How do I cycle a 3 gallon tank?

[Manic Fury]

Hello!

I am very new to this hobby and have never cycled a tank before. I have done hours and hours of research on how to cycle a tank, but I don't know if it is the same process as cycling a 3 gallon tank. I don't even know if it's worth it for such a small tank. But even if it isn't, I can use this tank as practice for my bigger tank in the future!

I have a Fancy Fintail Goldfish named Pontus.

The tank I have him in currently is a 3 gallon tank with a 3i Tetra Whisper filter. I also have an airstone for bubbles. I will be moving him into a 30 gallon tank in the future but for now I want to keep his tank as clean and healthy as possible.

My question is how to do a fish-in cycle for a 3 gallon tank. Any help would be great!

Thanks!

 

[George9]

It's the same way you cycle any size tank

Just put the fish in,and monitor parameters daily. Do water changes when ammonia and nitrite rises above .25.

I'd recommend moving the goldfish to the 30g tank sooner than later though, he'll need more room.

 

[aquandrew]

Hello! I am very new to this hobby and have never cycled a tank before. I have done hours and hours of research on how to cycle a tank, but I don't know if it is the same process as cycling a 3 gallon tank. I don't even know if it's worth it for such a small tank. But even if it isn't, I can use this tank as practice for my bigger tank in the future! I have a Fancy Fintail Goldfish named Pontus. The tank I have him in currently is a 3 gallon tank with a 3i Tetra Whisper filter. I also have an airstone for bubbles. I will be moving him into a 30 gallon tank in the future but for now I want to keep his tank as clean and healthy as possible. My question is how to do a fish-in cycle for a 3 gallon tank. Any help would be great! Thanks!

do you have a test kit? the goldfish is going to produce an absurd amount of waste building up very fast in a 3 gallon tank. to keep it healthy you will probably have to do water changes every single day(if not multiple) which will in turn cause your cycle to take much longer than it should. let alone that filter is a joke imho....if you have the money right now, just buy the 30 gallon tank and a decent filter and add everything else along the way

 

[Manic Fury]

It's the same way you cycle any size tank

Just put the fish in,and monitor parameters daily. Do water changes when ammonia and nitrite rises above .25.

I'd recommend moving the goldfish to the 30g tank sooner than later though, he'll need more room.

do you have a test kit? the goldfish is going to produce an absurd amount of waste building up very fast in a 3 gallon tank. to keep it healthy you will probably have to do water changes every single day(if not multiple) which will in turn cause your cycle to take much longer than it should. let alone that filter is a joke imho....if you have the money right now, just buy the 30 gallon tank and a decent filter and add everything else along the way

I JUST received my API Master Test Kit from Amazon today and just finished doing my first parameter check.

Here were the results:

pH-8.2
Ammonia-6 ppm
Nitrite-0 ppm
Nitrate-0 ppm

I currently have the 30 gallon tank. But the problem is I am in college and living in dorm which is way too small to fit a 30 gallon tank in.

I got my fish and the 3 gallon tank without any knowledge on taking care of fish. Pontus became ill at one point and as I was doing research, I found out all this information on fishkeeping, and that's what spawned my interest in fishkeeping. That's why I got the 30 gallon tank. I won't be able to set him up for a few months until I can get out of the dorms. I just signed a lease on a house and I won't be able to move for a few months. That's why I'm here. I want to keep him as healthy as possible until I can get him into his mansion tank.

Trust me, since the day I got my 30 gallon, I've wanted to set it up sooo bad. But I can't. I feel bad for my little buddy and want him to be healthy.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming!

 

[George9]

I JUST received my API Master Test Kit from Amazon today and just finished doing my first parameter check. Here were the results: pH-8.2 Ammonia-6 ppm Nitrite-0 ppm Nitrate-0 ppm I currently have the 30 gallon tank. But the problem is I am in college and living in dorm which is way too small to fit a 30 gallon tank in. I got my fish and the 3 gallon tank without any knowledge on taking care of fish. Pontus became ill at one point and as I was doing research, I found out all this information on fishkeeping, and that's what spawned my interest in fishkeeping. That's why I got the 30 gallon tank. I won't be able to set him up for a few months until I can get out of the dorms. I just signed a lease on a house and I won't be able to move for a few months. That's why I'm here. I want to keep him as healthy as possible until I can get him into his mansion tank. Trust me, since the day I got my 30 gallon, I've wanted to set it up sooo bad. But I can't. I feel bad for my little buddy and want him to be healthy. Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming!

You need to do a water change ASAP! get that ammonia down to below .25.

 

[rmiller]

Go ahead and immediately do a 75% water change, retest your ammonia after an hour. let us know where you're at, you may need another water change tonight. We need to get that ammonia down ASAP!

 

[Manic Fury]

You need to do a water change ASAP! get that ammonia down to below .25.

Go ahead and immediately do a 75% water change, retest your ammonia after an hour. let us know where you're at, you may need another water change tonight. We need to get that ammonia down ASAP!

I was setting up to do a water change as soon as you guys replied. I'll get on it now and I'll post the ammonia level results after I let it sit for an hour.

The thing is, I haven't done any water tests in the past and there is no telling how long the ammonia levels have been this high. What are the effects of long term high ammonia levels?

 

[aquandrew]

well i know most dorms have a tank size limit of ten gallons so could you go get a 10 gallon tank for 20 dollars and a cheap tetra whisperi filter for another 20? or even a basic kit with lights and filter for 30. i honestly doubt your goldfish will even make it for a few months in there, but crazier things have happened. it would be much better off in a 10 for a few months than in a 3. 6ppm ammonia is way too much, you don't want it to be over .25 i agree with a 75% water change and probably two more after that. being in the 3 is going to cause nothing but stress, to you and your goldfish. welcome to the forum btw!!!

