Establishing new filter

[Bennlfer]

Hello i started cycling my new 135 gallon tank on Saturday with a filter straight from my previous tank (rated only for a 50 gallon tank) and a brand new filter (rated for a 80 gallon tank). I added 2 goldfish to the tank to add small amounts of ammonia.

I was just wondering how long you guys think my new filter will take to establish and is it safe to put fish in until then? Should i just wait until the tank parameters are safe?

Thanks for any feedback

 

[Deaths Sting]

first of all u don't need the goldfish if ur adding ammonia.. yikes...

u should absolutely wait until the parameters are safe.... this means:

0 ammonia
0 nitrite

then add ur fish..

 

[Bennlfer]

I didnt say i was adding ammonia as well, i said i added the goldfish TO add small amounts of ammonia naturally

 

[Bennlfer]

Both ammonia and nitrite are close to 0. Nitrate is about 20 ppm

 

[Deaths Sting]

I didnt say i was adding ammonia as well, i said i added the goldfish TO add small amounts of ammonia naturally

sorry man, my bad

Both ammonia and nitrite are close to 0. Nitrate is about 20 ppm

close is not close enough! wait till its 0!

how long has the tank been cycling?

 

[hothew84]

ya u dont need the goldfish if you took another filter from a tank thats been running for some time and once your nitrate is down to 0 ppm then you can add your first group of fish some people say 3 at a time and then check your params every day after adding your fish that u want to keep and if any readings of any kind show up its time to do a water change and so on and so on easy as 1 2 3, hahaha.

 

[hothew84]

and how long it will take to cycle is hard to say you just have to go by params

 

[Deaths Sting]

once your nitrate is down to 0 ppm then you can add your first group of fish

not true.. he could add fish before it reaches 0. since nitrates are virtually harmless at low levels. plus they don't usually go down to 0 unless very large water changes have been preformed or plantation has taken effect on the water. there's also certain products on the market which reduce nitrates..

 

[bob965]

If your ammonia and nitrite are both zero, you probly haven't even begun cycling yet. Two goldfish in that big tank is hardly any bioload at all.