First time cichlid tank cycling help?

[MineralMagic]

Hi guys, im getting my first tank very soon- a 37 gallon, and i need some help with cycling this bad boy, i have written down a step by step progress on what i think i might do, but could you guys check it over and see any points of concern? The stocking list is as follows:

1 male albino peacock cichlid
7 other random peacocks, unsexed
1 male yellow lab
2 female yellow labs (im still not sure wether to just get one, or two?)
1 brittlenose catfish


Heres my cycling idea:

1. Set up tank, filter, live rocks and heater.
2. add tetra safestart plus.
3. add ammonia alert.
4. let everything sit for a couple of days, then test with strips.
5. if nitrate isn't zero, perform 20%/30% water change, allow to sit for a day and test again.
6. if PH levels aren't high enough, add some sort of product to get them up.
7. Allow to sit for another day.
8. perform 30% water change, fill up again and get fish!
9. test water every second day for the first week, watching the PH and the ammonia alert, if a ammonia spike is apparent, add some seachem prime.

And thats it! thanks for the help guys, im so exited for my tank!

 

[predatorkeeper87]

skip the ammo alert...not needed IMO.
this is how I cycle tanks:
Tetra safestart+ or seachem stability, preferably stability but I'm a seachem fanboy, but I've had perfect results with both.
Seachem Prime on standby, several bottles over what could handle the whole tank once.
depending on tank size I get double what I need usually.
I get my entire stocking list for the tank, add fresh water, the safestart or stability in 1.5X dosage for tank size.
Add fish.
Dose with Prime and the remaining bottled BB the next day.
monitor with LIQUID tests, not strips, as they are wildly inaccurate to begin with. Couple that with the fact that Prime gives you false ammo readings and you could worry over nothing.
continue to watch, and add more bottled BB in half doses for a week.
fully cycled tank. Expensive way to do it but your tank will fully cycle within a week.

 

[predatorkeeper87]

now...if you want to do it your way:
1. No need for ammo alert, and don't add safestart without an ammonia source to feed the bacteria, you'll be dumping 25-30 bucks into the tank for nothing. If you are going the bottled bacteria route, you need to add the fish with it.
2. you won't see nitrates for at least 3-4 days while the bacteria establishes, in that time frame you'll see a NITRITE spike, while the bacteria coverts the ammonia to it, and this is where you need Prime for the quick cycle method. Your nitrates should never be zero, you should always register some dissolved solid content in your water.
3. I would dose with Prime every other day if not every day while this tank establishes, you're fish will thank you for it.
4. Water changes should be kept to a minimum while your tank sets up, taking to much ammo or nitrite out of the system at this stage can cause a bacteria die off, best to rely on the prime to nullify it in the water instead.
There will be about 10000 replies to this saying I'm wrong and fishless cycling is the best blah blah blah

 

[MineralMagic]

now...if you want to do it your way:
1. No need for ammo alert, and don't add safestart without an ammonia source to feed the bacteria, you'll be dumping 25-30 bucks into the tank for nothing. If you are going the bottled bacteria route, you need to add the fish with it.
2. you won't see nitrates for at least 3-4 days while the bacteria establishes, in that time frame you'll see a NITRITE spike, while the bacteria coverts the ammonia to it, and this is where you need Prime for the quick cycle method. Your nitrates should never be zero, you should always register some dissolved solid content in your water.
3. I would dose with Prime every other day if not every day while this tank establishes, you're fish will thank you for it.
4. Water changes should be kept to a minimum while your tank sets up, taking to much ammo or nitrite out of the system at this stage can cause a bacteria die off, best to rely on the prime to nullify it in the water instead.
There will be about 10000 replies to this saying I'm wrong and fishless cycling is the best blah blah blah

thanks, so you add the fish in straight away with the safe start? im a little confused with the first bit.

 

[MineralMagic]

now...if you want to do it your way:
1. No need for ammo alert, and don't add safestart without an ammonia source to feed the bacteria, you'll be dumping 25-30 bucks into the tank for nothing. If you are going the bottled bacteria route, you need to add the fish with it.
2. you won't see nitrates for at least 3-4 days while the bacteria establishes, in that time frame you'll see a NITRITE spike, while the bacteria coverts the ammonia to it, and this is where you need Prime for the quick cycle method. Your nitrates should never be zero, you should always register some dissolved solid content in your water.
3. I would dose with Prime every other day if not every day while this tank establishes, you're fish will thank you for it.
4. Water changes should be kept to a minimum while your tank sets up, taking to much ammo or nitrite out of the system at this stage can cause a bacteria die off, best to rely on the prime to nullify it in the water instead.
There will be about 10000 replies to this saying I'm wrong and fishless cycling is the best blah blah blah

whats prime?

