How would you recommend cycling a 2.5 gallon tank

My question is how would you cycle this tank quickest and without a test kit if that's possible just don't have a lot of money right now for test kits.

 

The same as any other tank... that's how I did mine. I just put food in it for a while and waited and tested the water...I don't know how you would do it without testing the water unless you just waited like a month or more to be sure it is cycled. I would recommend just getting a kit for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate or at least the first two of those three. What are you putting in this tank?

 

The quickest way would be to put some seeded filter media from one of you other cycled tanks into the 2 1/2 gallon tanks filter, then add a fish. If you put enough seeded filter media to handle the bio load of the 2 1/2 gallons inhabitants, you will get an instant cycle.

As far as testing goes, most fish stores will test a sample for free

 

Personally, I wouldn't try to cycle a tank that small, instead just do water changes every day. I've cycled small tanks in the past and it's quite a bit of work. And there isn't a "fast" way to do it. You can take media from already cycled tanks, but even that isn't really fast, and you need to be UP on your water changes. That said, without a test kit, there's not way to know whether your tank is healthy and cycled and stable, or an NH3 rich death-soup. I will, however, highly recommend the Red Sea Nano Filter. They're a good filter for such a small tank.
Is this for a hospital/isolation space? Or is this going to be a permanent home for critter?

 

Good point on the seeded media although I disagree with putting a fish in... 2.5 gallons is too small for a fish in my opinion... I would stick to shrimp for that which is what is in mine. And for the fish store tests I don't think they do a very thorough job of looking at the sample... they just say it is good hoping you will buy fish from them... that is what I have seen anyway.

Just read your post and YES RED SEA NANO FILTERS ARE AMAZING! I have one on my yellow shrimp 2.5 and it is awesome... perfectly silent, works great, and it is really powerful (when you want it to be)-it has adjustable flow control too.

 

You can get away with putting a Betta in a 2 1/2 gallon tank, although 5 gallons is prefered.

 

I was planning on having a red cherry shrimp tank with java moss and possibly java fern but if I just move gravel would that work because I only have undergravel filters in my other tanks.

 

Moving only the gravel could work. Shrimp have little to no bio-load so little beneficial bacteria in the gravel should be able to handle the load.

 

Okay I think I will put in some gravel like an inch worth and wait a week then add some shrimp slowly does this sound okay.

 

If you wait a week all the beneficial bacteria will die off. They need a food source ie/ ammonia from fish waste.

I'd just set up the tank with the used gravel, plants etc, and then add your shrimp within 24 hours. Just make sure you age or condition the water first. Wouldn't want chlorine killing off the bacteria after all

 

That would probabluy work... just don't move all the shrimp in at once in case they die off for some reason

 

Yah but what if I add like fish food won't the bacteria live or just add shrimp instantly just trying to see if I should let water oxygenate well before they get added.

 

Yah but what if I add like fish food won't the bacteria live or just add shrimp instantly just trying to see if I should let water oxygenate well before they get added.

Fish food needs time to decay before excreting ammonia. This can take up to a week so it wouldnt help. You don't need to let the water oxygenate if you use fresh water treated with a dechlorinator. You could just do a trial period. Add 10 shrimp in the beginning and if they live for a few weeks add the second batch.

 

Okay then if the tank comes with gravel and I put some of my used gravel over it about an inch deep will it still work.

 

I would use all the gravel from your established tanks and put the new gravel in your old tank.

 

Good point on the seeded media although I disagree with putting a fish in... 2.5 gallons is too small for a fish in my opinion... I would stick to shrimp for that which is what is in mine. And for the fish store tests I don't think they do a very thorough job of looking at the sample... they just say it is good hoping you will buy fish from them... that is what I have seen anyway.

Just read your post and YES RED SEA NANO FILTERS ARE AMAZING! I have one on my yellow shrimp 2.5 and it is awesome... perfectly silent, works great, and it is really powerful (when you want it to be)-it has adjustable flow control too.

AREN'T THEY?! they save my life all the time.

I will say that 2.5s can be good hospital tanks, simply because they're small enough that it is super easy to do 100% water changes all the time, and because they're not something you try to cycle. You can dose with antibiotics if that's what needs to be done, and not worry about your BB; you can keep a bare bottom tank so it's easier to keep super clean, so don't have to worry about grit in open wounds, you can add only the bare minimum of hiding places so it's easy to observe your fish. If this is what you're using it for, simply don't try to cycle it, just do daily 100% water changes. (TBH... I'll do 80% or 90% to keep from having to move the fish, and I haven't noticed a real difference between this and 100%.)

 

I am not doing to a hospital tank it's going to be a shrimp tank

 

If you wait a week all the beneficial bacteria will die off. They need a food source ie/ ammonia from fish waste.

This is not correct. The bacteria will not starve to death and the colony will remain intact for well over a week. I've left my quarantine tanks empty for 2 weeks. Eventually predation sets in and bacterias consume bacterias, but even at this point adding a source of ammonia stops and reverses things. It's not until species of bacteria get wiped out that problems arise.

Should you wait 2 weeks to add fish (or shrimp)? No. Do the fish have to be added the same day you add the media? No. Should you worry if the tank is empty for a few days? No. But there's really no reason not to add them the same day.

 

Okay then thank you guys will just be doing this probably wait one day and add them thanks again.

 

I think if you're adding a lot of plants at the same time, you should have little to no issue as well. Any ammonia from the shrimp will get eaten rapidly buy the bacteria already living on the plants, (esp javamoss which has a huge surface area), and any remaining will be likely scavenged up by the plants.

Shrimp have a tiny bioload, so I doubt they'll produce anything that the bacteria already on the plants, and the plants themselves, can't handle.

Also if your planting it, you'll want little filtration as the plants will need the ammonia available and CO2, which will be lost with surface agitation. I've read many many articles by planted tank geeks who set up nanos like this with no filter, stock with plants, and once established (give it a few weeks) add shrimp with not a single loss.

Try looking up the Diana Walstad method for natural planted nano tanks - easy and filterless when done right.

Still, I advocate using test kits to be sure. Not worth the risk to have deaths occuring. If you detect ammonia, Prime and 50% WCs should rectify it until it settles.