New 46gal. FW tank.

[roadster3043]

Greetings.

Last night I finished installing my 46gal. [acronym:428a01450a="Freshwater"]FW[/acronym:428a01450a] tank. To start the fishless cycle I added some frozen food, that I use to feed my nano reef. I've been reading around that the cycle can take up to, two or six weeks. So I will test my tank's water after the two weeks to see how it is doing and keep adding the frozen food now and then, or when the food has dissolved completely and is no longer in sight.

I'm planning on keeping mostly livebearers, maybe a few bottom dwelling fish(recommendations?), perhaps some types of catfish(recommendations?).

The tank so far won't be running a filter(unless recommended otherwise by AA members), I'm thinking of adding two PHs for water movement and surface agitation(Maxi-Jet 1200).

The tank currently has several rocks, plastic plants(green), one or two inches of gravel(several sizes) and a 200 watt heater set at 82F. Lighting (I hope you are sitting down ) 400W [acronym:428a01450a="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:428a01450a], which will be turned on a few hours at night.

Comments, suggestions?

[acronym:428a01450a="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:428a01450a]

[Allivymar]

Definitely get a filter, especially if you plan on keeping cats. You'll need some sort of mechanical filtration to pull the debris out of the water. Plus, as you prob know, the filter media makes a great home for the nitrifying bacteria.

[acronym:0a68b57fce="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:0a68b57fce] 400w [acronym:0a68b57fce="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:0a68b57fce]? Looking to cook the fish?

Start testing the water after a few days; you may be surprised how quickly rotting food will kick up ammonia levels. Don't want them to get TOO high, or it may stall the cycle.

[roadster3043]

Thanks Allivymar.

Would the Emperor 280 be a good choice?

Boiled fish for sale! [acronym:7548504db0="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:7548504db0] The [acronym:7548504db0="Metal halide light"]MH[/acronym:7548504db0] was originally to make a reef in that tank. I still have the original light hood stored away, if you guys think it would be better to use the NO fluors, please let me know.

How often should I test the water for ammonia, and at what [acronym:7548504db0="Parts per Million"]ppm[/acronym:7548504db0] should I do a water change(10% or 20%)?

[acronym:7548504db0="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:7548504db0]

[Warfire80]

I have an Emperor 400 on my 46gal and it works great. Got it cheap from http://www.bigalsonline.com/. I recommend it.

[roadster3043]

Thanks Warfire80, I will check it out.

Yesterday I performed a 20% water change. I noticed an unusual foaming in the water as it was being poured from the tank to the bucket.

What could it be the cause?

I'm going to test for ammonia today to see how are the levels.

[roadster3043]

Greetings.

I just tested my water's [acronym:2a0d2593af="Powerhead"]PH[/acronym:2a0d2593af] 7.4+ and ammo 0ppm.

When should I be seeing in the tests the ammo spike?

[acronym:2a0d2593af="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:2a0d2593af]

[roadster3043]

Well, I added a pair of fancy guppies this past sunday. So far everything is going well.

I made a 33% water change. The pair of guppies are eating well, no visible signs of stress or disease.

Any recommendations on what should I add next and how many?

[acronym:4bd8b69ecd="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:4bd8b69ecd]

[Allivymar]

Ok wait [acronym:52b6d854f5="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:52b6d854f5] I thought you were doing a fishless cycle? *all confuzzled* No patience eh

I don't know if 2 guppies will be enough to cycle a 46g tank; flip side is you don't want to add too many fish and wind up with huge ammonia/nitrite spikes. With no starter (Bio-Spira, stuff from a mature tank) it can upwards of 2 weeks for bacteria to start colonising. You should start seeing at least a touch of ammonia shortly, unless the tank is really well planted (the plants will suck up the nitrogenous waste to some extent).

I wouldn't have water changed while just the food was in there, but I would now that there is fish; I'd wait until there is a need tho; if ammonia gets above .5 [acronym:52b6d854f5="Parts per Million"]ppm[/acronym:52b6d854f5] a 20% water change isn't out of the question. You don't want the fish to be affected by the ammonia but you want enough to feed the starting bacterial colony (which you prob know anyway).

As to what to add, thats a tough one. Lots of fish just don't handle going thru the cycle well. What fish did you have in mind? Also, I wouldn't add too many (see above). Plus, now that you have fish in there, you'll really want to QT any new guys (wouldn't want to wind up bringing ickies into your new tank and getting whats in there ill).

[acronym:52b6d854f5="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:52b6d854f5] see what impatience gets ya?

Btw, I have an Emperor400 on my 55g; love it. Especially the dual bio-wheels. Means I can change filters to my hearts content without messing with the nitrogen cycle *grin*

[roadster3043]

Greetings.

[acronym:0bdfc3d577="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:0bdfc3d577]

Well, I added the two guppies because, so far I haven't seen any changes in water chemistry(could it be the water changes?), the times I have tested it so far, and wanted to at least have a small constant supply of fish poop for the tank.

I'm not adding any other fish until the cycle is completely done. I'm planning on making it a community tank, so I need to look for fish that live well together.

Could it be possible that the rock I added to the tank contain some bacteria that is consuming the ammonia and the water changes thus not showing up in my water tests?

[acronym:0bdfc3d577="Thanks in Advance"]TIA[/acronym:0bdfc3d577]

[grimlock3000]

Where did the rock come from? It is possible there could have been baceria on the rock if you took it from another tank or from outside in a stream/river/wherever. It is always good practice to make sure anything you add to the tank is designed for fish use, and also that you clean it very well before putting it in the tank.