55 gallon freshwater setup

[eco23]

Now hold now . I just want what's best for my goldfish. I'm not exactly a newbie.

Are you just moving your fish from an existing, established tank to a new one? Or are you setting up a new tank entirely?

 

[Atxpunx]

From an established tank to a new tank

 

[eco23]

From an established tank to a new tank

Fill it up with water, move every scrap of media from the old to the new...and you've got an instantly cycled tank. The bacteria adjusts to bio-load...so it's already capable of supporting your fish. The vast majority of your BB is in the filter media so there shouldn't be any issues, but you'll still want to test for a while to ensure you don't see any toxin spikes from losing the bacteria in the substrate, walls, decor, etc...

 

[Atxpunx]

Fill it up with water, move every scrap of media from the old to the new...and you've got an instantly cycled tank. The bacteria adjusts to bio-load...so it's already capable of supporting your fish. The vast majority of your BB is in the filter media so there shouldn't be any issues, but you'll still want to test for a while to ensure you don't see any toxin spikes from losing the bacteria in the substrate, walls, decor, etc...

This sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a try on my next day off

 

[GhillieSniper115]

You know I can't do that, I think fishless cycling is silly.

On a serious note, it's because that guide is a staple on here, it's probably been linked to over 10k times already, so I assume everyone has already read it or at least heard of it.

I agree. To cycle one of my tanks I used fancy guppies and found that to be successful. That same tank now holds 24 baby swordtails with no ammonia might I add. Believe me, especially with a tank that size, fishless cycling won't work as well and will take a long time. And ther is still the risk of ammonia spikes once u add fish

 

[GhillieSniper115]

From an established tank to a new tank

Goldfish? Wat kind might I ask?

 

[jlk]

I agree. To cycle one of my tanks I used fancy guppies and found that to be successful. That same tank now holds 24 baby swordtails with no ammonia might I add. Believe me, especially with a tank that size, fishless cycling won't work as well and will take a long time. And ther is still the risk of ammonia spikes once u add fish

Why wont fishless cycling work as well on a tank this size? I fishless cycled my 50 gal in 3wks. There have been no ammonia spikes adding fish either. My smaller tanks i previously cycled fish-in and i would never willingly choose to do this again! The water changes were a nightmare!!!
Back to the goldfish in question, what type of goldfish are they?

 

[Atxpunx]

They are commons I believe. My wife won them at a carnival and it was my unexpected introduction to fish keeping. I know I've heard the "rule" of goldfish stocking and I'm way overstocked. I do intend to have the tank as heavily planted as they'll let me and I'm always looking out for their best interest. Sorry for the longwinded answer but I've seen some bashing towards goldfish owners. No disrespect to anyone just knowledge

 

[jetajockey]

Generally speaking, fish-in cycling with the right introductory stocking and bacteria supplements, you wouldnt have to do much more than routine water changes.

 

[eco23]

I agree. To cycle one of my tanks I used fancy guppies and found that to be successful. That same tank now holds 24 baby swordtails with no ammonia might I add. Believe me, especially with a tank that size, fishless cycling won't work as well and will take a long time. And ther is still the risk of ammonia spikes once u add fish

What happened to the Guppys? Why would you believe there is a risk of an ammonia spike with a bio-filter developed to convert 4ppm in 24 hours?

 

[Atxpunx]

So what's the max ammonia ppm that can be had during a fish in cycle. I imagine while seeding u would still need ammonia present to cycle the other filter

 

[jetajockey]

That's definitely a subject of some contention, but the general consensus is that you want to keep it as low as possible, so .25ppm or less is preferable, although the toxicity really depends on tank pH. In a lower pH tank you can get away with much more without any negative effects on the fish.

