10 Gallon Kit, am I following proper cycle steps?

[eCastell]

Hey guys, I am completely new to the fish hobby and would like to get some questions answered.

I recently got a Marineland 10 Gallon kit, and after carefully following the instructions and setting it up, I would like to know how to properly cycle it before adding any fish.

I added tap water and then put in a teaspoon of a Big Al's Multi-purpose Aquarium water conditioner that I bought from my local fish store. It says to add one teaspoon to remove chlorine and two teaspoons to neutralize chloramine. I'm confused to whether or not I should add one or two teaspoons so I add a one teaspoon last night just to be safe. I also have a Multi-purpose Bio-support which apparently has 300 million live bacteria per teaspoon so I also added one teaspoon last night as well.

I don't know if I am following the right steps but I want to make sure I have somewhat of a cycle tank before I add any fish to it. I currently have the filter running and the heater set at 78 F but aside from the two teaspoons I put in, that is it. Should I be doing something else or is it safe to add fish after a couple days?

I plan to add platys in my tank if that makes any differece.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Here is a picture of my tank

Eddie

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Welcome to AA!
This will answer most of your questions:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-to-Starting-a-Freshwater-Aquarium/Page1.html

 

[brennae]

Cute tank. Welcome to AA! I would have used 2 teaspoons of the Big Al's product. I'm not familiar with the other product though. You can always add more of the water conditioner. Did you purchase a test kit? API makes a good one and its cheap on Amazon. Best Wishes!

 

[emerald76]

Welcome! When you get platies, be sure to get at the most four(with good filtration) and get all males

 

[librarygirl]

Welcome to AA! The article Mumma.of.two linked will explain cycling but basically you need to add an ammonia source to get the cycle started, so read the fish-in and fishless cycle guides and decide which you'd rather do. I've never heard of Big Al's conditioner; most of us here use Prime which is more concentrated than most brands so it'll last longer and it detoxifies the heavy metals, chlorine and chloramines in your tap. The bacteria starter stuff is often hit and miss; usually it doesn't work but you can try it. But again without an ammonia source the cycle can't start.