New setup and have a few concerns

[kwolfeman91]

Hello everyone i am new to the forum and have a few questions and concerns. I have had several aquariums in the past and know the basics but after more research and talking to many different people i have came to realize that everyone tells me some thing different and im just looking for answers. I have a 55 gal setup with heater 60 gal filter and thermometer with live plants and natural looking substrate and i have 3 rosy barbs in there now. This is my 5 th day into the nitrogen cycle and my ph is at 8 and my ammonia is still at 0. My first question is that will my fish be ok in the tank during the cycling process? I have done this before and i have had no problems but i dont want to risk my fish lives. Also the cycle usually take 4-6 weeks right? During this time period your not supposed to change the water right? I have a few other questions but ill hold off for now so you guys can help me with these first. Thanks for your time!

 

[sudz]

Ideally a fish-less cycle is preferred, some use a bit of shrimp to get the cycle going.

Because you already have the fish, and it sounds like you don't have another tank set up and running stable (are they both newly setup tanks), I think you'll be ok with your rosy barbs. Just wait until you start testing and see Nitrates before adding more fish. If you want to be sure, see if you can have some old (rinsed in some drained tank water) filter media from a friend who has a tank - This will jumpstart the process and help protect your fish.

If your ammonia or nitrites start getting high, do large waterchanges to keep your fish alive. it may prolong cycling, but at least your fish will be ok.

Welcome to AA!

Also, there are some great articles about fish-less cylcing in the how-to section.

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless CyclingAquarium Advice

see you around!

 

[kwolfeman91]

Thank you for the info and so quickly! You answered one of my most important qeustions which was if you could do water changes during cycling or not so that helps! I am anxious to get new little buddies in there when the cycle is over but if it takes longer thats fine because i dont want to endanger my fish in there now... also which testing kit do you suggest? I want to try and avoid the strips as i know they arent accurate often... do you think the 60 g filter i have will be sufficient enough?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

You should get the API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

 

[kwolfeman91]

Thats what i was thinking but i wasnt sure thanks!

 

[jlk]

Your fine to do a fish-in cycle as long as you are diligent on daily testing and water changes to keep your toxin levels down in order to keep your fish healthy. Its a bit more work than fishless cycling but the end result of cycled tank is the same. As suggested, the API freshwater master test kit is the most recommended as is a good water conditioner such as Prime or Amquel Plus (both help to bind toxins). Water changes are a must if you have fish & you want them to stay healthy during the cycling process- do not be afraid of them! Also, if you have access to any cycled filter media (friend, lfs, Angelsplus, etc), this will be the most helpful thing you can add to speed up your cycle. Dont hesitate to ask questions! Heres link with some more info:

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

 

[kwolfeman91]

I have a ph and ammonia gauges i have my tank so i can monitor them at all times. I will have a testing kit by this weekend the latest but i am a little worried about the ph since its staying around 8 i feel that's a little high. But the fish are acting fine and seem to be fine at the moment.

 

[LyndaB]

You won't get a true pH reading until the cycle is complete. It will fluctuate until then.

 

[kwolfeman91]

I know i wont get a truly accurate reading until the cycle has finished since the levels will be fluctuating so much but i will still be able to monitor the levels for my fish.

 

[jlk]

I wouldnt be too concerned with your ph. You will need to do frequent water changes during the cycling process which will help as well with ph stability. I wouldnt trust those gages either. Once you have your test kit, you will be able to see what your tanks actual ph is. You should also test your tap as well after it has gassed out overnight so you know what you are putting in your tank ph-wise. Its also a good idea to check your tap for ammonia, nitrite & nitrate to give you a basis for your tank numbers.

 

[kwolfeman91]

Well when i first set it up i used a decholrinator to make the water stable for the fish but when i get the kit i plan on checking my tap water as well... i know some peoples tap water on this forum is at 8 ph so its very likely its from that ..

 

[sudz]

My Tapwater PH is 8.4 to 8.6, depending on the season.

PH really doesn't mean a lot, as long as its STABLE. Most fish will adapt to most PH's if you do it right.

Basically, what will happen, is First, you will see a bit of Ammonia. Then, some nice Good bacteria will form and convert that into Nitrites. Then, Good bacteria will form, and convert that into Nitrates. Nitrates are basically fertilizer, but in high amounts, can hurt fish. The other two (Ammonia and Nitrites) are toxic to fish in anything more than trace amounts.

