Lets just say... Tank not cycled

[Danno]

That I didn't have the patience to completely cycle my tank and I. Go ahead and slowly start adding fish. Besides being an inhumane terrible person and potentially harming the fish what other trouble am I getting myself into?? Will pwc's be frequent, what will my ammonia nitrite and nitrate levels do?

 

[shellieca]

That I didn't have the patience to completely cycle my tank and I. Go ahead and slowly start adding fish. Besides being an inhumane terrible person and potentially harming the fish what other trouble am I getting myself into?? Will pwc's be frequent, what will my ammonia nitrite and nitrate levels do?

There is nothing wrong with a fish IN cycle so long as you test the water daily with a liquid test kit & do water changes if ammonia or nitrItes are .25 or higher. I wouldn't add a lot of fish because if something goes awry you don't want to lose them. I did fish IN cycling on all of my tanks, 2 simultaneously, 1 took 6 wks to complete, the other 8 wks.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

That I didn't have the patience to completely cycle my tank and I. Go ahead and slowly start adding fish. Besides being an inhumane terrible person and potentially harming the fish what other trouble am I getting myself into?? Will pwc's be frequent, what will my ammonia nitrite and nitrate levels do?

What size tank? I did a fish in cycle, which wasn't the plan but I got stuck doing it anyway; long story short my sons grandma bought him a couple fish without me knowing until they got home, my fish in was a 10g with 2 platys. The larger the tank the more room for error you will have. With my 10g I did water changes usually every day, sometimes it was multiple changes in one day, but all days weren't like that; I would say maybe a few days. My cycle lasted for a little over 2 months.

 

[smallfry53]

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html

 

[librarygirl]

What size tank? It'll depend on the size tank (larger tanks tend to slow rise in the toxin levels due to the larger volume of water assuming you start with a few small fish) and what fish you start with. Some fish produce more waste than others which will cause the ammonia levels to rise faster. You might want to look at Angels Plus active filters; they sell seeded filters from their fish tanks which can help speed up cycles (either fish in or fishless). Just make sure you get one that says "active" next to it or else you're just getting a plain filter. Also be sure your schedule would allow you to test and potentially change water multiple times a day for 4-8 weeks on average.

First ammonia levels will rise; whenever this gets to .25 or over, a 50% water change is needed. This phase can last 2-3 weeks. Then come nitrites, which are as toxic to fish as ammonia, and this phase is the longest, lasting about 3 weeks on average. Here's a link if you haven't seen it: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

 

[Danno]

All great news thank you. I can't wait for fish I have the liquid test kit as well as the time to do pwc's so I think I'm going this route. My tank is a 20 gallon so lets say I get fish Monday would 2 be sufficient? Also, just tested today had the tank up for a week running.
1/5/13
Ph 8
Ammonia 0.25ppm
Nitrite NO2- 0ppm
Nitrite NO3- 0ppm
The type of fish I would like include dwarf gourami, long fin tetra, couple neon tetras, Cory cats, sunburst platys.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

All great news thank you. I can't wait for fish I have the liquid test kit as well as the time to do pwc's so I think I'm going this route. My tank is a 20 gallon so lets say I get fish Monday would 2 be sufficient? Also, just tested today had the tank up for a week running.
1/5/13
Ph 8
Ammonia 0.25ppm
Nitrite NO2- 0ppm
Nitrite NO3- 0ppm
The type of fish I would like include dwarf gourami, long fin tetra, couple neon tetras, Cory cats, sunburst platys.

Yes two would be good. I would go ahead and get 2 sunburst platies and cycle with them. I think I remember reading that usually one fish per 10g is the general guideline.

 

[Danno]

Getting two fish today and am wondering the best way to acclimate them to the new tank? I was also wondering when I should start the 25% water changes

 

[Danno]

Also should I add stress coat when adding fish?

 

[Hholly]

Sure you can add Stresscoat. You can acclimate by floating the bag and gradually adding water from your tank over an hour, then netting them into the tank. There are lots of ways to do it. There are tutorials on You Tube on acclimating fish.

 

[Waylanderxx]

If someone were to be acclimating Dwarf Puffers though I have heard not to allow them to touch the air as if they puff up with air instead of water they could effectively choke themselves and die. How would one add Pea or Dwarf Puffers to an aquarium without netting them?

 

[Hholly]

I guess you could just risk it and dump them directly from the bag. You only net most fish out of the bag to avoid contamination from the fish store water. But if the fish store tanks look healthy, you're probably pretty safe.

 

[Danno]

So I got some fish. A couple fancy guppies and a mystery snail to start. Couldn't pass on the snail it was way too cool. Fish are in the tank and look to be happily swimming about. I was wondering what the snail will eat since my cycle isn't complete is there enough around for him? As for the cycle I will test levels again tomorrow but am still confused on how often I should be changing water and why??

 

[Hholly]

When ammonia or nitrite reaches .25ppm it becomes toxic to fish. That is when you change out 25-50%.
Have you read this article? It will explain a lot.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

 

[Wolfsblood]

Snails aren't typically very tolerant of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate so it may not make it through. You can feed it algae wafers.