First cycle

[CharlieKlein]

So I have a few questions. I am gonna do a fishless?
Where do I get my ammonia?
How long should I expect it to take?
How often do I do 30% changes?
What else???

 

[bevoholic]

So I have a few questions. I am gonna do a fishless?
Where do I get my ammonia?
How long should I expect it to take?
How often do I do 30% changes?
What else???

You need 100% pure ammonia with nothing else in it. Just ammonia and water. You can purchase it at Ace Hardware for around 3 bucks for 32oz. Use this calculator to figure out how much to dose.

A cycle can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a couple of months. Each tank is different. If you can get some filter media from a healthy established tank it will help it along faster.

If you are doing a fishless cycle, you don't need to do any water changes unless you get a sharp drop in pH, or your ammonia or nitrites go off the charts. If all the parameters stay steady throughout the cycle, you'll need to do around a 90% once your cycle is complete.

Do you have a test kit? Is it strips or the liquid kind?

 

[Lardeelion]

I just did a fishless on my 29. I was lucky in that I had large amount of filter material from my other canister filter, so the cycle only took 10 days.

I got the ammonia at the Dollar Store. Just make sure it says "Pure Ammonia" and that when you shake it, it doesn't foam up.

Although my 29g took only 10 days, I cycled a 6.6 recently with only a little bit of filter media and it took about 7 weeks. Granted, the cycle stalled for a while before I realized what was happening, so it probably could have been done sooner had I realized.

I only did a water change when the cycle stalled and when the trAtes got really high.

I kept the water level low enough so that there was splashing from the HOB filter. I kept the tank at around 86, and I put plants in there. Wisteria is a good one to use. It'll suck up anything.

You read the sticky thread about fishless cycling, I'm sure. That's a good guide.

I was really glad I had such a honking big filter sponge to cycle my 29 with. Made it go really quickly. If not, you can keep busy with the plants while the cycle does its thing.

 

[CharlieKlein]

You need 100% pure ammonia with nothing else in it. Just ammonia and water. You can purchase it at Ace Hardware for around 3 bucks for 32oz. Use this calculator to figure out how much to dose.

A cycle can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a couple of months. Each tank is different. If you can get some filter media from a healthy established tank it will help it along faster.

If you are doing a fishless cycle, you don't need to do any water changes unless you get a sharp drop in pH, or your ammonia or nitrites go off the charts. If all the parameters stay steady throughout the cycle, you'll need to do around a 90% once your cycle is complete.

Do you have a test kit? Is it strips or the liquid kind?

Ok, thank you! I plugged in 37 is gallons and it said around 8 ml... What does this mean!?
I don't have any media, so it doesn't help.

 

[bevoholic]

For the calculator:

1. Set the units to US Gallons or Liters depending on which type you use.
2. Set the volume to the amount of water you put in your tank to fill it up. Many times this will be less than the total volume of an empty tank, due to decorations, substrate, etc.
3. Set the desired PPM to 4.
4. Set the % of ammonia in solution to 10%(only if you bought yours from Ace). If you didn't, the bottle should say somewhere on it, how diluted the ammonia is in water.

After you do all of that, it will give you a number in the mL required. Use that number to dose your ammonia to get it up to 4ppm. For example, if you did all the steps right and it gave you the number 8, you would put 8mL of ammonia into your water to get the level up to 4ppm.

 

[CharlieKlein]

It says 5 ml on the dot! Is that correct? My tank is 3u but i I'did 33. And then will I as that every day? Is that all to a cycle? And what test kits are better

 

[librarygirl]

5ml sounds about right. Just double-check the ammonia bottle when you get it for the percentage of ammonia; that calculator is based on 9.5% of ammonia; some brands are stronger, some are weaker.

At first you just add it once until it starts to drop. The initial drop can take 1-2 weeks; don't add any more ammonia until there's a drop or you'll overdose which can stall the cycle. Here's the fishless cycle guide if you haven't seen it: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[Lardeelion]

You might ask/beg/bribe your LFS for some filter media. Especially if it's a small business and you buy your substrate and other supplies from them, they may be accommodating and give you some.

