Fish In Cycle!

[Lessa99]

Hi Friends,

I've been reading here for a while, but have some questions!

First off I bought a 36 gallon Bowfront off of craigslist and immediately upgraded the filter to a filter rated for 50 gallons...

I have about 40 pounds of Lofu (spelling?) rock that I am stacking, and have had this up and running for only about 5 days! I have been doing about 50-75% water changes every other day because I was told just add my sand substrate and fish and chemicals and I would be good to go! Little did I know! 1 of my angels has already died, so I'm wondering what I can do to keep every one else from dying during this cycle...?

My main question is for people who are familiar with the 36 gallon bowfront hoods/covers...

I would love to upgrade the lighting because once I feel I have a mastery of the freshwater tank, I will be upgrading to a Reef soft coral saltwater tank with clowns etc.

I'm wondering what is a good quality light system that I could buy to replace the factory lighting system...?

I want one that will fit the hood that is on and have no open water, and would be good now for live plants as well as future coral anemone growth?

Links would be super helpful! Of course I'm on a TIGHT budget, so the cheaper the better...

Thanks For all your help friends!

I LOVE this community so far!

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

For the light question, i think you are in trouble. If i undertand correctly, freshwater light fixtures will grow nothing but algae in saltwater tanks, and saltwater fixtures will grow algae in freshwater tanks. Dont think there is a light that will do both.... BUT (throwin out ideas here) maybe there is a universal fixture and you can just change out the bulbs?

 

[Lessa99]

Yeah, that is what I was hoping for! Just switching out the bulb when the time comes, because I do see at like Petco, Petsmart the Coralife bulbs for like $25 which I could handle!

 

[Chiroptera]

The factory regular bulbs that come with are generally good unless you want high-light plants. They work, they look good. Sometimes they have a purple or orange tint, that's the only reason I see to change it thus far. Also.. there's no cheap lighting. It's all pretty expensive if it's good. It'd just be easier to change when the time comes, but watch out! A lot of fish live a lot longer than 5 years, be prepared to stick with the responsibilities you buy when you buy fish and not just get rid of them because you want to try something new.

 

[hpiguy]

Contrary to what some think, a fish-in cycle can be done safely without stressing the fish as long as you follow a few rules.

See the home page of this very website for a fish-in cycle and advice.

How heavily did you stock it when new? How big are the fish? Types of each fish?

You don't know how to set up a new freshwater tank without advice from Petco floor employees, but are going to do a reef now?

Confused a bit by the post is all, looking for some clarification.

 

[LyndaB]

I have about 40 pounds of Lofu (spelling?) rock that I am stacking, and have had this up and running for only about 5 days! I have been doing about 50-75% water changes every other day because I was told just add my sand substrate and fish and chemicals and I would be good to go! Little did I know! 1 of my angels has already died, so I'm wondering what I can do to keep every one else from dying during this cycle...?

Do you understand the "nitrogen cycle"? If not, read up on it. It's crucial to the well-being of your tank. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/i-jus...g-but-I-already-have-fish-What-now/Page2.html

Get yourself an API master kit. You need to track your water parameters.

What chemicals did you add to the tank?

 

[Lessa99]

I have 1 Angel, 5 Tetra's and 2 Guppies....

Here is the lighting system that I have been looking at....

Wave Point High Output T5 Fluorescent 2 Lamp Aquatic Lighting System at PETCO

I have read up on the nitrogen cycle and Did purchase the API test kit....

I don't plan on switching to reef for a long time, or until I can afford another similar tank.

I added Water Conditioner, Ammo Lock, and Quick start...

Sorry for any confusion, I just wanted a few live plants and a brighter light like the linked one I mentioned....

Thanks Friends,

Lessa

 

[absolutangel04]

Just so you know, baby angels can be pretty fragile and some will just die on you if you have poor stock. An angel baby is not the most hardy fish for a cycle, but if you are cautious, it can be done without hurting the fish.
If you get the API kit, I would do a pwc everytime your ammo reaches about .75ppm, maybe 1ppm if your pH is under 8.
As for the light, can you tell us what sort of light the tank came with? If you look at the bulb and fixture, there should be some info on it. Often, tanks come with t8 lights which are perfectly fine for growing easy plants. I used t8 for awhile and had lovely, big green plants.
Also, don't bother with ammo lock. It's not helpful. The bacteria growing need the ammo and ammo lock just creates ammo fluxes rather than actual long term stability like a properly cycled tank has. A couple good water conditioners are Prime and Amquel plus. They both temporarily neutralize ammo in a way that still allows the ammo to be used by the developing bacteria.

 

[tamtam]

If you've been poking around this site I'm sure you must have come across this already but I'm going to post it again because well, I think it's a wonderful help for fish in cycling

Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice

As for the Saltwater switch, I'd be sure you can financially support it before you think about embarking on it. It can get mighty expensive really fast. I don't think there is such thing as a cheap saltwater tank. I was speaking with a friend of mine that had a large saltwater tank, close to 200 gallons and even knowing they are expensive I was still pretty darn surprised about the cost. lol. It basically confirmed I will never own a saltwater tank.

 

[Lessa99]

It did come with a t8 17 watt light, and now that I did a HUGE water change, it seems much brighter, maybe my water was just cloudy?

So saltwater is really that much more expensive than freshwater?
I realize the fish and corals are spendy, but if I were to slowly buy the skimmer, power heads, and t5 lights, how much worse can it be?

Since everything livestock wise is more expensive I wanted to master freshwater before stepping up!

Also should I get snails or something from the "clean-up" crew to help with this cycle or wait until it is finished?

How long is the typical cycle???

Thanks for all the help, I apologize for being an ignorant newbie!

Lessa

 

[absolutangel04]

Snails and other bottom feeders are fun, but they don't do anything for the cycle. I would stick with what you have for right now rather than adding more. Critters like snails do indeed eat food off the bottom, but they also poop. If you don't overfeed, you shouldn't need a clean up crew. Though of course, if you like snails or cory cats or something like that, feel free to get them once your cycle is a bit further along.
I suggest reading the link provided by tamtam for some specifics. It explains the process better than I can and should give you an idea about a time frame. It is variable though.