Totally Blonde Question - But Amonia?

[BusyMumof5]

I'm still a little un-sure of what to do!
I'm getting a new 200 litre tank this evening and wondered what's best to start it off cycling.
I've read the posts about it but still don't really understand much

I will be adding some media from my already established tank and it comes with used for 2 months media itself, BUT, do I have to buy a bottle of ammonia?!

I use something called 'Nitrafin Cycle+' and never had to buy ammonia with the tank we already have.. I am a complete novice!

Do I test the new tank water every single day and at what point are the readings going to show a 'cycle' has been done?

Forgive me for being so Blonde but I really get confused with the whole process!

 

[roadmaster]

I'm still a little un-sure of what to do!
I'm getting a new 200 litre tank this evening and wondered what's best to start it off cycling.
I've read the posts about it but still don't really understand much

I will be adding some media from my already established tank and it comes with used for 2 months media itself, BUT, do I have to buy a bottle of ammonia?!

I use something called 'Nitrafin Cycle+' and never had to buy ammonia with the tank we already have.. I am a complete novice!

Do I test the new tank water every single day and at what point are the readings going to show a 'cycle' has been done?

Forgive me for being so Blonde but I really get confused with the whole process!
[/quote


If you place some media from your established tank in the filter for the larger tank, then you could place three or four small fish such as the guppies or neons listed in your signature, in the tank straight away, assuming that the water in the larger tank is proper temp,and has been dechlorinated.
Would feed the fish very small amount of food once each day for a week, and then add one or two more small fish, and let them remain for a week before adding another two or three and so on.
At the end of each week, Perform 30 to 50 percent water change.Once the tank is stocked.you could increase the feedings to twice a day if you wish but with the exception of fry,most fish will do well with once a day feedings.IMHO

 

[BusyMumof5]

Thanks for that - VERY helpful!

 

[Harlequins]

When i upgraded to my big tank,i set up the new one filling it with 3/4 full of new dechlorinated water,waited for the water to heat up,bagged up my fish,put the water from the 'old' tank into the new tank along with the filter-depending what filter you have on the new tank either use a third of the media into the new filter to help clone it and run the original filter in the tank also.,then acclimatised my fish has you would do if they were newbies,due to the new volume of water...

In theory if you put the fish you have into the new tank with their original filter and dont add any fish for a week or so then the bio load from your old filter would substain them.

Test the water for ammonia/nitrite every day to ensure no spikes,if ammonia & nitrite still reading zero after week,then slowly add new fish

 

[BusyMumof5]

When i upgraded to my big tank,i set up the new one filling it with 3/4 full of new dechlorinated water,waited for the water to heat up,bagged up my fish,put the water from the 'old' tank into the new tank along with the filter-depending what filter you have on the new tank either use a third of the media into the new filter to help clone it and run the original filter in the tank also.,then acclimatised my fish has you would do if they were newbies,due to the new volume of water...

In theory if you put the fish you have into the new tank with their original filter and dont add any fish for a week or so then the bio load from your old filter would substain them.

Test the water for ammonia/nitrite every day to ensure no spikes,if ammonia & nitrite still reading zero after week,then slowly add new fish

I'm not going to be shutting the old tank down, It's going to be kept open and running for the Pregnant Molly's and their fry... and eventually become the 'quarentine' tank...

 

[Harlequins]

Thats no problem,keep the filter running in the new tank for a few weeks,until the molly drops,livebearer fry can be kept in a tank with no filter for a week or so,has long as you do daily water changes,they should be fine.

Has they start getting bigger add the filter back into the tank,whilst the fry are tiny they wont produce a lot of bio load, the filter media will start dying off when they are very young.hence it would have to build back up again.

 

[BusyMumof5]

Thanks for that!
I will see how we go, I don't want to only get a day or 2 with the filter in the new tank, then have to put it back in because of the Fry for the new tank to be off, if that makes sense

Can't wait to get it back and set it up tonight..