New cichlids and tank setup
- Thread starter Kolton13
- Start date
A little yes, I made sure parameters are fine tho, all it is is hard water and cichlids like hard water.
When the other member asked if you cycled the tank for only a week I believe they were alluding to the fact that you can’t cycle a tank that fast without using already seeded media.
did you use already seeded media? Or do you mean you let water run through your filter for a week?
if the answer is running Water for a week, then no, your tank is not cycled. You have no bb built up in your filters to process fish waste. Especially if you have not been adding a source of ammonia for the week you thought it was cycling.
please take a look at this information for cycling your tank:
Cycling and You
Fishless tank cycling and associated information... http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207575 http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203911 http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28654...
www.monsterfishkeepers.com
When you say your water parameters are good do you mean you tested them? If so did they read as follows?
Nitrites 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrates 0ppm
if the answer again is yes, you are not cycled and those are not good parameters.
for a cycled tank you will have 0 ammonia and nitrites and something registering as nitrates. Ideally you want to keep your nitrates below 20ppm between water changes.
if you did use seeded media then good for you! Your well on your way to a cycled tank. You will still have to monitor your water parameters and do water changes accordingly. The bb will need some time to adult to the new stocking levels.
Ammonia was 0 and nitrate was like 0-5 Water was hard like I said because In my area the water Is only hard. I put a brand new filter on thursday, thought that would be ok. What should I do?When the other member asked if you cycled the tank for only a week I believe they were alluding to the fact that you can’t cycle a tank that fast without using already seeded media.
did you use already seeded media? Or do you mean you let water run through your filter for a week?
if the answer is running Water for a week, then no, your tank is not cycled. You have no bb built up in your filters to process fish waste. Especially if you have not been adding a source of ammonia for the week you thought it was cycling.
please take a look at this information for cycling your tank:
Cycling and You
Fishless tank cycling and associated information... http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207575 http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203911 http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28654...
When you say your water parameters are good do you mean you tested them? If so did they read as follows?
Nitrites 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrates 0ppm
if the answer again is yes, you are not cycled and those are not good parameters.
for a cycled tank you will have 0 ammonia and nitrites and something registering as nitrates. Ideally you want to keep your nitrates below 20ppm between water changes.
if you did use seeded media then good for you! Your well on your way to a cycled tank. You will still have to monitor your water parameters and do water changes accordingly. The bb will need some time to adult to the new stocking levels.
If i'm reading your situation correctly you've just put your fish in a set up that doesn't yet have the bacterial capability of processing the ammonia they'll constantly be putting out. Within 48 hrs the ammonia will start building up and the ever so common "new tank syndrome" will manifest itself with potentially disastrous results.
What's done is done now, fish are in. If you have any seeded media already in another tank i'd use some of that but be careful how much you take or your other tank could go through a mini cycle. Best bet really is to go to your fish store, explain to them what's happened, and they may give you some seeded media from their system.
Putting seeded media in may not give you a 100% cycled tank, but it'll certainly give you a good kickstart. Use your test kit to monitor the ammonia. If it's building up too much then partial water changes will help, along with prime. And lay off feeding.
You're at a critical point now and you need to act quickly. Don't be led into a false sense of security by your fish, at this moment swimming around looking happy. It's the calm before the storm.
I wish you good luck.
What's done is done now, fish are in. If you have any seeded media already in another tank i'd use some of that but be careful how much you take or your other tank could go through a mini cycle. Best bet really is to go to your fish store, explain to them what's happened, and they may give you some seeded media from their system.
Putting seeded media in may not give you a 100% cycled tank, but it'll certainly give you a good kickstart. Use your test kit to monitor the ammonia. If it's building up too much then partial water changes will help, along with prime. And lay off feeding.
You're at a critical point now and you need to act quickly. Don't be led into a false sense of security by your fish, at this moment swimming around looking happy. It's the calm before the storm.
I wish you good luck.
Think you mayhave jumped the gun quite a bit with buying your fish without researching first. Most of us have made similar mistakes starting out.
Here are a couple of pages on the nitrogen cycle:
The Beginner's Guide to the Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums - Aquarium Co-Op
The Cycle of Life: The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquariums (liveaquaria.com)
GIve them a few reads through. It sounds complicated at first but it's not so bad. Unfortunately you have not done this yet, so the fish you have now are in trouble.
Honestly, you should probably bring them back to the store. Those fish will grow far too large for a 29 gallon and will not live together peacefully anyway. Right now they are babies but the Jack Dempsey and Venustus that you have alone can each grow to a foot long. Not all cichlids are the same, and only the smallest dwarfs could actually live in a 29 galllon tank.
Best of luck. Take two steps back and take your time with getting started, it will save you alot of headaches.
Here are a couple of pages on the nitrogen cycle:
The Beginner's Guide to the Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums - Aquarium Co-Op
The Cycle of Life: The Nitrogen Cycle in Aquariums (liveaquaria.com)
GIve them a few reads through. It sounds complicated at first but it's not so bad. Unfortunately you have not done this yet, so the fish you have now are in trouble.
Honestly, you should probably bring them back to the store. Those fish will grow far too large for a 29 gallon and will not live together peacefully anyway. Right now they are babies but the Jack Dempsey and Venustus that you have alone can each grow to a foot long. Not all cichlids are the same, and only the smallest dwarfs could actually live in a 29 galllon tank.
Best of luck. Take two steps back and take your time with getting started, it will save you alot of headaches.
first off their is no way that tank is cycled second were areall those fish going? it will be over stocked long term