also .. if i decide not to use the oscars .. what if i use something to cycle the tank .. once its cycled i can put them in my 10 gal and let the breed for feeders .. if i was going to do this what fish would everyone suggest buying and how many to cycle my tank mainly but secondly to do this with the 10 gal? the oscar would be easier and cheaper though so let me know!
Cycling questions
- Thread starter Acura_RSX
- Start date
Go fishless. Zero chance of introducing disease or parasites, and no fish get hurt in the process. If you use fish to cycle, you have to do alot more water changes and keep a closer eye on ur parameters. Fishless is alot less hassle. Also, when you use fish to cycle, you create a biofilter that is sized to the bioload of the fish you used to cycle, which can be a problem if you're planning on heavily stocking the tank. When you go fishless, you create a huge biofilter capable of handling any load right away, because you're using an ammonia concentration far greater than what will be normally in the tank.
Just use additive-free liquid ammonia, or granulated ammonium chloride. Raise your ammonia concentration to about 2-4ppm. It will go even faster if you use old filter media in conjunction with the added ammonia.
Just use additive-free liquid ammonia, or granulated ammonium chloride. Raise your ammonia concentration to about 2-4ppm. It will go even faster if you use old filter media in conjunction with the added ammonia.
Get your heater and set up the tank. Fill with water and dechlorinate. Add a heaping tablespoon of cane sugar and let the tank run for at least 48 hours to allow the temperature to stabilze and to make sure that everything is running properly. Get your fish and toss them in the tank. Start feeding and let them swim around for at least 24 hours. This will allow a little ammonia and organic waste to accumulate in the water. Start dosing with Seachem Stability according to the instructions.
Be sure to shake the Stability bottle vigorously to resuspend the bacteria.
Be sure to shake the Stability bottle vigorously to resuspend the bacteria.
brianp;3767329; said:
well, this system sounds pretty easy .. by fish you mean the fish i plan to keep? or fish to use for the cycle? i'm taking back both oscars today anyways. one didn't work out in my buddiees tank so theres a 10" oscar is a 25 gallon tank atm so im picking him up today anyways and put him in the tank. and just as well to get the one i gave my other friend seeing as hes not keeping him anyways. hopefully this does the trick .. i will be getting my fish at different times anyways. so the tank will most likely be going from a 10" and 5" oscar to a 4" aro and two 3-4" bichirs .. so itll be fine for them and adust to them. then i'll be adding whatevers available to me next in .. etc. slow the process so i'm not adding all my fish at once.
Acura_RSX;3768292; said:
The fish you plan to keep. The cane sugar will provide an additional carbon surce required by the bacteria for metabolism. A new tank is too sterile to support robust bacterial growth. They need "carbon" and don't care where they get it. Sometimes you hear of people adding liquor (ethanol) to a new tank for cycling. The ethanol is used by the bacteria as a carbon source. Don't get carried away with the sugar or your water will become cloudy.
I have never seeded a tank with fish because i know it is stressful and usually fateful to the fish because of the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate; it would be like someone locking you in a chamber full of Cyanide . Instead, I always sprinkle a few flakes of food into the tank and use some substrate from a previously seeded tank and some of the water. I turn the temperature up to 26C and obviously run the filter. The rotting of the food starts off the Ammonia process and the bacteria in the substrate starts off the bacteria producing process. Then I add some Nutrafin Cycle. Every day, run tests on the water until Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate are at 0! Also, remember to ALWAYS add a dechlorinator to tap water. Chlorine must be at 0 too!!
