How long should I allow a tank to cycle?

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GoldenLover224

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
Messages
8
Location
California
Well I bought a 2.5 gallon Aqueon Mini Bow and the instructions said to wait 2 days to allow it to cycle. I also watched YouTube videos and some people just added their fish in after they added water conditioner and waited for a few minutes or longer. Which one should I do?:confused::confused:
 
Well I bought a 2.5 gallon Aqueon Mini Bow and the instructions said to wait 2 days to allow it to cycle. I also watched YouTube videos and some people just added their fish in after they added water conditioner and waited for a few minutes or longer. Which one should I do?:confused::confused:

First off, welcome to AA! Second, I would strongly advise you invest in a API master test kit. Trust me, it's saved lots of my fish more than once. Buying this also shows you if your tank is ready for fish or not. ( you'll probably find those people who threw their fish straight in were making endless trips to the pet stores after the video was shot!) the API test kit will show you: ammonia, pH, high range pH, nitrIte and nitrAte. Ammonia and nitrite are deadly to fish and it's important to cycle your tank so you won't have to deal with that. Nitrate is still toxic, but much safer than ammonia and nitrite. Your nitrate could reach levels of 40ppm before it gets dangerous. I can't get the link up for fish less cycling but someone will :)
 
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

You should do neither of those things. Cycling can take months in order to grow the beneficial bacteria necessary to convert poisons from fishy poop into stuff that's not poison. This link should help.
Getting filter media from an established tank can help speed up the process dramatically to only a week or two though. Also live plants help :)
Have fun with your tank and enjoy learning! :)
 
Hi, letting the tank run doesn't cycle it I'm afraid. You can do either fish-in or fishless. A 2.5 gal is very small though and won't allow for much error so if you do a fish-in you'll have to be vigilant about daily testing and water changes. What are you planning to put in it? Other than shrimp or possibly a betta your choices are pretty limited. This guide explains cycling methods and the pros and cons of each: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice
 
Just for an example I have a 5.5g betta tank.. I tossed him in day 1 but I did daily 50-70% water changes and used prime... ammonia was always sky high and it took like 4-5 weeks to finally cycle even when I put a filter from another tank in there and added bacteria in a bottle..... My 55g in comparison only took 2 weeks... It seems smaller tanks take longer to cycle
 
I guess there's not much room to put things in a smaller tank. So surface area for bacteria to grow on is limited. Also there is not much water to dilute toxins which make water changes all the more important.
 
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