fish-in cycle help

[birdma]

I got a tank all set up for my girls and was going to do a fishless cycle. however, Grandma took them out this morning and they came back w/ 3 mickey mouse platies. So now I have to do a fish-in cycle. I've read a bit about it and want to make sure I'm understanding everything so I can minimize stress etc for the fish. So here's my basic understanding of what I need to do -

1- I need to check the water 2x a day.
2- If ammonia and nitrites are over .25 I need to do a water change
3 - continue on until ammonia and nitrites are 0.

How much of a water change do I do? Do I just wait for those levels to be above .25 or should I just plan on doing a small water change every day? Also, once things are stable how often should I be checking their water?

 

[Prediscus23]

2x a day is a little excessive, once per day is sufficient. The amount of your water change depends on how out of whack your levels get.

Did you get the master test kit that is offered by API? Typically, a 25% water change is good enough. How big is your tank?

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Cycling

I got a tank all set up for my girls and was going to do a fishless cycle. however, Grandma took them out this morning and they came back w/ 3 mickey mouse platies. So now I have to do a fish-in cycle. I've read a bit about it and want to make sure I'm understanding everything so I can minimize stress etc for the fish. So here's my basic understanding of what I need to do -

1- I need to check the water 2x a day.
2- If ammonia and nitrites are over .25 I need to do a water change
3 - continue on until ammonia and nitrites are 0.

How much of a water change do I do? Do I just wait for those levels to be above .25 or should I just plan on doing a small water change every day? Also, once things are stable how often should I be checking their water?

Hello bird...

Fish in cycling is the stand way and an efficient and safe way for the fish if you closely monitor the tank water chemistry. If you have a small to medium sized tank up to 20 gallons, then three Platys should be fine. Platys are a very hardy fish and will easily make it through the process. Grandma made a very smart choice.

The fish waste will start the process. You just need to test the water at least daily and if your test shows even a trace of either ammonia or nitrites, you'll need to remove a minimum of 25 percent of the tank water and replace it with pure, treated tap water. Seachem's "Prime" is a good water treatment, because it removes the chemicals the water company puts into the tap so we can drink it. Ammonia, chlorine and chloramines are toxic to your fish.

B

 

[birdma]

Well I'm glad to hear that if Grandma's going to run out and buy fish for us at least she's making good choices!

I have a 14g biocube. One of my girls wants neon tetras - will we be able to add those later on or is the 3 platys kinda the limit for our tank?

I do have the API master test kit. I don't have Seachem Prime but a product made my API that says it removes chlorine, I'm blanking on the name. Is that good for now?

And ok so I test the water every day and do a minimum 25% water change whenever there is a trace of ammonia or nitrites.

About how long does this last? And how long do I need to test daily for?

 

[Alyxx]

The API product should be fine for now, just be sure to check the label and see that it removes chloramine as well. Pick up some prime when you can, though, it does detoxify ammonia for around 48 hours which helps keep the fish safe. It converts it into a form that is safer for fish but can still be utilized by the beneficial bacteria, so it won't affect your cycle. The other big reason so many of us recommend prime is cost. It is more concentrated than other brands and only uses two drops per gallon, so a bottle lasts way longer than most other brands. It looks like you have the basics of cycling down, so the platies should be fine for the cycle. How's the filtration on the tank? Before thinking of adding anything I would be sure the filtration is up to par, but I think a moderately small school of neons should be fine with the three platies. Are the platies all male, all female, or a mix? If you have all females or a mix of males and females you will be looking at babies eventually. Females can store sperm, so if they were in contact with males before they came to your tank, they could be pregnant. If you have a mix, be sure you have at least two females to one male. If they do start reproducing you will have to think about selling them, giving them away, or getting a bigger tank, as they will overstock the tank in a month or two if you keep the babies. If you just let them birth in the tank, odds are enough of them will be eaten that it will take a while for populations to increase.

 

[BBradbury]

Well I'm glad to hear that if Grandma's going to run out and buy fish for us at least she's making good choices!

I have a 14g biocube. One of my girls wants neon tetras - will we be able to add those later on or is the 3 platys kinda the limit for our tank?

I do have the API master test kit. I don't have Seachem Prime but a product made my API that says it removes chlorine, I'm blanking on the name. Is that good for now?

And ok so I test the water every day and do a minimum 25% water change whenever there is a trace of ammonia or nitrites.

About how long does this last? And how long do I need to test daily for?

Hello again...

You shouldn't add more fish until you have several tests that show no ammonia or nitrites in the water. Only then, can you add a few more small fish. You see, you're growing microscopic bugs that use the ammonia and nitrites in the fish waste for food. If you add too many fish, then the bugs can't eat it all and the added waste will poison the fish. That's called "New Tank Syndrom", not a good thing.

The Seachem product will remove all the bad chemicals that can hurt your fish. You want a liquid that removes ammonia, chlorine and chloramines.

Just think of your aquarium as an unflushed toilet and your fish live there. We want to keep the water as clean as possible.

The process can take several weeks, so patience is required! The good thing is, you at least have a little activity in the tank.

Keep those questions coming.

B

 

[ddodad]

Your story sounds exactly like mine. My mother took my daughter to the lfs just as I started the fish less cycle. It also was platys that the brought home. Fast forward a few months all the first group of platys are great. Now we also have ghost shrimp and 2 African dwarf frogs
(my wife and daughters fav) good luck I warn you it can be addictive and now I'm shopping for a tank for myself

 

[librarygirl]

Hi and welcome! Everyone above pretty much covered everything lol Test the water daily (once is fine but you can certainly test more if you want) and whenever ammonia and/or nitrite are .25 or over do a water change. The amount of water you change is dependent on the results. So, if you have .5 of ammonia, a 50% water change will bring it down to .25. If you have 1 ppms of ammonia, a 50% water change will bring it down to .5. If ammonia is very high you can do more than one water change per day without any bad effects on the cycle.

The cycle will take about 4-8 weeks on average, so hang in there.

In case you haven't seen them, here are some links that might help:

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[birdma]

Ok so I tested tonight after getting off work. Ammonia was less than .25, nitrite & nitrate were 0, and the PH was 8.0.

re: filtration, the tank was bought at a garage sale and came w/ a long filter, these little ball things and a sponge. Does that sound good?

And I have no idea if they are male or female. How can I tell? Grandma didn't ask so she got whatever they gave her!

Oh and I def wasn't planning on adding fish until our water was stable and the fish were doing well! I'm all about baby steps!

Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it! I already have plans to get a 2nd tank that's just for me. This one is very much for the kids- they picked out all the decorations so it's looking quite lively w/ pink gravel, orange, blue, purple and white plastic plants, a rainbow and a beehive, lol.

 

[ranjith]

I did a fish-in cycle with a 50 g tank and took me about 3 weeks to complete with 6 tiger barbs and 4 ruby barbs. Once the nitrite started showing up it soared and wasn't gradual as ammonia. All my fishes survived and healthy.
Good luck

 

[birdma]

thanks Ranjith!

Tested again this morning and the ammonia was at .25 so I did a partial water change. A little stressful w/ the 2 year old trying to splash in the bucket and the 5 year old asking repeatedly, "NOW can I feed them?!?!" but we managed!