My tank needs help

[jwong2357]

I'm on it and I put the measurements, I hate how they won't show you a picture is the fish you picked

 

[Tommy10]

Just have 2 windows open put the other one on Google images and just search what you don't know. Also make sure u hit the button that says display only suitable species for your tank

 

[jwong2357]

Ok cool so what kind of tank do you have

 

[Tommy10]

Fluval 26 gallon Bowfront just finishing up cycling it

 

[jwong2357]

How do you cycle it

 

[jwong2357]

I didn't get your message

 

[Tommy10]

I used old filter film, nutra film cycle, and some minnows

 

[jwong2357]

Haha I'm a rookie I don't know what DAT is

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[Tommy10]

So I took an old filter pad with good bacteria and put it in mine to speed up the process, i also used a special thing called nutra fin cycle which is like more good bacteria, and some minnows to help 'dirty' it before I put in my other fish

 

[jwong2357]

I thought you just had to let the filter run for a week then add the fish

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[Tommy10]

Thats risky

 

[Toad]

Nope, all that does is have your filter run for awhile, cycling starts when you actually have a source of ammonia in there, so usually it happens when people add fish. There is fish-in cycling, fish-less cycling, and my personal favorite, getting a decent hunk of filter material ready in one of my other filters for a few weeks and then just setting up a whole aquarium pretty much whenever I feel like it. Most people when they don't have this last option go fish less, because cycling with fish, unless kept up with water changes, can result in unhealthy or dead fish. Google these terms and there are also links here on this site, read up on it and go with what will work best for you.

 

[ashleynicole]

I would reccomend you read some articles and learn about the nitrogen cycle before you even think about adding any new fish.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/


http://freshwater-aquarium-passion.blogspot.com/2010/10/nitrogen-cycle-for-dummies.html?m=1

http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling/






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[jwong2357]

OK I just read the fishless cycle and what Idon't get is after the 3 months that you build up the bacteria, why would I dump the water out and put in new water that doesn't have the bacteria init? WWhat's the point?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

The bacteria isn't in the water, it is in the filter media.

 

[jwong2357]

Oh so you only do this once per filter

 

[ashleynicole]

Bacteria grows everywhere but yes the majority will be in the filter media which is why many filters contain a place for the biological filter to build up like ceramic rings or a biowheel. And yes you could get some media from an established tank to boost your cycle. I instantly cycled the last tank I started from scratch with a seeded filter sponge from angelsplus.com and now all my subsequent tanks are instantly cycled with seeded media from my established tank. Doing it this way I dont add a lot of fish at once, only a few each week and monitoring parameters to make sure the biofilter can keep up. If I ever detect any ammonia or nitrite then I instantly know I need to start doing daily water changes with a good water conditoner like prime to keep the fish safe until more bacteria grow to keep up with the increased biolaod.

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