Cycling Questions

[Chriznat20]

Ok Ive been down this road a few times before (just look at my join date to this site ).

I sold my 55g FW tank last year and regretted it dearly ever since. I just picked up a 30g on craigslist. Oak stand, oak canopy, air pump, cleaning magnet, whisper 30, 150w heater, a whole lotta plants and decorations (currently downstairs being par boiled) for $55. Score!

I filled up the tank yesterday and let the filter/heater run all night mainly to check for leaks but also to get the water conditioned. I added the stuff in the yellow bottle that neutralizes chlorine and adds slime coat (forget the name). Today I went to my LFS and bought 4 black striped tetras - a whopping $1.24/ea.

Ive had tanks since I was 9 years old (I'll be 30 in a month) and have never done fishless cycling, its for the birds IMO.

I have 2 questions...

1.) Would it be wise for me to go to my LFS and get some of those "filter balls" out of their running filters, or some of their gravel, and put them into my whisper 30 to help colonize the bacteria?

2.) Lets say I let the tank cycle on its own with daily water changes. I dont have my aquarium encyclopedia handy (I moved, hence why I sold my old tank) so where the heck does the bacteria come from if I dont introduce any kind of colony myself?

Are you telling me that if you add ammonia to a tank, that bacteria "come out of thin air" and start eating the ammonia?

 

[Bender]

Bacteria are in the water just not "active" per se. I would get the media from a tank if you can may save your fish you have in there now.

 

[eatsomepopcorn]

Most of my young adolesent and adult life I did things exactly as you did with freshwater, no cycling. Basically, followed your steps exactly. What I found was that hearty fish like Oscars and Jack Dempsys have no issues with this. More delicate fish like angels and some smaller fish don't always survive. Tetras are fairly hearty and may be fine. I would purchase a few pieces of rock from your lfs freshwater aquarium and throw in. Technically, what I did and what you are doing is the wrong way, but very often things work out just fine, your just taking a risk.

 

[Chriznat20]

Most of my young adolesent and adult life I did things exactly as you did with freshwater, no cycling. Basically, followed your steps exactly. What I found was that hearty fish like Oscars and Jack Dempsys have no issues with this. More delicate fish like angels and some smaller fish don't always survive. Tetras are fairly hearty and may be fine.

See Im not the only one That is why I bought tetras.. I find that they either usually get eaten by bigger fish, or get bored with life, and those are the only two reasons Ive ever witnessed their deaths!!

I would purchase a few pieces of rock from your lfs freshwater aquarium and throw in. Technically, what I did and what you are doing is the wrong way, but very often things work out just fine, your just taking a risk.

I may do just that. I tested for ammonia already, nothing registering yet (The fish have been in the tank since 12:30pm-ish...lol. Hey, cant blame me for trying!

 

[roadmaster]

Fish don't get bored with life. They usually succumb to deteriorating water conditions or in optimum enviornment,,, they die from old age. Fish such as tetras Don't get eaten by larger fish unless larger fish are present.
Fish produce ammonia through respiration and waste(urine,poop). If you monitor the water closely and feed the four tetras sparingly ,perhaps once every other day and a tiny amount,, You should have way fewer problems with sick and or dying fish and tank will mature or (cycle) with way fewer problems than if too many fish, too large of fish, innappropriate fish,and overfeeding take place. I would not add any more fish to the tank other than what you have until the tank has (cycled)
Would be helpful if you can borrow some filter materia from a disease free existing tank to help colonise the filter in your tank with beneficial bacteria.
Would take care to keep any borrowed filter material, wet in Aquarium water while transporting it to my tank and I would try to do it within brief period of time so that the borrowed bacteria does not begin to die off which will happen without oxygen for too long a period of time.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I sold my 55g FW tank last year and regretted it dearly ever since. I just picked up a 30g on craigslist. Oak stand, oak canopy, air pump, cleaning magnet, whisper 30, 150w heater, a whole lotta plants and decorations (currently downstairs being par boiled) for $55. Score!

Nice work!

I filled up the tank yesterday and let the filter/heater run all night mainly to check for leaks but also to get the water conditioned. I added the stuff in the yellow bottle that neutralizes chlorine and adds slime coat (forget the name). Today I went to my LFS and bought 4 black striped tetras - a whopping $1.24/ea.