 

[Manic Fury]

well i know most dorms have a tank size limit of ten gallons so could you go get a 10 gallon tank for 20 dollars and a cheap tetra whisperi filter for another 20? or even a basic kit with lights and filter for 30. i honestly doubt your goldfish will even make it for a few months in there, but crazier things have happened. it would be much better off in a 10 for a few months than in a 3. 6ppm ammonia is way too much, you don't want it to be over .25 i agree with a 75% water change and probably two more after that. being in the 3 is going to cause nothing but stress, to you and your goldfish. welcome to the forum btw!!!

I don't know if a 10 gallon would fit in my room though! I have a tiny room! I could get a 10 gallon and put it on my desk. It would be a tight fit, but it would work. A 10 gallon is approximately 20 inches. So I guess it would work. I will consider it.

 

[aquandrew]

I don't know if a 10 gallon would fit in my room though! I have a tiny room! I could get a 10 gallon and put it on my desk. It would be a tight fit, but it would work. A 10 gallon is approximately 20 inches. So I guess it would work. I will consider it.

it will be worth it, trust me. goldfish grow extremely fast and they release a hormone that can stunt their growth if its not removed from the water. in order for this to work your looking at doing water changes every single day for however long it takes to get it in a bigger tank. a 10 is over 3x the size of your tank, its still too small and you will still have to do large water changes at least twice a week after it is cycled, but that will give you much more stability and leeway.

 

[rmiller]

Here's a good link to the warning signs of ammonia poisoning as well as nitrite and nitrate.

GoldFish Emergency 911 - Diagnosing Symptoms

As long as you stay on top of water changes and get the tank cycled he should survive the 3 gallon for a few months.

 

[Manic Fury]

it will be worth it, trust me. goldfish grow extremely fast and they release a hormone that can stunt their growth if its not removed from the water. in order for this to work your looking at doing water changes every single day for however long it takes to get it in a bigger tank. a 10 is over 3x the size of your tank, its still too small and you will still have to do large water changes at least twice a week after it is cycled, but that will give you much more stability and leeway.

Alright. I think that is the best option. Thanks for the input. Very helpful. I'm in the middle of a 75% water change. I will test the water after it's refilled and post the results.

 

[Manic Fury]

Here's a good link to the warning signs of ammonia poisoning as well as nitrite and nitrate.

GoldFish Emergency 911 - Diagnosing Symptoms

As long as you stay on top of water changes and get the tank cycled he should survive the 3 gallon for a few months.

I was looking at this page and my fish isn't showing any signs of ammonia poisoning but more Nitrate poisoning.

Here are the symptoms for Nitrate poisoning:

Symptoms: Goldfish is bottom sitting, pressed; Goldfish has no appetite; Goldfish has bent position; Goldfish folded over; Goldfish is curled; Goldfish is crooked; Goldfish has spasms; Goldfish swimming in somersaults

He does this occasionally. What's weird is my Nitrate levels are 0 ppm. I don't understand. Thoughts?

 

[aquandrew]

it is most likely ammonia poisoning but you aren't seeing any physical symptoms yet

 

[Manic Fury]

Sorry for the late response. But I did about 3 water changes and vacuumed his tank. After about an hour, I tested his water parameters and his ammonia levels went down from 6 ppm to around .50 ppm to 1 ppm. That's a significant improvement.

I will do one more water change tomorrow and test everything from pH to Nitrate afterwards to ensure that everything is as stable as they can be.

For the the next week I will test the ammonia everyday until the levels are to where they should be. If they are still high, I will continue partial water changes everyday until everything is spot on. After that, I will still test for ammonia (since that is my biggest factor) everyday and once they regulate, I will test every other day. Every beginning of the week I will test for everything.

Again, thanks to everyone for the input and suggestions. I still haven't stopped considering a 10 gallon tank. I will look into that.

 

[rpgmomma8404]

Good luck with your goldfish. They are fun to watch. I am sad I have to re-home the two commons I have (came with a tank I purchased) but my tank is way to small for them and I won't be able to get anything bigger any time soon.

 

[Blitz]

also, I'm not sure how much control you will have over it in a dorm, 8.6 PH is a bit high for goldfish, Since you are changing water a lot, You might want to use a powdered buffer to slowly bring it down to his happy range of around 7.6-7.8PH. Then maintain it there....That might have also been a result of prior to doing the large water changes, as high PH will often get higher over time.

High pH
Alkaline conditions occur when the pH is too high. When the pH level are high ammonia can become more toxic.

 

[rmiller]

It's true that the pH is too high, however powders can be unreliable and tend to cause more problems than the help. I wouldn't use chemicals to lower it, but if you feel the need to lower there are several methods to lower it naturally that will keep you pH stable. In most cases, pH stability is more important than a specific number.

 

[Baddog671]

I was setting up to do a water change as soon as you guys replied. I'll get on it now and I'll post the ammonia level results after I let it sit for an hour.

The thing is, I haven't done any water tests in the past and there is no telling how long the ammonia levels have been this high. What are the effects of long term high ammonia levels?

Death..

 

[Manic Fury]

also, I'm not sure how much control you will have over it in a dorm, 8.6 PH is a bit high for goldfish, Since you are changing water a lot, You might want to use a powdered buffer to slowly bring it down to his happy range of around 7.6-7.8PH. Then maintain it there....That might have also been a result of prior to doing the large water changes, as high PH will often get higher over time.

High pH
Alkaline conditions occur when the pH is too high. When the pH level are high ammonia can become more toxic.

What is my main concern as of now? Ammonia? Or pH? My ammonia levels are right around .50 to 1 ppm. A big change since yesterday. I'm thinking of doing 1 more water change now and then waiting an hour and doing a full spectrum test on all parameters. I will post the results later.