new aquarium owner

[steveyp]

Hi all. I have a 45 gallon tank and am 4 days into a fishless cycle.
I was told at big als the fish store to wait 5 days then bring in water sample for testing. If this checks out I can start with 3 fish. I want community fish but colorful fish is what I want. Any advise on the first 3 fish I should get! Thx in advance.

 

[jlk]

Welcome! Letting a tank run for 4 days will do nothing to cycle it or prepare it for fish. Please read the link below- it also has links to fishless & fish-in cycling. Ask any questions you may have!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

 

[steveyp]

Hi. I have put the appropriate amount of bacteria cycle in the water?

 

[jlk]

Without an ammonia source, the bottled bacteria product is useless. An ammonia source is necessary to feed your good bacteria. The bottled bacteria products also have a questionable reputation. Whether they actually work or not is a topic of debate. But without an ammonia source, theres nothing to feed them even if the product did work & they would consequently die. Please read the link I posted above & the sections on fishless & fish-in cycling so you can decide which method will work the best for you to cycle your tank.

 

[steveyp]

Hi again. I read it all Wow. The fish store people are leading me to using the fish to do my cycle! I had no idea. The fishless cycle seems very complicated especially determing 4ppm of ammonia in my tank? However I didn't get into this hurt or kill fish so I'm gonna have to figure out how to do it. To bad I already put in the cycle product. Thanks for the insight.

 

[jlk]

Dont let fishless or fish-in cycling scare you!!! Fishless cycling is pretty simple & alot less complicated than it sounds. The hardest part actually is finding a usuable ammonia. No harm done with adding the cycle product so dont worry about it! We can walk you through the process (fishless or fish-in) step by step- dont hesitate to ask for help!! Heres a helpful little calculator as well- if you scroll down to the bottom, it has an ammonia calculator for exact dosing in mls. Most pharmacies will give you a 5 or 10ml syringe for free.

Calculator

 

[steveyp]

Ok thx. Will be getting the test kit and find the right ammonia tomorrow. Thx for the help. And I will take you up for more help lol. Bye for now.bfn

 

[Andrew McFadden]

to AA! Already getting strong advise I see

 

[steveyp]

Yes so it seems. I'm the newbie of all newbies. However I want to learn how to do this cycling properly. Seems overwhelming at the moment all the testing etc. So I start the learning curve today. Will try to find pure ammonia. So far I am so glad for the help.

 

[paytertot]

Since you mentioned an ammonia source, I'm assuming you're choosing fishless cycling, so here's a great article for that

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/the-a...-Guide-and-FAQ-to-Fishless-Cycling/Page1.html

I'm not sure where you are located, but if you have an ACE hardware store, you should be able to find ammonia there. A lot of people here use ACE brand including me.

 

[jlk]

Yes so it seems. I'm the newbie of all newbies. However I want to learn how to do this cycling properly. Seems overwhelming at the moment all the testing etc. So I start the learning curve today. Will try to find pure ammonia. So far I am so glad for the help.

I dont think they have Ace stores in Canada but I may be wrong! As I said, finding ammonia can be the hardest part. You want the ingredients to list ammonium hydroxide & water and nothing else. No surfectants, fragrances, dyes, etc. Shake the bottle- if it foams/bubbles (like soap), skip it. Large chain stores/home improvement type stores wont carry anything usuable, so save yourself the hassle & skip them. You may have luck at a small hardware store/drugstore or a Dollar Tree store (if you have them). If you have no luck, amazon sells a couple of brands of usuable ammonia (incl Ace) as well. Good luck!

 

[steveyp]

I don't think pure ammonia is available in Canada. Have tried every right down to call chemical Mft. And janatorial supply companies. Almost as though product is banned.

 

[Mrc8858]

You don't have to use pure ammonia. You can have great results just by feeding your tank or placing some fish food or raw shrimp in a media bag to let that decompose. For one of my fishless cycles I got lazy and just fed the tank as if it had fish until it cycled which worked lol.

 

[steveyp]

Hey I found a bottle of household ammonia at a supermarket. It says no phosphates or fragrances on the label. Unfortunately it has no ingredients listed. I think I may have the stuff. It's probably 10 percent ammonia mixed with water. How can I find out?

 

[steveyp]

I found goldex household ammonia. Is this stuff ok to use to start my fishless cycle??

 

[steveyp]

Ok I opened the goldex and gave it a shake. No bubbles or foam . Is this the stuff ??

 

[steveyp]

Ok I've got the ammonia the master test kit the bubbler in place temp cranked up to 80. So how many drops of goldex ammonia do I put in and when do I test ammonia level. Do I put ammonia in every day and test water every day? Sheesh. A daily routine is what I need. Help. Newbie.

 

[paytertot]

Ok I've got the ammonia the master test kit the bubbler in place temp cranked up to 80. So how many drops of goldex ammonia do I put in and when do I test ammonia level. Do I put ammonia in every day and test water every day? Sheesh. A daily routine is what I need. Help. Newbie.

The article I supplied and the calculator previously supplied should answer all your questions

 

[twoodrough]

The worst part about a fishless cycle is the waiting. You will get a routine down in a couple of days. But it will take several weeks for the tank to cycle and it goes SLOWLY. You will learn patience if you don't already have it. It is a little silly but that is one big thing I have learned from this hobby. You cannot rush anything. Just have to wait. And wait. And wait.

My one piece of advice is once you are cycled don't feel like you have to fully stock up the tank right away. Take time to research fish and buy slowly. Once the fish are in and you are fully stocked the excitement wears off a bit.

 

[Mrc8858]

If you want to speed up the cycle you can get decor, substrate, or filter media from an established tank to introduce the different bacterias. You can actually instantly cycle a tank if you use enough "seeded" material.