Are those the same as Black Widow / Black Skirt Tetras? If so then I got the same ones . Recommended to me as good for cycling as they are hardy, and they were spot on too!

They are a fast fish when they want to be, i.e. feeding time! Although mine are absolutely terrified of the tank lighting, my guppies aren't bothered at all, but the tetras completely freak out!

1.) Would it be wise for me to go to my LFS and get some of those "filter balls" out of their running filters, or some of their gravel, and put them into my whisper 30 to help colonize the bacteria?

I would say it couldn't hurt!

2.) Lets say I let the tank cycle on its own with daily water changes. I dont have my aquarium encyclopedia handy (I moved, hence why I sold my old tank) so where the heck does the bacteria come from if I dont introduce any kind of colony myself?

Are you telling me that if you add ammonia to a tank, that bacteria "come out of thin air" and start eating the ammonia?

There is some present in the air, yes! And there is some in tap water too! Not in huge quantities however, which is why when a tank is set up from scratch the bacteria will take a fair while to grow from the trace amounts in the water to a sufficiently large colony to filter your tank. Which is why people recommend getting some gravel etc as it is like the difference between trying to reach a million by doubling starting from 1 vs starting from 1,000.

 

[dkpate]

I would personally say no to using media from the LFS, because most of them run on one big "filter", and all but one of the fish I have gotten have had problems, and I would not want to introduce that to the tank.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I forgot to add. With my new tank I got a bottle of Interpet "Filter Start", which supposedly contains live bacteria, while you tank is cycling you put some in every 2 days, then once a month after that to keep things going.

There are loads of similar products on the market.

 

[SHARPiE]

Bottled bacteria is brilliant!
Some hate it, but I swear by it - I have cycled numerous tanks in a matter of weeks - the one I use is Stress-Zyme by API. I have used the fishless cycle and used fish to cycle - I haven't noticed any speed difference.

To expand on the answers already given:

1 - ONLY if you trust the Fish Store and have inspected all tanks and fish for disease. (Both my LFS are very strick on quaratine rules and all are all bare bottom tanks as gravel and rock can harbor the parasite/disease) As dkplate said, it would probably be better to cycle without it, unless you feel secure.

2 - The bacteria does begin to grow out of what appears to be thin air, the chemistry behind it is invisible - They will grow when there is enough ammonia in the water for them to consume, it turns this into nitrite, the last step is to convert the nitrite into nitrate (nitrate isn't harmful to fish in small does, unlike ammonia and nitrite). One of the reasons this bacteria isn't in our tap water is because the chlorine prevents it (this is one of the reasons you use de-chlorinator in tap water)

You may get a lot of contradicting info from Local Fish Stores - as they are in it for the cash flow - advice here is free, you can trust us

BUT at the end of the day, it's what works for you.

Good Luck!
Happy fish keeping

 

[Chriznat20]

Fish don't get bored with life. They usually succumb to deteriorating water conditions or in optimum enviornment,,, they die from old age.

Thats what I was sarcastically and jokingly trying to get at ...

"bored with life" = died of old age. I guess its more of a joke within my family. Our family beagle at the age of 18 got "bored with life" I.e. died of old age

 

[Chriznat20]

Bottled bacteria is brilliant!
Some hate it, but I swear by it - I have cycled numerous tanks in a matter of weeks - the one I use is Stress-Zyme by API. I have used the fishless cycle and used fish to cycle - I haven't noticed any speed difference.

Thanks. Ive never used it before but might give it a shot this time

The bacteria does begin to grow out of what appears to be thin air, the chemistry behind it is invisible ...

Awesome, exactly the answer I was looking for. I find it fascinating that the ammonia eating bacteria "exists" in nature and we live with it/around it. Amazing thought!!

Thanks for all of the replies!!

 

[meegosh]

I'm not going to start another debate about these 'cycle' products but I have never seen any work as advertised first hand. The only one I have read that seems to work is Bio-Spira and only if it has been refrigerated the whole time (shipping, store shelf, your home). I wasted about $6 when I first started off in aquariums on a bottle of "Cycle". It did absolutely nothing. I ended up continuing with my fish-in cycle and regretted every minute of it. I realized what a big mistake I made after the 6th or 7th water change I did in a week.

Just my $0.02 and welcome back, again!

 

[dkpate]

And I have used Bio-Zyme, and had my 5G tank cycled in 7 days.