Need help cycling ten gallon for dp

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Hey so I just had a gsp and it died because the tank wasn't fully cycled. It has a little bit of salt in it so today I am taking out all the water and sand and putting new. How do I go about doing the fishless cycle? I have read alot of articles on it, but knowing me I will screw up somewhere. Can anyone tell me what I need to put in the water and what needs to be done to cycle this ten gallon?

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

whats a gsp?

to cycle fishless, you can just leave the filter to run for a couple of weeks while using a master test kit for parameter readings.
to speed it up u can use a cycle product but people are often opposed to chemicals.
its just that really - getting the parameters alright and you are well away.

to cycle my 10 and 40, i left them for 2 weeks with the filter on and put in about 3 capfuls of Easybalance at the start, to get the bacteria going. i did this wrong because i didn't test for anything, i never have. i just know when to do a pwc or not.
when u think the tank is ready, i reccomend putting in a small fish like a guppy to get the bacteria really going and to get the filter acclimated to an ammonia increase. and to see if it dies or not obviously lol.

 

[eco23]

whats a gsp?

to cycle fishless, you can just leave the filter to run for a couple of weeks while using a master test kit for parameter readings.
to speed it up u can use a cycle product but people are often opposed to chemicals.
its just that really - getting the parameters alright and you are well away.

to cycle my 10 and 40, i left them for 2 weeks with the filter on and put in about 3 capfuls of Easybalance at the start, to get the bacteria going. i did this wrong because i didn't test for anything, i never have. i just know when to do a pwc or not.
when u think the tank is ready, i reccomend putting in a small fish like a guppy to get the bacteria really going and to get the filter acclimated to an ammonia increase. and to see if it dies or not obviously lol.

I'm sorry to call you out...but thats simply bad advice and I ask you to do more research for yourself before making those recommendations to others.

A fishless cycle (any type of cycle actually) requires an ammonia source. That is what the bacteria feeds on to colonize. Leaving a tank to sit empty does nothing except leave the water to circulate.

I know it's a bit tricky to understand at first, but to the OP I recommend reading the articles which were linked to you before a few more times. There are ones about both fish-in and fishless cycling.

We're happy to answer any specific questions you have...but the articles will really describe the processes better than we can sum up here in a few sentences.

 

[librarygirl]

whats a gsp?

to cycle fishless, you can just leave the filter to run for a couple of weeks while using a master test kit for parameter readings.
to speed it up u can use a cycle product but people are often opposed to chemicals.
its just that really - getting the parameters alright and you are well away.

to cycle my 10 and 40, i left them for 2 weeks with the filter on and put in about 3 capfuls of Easybalance at the start, to get the bacteria going. i did this wrong because i didn't test for anything, i never have. i just know when to do a pwc or not.
when u think the tank is ready, i reccomend putting in a small fish like a guppy to get the bacteria really going and to get the filter acclimated to an ammonia increase. and to see if it dies or not obviously lol.

I have to slightly disagree. Letting the filter run for a few weeks won't cycle it. You need an ammonia source to feed the bacteria to get them to colonize. WIthout fish in the tank, you'd add pure ammonia. Also the bottled bacteria products are generally hit and miss; I wouldn't wholeheartedly trust them.

The link in my signature called "new empty tank" will walk you through the steps to properly fishless cycle your tank. Good luck!

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

So I don't gotta use anything could I take water out of my other tank and put in the fishless tank to cycle it? It has everything it needs to start the cycle for the bacteria, would that not work or would it? How do I know when its safe to put fish? Will all the levels even out where they are suppose to be when the cycle is done?

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

I'm sorry to call you out...but thats simply bad advice and I ask you to do more research for yourself before making those recommendations to others.

A fishless cycle (any type of cycle actually) requires an ammonia source. That is what the bacteria feeds on to colonize. Leaving a tank to sit empty does nothing except leave the water to circulate.

I know it's a bit tricky to understand at first, but to the OP I recommend reading the articles which were linked to you before a few more times. There are ones about both fish-in and fishless cycling.

We're happy to answer any specific questions you have...but the articles will really describe the processes better than we can sum up here in a few sentences.

I know I have read them a couple of different times trying to figure stuff out. And I appreciate all the help everyone has giving me I am trying to get this done the right way. My twenty gal started another cycle for some reason I think it was cuz I added a fish, not sure tho. And also I thought when the filter pads got nasty brown I thought I needed to throw it out and put a new one in, but I found out that the filters and pads have the good bacteria and that I should only replace once a month and clean them in the tank water during water changes. So that could have been a problem too. I'm freaking trying but it's like I'm doing everything wrong fish keep dieing. The only tank that's doing good is my eels bw tank, it's crazy gezz. Any suggests to help me get these tanks right would help. Thanks everyone!

