How to build Beneficial Bacteria

[Lust]

hey pplz got a 2ft tank
and its been sitting here with water in it and my heater as well as the water conditiner for about a week with the power connected to pump and heater
i had a quick read about Beneficial Bacteria in the Avoiding and Treating New Tank Syndrome


now my questions
[1] how do i build it with out getting fish
[2] how do i test it ???


my main concern is i wanna put fish in and not let them die strait away i want it to be peferct for then

im aiming for no dead fish in the first few weeks due to bacteria problems of their not being any or their being too much

thanks pplz

 

[newbie hob]

well for you to be able to get the good bacteria you need to feed it, and that is usualy done with ammonia. I never used fishless cycling but you might want to read about it in the pinned section of how you should do it.

ooooops i forgot to welcome you to the board

 

[BobK]

Yes, welcome!! You could also borrow some mature filter media and/or gravel from an established tank to speed up the fishless cycle. Is there anyone you know that could help you out? Do you have another tank? It might be worth it to try asking at the lfs. They may or may not help you. I've actually seen lfs's that sell bioballs they float in their tanks. These bioballs are loaded with beneficial bacteria.

 

[Dragonslair]

You could try to use a good bio starter such as Hagan Cycle to start your culture off, and then kepp a close eye on the water parameters.

 

[BobK]

A lot of people have had mixed results using these products. If you use them take caution and test the water frequently.

 

[Dragonslair]

Why don't you you start your tank off with a couple of small hardy fish, such as cloud minnows(no bigger) and a bottle of bio culture. You can have interest in the water whilst cycling the tank.

 

[paulthegreat]

My lfs squeezed out one of their filters in a bag for me and I poured the murky brown mess in my tank. After an hour the water was clear and I had a start on the bacteria. I have also bought a bacteria tab called Bactozym that I add one for every partial water change 30-40 liters every other week or ten days.

 

[jay2jay99]

I'm also in the cycle stages of my tank and am new to this, I'm using 'cycle' by hagan, to start off the bacteria, I add it every other day or so and I test it regulary using a Master Test Kit, it tests ammonia, Ph levels, nitrite and nitrate. It has about 700 tests worth of fluid and if you live in the UK get it from Pets @ Home, it's £16.99 as appose to £24 plus everywhere else. As I said I'm very new to this and have only had my tank cycling for 6 days, so I can't say for deffinate that I'm correct but people on this forum seem to think I'm doing ok in my previous posts.

Hope that helps,

Jason.

 

[Lust]

Yes, welcome!! You could also borrow some mature filter media and/or gravel from an established tank to speed up the fishless cycle. Is there anyone you know that could help you out? Do you have another tank? It might be worth it to try asking at the lfs. They may or may not help you. I've actually seen lfs's that sell bioballs they float in their tanks. These bioballs are loaded with beneficial bacteria.

yeh my mates have a few fish tanks
buttt i have white rocks in mine and they have brown
whats mature filter media is taht like plants or something ??
i might try and get some bio balls

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

Yes, welcome!! You could also borrow some mature filter media and/or gravel from an established tank to speed up the fishless cycle. Is there anyone you know that could help you out? Do you have another tank? It might be worth it to try asking at the lfs. They may or may not help you. I've actually seen lfs's that sell bioballs they float in their tanks. These bioballs are loaded with beneficial bacteria.

yeh my mates have a few fish tanks
buttt i have white rocks in mine and they have brown
whats mature filter media is taht like plants or something ??
i might try and get some bio balls

Filter media is the parts inside the filter, for example

if you have an AquaClear filter, they have different media parts, there's a sponge and a carbon insert for the filter, all the beneficial bacteria sits in the sponge part of the filter

 

[gale]

buttt i have white rocks in mine and they have brown
whats mature filter media is taht like plants or something ??
i might try and get some bio balls

Buy a new pair of white knee high stockings (like nylons) and a plastic bag and take it to your friend's house. Put a cup or so of his gravel in it and then put it in the bag and take it home (right away!) and put it like that into your tank. It won't clash with your existing gravel but the bacteria on it will go through the stocking and get on your gravel. You'll want to do this within an hour or two of adding fish so the bacteria don't die off.

 

[BobK]

You might want to add a cup of tank water into the bag with the gravel just for transportation. That way there is little danger of drying out. Still you want to transfer quickly as gale said. The bacteria need oxygen to survive.

 

[Lust]

buttt i have white rocks in mine and they have brown
whats mature filter media is taht like plants or something ??
i might try and get some bio balls

Buy a new pair of white knee high stockings (like nylons) and a plastic bag and take it to your friend's house. Put a cup or so of his gravel in it and then put it in the bag and take it home (right away!) and put it like that into your tank. It won't clash with your existing gravel but the bacteria on it will go through the stocking and get on your gravel. You'll want to do this within an hour or two of adding fish so the bacteria don't die off.

so i should do this then asap
as i dont have any fish
and let it sit for a week so the Beneficial Bacteria builds up then i should be able to throw in some fish no problems

correct ???

 

[BobK]

If you're going to leave the tank empty you'll need an ammonia source or the bacteria will starve. Small amounts of pure ammonia (see pinned thread on fishless cycling) or adding food to the tank should keep them alive and growing. Or, since you're "seeding" the tank with bacteria you should be able to add a couple of hardy fish. Since the tank will be seeded with bacteria it should be able to process small amounts of ammonia (hopefully). Keep testing the water and do pwc's as needed.