How would one go about cycling a 10g tank?

[T-Rexx]

I have a 10 gallon betta tank with a top fin filter.. I've asked multiple people at petsmart if you could cycle a top fin filter and how, and all have told me you cant. There's no where to sustain good bacteria. which true it may be or not, why would they make them if you cant cycle them? Seems odd! So I've tried looking for a marineland biowheel but the smallest one I have ran into is for 30? I think or 20 gallon tanks. I don't want to put too much of a current in my tank! My poor bettas will be tossed about all over the place. So how would I go about cycling my 10 gallon? Am i missing something?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I'm not sure I understand. Why can't you use the topfin? What media does it have?

 

[T-Rexx]

Oh! Sorry I just realized how oddly written that description was! I should fix that! I have a top fin filter for a 10 gallon tank. but everyone has told me you cant cycle it because there is no where for the good bacteria to grow like it would on a bio wheel filtration system. The only media in the filter is the cartridge it originally comes with.

 

[ocminpin]

I have a Topfin Power Filter 10 for one o my 10g.. "For aquariums up to 10g"...
It's cycled... Perhaps the person you talked to didn't know what they were talking about or misunderstood??

 

[ocminpin]

Oh! Sorry I just realized how oddly written that description was! I should fix that! I have a top fin filter for a 10 gallon tank. but everyone has told me you cant cycle it because there is no where for the good bacteria to grow like it would on a bio wheel filtration system. The only media in the filter is the cartridge it originally comes with.

I used the cartridge it came with... And then when it came time for a new one I cut it up an added to back of my new filter pad.. It cycled as normal

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Oh! Sorry I just realized how oddly written that description was! I should fix that! I have a top fin filter for a 10 gallon tank. but everyone has told me you cant cycle it because there is no where for the good bacteria to grow like it would on a bio wheel filtration system. The only media in the filter is the cartridge it originally comes with.

The bacteria will grow on the cartridge. You don't need a bio wheel to cycle a tank.

 

[T-Rexx]

But every once in a while your supposed to rinse and eventually completely change out the cartridge right? All the bacteria would go with it, unless you cut it like Ocminpin suggested. (Great advice btw! I would of never thought to do that that )

Yea I figured they didn't know what they were talking about. Which makes me sad because you should be able to trust someone who is a "fish specialist" at petsmart to know the product their selling. It seems no matter what petsmart I go to, no one can ever give me the advice I need. Good thing I have you guys here to help!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yep just cut the old one up and cram it in next to the new one. all fixed!

 

[T-Rexx]

Is that what you have done with your tanks mumma? You seem like you have lotsa betta! ^_^ & I'm open to suggestions & options if any! And thanks for the wonderful responses, by the way! I really appreciate it! Oh! While I have you and on the topic how long does it usually take to cycle a 10g tank? I imagine not too long..

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Is that what you have done with your tanks mumma? You seem like you have lotsa betta! ^_^ & I'm open to suggestions & options if any! And thanks for the wonderful responses, by the way! I really appreciate it! Oh! While I have you and on the topic how long does it usually take to cycle a 10g tank? I imagine not too long..

One has a HOB and I put a sponge below the output to slow the current (pic in profile 30L tank). Another has a small internal filter I put a sponge on the spray bar and one has the stock kit in hood filter that has a low flow any way.

10g takes just as long as any other tank to cycle. 4-8 weeks. If you have another tank you can use some seeded media to seed the new tank and reduce the cycling time. In all of my Betta tanks I moved media from a canister filter into the new filter and added the Betta that day for a fish in cycle.

Glad to help.

 

[ocminpin]

But every once in a while your supposed to rinse and eventually completely change out the cartridge right? All the bacteria would go with it, unless you cut it like Ocminpin suggested. (Great advice btw! I would of never thought to do that that )

Yea I figured they didn't know what they were talking about. Which makes me sad because you should be able to trust someone who is a "fish specialist" at petsmart to know the product their selling. It seems no matter what petsmart I go to, no one can ever give me the advice I need. Good thing I have you guys here to help!

