jayfl234

Thanks everyone for the help i just purchased my new tank today it is a 29 gallon tank with a Marineland 150 pump and Marineland stealth heater that i took from my 10 gallon tank (100 watt). Dont plan on over stocking the tank i have my two black mollies and two swordtails that are going in it. The one question i have is what i should do for my cycle. Go bio-spira route which worked perfect in my 10 gallon or use the ammonia and go that way not sure? i looked up bio-spira today and they want 40 total including shipping little pricey for me. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks a bunch and i will try to get some pics posted.

jayfl234

does anyone know how to cycle with ammonia?

hamstermann

I'd think just dump it in and wait, but I don't know amounts or anything.
Sorry, I'm fairly new too.

Gargoyle

Start by filling it up with water... LOL!! Sorry..

Anyway let it sit for a few days with the filter and heater running. A good temp would be 77 to 82 or so for the best bacteria growth. Then after 2 or 3 days of that take some gravel from your 10 gallon and add it to your 29 gallon. You can do this anyway you wish.. I have heard people putting it in a nylon stocking for easy removal when you are done with it and so on... This will help to "seed" your tank. You can even use the bio-media fromt he filter in your 10 gallon as well if you'd like.

Now of course your 29 gallon will need to be producing ammonia for this all to work so feeding your 29 gallon take a few flakes here and there will help this process move right along. When you start to see the brown growth on your substrate, ornaments, glass, or whatever you have gotten towards the end and testing the water may be a good idea then.

I am sure others have plenty to add to this but it should get ya started.

COBettaCouple

i've been trying out a fishless cycle for the first time and have been dropping in a pinch of flakes every 12 hours or so (sometimes i toss in shrimp pellets instead). The bacteria life cycle is 15 hours so i think that's the reason for food every 12 hours to keep the flow of ammonia production going. It's quite the aromatic joy! if i can find some pure ammonia for the next tank, i'll try that route and see how much faster it is (if it is faster for us) than the flakes method. Seeding your tank as much as you can will help speed things up. I've been testing every 2-3 days to track the progress and watch for the ammonia and nitrite spikes.

jayfl234

gargoyle im suppose to fill it with water. LOL just kidding no really thanks everyone for the info i will those and see if they work thanks again

COBettaCouple

HEY, i just read that! That explains why my fish are looking so unhappy and not moving around!! water!! they should tell you these things at the fish store, but NOOO! they never mention water! Those people!

sgould

Doh!

jayfl234

I dont even trust my lfs on anything. I have asked questions to employees about fish and i then looked up the internet what they said and it was completely wrong. I that it was funny work in a pet store and dont know anything but i guess he could of been a newbie but i dont think so.

COBettaCouple

They're like that at our petco, even employees who've been there longer than we've been fish keeping.