 

[absolutangel04]

So I don't gotta use anything could I take water out of my other tank and put in the fishless tank to cycle it? It has everything it needs to start the cycle for the bacteria, would that not work or would it? How do I know when its safe to put fish? Will all the levels even out where they are suppose to be when the cycle is done?

Nope. The BB fixes itself to the filter pads, gravel, decor, and things like that. Its not just floating around in the water.

The bacteria needs a source of ammonia. Do you have the test kit yet that you ordered?

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Nope. The BB fixes itself to the filter pads, gravel, decor, and things like that. Its not just floating around in the water.

The bacteria needs a source of ammonia. Do you have the test kit yet that you ordered?

No not yet I hope it gets here by Monday or Tuesday. So where would I get ammonia at?

 

[absolutangel04]

No not yet I hope it gets here by Monday or Tuesday. So where would I get ammonia at?

Well, you can use different things as ammonia sources, but one of the easiest things to do is use pure ammonia (no surfectants) from a hardware store. Ask the Hardware store employees for pure ammonia and make sure to read the bottle to make sure no other ingredients are in there to. If you are not sure if its the right kind, shake up the bottle then open it and if it bubbles up like soap then its not good to use. If there are is no foam or anything, then it should be ok.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

So I need pure ammonia, I'm going to have to call around see who has it. How long do I need to let the tank set with the ammonia in it? How much ammonia do I put into the ten gallon tank? And I just got some driftwood for my cichlids and I boiled it now I am letting it soak in the sink, when will it be okay to put in and with me putting a new piece of decor will the tank re-cycle itself?

 

[absolutangel04]

So I need pure ammonia, I'm going to have to call around see who has it. How long do I need to let the tank set with the ammonia in it? How much ammonia do I put into the ten gallon tank? And I just got some driftwood for my cichlids and I boiled it now I am letting it soak in the sink, when will it be okay to put in and with me putting a new piece of decor will the tank re-cycle itself?

I don't rememberthe exact dosing, but I think its in the guide in eco's sig. You need the test kit to do this too because there is not assured amount of time to do it in, ou have to continually dose the tank with ammo and wait for the BB to develop to the point where no ammo/nitrite shows up in the test.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Okay thank u so much like always you have been a great help!

 

[absolutangel04]

Okay thank u so much like always you have been a great help!

No prob. Like I said, eco's signature has the link that really explains the exact details best. But, feel free to ask more questions if they arise. I know it can be a bit confusing at first.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

I never thought keeping fish could be so hard. I remember being younger with fish tanks never did water changes, never tested water, etc and my fish did fine. Every once in a while I cleaned the whole tank. But I had guppies, goldfish, etc. Now I want all the pretty fish and there is so much I never even knew need to be done, which I have no problem doing cuz my fish are awesome!

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Ok still don't know how much pure ammonia I need to put in my ten gallon to cycle it, anybody got suggestion?

 

[steez]

You really just need to read Eco's post. Thoroughly read it, don't just browse.

Then, read his sig link.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

im sorry i gave bad advice, im glad my fish survived but im going to be reading up on this much more!

sorry chanskevin4ever! xxxxx

 

[librarygirl]

Ok still don't know how much pure ammonia I need to put in my ten gallon to cycle it, anybody got suggestion?

It depends on the strength of ammonia, really. Ten gallons isn't that big so you shouldn't need much. You could always add a couple of drops (and I mean literallly a couple of drops lol), wait 30 minutes, test with your test kit. If ammonia is less than 4, try a few more drops, wait, retest, etc. That's why a test kit is very important.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

im sorry i gave bad advice, im glad my fish survived but im going to be reading up on this much more!

sorry chanskevin4ever! xxxxx

It's totally fine, I'm still trying to learn how to correctly do these tanks too. I have lost a couple of my fish in the process, very sad!

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

It depends on the strength of ammonia, really. Ten gallons isn't that big so you shouldn't need much. You could always add a couple of drops (and I mean literallly a couple of drops lol), wait 30 minutes, test with your test kit. If ammonia is less than 4, try a few more drops, wait, retest, etc. That's why a test kit is very important.

So I was doing some reading last nite and I said if I had any decor from a cycled tank to put it in. Everything I put in the ten gallon to get it ready to cycle is from another tank. Should I still add the ammonia if the bacteria is already in the tank on the decor? And I'm waiting on my test kit before I add anything so I know what I'm doing!