Can I add Bio-Spira halfway through my cycle?

[Corey]

I am at day 14 of my cycle. 20gallon high, properly filtered/heated/lighted. Inhabitants are 3 Zebra Danios and 3 guppy fry. Ammonia has dropped to zero (never got above .5ppm), not registering any nitrites, barely any nitrates. I'm getting a little impatient - I want more fishies!
I was wondering if it would be safe to add bio-spira at this point to my tank in order to help the cycling process? I would have done it from the get-go, but didn't know it was an option.
Any input is appreciated,
Thanks!

P.S. Sorry for asking so many questions

 

[rich311k]

You can put it in whenever you wish. It will not harm anything. Be sure it is refridegerated when you buy it, or it is worthless.

 

[bosk1]

Your existing bioload is so light that I would think you are likely to get mini cycles every time you add fish.

When setting up my tank initially, I made a mistake and ended up getting a nitrite spike after adding fish. I added biospira part way through my cycle, and it worked wonderfully to get things back under control. As Rich said, make sure it is refrigerated, and that you follow the instructions, or you will not get results. You also need to add fish at the same time. Without an ammonia source, the bacteria will die or go dormant, and your money will have been wasted. For a tank your size, the 1 oz. pack should be more than enough. It should run you about $10, give or take a little (can't remember exact cost).

 

[Corey]

I've seen it stored at the LFS - it is refrigerated.

You also need to add fish at the same time. Without an ammonia source, the bacteria will die or go dormant, and your money will have been wasted.

How many would you recommend, and should they also be hardy, like the Danios I have in there? Would a Clown Pleco be a good candidate? Pleco poo garlands would certainly up the bioload, and that was the next fish I was planning on getting - of course I could just get a few more Danios.
How long should I expect the parameters to take to level out to the point where I can say that the tank is cycled?
Thanks very much!

 

[rich311k]

Danios would be a good choice if that is what you are planning on keeping. You are cycled when you get 0 ammonia, o nitrite, and sone nitrates. Once that happens you can add more fish slowly.

What are you planning on keeping?

 

[Corey]

What are you planning on keeping?

Good question - been contemplating that a lot lately. Considering two things:

1) Community tank - two Bolivian Rams/German Blues/something like that, a dwarf Pleco, and the school of Danios - possibly a few Cories.
or
2) Species tank 4 or 5 dwarf puffers (the tiny freshwater guys), a dwarf Pleco, and a few Otos. I can move the Danios to my girlfriend's tank, or just see how they do with the DP's.

I'm completely split, because I like the idea of a variety/color with the community tank, but I absolutely love puffers. I have to have a Pleco either way, and I think with ample hiding, one would be fine with DP's, as they're armored, generally nocturnal and extremely fast if need be.
Definitely planning on moving up to a 40-50 gallon tank within the next year, so I'm taking that into account too.
What do you think?

 

[rich311k]

I like plan one. But I like SA cichlids etc. I was just worried you would have all these poor danios left out to dry. As long as you have a plan for them, get 6 or so and add the bio-spira I think that will work out well.

By the way plan two is nice as well. Just never got into the puffer thing. They can nip but if you watch and remove the danios if needed you should be fine.

 

[Corey]

Thanks a lot for the input, Rich.
Do you think a 20 gallon tank is appropriate for 2 Bolivian/German blue rams? I would only get two, as I know they like to be in pairs, and wouldn't want any more than that.

 

[rich311k]

a pair would be fine in 20 gallons.

 

[bosk1]

I've seen it stored at the LFS - it is refrigerated.

You also need to add fish at the same time. Without an ammonia source, the bacteria will die or go dormant, and your money will have been wasted.

How many would you recommend, and should they also be hardy, like the Danios I have in there? Would a Clown Pleco be a good candidate? Pleco poo garlands would certainly up the bioload, and that was the next fish I was planning on getting - of course I could just get a few more Danios.
How long should I expect the parameters to take to level out to the point where I can say that the tank is cycled?
Thanks very much!

Tricky questions to answer, but here's my explanation that will hopefully help: With the biospira, you are instantly cycled, which means you can add any fish you want, in terms of the nitrogen cycle being complete and there being beneficial bacteria present to take care of nitrogen-based toxins (ammonia and nitrite). However, assuming you are going with plan #1, I would hold off a little on getting the rams for a couple of reasons: (1) biospira is a wonderful product, but has occasionally been known to fail even when stored properly. There could have been a breakdown in refrigeration during transport. That particular batch of bacteria may have died for some other reason. Etc. If your lfs is reliable, and you follow the instructions, it is unlikely that anything will go wrong, but it is a possibility. (2) Rams tend to be sensitive fish, as I understand it, and there are other factors besides nitrogen that can make your tank water less than ideal for them. In a mature tank, everything, including the things we don't commonly test for, tends to be more stable.

Based on the above, if it were up to me, I would probably add the danios, the pleco, and whatever else you want to put in that is at least close to average-hardy. The fish don't have to be 'hardy' per se because, but just avoid overly sensitive fish in the beginning. Then I would just keep an eye on things for a while, and assuming everything in the tank is fine after a good little while, I would go ahead and add the rams.

 

[Corey]

However, assuming you are going with plan #1, I would hold off a little on getting the rams

I did decide to go route #1. Visited the store today, had my water tested again, and they told me since it still looks stable since last time with a small amount of nitrates and no nitrite/ammonia, they believed that my tank was cycled. Seems amazing to me that it did so quickly (2 weeks), but maybe the Equilibrium product I added really worked for me? I also had added gravel from the LFS from an established tank thatprobably helped.

Anyway, the store and its employees have a fantastic reputation, so I took their advice and added a few more fish. They did not recommend that I avoid rams, so I didn't I wish I would have read your response earlier. I ended up bringing home a pair of Blue Rams and a Pleco, which the store helper thought would be fine. I sure hope the Rams will be okay. I will keep a very watchful eye on the tank parameters.
Also, I decided not to go with Bio-Spira at all. If the levels elevate, I may run out and buy some, but personally it seems that the tank is cycled already. What I don't know is if it has enough bio-filter to support the new fish. Only time will tell.
Any thoughts?
Thanks again!

 

[bosk1]

The product you mentioned will not cycle your tank. I'm guessing your parameters are low simply because you have so little fish that there isn't much waste being produced. With the addition--especially the pleco--I would test your water every day just to make sure. If you start to get any sort of ammonia or nitirite spike, do a pwc immediately. Hopefully, you have a good test kit and are not using test strips so you can detect any ammonia or nitrite before it harms your fish. Do you have the AP liquid reagent kit?

What I would do if you see spikes (and others may have slightly different advice): Do an immediate pwc and keep checking your parameters to see if your levels keep jumping up. If you get a spike again within 24 hours, do another pwc and go get that biospira. If no spikes, you should be home free!

Hopefully, all will be well. Be skeptical of anything your lfs tells you. I would want to know what sort of guarantee they have just in case (worse case scenario) the rams don't make it.