New Setup

[rustage]

Hi all.
I'm very new to the world of fish keeping and am sure to have a babillion questions along the way. I've recently aquired a 184 litre octagonal tower and am in the process of prepping it for Madagascan Chiclids. I've installed a new Delta Therm 300w heater, Flural U3 Filter, Maxima air pump, 12 kilos of tropical marine gravel & a few plants. If you can think of anything this setup would benefit from, I would be grateful for the tips / advice. I've added the tap water conditioner and started the 1st phase of biological aquarium supplement - I'm hoping to have it up and running and ready for fish by this Sunday.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Hey there!

You need to first cycle you tank before adding any fish.

To cycle a tank, it usually takes on average 4-6 weeks.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

-FHM

 

[rustage]

Hey there!

You need to first cycle you tank before adding any fish.

To cycle a tank, it usually takes on average 4-6 weeks.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861"]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861[/URL]

-FHM

Hi fatheadminnow.
I was told be the chap at the store that my tank should be ready by sunday. Can I do a fish-in cycle in this timescale? Forgive my ignorance - I have read a bunch on cycling and am still trying to get to grips with it.
Chris.

 

[ChiNA MaN]

it takes 4-6 weeks to finish a cycle and its not recommended to do a in fish cycle.
and fish cycles take longer and are hard on fishes =).

 

[JenCliBee]

it takes 4-6 weeks to finish a cycle and its not recommended to do a in fish cycle.
and fish cycles take longer and are hard on fishes =).

Not to mention alot more work for yourself with daily water changes even twice daily

 

[rustage]

Darn it. I have a house full of kids and a wife that are all expecting to go shopping for the first 3 fish on Sunday. Looks like I'll be buying plastic fish!

 

[fatheadminnow]

Darn it. I have a house full of kids and a wife that are all expecting to go shopping for the first 3 fish on Sunday. Looks like I'll be buying plastic fish!

for the plastic fish.

Yeah, it is very important to cycle your tank before you get fish to ensure a good environment for your fish.

-FHM

 

[OldMan47]

If you are willing to do the hard work, it is possible to have fish survive a fish-in cycle. Most of us, including me, will discourage it but it is possible. That is a beautiful tank that you have but it will need to be very lightly stocked compared to its volume. Do you have any idea how you will be able to clean it? My arms are not that long. If it gets as much light from that window as it seems to, it may give you some algae trouble unless you use that light to grow plants. The plants would also help out a lot with an uncycled tank if you can keep them growing vigorously.
I have a link in my signature area for both a fishless and a fish-in cycle threads. Please read through both before deciding which way to go. Maybe you can get a nice water garden started in the tank before getting any fish and that will help with the impatient ones that want to start right off with fish.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, cycling is essential. You're lucky you've stumbled onto this place!

You're also going to need to discuss the unusual nature of your tank with the members. That type of tank will only support a small number of fish because fish stocking goes by surface area at the top, not water volume.

Still, don't get discouraged! The members here will help you figure it all out and have fun, they're great!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[rustage]

Ok, so going against everything this thread and its members had to say on the matter of introducing fish prior to a 4 to 6 week cycle, I took the decision to try a fish-in cycle. Yesterday morning, I reduced the temp of the tank from 29 to 25 and before going to get 2 Chiclids I took my ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. (ph 7.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0.) My intention is to follow the fish-in cycle guide and as such will be monitoring the levels and conducting the 20% water changes as and when the levels dictate.

 

[waterdrop]

Often the fish-in water changes are more like 50% a day, but with that large water volume I'm not sure what they'll look like. As long as you can water change again when you hit 0.25ppm and not go over that, you should be ok.

It usually takes a month or more to get the filter working in a fish-in cycle.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[meguro]

Could someone explain the purpose of designing a tank in that manner please. Wouldn't the dissolved oxygen be extremely low?

 

[Bobtastic]

Can you use a CO2 defuser attached to a low powered or low bubble count air pump to increase the disolved oxygen in a tank like this?

 

[rustage]

I have an air pump / stone from the bottom of the tank sending bubbles up the back of the tank wall - The filter I use also aerates the water. I also have a aqua-clear 50 pumping water to the base of the tank so as to cause a flow from bottom to top. I'm hoping I have it all setup correctly. It did have an under gravel filter system, but I figured I'd swap it out.

EDIT: I also have a few plants in the bottom of the tank - surely these will be producing oxygen in the water.... Again, forgive my ignorance.

EDIT EDIT: Thanks waterdrop - 50% water change when ammonia hits .25ppm?

 

[GlidergirlUK]

Just wondering how do you get to the bottom to actually plant stuff or do a gravel vac?