Need Help With Cycling New Tank

Hello people! I got a new tank for my Betta and got everything set up (Heater, filter, decorations ect.) I'm rather impatient so I bought Continuum Bacter Gen F, which apparently is bacteria that supposedly helps me cycle my tank faster. I'm very new at this process so I read the instructions and it told me that I just have the put 1 capful of Bacter Gen F every 25 gallons, in a cup of aquarium water and put it into the aquarium daily for every 2 weeks. The bottle doesn't seem to mention adding any type of ammonia source which got me puzzled. As far as I know, doesn't bacteria use ammonia for food or something? I'll attach a photo of the labels and bottle itself. If I do need ammonia for the bacteria to survive, can somebody please give me some helpful and detailed instructions on how to do a fishless cycle with this certain product please. I have fish flakes with me but no test kit right now;(. Any advice would be great and thank you!

 

Bottled bacteria comes in its own Ammonia (otherwise it would be dead before it got out of the factory).
The more you rush it, the more chance you have of stalling or crashing the cycle. If you want to dose Ammonia as well, make sure to test after adding the bacteria (and daily thereafter). After a week, start testing Nitrite (water change if necessary to keep nitrite <8ppm).

 

I haven't used this exact product, but I swear by bottled BB. I always have some on hand and use it after water changes.

I do agree with Mick though, It's important to follow the label, especially when cycling, So make sure you dose every day for the next 2 weeks. By the 3rd or 4th week you SHOULD be ready to add fish. (if test kits are showing 0am, 0nitrite, and 5-20ppm nitrate.)

If the parameters aren't quite right at that point, you could probably still safely add a few fish to get it going OR continue dosing BB for another week (doing w/c as necessary). It usually works just fine for me.

 

Funny to read between the lines.
Nowhere is mentioned that it provides the bacteria that are actual involved in the cycle. They are, as in most products, heterotrophic bacteria that will buy time for the real ones to establish (helping beneficial bacteria to establish) Useful (starting a cycle or in case of a minicycle) but not the real stuff.

Most heterotrophic bacteria live on several kinds of (organic) material and often have a "second job" munching on the bad ones.
So the won't always starve if ammonia isn't there.

 

Funny to read between the lines.
Nowhere is mentioned that it provides the bacteria that are actual involved in the cycle. They are, as in most products, heterotrophic bacteria that will buy time for the real ones to establish (helping beneficial bacteria to establish) Useful (starting a cycle or in case of a minicycle) but not the real stuff.

Most heterotrophic bacteria live on several kinds of (organic) material and often have a "second job" munching on the bad ones.
So the won't always starve if ammonia isn't there.

And that’s why I don’t use bottled bacteria at all. Nor do I try and sell it to customers.

FishGirl38 why add bacteria to a cycled tank?

OP: you can ghost feed your tank or add pure ammonia up to 2ppm, but either route requires a test kit.

 

Just some thoughts.

You are correct. One has to have an ammonia source to cycle a tank.

Disclaimer: I have never used a bottled bacteria. I have never felt the need for it but some folks have been successful when using it. It has also been a failure for some folks and they come here wondering what to do next.

Unless the bottle specifically states that it is to be used while doing a fish-less cycle and no extra ammonia needs to be added I have to assume that the product is designed to be used with an added ammonia source.

It seems none of the bottled bacteria mentions adding ammonia. I assume they expect it to be used with fish providing the necessary ammonia so they fail to put that one important piece of information in the directions for use.

Without a test kit one can only guess as to what is going on in the tank. With fish one can tell when something if off because they can get sick and often die. It is impossible to tell in a fish-less cycle.

 

And that’s why I don’t use bottled bacteria at all. Nor do I try and sell it to customers.

FishGirl38 why add bacteria to a cycled tank?

OP: you can ghost feed your tank or add pure ammonia up to 2ppm, but either route requires a test kit.

I add BB to my cycled tanks because sometimes I go a little ham on cleaning. and by adding BB, I never have to worry if I did TOO much cleaning (PS, all my tanks are over-stocked). Because I know I remove a portion of BB when I do gravel cleanings, and sometimes my filter NEEDS done at the same time. So, I add BB as a safeguard. Also, it couldn't hurt right?

If I kept up with maintenance on a scheduled basis and didn't have over-stocked tanks, it is REALLY un-necessary. But for me, in my situation, It's just like a comfort thing. To ensure I don't have an ammonia spike or anything. (I've never had one honestly, but I don't want to go through that.)

I use Fluval bio because I did some math and it's more concentrated than the other products we carry as live BB. But I was also juggling with using Marinelands Biospira. Are these products really not the real deal?

I recommend them to customers because I'm under the impression that they're essentially introducing a pre-established bacteria colony into the tank. Is this not what the products do? I mean, I'll stop using/recommending them if they're not what they claim they are. But in my experience, they seem to 'work'...

My initial cycle (while using fluval bio) went swimmingly, and was complete in about 3 weeks. I did fish-in though.

 

I add BB to my cycled tanks because sometimes I go a little ham on cleaning. and by adding BB, I never have to worry if I did TOO much cleaning (PS, all my tanks are over-stocked). Because I know I remove a portion of BB when I do gravel cleanings, and sometimes my filter NEEDS done at the same time. So, I add BB as a safeguard. Also, it couldn't hurt right?

