lilsoccakid

hey guys! i just got an API freshwater master test kit. my readings today are:

ammonia-0ppm (which will change i just added 5 drops of ammonia)
nitrite-2ppm
nitrate-5ppm
pH-7.4

how long do u think it will take until the cycle is over?

also, im going to be putting about 10-12 neon tetras, a sunset dwarf gourami, and 2-3 corys in the tank. which ones should i add first? will they get along?

thanks!

Isabella

If you're cycling your tank using ammonia drops, I think it should cycle much faster than a month (when you cycle naturally, it takes about a month).

How long have you been running the tank? Your ammonia is at 0 but your nitrite is at 2 and nitrate at 5, which indicates to me that your tank is partially cycled.

Do not put any fish in your tank until it is fully cycled. I think your fish will get along Maybe don't get as many as 12 Neons ... sorry, I am always concerned about overstoking. How large will your Gourami and Cories grow anyway?

lilsoccakid

yea i thought it would cycle faster, epecially because i turned the water up to 87*, guess im just having bad luck or not doing something right.

the cory's get to 2.5, so im going to forget about them for a while, but i would liek something for the bottom of the tank (oto's are not sold in my area)

-8 neon tetras
total:12'
-1 dwarf gourami
total:15'

what else should i add to my tank? i would like to get to about 18 inches of fish. something wrong with my cycling?

COBettaCouple

sometimes it just takes longer to cycle.. the cycling is a funny thing - it never seems to go the same twice. hopefully you're on the downside of the nitrite spike and will be cycled soon.

Isabella

The dwarf Gourami will grow to be 15" long Or you mean the Gourami + 8 Neons = total 15" of fish. Dwarf Gouramis grow to around 2 - 2.5" don't they? In that case, I think you're OK with adding 2 - 3 Cories. 8 Neons, 1 Dwarf Gourami, and 2 - 3 Cories will be just about 20" of fish. If you don't want your tank fully stocked, I guess resign from Cories?

If you eliminate cories, you're left with space for another 5" of fish or so (if you want it stocked fully). Did you ask your local fish store if they could order Otos for you? Their scientific name is Otocinclus Affinis - give it to them to make sure they order the right one.

There is nothing wrong with your cycling, just give it some time. Be patient

lilsoccakid

yea sry for the confusion, the dwarf gourami can grow up to 3 inches which brought the total up to 15 inches.

ill ask my LFS if they can order fish next time i go.
should i add the neons or dwarf gourami first?

thanks for your help i appreciate it!

COBettaCouple

probably the neons. they are more fragile than gourami, but i'd add the gourami later because of their territorial nature.

lilsoccakid

todays results...


Ammonia-1ppm
Nitrite-2ppm
Nitrate-40ppm

the nitrate went nuts today! hopefully this is a step in the right direction

lilsoccakid

also, i want to add micro sword pants to my tank, would they be able to live with this type of gravel?

Bill

Sounds like your cycle is nearly there! I think the plants should be fine - they normally either come bunched with lead weights or in a little plastic holey pot filled with wadding, and you can just stick 'em in the gravel and leave them. Unless micro swords have any special requirements they should be fine like that with no special gravel/fertilisers/Co2 injections etc.


Neon tetras get a bad reputation for being delicate little guys, but I think it varies considerably. If they've been in your lfs for a while and look healthy, I'd say go for it and add them as the first fish in the tank. Just keep monitoring the water levels, and take your time acclimatising them (I fed mine a pinch of flake food while bagged too), and chances are they'll be pretty hardy. The dwarf gourami is slightly territorial, so you should add him last so that he won't feel that any fish is in his territory and get aggressive.

lilsoccakid

thanks! todays results..

Ammonia-0ppm (just added my 5 drops after i tested)
Nitrite-2ppm
Nitrate-40ppm
PH-7.4

the nitrites and nitrates didnt move today, is this bad? do u think i will be ready to add fish by friday?

Kevin

no this isn't a bad thing, it might mean that they are at their peak and will start falling soon

you might be able to add fish by friday...just keep testing it and monitor the levels really well...another thing, take a sample of water to your lfs when you get your fish, make sure their readings are the same as your readings

lilsoccakid

ok thanks!