 

[jlk]

They are commons I believe. My wife won them at a carnival and it was my unexpected introduction to fish keeping. I know I've heard the "rule" of goldfish stocking and I'm way overstocked. I do intend to have the tank as heavily planted as they'll let me and I'm always looking out for their best interest. Sorry for the longwinded answer but I've seen some bashing towards goldfish owners. No disrespect to anyone just knowledge

No bashing goldfish owners- im one of them!! Winning fish at the fair is how i got started in this as well (mine now live in a pond). With keeping your fishes best interests here, you will be ok with your 55gal for some time (depending on growth rate-they can grow 1-2in a mth) with these goldfish. As adults, they can be 12-18inches in length and a 55gal would be a small home for even one. Just keep this in mind as you continue on your fish adventure!

 

[Atxpunx]

I have been slowly upgrading and I do intend to build a pond as soon as I move back to Texas. I do wonder how long I'll have with they're new 55 before they get uncomfortable

 

[GhillieSniper115]

What happened to the Guppys? Why would you believe there is a risk of an ammonia spike with a bio-filter developed to convert 4ppm in 24 hours?[/QUOTE

There is always a risk of ammonia spikes even in a set up aquarium. Also a biofilter doesn't start over night it took me 3 weeks to finish it enough to support 2 guppies (one got ich from the store). I was left with one guppy after ther otherone died for some reason I forgot y

 

[GhillieSniper115]

Why wont fishless cycling work as well on a tank this size? I fishless cycled my 50 gal in 3wks. There have been no ammonia spikes adding fish either. My smaller tanks i previously cycled fish-in and i would never willingly choose to do this again! The water changes were a nightmare!!!
Back to the goldfish in question, what type of goldfish are they?

Depends how did u fishless cycle it

 

[Atxpunx]

Okay..... Moved all my plants, fish, snails and my filter from my twenty gallon over to my 55. I couldn't get the ammonia under 1 ppm and think it might have something to do with the vials. I did a 50 percent water change and plan to do another tomorrow. I really just wanted to get the seeding started with my filter to maybe help bring things down. Any thoughts?

 

[GhillieSniper115]

Okay..... Moved all my plants, fish, snails and my filter from my twenty gallon over to my 55. I couldn't get the ammonia under 1 ppm and think it might have something to do with the vials. I did a 50 percent water change and plan to do another tomorrow. I really just wanted to get the seeding started with my filter to maybe help bring things down. Any thoughts?

1. How many fish did u add? If more then three that's too many and y u have alot of ammonia

2. Good water change! Ok but u need to Feed the fish nothing for the first day or two, then feed them alittle

3. Always test the ammonia everyday. After a week look for nitrates. I think. I always confuse nitrates with nitrites

 

[Atxpunx]

Fill it up with water, move every scrap of media from the old to the new...and you've got an instantly cycled tank. The bacteria adjusts to bio-load...so it's already capable of supporting your fish. The vast majority of your BB is in the filter media so there shouldn't be any issues, but you'll still want to test for a while to ensure you don't see any toxin spikes from losing the bacteria in the substrate, walls, decor, etc...

Will my 20 standard still have some beneficial bacteria? Can I use a filter for a five gallon for my 20 if the only inhabitants are going to be shrimp and snails?

 

[eco23]

Will my 20 standard still have some beneficial bacteria? Can I use a filter for a five gallon for my 20 if the only inhabitants are going to be shrimp and snails?

I'm not sure I'm following the different tanks and what all is going on (I got a bit mixed up), but the definition of "cycled" simply means you have a sufficient amount of beneficial bacteria to convert the waste produced in the tank. It's all about the proportion. So if you transfer over well established media, it should be able to handle a good amount of toxins. That's what we were saying about simply transferring all the media from the old tank to the new which is already conditioned to handle your fish.

Shrimp have tiny bio-loads, so it shouldn't take much media at all to cycle a tank for them with media.

I'm also mixed up about the 1ppm ammonia reading, whether that's residuals from starting the fishless cycle, or if that's a spike from switching over the fish...but I'd be hesitant to remove any filter media from the tank you just transferred the fish to since it's at a delicate balance with the bacteria : fish proportion.

I'm sure I'm mixing stuff up, but that's the basics of it