 

[MineralMagic]

now...if you want to do it your way:
1. No need for ammo alert, and don't add safestart without an ammonia source to feed the bacteria, you'll be dumping 25-30 bucks into the tank for nothing. If you are going the bottled bacteria route, you need to add the fish with it.
2. you won't see nitrates for at least 3-4 days while the bacteria establishes, in that time frame you'll see a NITRITE spike, while the bacteria coverts the ammonia to it, and this is where you need Prime for the quick cycle method. Your nitrates should never be zero, you should always register some dissolved solid content in your water.
3. I would dose with Prime every other day if not every day while this tank establishes, you're fish will thank you for it.
4. Water changes should be kept to a minimum while your tank sets up, taking to much ammo or nitrite out of the system at this stage can cause a bacteria die off, best to rely on the prime to nullify it in the water instead.
There will be about 10000 replies to this saying I'm wrong and fishless cycling is the best blah blah blah

Also, i really don't have enough money for a proper testing kit- could i just get a certain thing to test for? like, a nitrite tester?

 

[MineralMagic]

now...if you want to do it your way:
1. No need for ammo alert, and don't add safestart without an ammonia source to feed the bacteria, you'll be dumping 25-30 bucks into the tank for nothing. If you are going the bottled bacteria route, you need to add the fish with it.
2. you won't see nitrates for at least 3-4 days while the bacteria establishes, in that time frame you'll see a NITRITE spike, while the bacteria coverts the ammonia to it, and this is where you need Prime for the quick cycle method. Your nitrates should never be zero, you should always register some dissolved solid content in your water.
3. I would dose with Prime every other day if not every day while this tank establishes, you're fish will thank you for it.
4. Water changes should be kept to a minimum while your tank sets up, taking to much ammo or nitrite out of the system at this stage can cause a bacteria die off, best to rely on the prime to nullify it in the water instead.
There will be about 10000 replies to this saying I'm wrong and fishless cycling is the best blah blah blah

Sorry for all these questions, but the prime your talking about is the seachem prime stuff- right? what size bottle should i get for a 37 gallon tank?

 

[predatorkeeper87]

thanks, so you add the fish in straight away with the safe start? im a little confused with the first bit.

yes, safestart is bottled bacteria. once it hits the water the bacteria will begin looking for a food source (ammonia and nitrite), if you don't have something in the tank creating ammonia, the fish for instance, the bacteria will die off.

whats prime?

seachem prime is a water conditioner. it neutralizes chlorine and chloramine, as well as binding ammonia and nitrites for roughly a 24hr period. The great thing is while the ammo and nitrites are neutralized, they are still able to be consumed by your bacteria so it won't interrupt the food sources for your bacteria colonies, but keeps your fish from being exposed.

Also, i really don't have enough money for a proper testing kit- could i just get a certain thing to test for? like, a nitrite tester?

I don't know if you can buy the testers separately but if you can and do that, get ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. I imagine the full API kit is only around 20 dollars, but I understand the financial constraints. I'm not an expert on the fish you are getting, but from what I know they have somewhat specific water parameters, so having at least PH strips on hand may be a decent idea as well. I don't test PH since I keep pretty hard species that could care less for the most part.

 

[MineralMagic]

yes, safestart is bottled bacteria. once it hits the water the bacteria will begin looking for a food source (ammonia and nitrite), if you don't have something in the tank creating ammonia, the fish for instance, the bacteria will die off.

seachem prime is a water conditioner. it neutralizes chlorine and chloramine, as well as binding ammonia and nitrites for roughly a 24hr period. The great thing is while the ammo and nitrites are neutralized, they are still able to be consumed by your bacteria so it won't interrupt the food sources for your bacteria colonies, but keeps your fish from being exposed.

I don't know if you can buy the testers separately but if you can and do that, get ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. I imagine the full API kit is only around 20 dollars, but I understand the financial constraints. I'm not an expert on the fish you are getting, but from what I know they have somewhat specific water parameters, so having at least PH strips on hand may be a decent idea as well. I don't test PH since I keep pretty hard species that could care less for the most part.

Thanks so much for all you help, so exited for my new fish, and so glad im not going to have to wait a month cycling to get them!!

 

[predatorkeeper87]

Thanks so much for all you help, so exited for my new fish, and so glad im not going to have to wait a month cycling to get them!!

lol no problem. You may get contradicting statements on here about quick cycles, but believe me I've cycled tanks for 40B's all the way to my 310DD this exact same way. Its pricey so keep that in mind. a bottle of safestart is like 15 bucks or something, stability is like 10, so just be mindful because you HAVE to stay on top of the cycle as it progresses because you will have nitrite spikes during this, and Prime is like 10 bucks a bottle or something too. But as long as you stay on top of it you'll have a well-established tank in no time flat.