Fishless cycling 10 gallon tank, need some advice!

[jlk]

Thats great news! Yes, redose your ammonia & check again in 24hrs. You will want to do this for a few more days to be sure your tank is steadily zeroing amm/nitrite. Once your ready for fish, you will need to skip the amm & do a big water change to drop your nitrates as low as possible. It may take more than one wc. Make sure you use temperature-matched, conditioned water. Check out U-Tube for how-to videos on drip acclimation if you are not familiar with the process. Congrats & look forward to seeing some pics!!

 

[Macpo80]

Ammonia 0 and nitrites 0 for the past few evenings. Nitrates are reading somewhere around 80ppm. I think I'm good to get some fish after doing a water change to get nitrates down below 20 correct?

A dumb question.. Am I supposed to change the filter monthly? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of doing a fishless cycle?

Thanks for all the advice! Especially jlk!

 

[jlk]

YAY!! Yes, follow my above instructions on the day you would like to get fish! The filter question is not a dumb one- according to every lfs & filter maker, we should be throwing these things in the trash every few wks. Nope, not necessary. If the filter gets clogged up a bit, swish it in some used tank water every other wk or so. Thats about it. Keep it until it is falling apart-when this starts to happen, stick another new filter behind it for few wks or chop the old filter into pieces & place it in with the new one. Try to keep them going as long as possible!

 

[Macpo80]

Last few questions before Live fish..

When doing water changes do I need to fill a bucket with tap water, add dechlorinator and let it sit for 24 hours? Or do I simply match the aquarium temps by adding hot water, add the dechlorinator and dump it in straight away?

I'm thinking about starting with Danios.. Is 6 in a 10 gallon tank ok? Ideal water temp? ( googled it and found conflicting answers)

Feed fish how many times a day and how much?

Looking at my Pic I added to the opening post.. Do you think my tank needs live plants or more decorative objects for the fish to use/hide in?

Thanks so much for helping me again!

 

[boadams87]

Ammonia 0 and nitrites 0 for the past few evenings. Nitrates are reading somewhere around 80ppm. I think I'm good to get some fish after doing a water change to get nitrates down below 20 correct?

A dumb question.. Am I supposed to change the filter monthly? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of doing a fishless cycle?

Thanks for all the advice! Especially jlk!

NEVER throw it away every mth, that's just so the company can make money. I always keep 2 filters in my HOB

 

[jlk]

Last few questions before Live fish..

When doing water changes do I need to fill a bucket with tap water, add dechlorinator and let it sit for 24 hours? Or do I simply match the aquarium temps by adding hot water, add the dechlorinator and dump it in straight away?

I'm thinking about starting with Danios.. Is 6 in a 10 gallon tank ok? Ideal water temp? ( googled it and found conflicting answers)

Feed fish how many times a day and how much?

Looking at my Pic I added to the opening post.. Do you think my tank needs live plants or more decorative objects for the fish to use/hide in?

Thanks so much for helping me again!

If your water changes are via bucket method, put in amount conditioner needed for the size bucket (most r 5g) & fill with temp matched water. Its then safe to add to your tank.

I cant help with the danios (im coldwater girl!) but im sure you will get lots of help if you ask in gen discussion! Theres lots of info for feeding tropicals if you do a search but i believe alot people feed once or tiwce a day with a fast day every week. Feel free to decorate your tank as you see fit-i personally love live plants & they help keep the tank healthy as well! Good luck with your new fish!!

 

[librarygirl]

Last few questions before Live fish..

When doing water changes do I need to fill a bucket with tap water, add dechlorinator and let it sit for 24 hours? Or do I simply match the aquarium temps by adding hot water, add the dechlorinator and dump it in straight away?

I'm thinking about starting with Danios.. Is 6 in a 10 gallon tank ok? Ideal water temp? ( googled it and found conflicting answers)

Feed fish how many times a day and how much?

Looking at my Pic I added to the opening post.. Do you think my tank needs live plants or more decorative objects for the fish to use/hide in?

Thanks so much for helping me again!

Congrats on completing the cycle!

Yes when doing water changes add dechlorinator to the buckets (look on the bottle for dosing and then adjust it to however many gallons the bucket holds) and then you can add it to the tank. The dechlorinators work quickly.

What kind of danios? There are quite a few.

Overfeeding is easy to do so just be aware of it. Fish don't need much food even though they'll act like they are starving all the time. Fish do like variety though so I'd get some tropical fish flakes and some other kinds of food like pellets (Hikari or New Life Spectrum are good brands) and maybe veggie or algae wafers, it depends what kind of fish you have. Frozen fish foods are good once a week or so as a treat. Freeze-dried foods tend to cause bloating issues. I also give my fish thawed, deshelled frozen peas (put them in the microwave for a minute or so and then take off the outer shell) once per week (I take out the uneaten portions after a few hours); peas can help battle constipation and bloating. I also fast them the next day.

Your tank looks fine.