Need help cycling a tank for a massive Bio load

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Podzy

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2015
193
1
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Toronto
Here is my situation...

I have a 180 gallon aquarium and two fluval FX 6 for it's filtration. I am about to start a fish less cycle in preparation for 10 Juvenile Discus fish , 6 Corydoras and 20 Cardinal Tetras.
now the breeders in my area do not have them available at the moment however in the coming few months , that wont be an issue. Since they are hard to come by i will be purchasing all of them at the same time. the Discus fish will be approximately 2'' to 2.5''.

I would be absolutely horrified If i some how screwed this up .

What steps can I take to ensure that the bacteria will be able to handle the sudden addition of that amount of fish to my aquarium ?
I have at least 8 weeks before these fish will be available , maybe even more then 8 weeks. but I want to do this right and I will not take any short cuts.
 
xraycer

xraycer

Arapaima
MFK Member
Sep 5, 2013
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Southern NH USA
That's going to be a lot of current in that tank. Discus are not fond of current.

With those size fish in a 180, you don't have a very heavy bio load. Just add the corys and tetras and let the tank cycle with this stock. Keep an eye on parameters and if there's any blip, do 30%-40% water changes every other day until tank is cycled. Once cycled, you'll want to do the same thing after adding the 10 discus.

1 FX should be adequate filtration, initially, for this light stock.
 
P

Podzy

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2015
193
1
33
Toronto
I have a 3D aquarium backround , I'm thinking about hiding the output behind the backround to kill the current in the tank .
 
M

MilitantPotato

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 19, 2006
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Missouri, USA
http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

2-3ppm of ammonia is enough to ensure a very strong bio filter. I generally also toss in food, Malaysian trumpet snails, some waste, and filter media from a running aquarium to transfer over some of the critters/algae present in an established aquarium. Live plants once the filter is established is also a smart move. Adding them early can cause some issues since they'll very happily consume ammonia before the filter gets to it.
 
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predatorkeeper87

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2014
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pennsylvania
xraycer said:
That's going to be a lot of current in that tank. Discus are not fond of current.

With those size fish in a 180, you don't have a very heavy bio load. Just add the corys and tetras and let the tank cycle with this stock. Keep an eye on parameters and if there's any blip, do 30%-40% water changes every other day until tank is cycled. Once cycled, you'll want to do the same thing after adding the 10 discus.

1 FX should be adequate filtration, initially, for this light stock.
Click to expand...
+1....you are going to have to do some good rigging and get the outputs of the fx6's together so the flow is strong but at least centralized in one spot that the discus can avoid.

Get Seachem Stability....if you are deadset on a fishless cycle...which is crazy to do these days with the available technology we have at our disposal haha, keep a few bottles on hand...as you add fish, dose the tank with it...believe it or not the stuff works and your cycle will be running in no time.
 
P

Podzy

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 9, 2015
193
1
33
Toronto
predatorkeeper87 said:
+1....you are going to have to do some good rigging and get the outputs of the fx6's together so the flow is strong but at least centralized in one spot that the discus can avoid.

Get Seachem Stability....if you are deadset on a fishless cycle...which is crazy to do these days with the available technology we have at our disposal haha, keep a few bottles on hand...as you add fish, dose the tank with it...believe it or not the stuff works and your cycle will be running in no time.
Click to expand...
Okay , if I decide to go with Seachem Stability , it says you can do it without adding fish. What exactly is the bacteria thriving on if there is no source of food for it ?
 
xraycer

xraycer

Arapaima
MFK Member
Sep 5, 2013
5,383
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203
Southern NH USA
Podzy said:
Okay , if I decide to go with Seachem Stability , it says you can do it without adding fish. What exactly is the bacteria thriving on if there is no source of food for it ?
Click to expand...
That would probably be the trade secret
 
P

predatorkeeper87

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2014
4,293
2,029
164
pennsylvania
Podzy said:
Okay , if I decide to go with Seachem Stability , it says you can do it without adding fish. What exactly is the bacteria thriving on if there is no source of food for it ?
Click to expand...
I believe alot of things seachem says haha but that may not be one of them, I do believe that their bacteria can live on a shelf alot longer due to how they actually package it. I always always always dose the tank I'm going to stock with the stability then add the fish right after, or the other way around as long as the fish aren't in there to long without using the stability. I've cycled tanks in less than a week that way...0 ammo/0 nitrites/5-10 ppm nitrates.
 
Drstrangelove

Drstrangelove

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Oct 21, 2012
2,693
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San Francisco
xraycer said:
That would probably be the trade secret
Click to expand...
If you place certain bacteria in water that has a pH below 6, they enter a form of stasis. I know that at least some of the BB we use reacts the same way, so my guess is that they are using that type of method.
 
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