Wow to everything that
Gourami Swami
said. If I could like it twice I would.
Something that people often miss is the initial source of ammonia that triggers the nitrogen cycle. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a commercial ammonia that you need to do this. Throw some fish food that you have already in there. I Have a friend who was told to pee in a cup and pour it in the tank rather than spend money on fish waste lol. His tank is now cycled and is running fine. That might be controversial but it is simpler than the marketing companies want you to believe.
Some things to consider when cycling your tank:
- if using a smaller hardy fish to create your initial ammonia, ask yourself is this fish going to work with the fish I plan to keep once the tank is cycled or will it eat or be eaten by new fish. Either could be fine depending on the set up you plan to have. For instance I used juvenile jewel cichlids to cycle and they eventually killed my baby Oscar that I intended on keeping that was 3x the size of them. I thought the Oscar would eat the jewels and was ok with that(Facepalm)
- also when using old filter media to seed the new tank keep in mind that the beneficial bacteria is not waterborn or I think the term is planktonic. Which means putting old water in new tank has little to no value in regards to B.B. but adding substances such as filter media that has B.B. colonizing on its surface area are much more effective and beneficial. That is why you want to rinse these items in Dechlorinated water or tank water during maintenance rather than under the tap.
- some people seem to think that adding fish poop to your new tank helps. Only as a source of ammonia, not necessarily as a source of B.B. so fish poop is only beneficial if you don’t already have a source of ammonia.
It sucks when you are doing something for a long time and feel as if you are accomplished in an area to find out a small detail missing from the puzzle. I kept fish for 3-4 years before understanding this cycle as much as I do now since joining here. And I am still learning, so if I am incorrect on anything here I am open to Constructive criticism.
Sorry to hear about the loss of the old fish stock, very awesome of the store to credit you for $90. Lots of places would just tell you to take a hike. Good thing you have a good relationship with them. Hope this is helpful not just hot air.