COBettaCouple

if your LFS uses the strips, it wouldn't surprise me if the results were a good bit off.

lilsoccakid

yea i wouldnt trust my LFS's strips. I use an API master test kit for my readings. hopefully by friday i can get fish! probably not, but im hoping!

COBettaCouple

lol.. that waiting is the worst.. we have a tank cycling, at 2 weeks now and hopefully it will be done soon.. the sad thing is with moving soon, we can't stock it until after the move so i'll have to wait until then even though the tank will be cycled soon.

lilsoccakid

thats horrible! this is my first tank, and im in week 7 of cycling! it will all be worth it when i get a batch of neon tetras! how many should i put in at a time?

COBettaCouple

you're doing smart to cycle the 1st one.. we didn't learn about cycling until we had 4 or 5 tanks.

I think 3 at a time is typical.

Callum The Cat

Bill

I added 7 fish on the first day, then 4 fish, then none, then 13!

I think it depends on how much you've been "feeding" the tank. I gradually increased the flakes, so that the tank could take a much bigger bioload straight away, and it worked for me! Tetras are such low wasters you could probably add a few more I didn't even need to do a water change after cycling (well, I did one anyway just to be sure...), because the plants had kept my nitrates down to 7.5. Live plants are a great thing to have in the aquarium

skippi

I thionk neon tetras are cool. I have had mine in my 55 for over 2 years now. the only ones I lost were because of the red tail loaches getting hungry.. They were promptly removed to another tank. I would get some I have both neons and the head and tail light ones I think they are called. they have a orange stripe.

Heidi

lilsoccakid

darn, i had the same amounts of ammonia (0) nitrite(2ppm) and nitrate (40ppm) today. i guess friday wont be the day i get fish . at least the ammonia is gone almost faster then i can add it!

COBettaCouple

yea.. the nitrites seem to take so much longer than ammonia to get back to 0.

lilsoccakid

yea i noticed lol. maybe im so impatient because its my first tank and this fishless cycle is kiling me. or maybe because im 16 lol. im thinking next week ill be ready for fish, ill be sure to post pics!

COBettaCouple

it's not that you're 16.. trust me.. we were going nuts waiting for Mickey's 5g hex to cycle when we were cycling it.. on a side note - how would you say the filter is running? like at full strength or trickling? we ran into a bump in cycling the 5g because the water evaporated enough that the bio-wheel stopped turning and we didn't realize it until the next time we put flakes in.

lilsoccakid

umm the filter is running pretty well. ive had to add 2 gallons of water because of evaporation a couple weeks ago which was making the filter splash when the water was going threw the output.

i have a couple questions that are completly off topic, but ik that u would know better than any1!

1) i have a minibow 5 gallon that is put away now, and was wondering if i could use a piece of filter media from my 20 gallon once the cycling is done. my whisper filter 20 came with the "biobag" and a sponge for the bacteria. My 5 gal came with a whisper filter 10, which onlyy has a biobag. how would i do this? would it work even if the tank isnt heated?

2) ive heard u talk about how much personality your bettas have. It seems that they really bond with there owner! i was wondering if my neons or dwarf gourami will have this personality.

thanks!

COBettaCouple

You have a bunch of options with the minibow 5.. you can take a piece of the filter media or some of the substrata from the 20g once it's cycled or you could put 1 of these sponge filters: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113424 in your 20g (even now if you wanted) and once it's been in there a while after it's cycled, you could transfer that extra sponge filter to the 5g minibow and let it run in there until the 5g is cycled.. either way, you'd still do the fishless cycle routine but the process might speed up a bit.

i've not had neons or gourami, so i'm just guessing on how much personality they have.. but i think gourami get more interactive with people than neons.

lilsoccakid

thanks for the help! ill probably use the 5 gallon as a nursery tank, and one its cycled throw some ghost shrimp in.

I sure hope my fish get as interactive as yours!

COBettaCouple

cool.. sounds good. shrimp are fun to watch too. yea, Bettas are pretty special, but a lot of fish are good to interact with too and/or have strong personalities like gourami and angels and dwarf puffers.

lilsoccakid

actully in my 5 gallon im thinking of getting a betta! i should probably leave it for a hospital tank though