50 gallon goldfish tank prep?

[Jayjangle]

So I have found a 50 gallon aquarium I can afford and I want some advice on how to prep it for my three goldfish. I read somewhere that you need to cycle for like 2 weeks...is this amount of time really necessary? I would rather not keep my fish cramped during that time frame, especially if I might not be able to pick up the tank for a few more days.

The aquarium is used and it has been kept in a shed. The previous owner mentioned that nothing ever got in the aquarium (I saw pics, they looked good) that could harm the fish, but I'm concerned about debris and such that might cause harm to the fish. Is this something I can get around by just spraying the tank out before I cycle?

Thanks.

 

[jlk]

Hi! Ok, to start with, when you get the tank just clean it with white vinegar, some elbow grease & rinse it very well & let it air dry.

In respect to cycling, to do a fishless cycle from scratch, it may take 4 weeks or longer. I know you are already doing frequent water changes where they are right now. You may want to consider just moving all of your media from the small tank to the new filter & continueing with a fish-in cycle & daily testing/water changes as needed. Just something to think about! Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[My Fish Babies.]

I also recently upgraded to a 55 gallon for my goldfish. It was a second hand tank and VERY DIRTY TANK as well, after a good cleaning it was like new with no issues. jlk helped me through with my fish less cycle. A ball park figure was about seven weeks before it was completely through its cycle.