Help brand new to this

[dcuca21]

I bought a 10g tank for my boys as they love fish. The topfin 10g tank came with the filter, heater ,thermometer , and hood lights. Petsmart told me to put 5ml of stress coat and 5ml of bacteria supplement and in 2 days go back for water testing if all is well i could buy fish.. is this true ? Why am i reading alot about a "cyle" the boys are eager for fish already.

 

[Jacob Brown]

So usually when starting tank you want to let it cycle, this getting the nitrogen cycle up going. So to explain the fish give off ammonia and other harmful chwmicles that could kill them so by cycling you are giving the tank time to build up good bacteria to convert the ammonia into something not harmful to the fish. That's why you were told to put bacteria suppliment in, cycling is just the natural way of putting them in. Also cycling lwts all the chemicles and stuff in your watwr balance out. Whether or not your tank is ready Idk, possibly for hardy fish but I wouldn't recommend for more specific fish

 

[dcuca21]

So usually when starting tank you want to let it cycle, this getting the nitrogen cycle up going. So to explain the fish give off ammonia and other harmful chwmicles that could kill them so by cycling you are giving the tank time to build up good bacteria to convert the ammonia into something not harmful to the fish. That's why you were told to put bacteria suppliment in, cycling is just the natural way of putting them in. Also cycling lwts all the chemicles and stuff in your watwr balance out. Whether or not your tank is ready Idk, possibly for hardy fish but I wouldn't recommend for more specific fish

How long is a good cycle run for ? I also forgot to mention the tank set-up (decor) i bought gravel, plastic plants..live plants ( 1 amazon sword , 1 windelov java fern) and the cliche ship wreck and little castle. Will any of this affect the water? I washed everything first with warm water.

 

[Jacob Brown]

How long is a good cycle run for ? I also forgot to mention the tank set-up (decor) i bought gravel, plastic plants..live plants ( 1 amazon sword , 1 windelov java fern) and the cliche ship wreck and little castle. Will any of this affect the water? I washed everything first with warm water.

I'm actually cycling a tank now and I was just gonna let it cyvle for a week possibly two but mine is a 40 gal so Id say for you id cycle maybe 5 days since you have plants and and stuff, I already have live plant in mine so I believe your fine there. In two days you could probably go on ahead and put hardy fish like said such as tetras or guppies or goldfish

 

[Burger Wife]

Not goldies. The tank is waaay to small for them.

 

[TMaier]

Do you have a water test kit? If you put faith in the bacteria in a bottle and it does not work you will need to monitor water and do PWC if you have fish while cycling. Usually about 40 days....

A lot less PWC if you wait and do a fishless cycle using pure ammonia.

 

[Jacob Brown]

Do you have a water test kit? If you put faith in the bacteria in a bottle and it does not work you will need to monitor water and do PWC if you have fish while cycling. Usually about 40 days....

A lot less PWC if you wait and do a fishless cycle using pure ammonia. View attachment 301602

I figured since they just started they wouldn't have a kit so that's why I recommended to just get some hardy fish where you didn't have to pay close close attention to water parameters

 

[TMaier]

Never met a fish so hardy it could handle an ammonia spike.

 

[dcuca21]

I dont have a kit ill make sure to buy one today

 

[Haskins]

Cycled my 45 for 9 days(not a number I specifically chose a week works)I used Fluval Bio and when I put my fish in I used some water conditioner as well before and after. Four months later I have not lost a fish. So I would say if you cycled for 5 days for a 10gal you are good to go! I hope you and your boys enjoy your aquarium.

 

[Jacob Brown]

Never met a fish so hardy it could handle an ammonia spike.

I mean I had a family member have black tetras and they never did water changes or checked the water and they lived for two years

 

[Fresh2o]

Cycled my 45 for 9 days(not a number I specifically chose a week works)I used Fluval Bio and when I put my fish in I used some water conditioner as well before and after. Four months later I have not lost a fish. So I would say if you cycled for 5 days for a 10gal you are good to go! I hope you and your boys enjoy your aquarium.

Were you testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates, before, during, and after the the cycle was complete? If so, after 9 days the ammonia and nitrite were zero and nitrates elevated? If yes to both, then the Fluval Bio did its job. Otherwise, the tank was not cycled.
On what basis do you claim that cycling a tank for 5 days is okay? I mean, how do you know when the bacterial colonies have developed to the point of properly converting the wastes?

 

[whitelightsea]

Personally it took me a month to fully cycle without additional beneficial bacteria from a seeded tank. And while gravel will probably be fine, I've never attempted to grow live plants in anything less than sand.

