Benwestie

Hi everyone

I am new to the site and completely new to this hobby. I think this site is fab and you all seem really helpful! I have been looking to set up an aquarium for the last couple of years and have finally taken the plunge!!

I got my tank on Saturday. Its 15 gallons to start me off fitted with heater , standard 2 x 15watt florescent lamps (bright day white light & blue moon light lamp) & internal power filter (Interpret PF2?). I have sand substrate. I decided on fishless cycle to establish my tank and currently have raw prawn suspended in a net half way down the tank.

the water was treated with dechlorinator before added to the tank which is currently set to 84 degrees to help the cycle.

I am a bit confused if there is anything else I need to do before the cycle is complete ie

Do I need to do any water changes or top ups before the cycle is complete

I have just been given 10 Malaysian trumpet snails. Am I ok to add them to the tank this early if so, how can I feed them? if not what can I do with them please until I can add them as I understand they will be great for algae etc

Many thanks for your help

navyscuba

I won't add them yet because if the ammonia spikes during the cycle they probably die. I would put them with some kind of water plant on a bowl till your tank is cycle. Leave your tank like it is till your cycle is complete. Add a bit of fish food daily or you can hang a raw shrimp this will be your ammonia source as it decays. They eat fish food that fall into the bottom or tiny pieces of poop or algae. Get yourself at test kit so you can test the water in about a week or so. If you can get an API Master test kit for Freshwater.

JSK

Benwestie,

Welcome, and congrats on learning about the nitrogen cycle...you are starting out right. Navy scuba's advice is perfect, I will just add a few things.

1. No need to do water changes during the cycle. Just monitor ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate (and keep a log so you can see how things progress). When the cycle is done (weeks from now), your nitrate will be sky-high and then you can do a large water change before you add fish.

2. Yes, top off the water. If is drops a bit, no big deal, but you want enough in there so that your heater is submerged and your fitler works right. Be sure to add dechlorinated water!

3. While it cycles, research the fish you want...visit stores and check them out. Read about all of them...it helps the time pass and makes you even more eager to get them in your tank..

4. Keep coming back with questions. I have found the people on this site are not only great for information, but also for encouragement.

JSK

EDIT - 5. If you can get some gravel or filter media or something from a friend with a mature tank, put it into your filter housing. It can really help jump-start the cycle by giving you some starter bacteria. Avoid products that claim to have the right bacteria, because they don't. Tetra Safe Start (TSS) is the only one that does, and if you decide to use that, read up on it and use only as directed. Since you are already starting your fishless cycle, I would continue with that.

Benwestie

Really appreciate the info guys, thank you.

I'll find something to put the snails in until I can add them to the tank. Is it important that I have a water plant in a bowl with them? Would you suggest I simply put some sand in the bowl and cover it with dechlorinated water then add a little bit of fish food daily until I can add them to my tank?

Many thanks

David C

Malaysian Trumpet Snails will breed pretty quickly in a tank. 10 can turn into 100 faster than you are probably aware of. They do a great job of stirring the sand, just be sure to not overfeed your tank once you have fish in it, an abundant availability of excess food is what causes them to breed out of control. Otherwise, congratulations on the tank.

Dave

Benwestie

Thanks Dave

Im ok to simply leave the snails in a bowel of water with some sand substraite and feed them fish food until I can add them to the tank?

Would anything else need to be added to the bowel whilst they are in there?

many thanks

rae64

Just be careful with those snailes.... as stated above they are like little water bunnies. A bowl with water should be fine, with a live plant, just do a little bit of a water change (a cup or so I would say) every 1-3 days to keep the ammonia down a little.

Butterfly

Malaysian Trumpet Snails are live bearers and will produce about one baby a month. I've never had a problem with them over running a tank. Unlike other snails they stay hidden in the substrate until nighttime/lights out. It's unlikely you'll see them often. Their very good for keeping the substrate be it gravel or sand loose.
Carol

Benwestie

Thanks ever so much for your help everyone from a cold and miserable Essex in England

polojoanne

im a newbie too and without this forum my mistakes would of been a lot worse.
Regarding your stock list, researcs, research and research more and if u see a fish u like go home and research it, thats what we did and we got there in the end.

Benwestie

Thanks polojoanne. Good luck with your fish

Jaysee

I've drained (97%) a gravel tank with MTS and stored it for 2 months. When I went to use it again, I washed the gravel in very hot water, and set it all up. Those snails were still alive. I am not convinced cycling will kill them. If it were me, I'd just throw them in.