Setting up a new tank

greenlangtern

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2008
100
1
48
Sacramento, CA
I was wondering if I am doing this correctly when I sat up my 90 g tank.
Here's what I did:
Cleaned out the inside tank and sand/gravel with a garden hose
then i put it back inside and filled it up with a garden hose
and put some "AquaSafe" and some Aquarium Salt in
Then usually I put the fish in after the air pump and filter are installed.

Right now I just got some Ph Down that I dropped in.
Is there something that I'm missing or something I could do to make the fish less stressed out :irked: during transitions like this?
 

Nic

Peacock Bass
MFK Member
Oct 8, 2005
15,790
14
119
outside philly
well not messing with the ph is a good start.... and is this tank cycled???
 

greenlangtern

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2008
100
1
48
Sacramento, CA
Nic;1959487; said:
well not messing with the ph is a good start.... and is this tank cycled???
I usually don't do anything to the pH but I heard 5.5-6.5 is good for peacock bass so I'm giving it a shot. As of now its still at neutral 7.0
what/how is a tank cycled?
 

Trippingpara

Gambusia
MFK Member
May 10, 2008
268
0
16
New England
A new tank must be cycled first. That means it has to go through the entire nitrogen cycle (production of ammonia then to nitrites then to nitrates). That can take some time. There are some ways to speed this process up: you can use filters, biomedia or gravel from a previously established tank, or you can use feeder fish to help kickstart this process (not everybody agrees with this method as it can kill those fish). I have also heard of others that actually add store bought ammonia into the tank to kickstart the process. I have never tried this, so I can't really comment on it. I just know that many have done so successfully.

If you put your fish into an uncycled tank, you risk the loss of your fish from "new tank syndrome".
 

Tigerfish908

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 6, 2008
780
0
0
NJ/PA
You can use "Cycle" biological filtration to speed up the cycling process. You can find this at your lfs. If u use this your tank should be ready for fish in 1-2 weeks.

Also invest in a test kit, so u can check your params daily.
 

jamesgang

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 2, 2008
25
0
0
los angeles
I cycled my last 3 tanks with "BIO SPIRA' . Ive never lost a fish by using it. It has to be kept refrigerated so you won't find it on the shelf, it contains the beneficial bacteria that we're looking for and you just set up your tank and start fishkeeping. It is somewhat pricey though, I think I paid 30 dollars for my last bottle.
 
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