I once worked at Petsmart for a brief time... And before i was moved to Grooming I was originally trained in "Small Animals/Fish"... Their "training" consists of a manual to be read with a few videos and a multiple choice test. I could have become a "specialist" in 3-5 days...

Oh, and I learned about the cartridge changing/cutting on this site

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I'm not familiar with the details of a TopFin filter, so I currently can not speak to how to keep one cycled. But I can show you a cheap filter that you can modify that will keep your tank cycled and go easy on your betta.

My instructions are going to include links to specific products. But all of these specific products are just examples. You can walk into just about any fish tank and find similar items you can use just as well.

1. Start with the Tetra Wisper 10i
Whisper In-Tank Power Aquarium Filters from Tetra - Filters - Fish - PetSmart
Throw away all the media that comes with the filter.
This pump pulls water from the bottom and it simply flows/spills out the wide open top, so there is no "jet" of water.

2. Buy some biopellets
Fluval® U2/U3/U4 Biomax Underwater Filter - Online Only Sale - Holiday Sales - PetSmart
These are going to be your biological filter. Once cycled, you will keep these in the tank indefinitely.
You will also have to get a bag to keep the biopellets in.
Fluval Edge Carbon Clean & Clear Renewal Sachet- 3 pack - Filter Media - Fish - PetSmart
But you can also find where some filters sell biopellets already in a bag (even better).

3. For physical filtration, buy some huge filter pads.
There are fine filter pads:
HBH Aqua-Pure Filter Media - Filter Media - Fish - PetSmart
And medium fine filter pads:
Marineland® Rite-Size Filter Pads - Filter Media - Fish - PetSmart
I would suggest getting both so that you can adjust how much physical filtration you want.

4. Forget carbon filter pads. Put some plants in the tank. Carbon removes some of the good things plants need.

This type of filter simply works by a fin spinning in the motor that is at the bottom of the filter. The intake is at the bottom front of the filter. The "pump" then simply pushes water up through a hole in the bottom of the "cup" that is the top half of the filter. The filter is designed with various pads that sit in the cup area that the water simply passes through (these are what I said to simply throw away). There is a thin mesh screen that sits at the front of the cup that is supposed to be your "cycled" media that you never change. Behind it is the physical filter pad filled with carbon. It is designed for you to spend $$$ changing this carbon filled filter pad freqently.

But instead, what you do is to cut out a piece of the medium fine filter pad to fit the shape of the filter "cup" and place that at the bottom of the cup where the water pumps out. Next, cut out a piece of the fine filter pad to fit the cup and place it on top of the medium fine filter pad. Next, place the biopellets in a bag on top of the filter pads. Start cycling your tank.

For maintained, simply cut out more pieces from the medium fine and fine filter pads and replace them as often as you want. You will keep your cycle with the bacteria that has colonized the biopellets.

 

[Reygan2]

Or you could just get an Aquaclear 20 from amazon for about $17. It wouldn't take up valuable tank space . The filter you mentioned is primarily for turtle tanks and other low water species tanks from what I read.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Or you could just get an Aquaclear 20 from amazon for about $17. It wouldn't take up valuable tank space . The filter you mentioned is primarily for turtle tanks and other low water species tanks from what I read.

True. However, I would point out that the filter like I mentioned isn't used primarily for turtle tanks... I would say that turtle tanks primarily use the filter like the one I mentioned. The difference is that the 1st statement makes it sound like the filter is only designed for a turtle tank and therefore not as suited to a fish tank. The reality is that it is a fish tank filter that works great in turtle tanks because it draws the water from the bottom-front of the filter, therefore the filter works when placed in a tank with as little as 1-2 inches of water.

The concept of the Aquaclear is pretty much in line with what I've described. You could still likely replace the more expensive Aquaclear pads with the cheaper cut-to-fit pads that I've described. That is a plus because it gives you the option of lower cost DIY pads or the simplicity of manufactured pads.

