I have worked with many tanks but most were already established tanks (worked at a pet store and have helped friends, had basic fish like bettas and such), doing maintenance. But how long should I wait ( levels are within normal perimeters at least from the last time I checked) before getting my fish?
How long is it from setting up a tank to introducing fish?
- Thread starter drewbiezy
- Start date
How did you setup and cycle the tank?
Since if you just put everything on the tank, and added water then tested it straight away, naturally your parameters would be probably close too if not perfect enough to put fish straight in... but if you never properly cycled the tank to start with, there won't be enough beneficial bacteria to support the fish...
Since if you just put everything on the tank, and added water then tested it straight away, naturally your parameters would be probably close too if not perfect enough to put fish straight in... but if you never properly cycled the tank to start with, there won't be enough beneficial bacteria to support the fish...
+1. there are many different ways to get a tank ready for fish. if you use an established filter you can almost setup and go. ive had to setup tanks in a rush before and there are quick ways to do it, maybe not ideal, but can be done. last big tank i setup i got the tank and fish at the same time, but i moved filtration from another tank and didnt get hardly any ammonia spike
A little more info may help it was a previously used tank, but i rinsed it out pretty well, used tap water treated with prime and Kordon fish protector, let the water sit for 2 days and tested came out normal, introduced several minnows just to help get bacteria growing, several are still alive and well. It been almost a week total.
Ok just remembered I have the filter that came with the previous owners filter, this would be effective right?
The BB in that filter media may have all died by now (I'm assuming that filter media has been out of use for a while).
Just remember the bacteria colony will only grow proportionate to the amount of ammonia in the system for them to feed off. You could have a perfectly cycled tank that has been running for years, but if you replace a school of neons with a bunch of big oscars you're going to get a mini-cycle happening. If your parameters are ok I'd start introducing fish, slowly.
I only have plans of one fish A red or high fin wolf depending on where you buy it from (Erythrinus Erythrinus) Its a species tank just for one of these guys. I have introduced some minnows but I don't know how effective that really is. So how would I go about it if I only plan on having one fish in this tank, introduce a few more of a smaller species to cycle and then let the wolf sort them out? Or should I be ok in the next week or so introducing just this one guy?