28 days I THINK - don't hold me on this. Google is your best friend right now. Typing in anything along the lines of "how to aquarium cycle" or "fish in aquarium cycle" should get you what your looking for. And don't forget the test kits! 
Water color
- Thread starter daeception03
- Start date
Also, the site has a wonderful "search" feature, if you search it on here you're bound to find information on it. Search! Search! Search! 
The more info you find, the more knowledge you gain...
The more info you find, the more knowledge you gain...
Cycling a tank, is the building up of sufficient populations of ammonia and nitrite consuming bacteria that neutralize fish urine and waste, this can take time. It can take up to 3 months.
If the media in that filter was already seeded with a population of beneficial bacteria you may already be fine. If the media in the filter is totally new, you need to watch water parameters closely (by testing) , and as stated above, do lots of water changes to dilute, 1st the ammonia the fish will produce, then in a couple weeks the nitrite. When those to are reduced to zero, and your nitrate readings come up, you will be in the clear.
Getting some ornaments or a handful of substrate from an established tank could also speed up the process.
If the media in that filter was already seeded with a population of beneficial bacteria you may already be fine. If the media in the filter is totally new, you need to watch water parameters closely (by testing) , and as stated above, do lots of water changes to dilute, 1st the ammonia the fish will produce, then in a couple weeks the nitrite. When those to are reduced to zero, and your nitrate readings come up, you will be in the clear.
Getting some ornaments or a handful of substrate from an established tank could also speed up the process.
a month without seeding, can get it sorted in less than a week if you can get a load of deco and media in there asap. your gonna have to do big water changes daily without seeding, best to do this with a hose pipe to syphon out and refill, if your using buckets it takes ages....
if you just leave it yes your fish will likely die, another option is taking the fish back today and getting them to reserve it for a month or buying another....
if you just leave it yes your fish will likely die, another option is taking the fish back today and getting them to reserve it for a month or buying another....
With no decor (which means very low surface area for bacteria) and just a single small sponge filter, I think you will struggle to establish enough bacteria to keep your ammonia and nitrate levels down. If you are unable to afford a packaged filter system, you may have luck with a DIY undergravel system run by your airstones, same idea as the sponge filter only increases the surface area significantly. An 'HOB' (hang on back) filter would also be a good option. I think that increasing your filtration, especially in an uncycled tank, is going to be critical to the health of your fish.
