Whats The Important Thing To Do When Getting A New Tank?

[zain611]

Whats the best or important way to set up or cycle a tank? if i get my aquastyle 980 which is 215l which is a big change then a 28l tank then what is the best way to cycle it as a tank with that much water would require 4 buckets to empty a quarter of the water out then with my tank a bucket worth is about 3 quarters of it

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Get a hose long enough to reach a sink and faucet! Makes changing the water only time consuming not back breaking.



I use a 50 foot light duty garden hose that i bought just for this. I connect it to my kitchen sink faucet (using a simple adapter available at any hardware store). Then I put the other end in the tank and turn the water on. Let the air run out of the hose. When the bubbles stop, disconnect the hose from the faucet and a siphon will begin (assuming the tank is set-up higher than the sink!). Remove the water to your desired level, vacuuming as necessary. When the tank is sufficiently drained. Hook up the hose to the sink again. Turn the water on and add the dechlorinator DIRECTLY TO THE TANK, FOR THE FULL VOLUME OF WATER IN THE TANK.

I leave my heater running during this process, because it is fully submerged and low in the tank. I then use cold water to slowly refill... the fish seem to love it. It causes them to spawn at times. ;-) Cold water must make them think its a spring thaw or something. lol

Then, remove from tank when full and empty into a bucket, or whatever all the water still in the hose.

 

[zain611]

What about cycling? i was interested of using your old tank media but how would the bacteria flourish?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yes. The reality is that you won't have much bacteria in your small tank's filter compared to the huge tank. So, it won't offer much help, but any help is a benefit. When you are upgrading to a bigger tank, any little bit certainly can help. The best thing would be to steal a bit of material, and even put your new media in the bucket that you use to rinse your old media (or smear a bit of the mulm - brown slime - that builds up on the filter).

Seriously though, the most important thing for such a large tank is a hose and faucet connection. Trust me. Raising 5 gallon buckets up to pour them into the tank can really grow old fast. ;-)

 

[zain611]

Where can you get those python syphons from and how do you help that bacteria flourish if i added bacteria from my tank in there

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The pythons are far too expense, if you ask me. I explained what I use above.

The bacteria pretty much take care of themselves - once seeded. For a fishless cycle, you will want the temp around 29-30C (82-84F) and pH close to 8.4 is possible. The key is that they process ammonia and nitrite. Just complete a fishless cycle that's been seeded by the original filter and everything will be fine. Patience is the key to proper fishkeeping, really. These things all take time.

 

[zain611]

How do you dechlorinate the water that you put back in the tank with the sython also would the bacteria need fish with it in the new tank to help it feed on the waste and what do you mean by seeding it? im not able to get ammonia for a fishless cycle

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Dechlorinate the water directly in the tank... Just add sufficient dechlorinator for the entire volume of water the tank holds, not just the water that you are adding.


Use fish food for the ammonia for the fishless cycle. Just a few pinches and watch as the ammonia builds up a bit... then it should come back down again. As it starts to fall, add some more fish food. Once you see the nitrite rise and fall to zero, you are set. It will take some serious time. It won't be quick, but seeding it with BACTERIA from your current filter will speed the process up a bit.

The real key will be to slowly stock the tank once you get a zero nitrite reading (after it finally rises)!

 

[zain611]

What about using fish (just curious)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You can do that... In a larger tank it works best (with a VERY small number of fish)... BUT, you are looking at a LOT of water changes - which makes the hose that much more important!!!

 

[zain611]

Where can you get those python or similar models from? python looks like a US brand

 

[zain611]

Would i need to add fish just about after i put the media in the new tank as the bacteria need to feed on their waste and without it will make them starve. could i add the water and ornaments used from my old tank into the new tank to help the bacteria

 

[eaglesaquarium]

As I mentioned, I got my parts from my local hardware store. There are some nice threads around here somewhere showing how to make your own python.


Regarding the fish being added right away... what fish are you thinking of adding right away? You don't need to add fish to provide food for the bacteria, just adding fish food will do it.

 

[zain611]

How long will it take for the bacteria to act on the food also when i did a fish in cycle with this tank i have now my adviser from my pets@home store said to use mollies as they are hardy fish when cycling and i heard corys can be added in a 2 week old aquarium

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Do you want to keep mollys long term? I hate the idea of getting fish just to cycle the tank.


And I believe corys are best added after a few months, not weeks.