How Soon Can I Add Fish?

[archamfr]

merry christmas ! (its late but havent been on in a while )

any way i got a aqua qube for x mas ( 25 ltr) and am planning to have a nice male betta in there. Its only been running 1 day, ive added nutrafin cycle, quite alot of plants and everything is nice. but how long until i can add a lil fish ? i read sumwhere (?) that it will be around 5-7 days.. but i want to be sure.
how can i be sure its right time for me to add fish ?

thnx

 

[Ravenwing]

I believe you're refering to something called "fishless cycling". I've pulled up a few articles for you that you may find helpful.

http/www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fishless-cycling.htm

http/badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html

I hope these give you a few ideas to start. (I just did a search for "fishless cycling" on google, so there are pleanty more articles as well...

Good Luck!

*edited for a typo in one of the links

 

[zoekin8yg]

there is also a great thread on here on the beginners section. Cycling takes longer than a week!

 

[archamfr]

quote: Biofilter bacteria thrives at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). If you turn up your tank's heater while cycling fishless, the tank can cycle in as little as 7-10 days. Be sure to turn the heater back down when the nitrogen cycle is complete, and allow the water time to reach the desired temperature before adding fish.



i new i heard sumthing like that sumwhere. ive basicly dun exactly whats in that article, so ima give it maybe 2 weeks. thnx all

 

[Ravenwing]

Okay...I'd check the perameters of your water after week 1 and after week 2 (or everyday of week 1) to watch for any fluxuations. Once everything is stable, then you should be okay.

To test the water, you can either a: bring a sample of it into your lps, or b: buy a test kit (which you're probably going to want anyways)

 

[ileopard]

Do you have another aquarium (or possibly a friend) that you can take filter media or silk plants from (to seed your tank)? Cycling was a LOT faster when I took media from an already established tank. I didn't use any kind of ammonia or nitrospira supplement either.