Cycling and water changes

[dkpate]

Oh yeah, as long as you keep it wet, and it had some oxygen, you will be good to go!
Good luck!

 

[thincat]

As dk stated you are good to go. Sit back keep up with the testing and enjoy...

 

[mgamer20o0]

Maybe I'm being stupid here, but why don't stores offer a cycling service. i.e. You buy a new tank and they tank your new filter and cycle it for you, then you go home with a filter with loads of bacteria ready to go?

there are many reasons some dont under stand about cycling. others think you have to cycle with fish.... others its just about money.... the more fish that die when you are setting the tank up the more you come back to fill it up.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I doubt that's it. Fish are usually only 2-3 pounds each, I doubt they make any profit from selling the actual fish.

 

[dkpate]

Depends on the fish. I paid $20 for one fish. And they get a lot of the fish here for free from people who buy livebearers and don't want the babies.

 

[marchmaxima]

I doubt that's it. Fish are usually only 2-3 pounds each, I doubt they make any profit from selling the actual fish.

Common fish such as tetras and neons may be cheap but Discus are on average $80-ish each and some other fish and corals are more.

Then there's all the "guff" they can sell you when you have no idea why things are going wrong and go to them for help. Unfortuantely many of the people who work in fish stores aren't fish keepers themselves (I always ask), so they have no idea either. I can't tell you how many times I got the "try this solution" (at $30 a pop) when I was a beginner. It wasn't until I turned to this and another local forum when the members set me on the right path. And it didn't involve buying a thing! Many other members here share similar horror stories.

Not all LFSs are bad, but you have to find the good ones amongst the average. Your independants are usually pretty good because those businesses are owned and run by families who are in the business because of their love of it. A chain store is another matter.

 

[dkpate]

I am lucky with my Petsmart here, there is a guy who works on Saturday evenings who keeps fish and knows what he is talking about! He spent 1.5 hours with me one day getting the right stuff, and even telling me to put some stuff back because I wouldn't need it. But then there is this girl who works there, and she is terrible!
+1 March, there are some good and some bad.

 

[mgamer20o0]

I doubt that's it. Fish are usually only 2-3 pounds each, I doubt they make any profit from selling the actual fish.

that 2-3 pound fish is most liekly costing them 30-70 pence each. really depends on the fish and store.

 

[mfdrookie516]

i found out that petsmart gets a bag of mixed fish for $8 that has 50-75 fish in it... on average, they sell those fish for $2-5... at least the one here does

 

[Bige]

I had a friend that worked at a fish warehouse that just sold fish to big stores like walmart and petsmart. They would sell them a hundred thousand "fish" for about 80 thousand bucks. The fish were a mix. They would package what they had and was hardy. They would send mostly the usual suspects but then throw a few uncommon in the mix. I would say most places mark fish up 30-40%. I have two friends that own fish stores. They both sell fish cheaper so people will spend more buying the extras.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

They also have the considerable cost of the tanks and keeping the fish etc. I reckon the likes of Pets at Home doesn't make a profit on each fish sold at all. i.e. They couldn't survive just selling fish and nothing else.

The reason they stock fish IMO is so that you'll come in and buy other things, e.g. tanks, ornaments, food, treatments etc etc, that's where the money is.

 

[sarahsunshine]

This thread has veered from it’s original topic… but I must say I was impressed when I went to get my first fish (post initial accident) at the LFS and the first thing the employee said was “how long has your tank been established. Is it cycled?”


How’s the cycling going?

 

[JPA]

This thread has veered from it’s original topic… How’s the cycling going?

I'm glad I was able to help start a good discussion regardless of the topic.

As for my cycle, I'm not certain where I am right now. My Nitrite readings have started to decline (even after not doing a pwc for 2 days), and now are at about .25 ppm (down from .5). However, my nitrate readings haven't been rising (in fact, I can't even decide if the test results show a small amount of nitrates or none at all).

I know plants absorb nitrate, and I have 5 plants in the tank - could that explain the lack of rising nitrate levels?

 

[mgamer20o0]

what kind of plants? fast growers it might just be that.

 

[JPA]

One of the plants is an Aponogeton Ulvaceus, which I bought as a bulb 4-5 weeks ago and is now humongous - in fact, I recently had to trim it because it had reached the top of the tank. So I think that would be considered fast growing.

I have an amazon sword, and the other three I'm not sure what they are, but they haven't grown in any significant way since I bought them.

Would one plant be enough to change the outcome of a water test? If so, I could see the aponogeton doing it - it's about half the size of my tank right now.

In fact, I might as well post a picture of the tank since I have been posting about it for so long. Any advice on aquascaping appreciated as well.

 

[JPA]

Update: I Just did a test and Nitrite level is at 0! Ammonia is also at 0, and Nitrate appears to be at around 5ppm.

I know this sounds impatient, but how long should I wait until it's safe to start adding fish?

Also, what is a good regular schedule to do pwcs? Once a week, once every two weeks, etc? And how much of the tank? I would rather just stay ahead in the tank maintenance rather than just start reacting when there's a problem.

Thanks again for everyone's help and advice. I honestly believed I would never see the end of the nitrogen cycle, it seemed to be taking forever, but now that it's here (or at least in sight) it's great to know that I have a healthy tank to begin populating. And honestly without this board I would have been stocking my tank a day after filling it up, and that would have cost a lot of fish their lives and me a lot of hassle and confusion. So keep up the good work!

 

[dkpate]

I change my water 50% once a week.
As far as stocking, since you aren't getting any of the bad readings, I would think it would be safe for you to start adding fish slowly.
Good for you for being patient!

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I change my water 50% once a week.
As far as stocking, since you aren't getting any of the bad readings, I would think it would be safe for you to start adding fish slowly.
Good for you for being patient!

I think isn't it that you change as much of the water as you can without causing too much disturbance for the fish in terms of temperature, pH, etc.

Most of the advice I've read suggests 10-15% per week, or up to 25% every two weeks.

When the tank is fully cycled it's the nitrate levels you need to keep an eye on and increase your water changes if these appear to be rising.

 

[dkpate]

I think of it as putting a glass of water on the counter, letting it sit for a week, and then drinking it. YUCK!
I change mine 50% a week, and I know other members do too. My fish go bananas in the new water, especially my loaches! The love the fresh water.

 

[marchmaxima]

Yeah I'm 40-50% a week too. Mine come out to play in the current when I'm adding fresh water.