Since I have seen so many questions on cycling a tank, I'd figured I'd add this post to make it clear to everyone on an emergency basis.
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, I have no scientific fact behind my way of setting up a tank. I didn't come with all this, this is simply knwoledge I have gathered from the past. I am in no way responsible of your outcome by doing the exact thing I am doing. I am not making you do this...this is to serve as guidance.
Scenario: You have an established tank and an emergency such as ich emerge and you need to isolate a fish to separate hospital tank.
1. Grab the new tank, fill it up 25 % with new water. Preferably aged water, but new tap with dechlorinator will work as well
2. Fill the rest of the tank with the old tank water. Some may say that OLD water is not necessary, I find it easier for a sick fish to make him feel right at home without too big of a drastic changes that can cause a shock.
3. Find your HOB filter, canister filter, bio balls, sponger filter and other filter media.
4. Squeeze the foam or rinse the bio balls into the new tank. Nasty stuff will come out. It may be pretty dark brown and may be clouding your new tank. It's okay don't panic.
5. Match the new tank temperature with the old tank temp.
6. Catch your sick fish, drip acclimate with the new tank for about 10 minutes or so and put him in the new tank.
Precaution: make sure the amount of fish that you are putting in the new tank DO NOT EXCEED the number of fish in the old tank. You're trying to bring the old established biological bacteria into the new tank. Do not wait more than a day to add in the sick fish. By doing this, you're starving the BB and they will all die and cause an ammonia spike.
I usually wait for 3-4 days for the new biological bacteria to seed and colonize the new tank before feeding the fish. Keep feeding to 2-3 times per week, you want to let the new tank settled with the BB to keep up with fish load.
Remember: You can use this method to cycle, assuming you have an old running tank with adequeate or larger bio load. Another word, do not use filter media from 10 gallon tank filled with 5 guppies to start a 200 gallon arowana tank.
If you have any addition, please feel free to add...I am open to learning.
PS: Don;t ask me why, or how do you know all this, or show me scientific proof and etc. Read the above disclaimer...
stan
Disclaimer: I am not an expert, I have no scientific fact behind my way of setting up a tank. I didn't come with all this, this is simply knwoledge I have gathered from the past. I am in no way responsible of your outcome by doing the exact thing I am doing. I am not making you do this...this is to serve as guidance.
Scenario: You have an established tank and an emergency such as ich emerge and you need to isolate a fish to separate hospital tank.
1. Grab the new tank, fill it up 25 % with new water. Preferably aged water, but new tap with dechlorinator will work as well
2. Fill the rest of the tank with the old tank water. Some may say that OLD water is not necessary, I find it easier for a sick fish to make him feel right at home without too big of a drastic changes that can cause a shock.
3. Find your HOB filter, canister filter, bio balls, sponger filter and other filter media.
4. Squeeze the foam or rinse the bio balls into the new tank. Nasty stuff will come out. It may be pretty dark brown and may be clouding your new tank. It's okay don't panic.
5. Match the new tank temperature with the old tank temp.
6. Catch your sick fish, drip acclimate with the new tank for about 10 minutes or so and put him in the new tank.
Precaution: make sure the amount of fish that you are putting in the new tank DO NOT EXCEED the number of fish in the old tank. You're trying to bring the old established biological bacteria into the new tank. Do not wait more than a day to add in the sick fish. By doing this, you're starving the BB and they will all die and cause an ammonia spike.
I usually wait for 3-4 days for the new biological bacteria to seed and colonize the new tank before feeding the fish. Keep feeding to 2-3 times per week, you want to let the new tank settled with the BB to keep up with fish load.
Remember: You can use this method to cycle, assuming you have an old running tank with adequeate or larger bio load. Another word, do not use filter media from 10 gallon tank filled with 5 guppies to start a 200 gallon arowana tank.
If you have any addition, please feel free to add...I am open to learning.
PS: Don;t ask me why, or how do you know all this, or show me scientific proof and etc. Read the above disclaimer...
stan
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