So, dont worry so much about your PH if its stable, Worry more about your Ammonia and Nitrites when you're starting out. Your PH is what it is, and 9/10 times, you won't ever do anything to unnaturally change your PH.

Focus on having low/none ammonia and NitrItes. When you start seeing nitrates, you know your tank is starting to cycle.

Once you start seeing nitrates and no ammonia or nitrites, you can start adding fish slowly. (don't add a whole slew, as that "friendly" bacteria is still growing and can be overwhelmed.

Hope that helps!

Edit: This was my 1000th Post! Woohoo!

 

[kwolfeman91]

Thank you! That helps alot. Well i havent had any ammonia traces yet but i assume its too early too...

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Thank you! That helps alot. Well i havent had any ammonia traces yet but i assume its too early too...

Well since you're doing fish-in cycling, IMO 3 rosy barbs are like a drop in the bucket in a 55g. Its going to take A LONG time to get enough ammonia for that beneficial bacteria (BB) to start with any real substantial results. You see the BB need ammonia and nitrites (ammonia at first) to eat and multiply (with nitrates as their byproduct). Their colonies will continue to grow based on the food source available. That's why its much faster to do the fishless cycling because you add a high amount of pure ammonia to the water without any fear of fish dying from toxic ammonia.

The way I see it is you have 2 options if you want to see faster results than the rate you're going. You can find the barbs a new temporary home and proceed with the fish-less cycling method. Or 2, add in some more Rosy Barbs but monitor the ammonia to make sure its not too dangerously high (they probably do better in schools of 5+ anyway). I actually cycled my first tank with Cherry Barbs with no problems. If Rosies are anything like their Cherry cousins (which I assume they are) those guys are pretty hardy and can handle some less than perfect water conditions. Either that or use some Zebra Danios which are a common choice for fish-in cycling. You can also overfeed a bit because uneaten food releases ammonia as well. Lastly, if you know anybody with an established aquarium, try to get some of their filter media to "seed" your filter with some BB.

 

[kwolfeman91]

Ive had rosy barbs in the past and they are one of the most hardy fishes ive ever seen. The last time i started a new tank i started with them too. I like my barbs but since a have a larger aquarium i would like to do some other types of fish so i really dont want to add any more of them. When the cycling process is over i am going to get a black ghost knife fish but not until i am sure the cycling is over. If i was to keep just the 3 i have in there now how long do you think it would take to cycle the tank? Also if i was to add some more fish now to help speed the process what could i add that would survive the cycle? My last question is what is BB?

 

[kwolfeman91]

When i got home today i did some looking around in my aquarium stuff and found a test kit and all the levels were normal with nothing being a threat to my fish and the ammonia level has not started to spike yet but i did find out that the ph and ammonia gauges that i bought from petsmart are not accurate at all. The ammonia gauge was reading a slight spike and the ph was reading 8+ but my actual ph is 6.8-7.2 somewhere in that area. I know some of you asked earlier about the levels so here they are! Thanks to everyone for the advice!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

My last question is what is BB?

BB = Beneficial Bacteria

I'm not sure about what other fish are hardy enough for fish-in cycling but like I mentioned, Cherry Barbs and Zebra Danios are. Glofish are Zebra Danios too (just genetically engineered).

 

[kwolfeman91]

Well i was wanting to put fish in my tank that will get bigger than the fish you mentioned because the black ghost knife fish that i am getting is compatible with semi aggressive fish but nothing that is small enough to fit in its mouth. And my son is dead set on me buying him a shark or catfish of some sort so i want to keep with semi aggressive fish for my tank.

 

[Stephen Rollins]

Well i was wanting to put fish in my tank that will get bigger than the fish you mentioned because the black ghost knife fish that i am getting is compatible with semi aggressive fish but nothing that is small enough to fit in its mouth. And my son is dead set on me buying him a shark or catfish of some sort so i want to keep with semi aggressive fish for my tank.

If your son wants a catfish look at getting the cory cat. I know when my cycle is over I'm going to get like 6 of them. I'm going to cycle my tank with giant danios.

 

[kwolfeman91]

well i let him look at the catfish selection and hes got his heart set on a pictus catfish and a pangnesious catfish so i dont know yet lol.