Fish in cycle Question

[HistorianSlane]

I'm about almost a week in my cycle and I've got things pretty under control.

I was wondering when I should start stocking my tank since I'm using this method?

So far I have two Zebra Danios ( I know 10 gallons isn't ideal for them but I believed what those darn signs on the LFS said).

Anyways,

Should it be gradual adding of fish or should I wait until its done cycling? Either way I know I'm going to have a mini cycle each time I add fish. I just wanna do a safe method.

 

[CraigRets]

Hard to say, since its such a small tank. If you keep up on water changes I don't see why not?

 

[HistorianSlane]

That was what I was thinking. I've been doing water changes every day. I was just going to do 1-2 fish at a time. I've been eyeing my water like a hawk and keeping my spikes under my thumb.

 

[Fishanatic]

Maybe a single one or two to increase the bio load.

 

[HistorianSlane]

Thanks guys. I was concerned about when the time came my bio filter wouldn't be able to handle the fish once I put them in ( granted I wasn't going to put everybody all at once and watch the chaos). I want to boost it and get the ball rolling. I'm testing constantly.

 

[jetajockey]

Adding more fish means adding more work. Personally I'd give it a few weeks to get a grasp on how much ammonia is being built up daily as well as give the bb some time to establish before you increase the workload.

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

I'm about almost a week in my cycle and I've got things pretty under control.

I was wondering when I should start stocking my tank since I'm using this method?

So far I have two Zebra Danios ( I know 10 gallons isn't ideal for them but I believed what those darn signs on the LFS said).

Anyways,

Should it be gradual adding of fish or should I wait until its done cycling? Either way I know I'm going to have a mini cycle each time I add fish. I just wanna do a safe method.

Hello History...

Danios are a very hardy fish and recommended for "Fish In" cycling. A 10 G tank isn't ideal for schooling fish, but since you have them, use them. Danios are small, so you'll need half a dozen to cycle your tank. Make sure you have some Anacharis floating plants in the tank too. It's perfect for a cycling tank because it uses the ammonia and nitrite for food.

Once the fish are in, you'll need to have a good water testing kit handy to check every day for traces of ammonia and nitrite. These are produced by the fish waste.

Test the water daily and when a test shows a trace of either of the above toxins, you change out 25 percent of the tank water and replace it with pure, treated tap water. Test and change out the water when needed. Don't remove more than a quarter or so of the tank water. You want to feed the growing bacteria that use the ammonia and nitrite for food. Remove too much water and you risk delaying the cycle.

Once you have several daily tests with no trace of the two toxins, your tank is cycled.

B

 

[HistorianSlane]

So you think I should get more Danios? I had three originally but one didn't survive.

 

[HistorianSlane]

I have an API Master test kit and am doing water changes daily and testing daily.

 

[HistorianSlane]

I was concerned about that as well. I think I'll sit back and wait. I don't wanna cause chaos.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Wait. Two little fish in a 10g will produce more ammonia than you think. Best to wait until the tank is cycled to add any more IMO.

 

[HistorianSlane]

Thanks! I just wanted to get some opinions before doing anything.

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Cycling

So you think I should get more Danios? I had three originally but one didn't survive.

Hello again History...

A couple of small fish aren't going to produce enough waste to start the cycle. There's too much water and it will dilute the waste that dissolves, so the microscopic bugs that use the waste for food won't get enough to reproduce.

Check the fish before you buy them. They should be active, good body shape, swimming with the others and good color. Put 6 or so in the tank with some Anacharis. You should be able to get it at the pet store, it's very cheap. Just remove whatever is holding the plants together and drop the plants into the tank. It's a natural water filter, very good for helping with the whole process.

Then, follow the instructions I sent to you earlier. You're the "water keeper". If you test the water faithfully and do your water changes, the tank will cycle in about 4 to 6 weeks. While you're at the pet store, pick up a bottle of "Stability" and dose the water according to the instructions. This will also help with the cycling process.

B

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I have to completely disagree here. You don't need 6 fish in a 10g. Even one tiny fish will still produce ammonia and cycle the tank. Keep it simple and have less fish. Less fish = smaller ammonia spikes = less work. Save your money and avoid cycling products. They are so hit or miss and a tank cycles without them. However I do agree that adding fast growing plants will help.

 

[HistorianSlane]

Well with these two fish I've had significant ammonia spikes. .25 to .50 ppm. I've cut feeding them to about once every other day. Today is their feeding day, however.

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

I have to completely disagree here. You don't need 6 fish in a 10g. Even one tiny fish will still produce ammonia and cycle the tank. Keep it simple and have less fish. Less fish = smaller ammonia spikes = less work. Save your money and avoid cycling products. They are so hit or miss and a tank cycles without them. However I do agree that adding fast growing plants will help.

Hello M of 2...

No problems here. Fish keeping isn't an exact science, there are many ways to succeed in the water keeping hobby. Just calling it like I see it. I cycled my first 12 gallon tank with 8 feeder female Guppies, because I liked more fish in the water. They're a bit larger than the Danios and like I explained to the poster, if you carefully monitor the water chemistry and change the water when needed, the fish will be fine. That's the reason for using the hardiest fish, they'll tolerate the marginal water conditions.

B

 

[jetajockey]

Quality of life is the big concern, no sense in making the fish suffer needlessly, or make more work for the fish keeper to maintain safe conditions.

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

Quality of life is the big concern, no sense in making the fish suffer needlessly, or make more work for the fish keeper to maintain safe conditions.

No arguments here. I'm an animal person and don't want to mistreat fish or anything else. In my case, I wanted to create an environment in the tank so that I'd have measurable nitrogen in the water to begin the cycling process. Just don't believe a couple of tiny fish is enough to do this. So, I used more fish and kept close tabs on the water chemistry. This was some time ago, but as I recall, all my Guppies survived.

Just one opinion, though.

B

 

[HistorianSlane]

My Zebras are doing very well during this whole process. I've also kept a very sharp close eye on the water conditions. They haven't shown any signs of stress at all.

 

[HistorianSlane]

I know its only been bout a week or so but I'm not getting any nitrite on my test kit yet.