 

[CharlieKlein]

Ok, we'll I think I got this. So I add 5ml of ammonia a day, never water changes, testing everyday? And then when doin take 90% out then back in and then the next day, if I plan on getting
1 apisto
1 angel
1 gbr
6 rumynose
12 neons
4 panda Cory's
5 fancy guppies
1 dg
Should I add the dwarf gourami, all tetras and Cory's at once? Then Mabye next week add the apisto, next week the angel, then when everything is good Mabye 3 months down the gbr?

 

[Lardeelion]

You can test every other day for a while. If I tested every day waiting for the ammo and trite spikes I'd have had to buy another test kit.

But you do want to do a water change if you a) add too much ammonia, b) suspect the cycle has stalled, or c) have an insane number of trates to the point where you can't tell if they're rising when the trites fall.

Also, if you are using the API test kit and you end up with a gray color, it may mean that your levels are so high that the test kit can no longer read them. That's a good time for a water change.

 

[Lardeelion]

Should I add the dwarf gourami, all tetras and Cory's at once? Then Mabye next week add the apisto, next week the angel, then when everything is good Mabye 3 months down the gbr?

Whatever you add, I personally would wait 2-3 weeks to add more. Give the first batch a quarantine period. Apistos are on the more expensive side and you wouldn't want an ich outbreak to wipe out your investment. I spent a ridiculous amount on my rams so anything that goes in that tank gets quarantined. For the entire tank's sake, too.

 

[librarygirl]

Ok, we'll I think I got this. So I add 5ml of ammonia a day, never water changes, testing everyday? And then when doin take 90% out then back in and then the next day, if I plan on getting
1 apisto
1 angel
1 gbr
6 rumynose
12 neons
4 panda Cory's
5 fancy guppies
1 dg
Should I add the dwarf gourami, all tetras and Cory's at once? Then Mabye next week add the apisto, next week the angel, then when everything is good Mabye 3 months down the gbr?

Almost Don't add ammonia every day at first or you'll overdose, only when it starts to drop. THen you just add enough to get it back up to 4 ppm (so if it's 2, add enough to get it back up to 4, which won't be the full 5 ml). After a while the ammonia will convert to 0 every 24 hours and then you'll add the full dose every day.

That's too many fish for a 37, IMO. I wouldn't do the guppies, they have a high bioload and would take up a lot of room with everything else in there. I'd cut the neons down to 6. You'd still be a bit overstocked but maybe nothing major. The angel might go after the neons though.

What filter do you have on the tank? Did it come with a kit? The filters that come with the kit are usually barely enough for the tank size so you might want to add another filter or get something larger, particularly with the stock you're planning on.

 

[CharlieKlein]

Thanks, I'm setting it up as we speak! As for stock I may decide this
1 zebra angelfish
2 German blue ram or 3 apistogramma
12 neons
6 rumynose
1 dwarf gourami
4 panda cory cats
1 bn pleco or 2 panda garras
6 harqualin rasboras
Or
1 zebra angel
8 neons
6 rumynose
4 panda Cory's
1 gbr
1 apisto
1 dwarf gourami
5 endlers
How's each sound?

 

[Lardeelion]

Enjoy setting up! I love that part.

If it were me I'd up the cories to 6. You may have to tinker with your list but they're happier at 6 and there's nothing more adorable than happy cories.

 

[CharlieKlein]

Yeah. I may do 6 Cory's but I'll start with 4 and then get 2 more. So I might try this
4-6 Cory's
6-12 neon tetras
6-8 rumynose tetras
5-5 endlers
1-1 German blue ram
1-1 apistogramma
2-2 pearl gourami
How's that sounding? Then can I add a bn pleco possibablly? An then a zebra nerite snail
So the led number is starting and right is eventually what is have. Does anybody recommend a gbr and apisto, or a pair of gbr's instead? Because I'd be willing to do a pair, but I don't want any extra aggression. I'll be havin 3 cichlid stones, 2 driftwood, Mabye live plants.