You need to buy a gravel vacuum for partial water changes, a fresh water master test kit, and Seachem Prime to add to fresh water when you do your water changes. The ammonia found in regular tap water will kill your fish without it. Read up on the nitrogen cycle, and don't listen to the packages/guys at petco when they say to change your filter every week. You'll be getting rid of all the beneficial bacteria that you grew and will keep your tank in a constant cycle. Bad news for your fish, and wallet.

Change the filter media when it is literally falling apart and try to put a bit of the old media in with the new to grow more bacteria. If it's gunky, swish it in old tank water during a water change. Also remoteness carbon in the filter media.

I only use carbon after medicating my tank, as it will eventually leach old toxins into the water if left in too long. Otherwise it's good for a week or so for removing residual meds.

Research your fish, most of all. I run a ten gallon with a single betta and nerite snail, and change the water twice a week. I also have a ton of live plants in there to help maintain water quality as small tanks are easy to crash, and I have had a few disasters when I was starting out.

I'd like to say a single betta, OR a group of 10 neon tetras with a couple of mystery snails, Or a pair of pearl puffers if it's well decorated/planted, OR five or six sparkling gouramis might be a good match.

Again use the time the tank takes to cycle as time to research. You'll save time and heartache for yourself, your kids, and your wallet.

 

[toolman]

4-6 weeks is about normal to cycle a tank without seeded media. Even with bacteria ime it takes 3-4 weeks.

 

[Ulrichsd]

I know that it is tough when the kids are ready to get fish already. I've cycled two tanks and it has taken about 4 weeks. I have a 4 and 6 year old... Look at it as a lesson in patience I'd suggest using the time to watch some videos of the fish you are planning to get on YouTube, it can be a fun learning experience.

My kids enjoyed doing the ammonia test each night to see if it stayed yellow (no ammonia) or turned green. They don't know it but they are already learning titration chemistry I highly recommend the API meter test kit if you haven't gotten one already. You also need an ammonia source, I bought a bottle made for cycling fish tanks, but I've read some people just drop in a shrimp, not sure how about the smell though...

 

[Nicki Gaga]

I started seeding my second tank last weekend and it cycled in around 3 days. All I did was leave the filter running in a bucket full of dirty water from my first tank's filter. I would suggest getting some kind of aquarium dirt media to put in a bucket full of water and submerse the running filter in it.

This link should help:
https://www.thespruce.com/seeding-new-aquarium-1381286

I would suggest asking a friend for a cup of their aquarium gravel or if not, ask an aquarium staff if they have any filter seeding media you can use. Good luck though. The longer you leave the filter running in the dirt, the higher chance it is thoroughly colonised by nitrifying bacteria.

 

[dcuca21]

I bought a 10g tank for my boys as they love fish. The topfin 10g tank came with the filter, heater ,thermometer , and hood lights. Petsmart told me to put 5ml of stress coat and 5ml of bacteria supplement and in 2 days go back for water testing if all is well i could buy fish.. is this true ? Why am i reading alot about a "cyle" the boys are eager for fish already.

Update guys.. i changed the 10g tank for a 20g tank.. tested water and levels were all fine according to the store employee.. bought a male twin tailed betta, 6 tetras and 2 clown plecos .. i did research and all these fish were acceptable to place with each other... after a day my betta seems a bit sluggish.. i assume its do to water conditions.. i also feel maybe the filter is to powerful.. i used the knob on the filter to close it a bit it seemed to make it a lot less powerful.

This question might seem dumb but.... when doing a water change..(25%) .In the bucket of the new tap water.. do i condition it for the amount (25%) of water which would be less then 2ml or condition the water with 10ml for the entire 20g tank.. ?? I hope i explained well enough and didn't confuse anyone.. lol

 

[TMaier]

You condition for what you are adding before you add it. Mix it in well and then add.

 

[whitelightsea]

Always condition the water before adding it into the tank itself.

If the flow of water still seems to push your betta around, you can baffle the outflow easily enough by cutting a clean water bottle, and fitting it over the outflow. Cut a few little holes to make sure that there is a disruption of the water surface to prevent biofilm from developing. Overall, the effect should be normal out put, with the water hitting the tank more gently.

 

[Coyne]

Just remember that just because somebody works at a pet store does not make them an expert on anything. Their primary job is to sell you things. Once you begin to learn things for yourself, you will look back and cringe at the stuff you were told.

I'll agree with the posts above... every unseeded cycle I've done took about 4 weeks. Since you've already added fish after a week, you are now performing a Fish-In cycle. It's not the end of the world, but will require more effort on your part to reduce the risk to your fish. There's plenty of articles online that can help you with this.
Something to consider is that just because the fish are alive does not mean they are healthy. Even if the exposure to elevated ammonia and nitrite doesn't kill them, they will likely suffer internal damage that shorten their lifespan.