feed the mature filter media

 

[OldMan47]

Dave, the point is not that there will or won't be traces of ammonia in used tank water. The whole reason you are being advised not to use the tank for fish right away is easy to understand. Especially with your situation, you can expect the tank to cycle very quickly if you go ahead and use fresh water and the ammonia. At that point you will be able to stock to a moderate level. If you insist on adding fish right away, your bacterial populations will suffer because you cannot keep the ammonia levels high enough to actually move the cycle forward quickly. The end result is that in a couple of weeks you will be way behind by starting out insisting that you add fish right away. At that point the few fish you can have in an uncycled tank will be suffering from ammonia or nitrite poisoning depending on how far along you are by then.
You are correct when you say there will be some small traces of ammonia in used tank water. There will also be all the poisons and irritants that we try to remove with water changes. Sorry but its just not a good idea.