Actually, I think I used the Aquaclear biomax for my biopellets when I set up a 10 gallon tank with the Wisper. However I chose the internal tank filter because I wanted to place the tank closer to the wall than a HOB filter would allow.

 

[blert]

IMO, never ask for advise at a LSF. Just assume they are all morons because, mostly, they are. The best advise they will give you is whatever makes your tab go up. The best thing to do is whenever you are in a store just talk with the workers. Make up some random issue and see what kind of answer you get, find out if any of them have fish tanks (they three decently knowledgable folks at my local big box are salties). Do this for a few weeks and get to know the people. After a while you will get to know who's who and what's what in that particular store.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

IMO, never ask for advise at a LSF. Just assume they are all morons because, mostly, they are. The best advise they will give you is whatever makes your tab go up. The best thing to do is whenever you are in a store just talk with the workers. Make up some random issue and see what kind of answer you get, find out if any of them have fish tanks (they three decently knowledgable folks at my local big box are salties). Do this for a few weeks and get to know the people. After a while you will get to know who's who and what's what in that particular store.

Yea, I once had a PetSmart employee trying to explain how one of their air pumps "generated" oxygen for the water... as in yes, she believed the pump was making oxygen and not just simply pumping the surrounding air through the tank.

 

[T-Rexx]

One has a HOB and I put a sponge below the output to slow the current (pic in profile 30L tank). Another has a small internal filter I put a sponge on the spray bar and one has the stock kit in hood filter that has a low flow any way.

10g takes just as long as any other tank to cycle. 4-8 weeks. If you have another tank you can use some seeded media to seed the new tank and reduce the cycling time. In all of my Betta tanks I moved media from a canister filter into the new filter and added the Betta that day for a fish in cycle.

Glad to help.

Thanks!

I really like that Sponge idea! My filter is fast for my betta so every once in a while he get blown around! how do you make it stay in one place?

I feel silly for asking but what is seeded media? lol I have a 60 gallon that's cycled

 

[T-Rexx]

I once worked at Petsmart for a brief time... And before i was moved to Grooming I was originally trained in "Small Animals/Fish"... Their "training" consists of a manual to be read with a few videos and a multiple choice test. I could have become a "specialist" in 3-5 days...

Oh, and I learned about the cartridge changing/cutting on this site

LOL! Wow! No wonder I can never get some good answers! I am SUPER glad I found this site! It's been amazing what I've learned on here! Ya know the first time I started a tank I didnt know anything. At all! I asked 4 people at petsmart what I needed to start a tank and what I needed to know. All of them told me get water conditioner a filter heater. your good to go. They even helped me pick out $95 worth of fish to put in my new fish tank. (UNCYCLED) suprise suprise! in a few short days they ALL died and two had bad ick. I marched my butt back in there FURIOUS! Let's just say I got every penny of my money back. It's unbelieveable. Found this site and someone told me of new tank syndrom and how to actually care for a tank, its awesome!

 

[T-Rexx]

IMO, never ask for advise at a LSF. Just assume they are all morons because, mostly, they are. The best advise they will give you is whatever makes your tab go up. The best thing to do is whenever you are in a store just talk with the workers. Make up some random issue and see what kind of answer you get, find out if any of them have fish tanks (they three decently knowledgable folks at my local big box are salties). Do this for a few weeks and get to know the people. After a while you will get to know who's who and what's what in that particular store.

HAHA! That's an awesome idea!!!!!!!! Thanks

 

[T-Rexx]

Yea, I once had a PetSmart employee trying to explain how one of their air pumps "generated" oxygen for the water... as in yes, she believed the pump was making oxygen and not just simply pumping the surrounding air through the tank.

Wow that sounds like it would be a complicated piece of machinery. Haha! Why would one need to make oxygen when there is air all around already to go!?