If I kept up with maintenance on a scheduled basis and didn't have over-stocked tanks, it is REALLY un-necessary. But for me, in my situation, It's just like a comfort thing. To ensure I don't have an ammonia spike or anything. (I've never had one honestly, but I don't want to go through that.)

I use Fluval bio because I did some math and it's more concentrated than the other products we carry as live BB. But I was also juggling with using Marinelands Biospira. Are these products really not the real deal?

I recommend them to customers because I'm under the impression that they're essentially introducing a pre-established bacteria colony into the tank. Is this not what the products do? I mean, I'll stop using/recommending them if they're not what they claim they are. But in my experience, they seem to 'work'...

My initial cycle (while using fluval bio) went swimmingly, and was complete in about 3 weeks. I did fish-in though.

Marineland Biospora, Dr.Tim's one and only and TSS are to my knowledge the same stuff discovered by TI'm Hovanec.
These are the only additions that contain some of the right and real beneficial bacteria involved in the cycle.
All other brands are the heterotrophic bacteria I spoke about earlier.
Those are usefull as well, but won't seed a filter only buy time by munching the appearing ammonia / nitrites to keep that levels down till the real beneficial bacteria take over.

 

Marineland Biospora, Dr.Tim's one and only and TSS are to my knowledge the same stuff discovered by TI'm Hovanec.
These are the only additions that contain some of the right and real beneficial bacteria involved in the cycle.
All other brands are the heterotrophic bacteria I spoke about earlier.
Those are usefull as well, but won't seed a filter only buy time by munching the appearing ammonia / nitrites to keep that levels down till the real beneficial bacteria take over.

*Gasp*. No wayy. Alright. Wow, and thank you. We sell all of those. lol.

When the heterotrophic type products say they 'speed up a cycle', how do they do so? Do they do anything for the bacteria that needs to establish itself in the time thereafter? Or are they just, like phantom bacteria used before the real bacteria grows? So essentially what you're saying is that most BB products are spoofs and what actually allows bacterial establishment is time and ammonia? Genius marketing gimmick I'll admit.

Guess I'll have to trade my BB brands. Sorry fluval.

 

I think the idea with "fast cycling" BB is that you add the fish immediately *as* the source of ammonia. I didn't want to do that, so I used pure ammonia to get the BB established before I added the fish, to avoid the stress on them. I didn't "get" that at first either, It's not just that you "can add fish right away!" as they like to say, it's that you SHOULD add fish right away, or some other ammonia source. They just leave out all the important details, probably assuming their customers will not be savvy enough to understand it. (Personally I think if you can't understand the basic chemistry of the nitrogen cycle you probably shouldn't have fish *cough*)

 

*Gasp*. No wayy. Alright. Wow, and thank you. We sell all of those. lol.

When the heterotrophic type products say they 'speed up a cycle', how do they do so? Do they do anything for the bacteria that needs to establish itself in the time thereafter? Or are they just, like phantom bacteria used before the real bacteria grows? So essentially what you're saying is that most BB products are spoofs and what actually allows bacterial establishment is time and ammonia? Genius marketing gimmick I'll admit.

Guess I'll have to trade my BB brands. Sorry fluval.

They are not really spoofs. They contain bacteria that really will munch ammonia and nitrites (in fact a kind of second job).
So they'll keep levels low till the real ones natural will settle / cycle the tank.
In fact it is a product sold in cases of "not enough patience". They can do a great job in case of a minicycle keeping fish in safe.
I would always use the mentioned brands.

BTW : Keeping this in mind you should reread manuals / bottles. You will be amazed how perfectly the brands can put things without saying anything wrong but also not telling things clearly.

 

Thank you guys for the comments! So right now I’m following the instructions to add this product to the tank for two weeks. I might be able to buy a test kit or some ammonia next next week but I’m still unclear on that. In the meantime, should I feed the Bacteria with fish flakes or just leave it in just the the way it is? Or can I add my Betta in the tank to help cycle?

 

If you already have the betta and is he is already in an uncycled tank then yes, by all means put him in the tank. I am a firm believer in fish in cycles but only if one is willing to do the water changes of at least 50% every other day. Your betta will provide the ammonia you need.

 

Additionally, to add on to what mattgirl said, buy Seachem Prime. It’s a water conditioner/dechlorinator that detoxifies ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

 

Marineland Biospora, Dr.Tim's one and only and TSS are to my knowledge the same stuff discovered by TI'm Hovanec.
These are the only additions that contain some of the right and real beneficial bacteria involved in the cycle.
All other brands are the heterotrophic bacteria I spoke about earlier.
Those are usefull as well, but won't seed a filter only buy time by munching the appearing ammonia / nitrites to keep that levels down till the real beneficial bacteria take over.

Microbe-Lift is Nitrosomnas, Nitrobacter, and Nitrospira (according to the manufacturer).

 

Microbe-Lift is Nitrosomnas, Nitrobacter, and Nitrospira (according to the manufacturer).

Then that's another one Mick that will do the job. Thanks for the addition.
Just what I meand. If the stuff contains the righr bacteria the manufacturer will mention those and will not only use vague discriptions about the ingredients.
Issue has always been these autotrophic aerobic bactrria couldn't be kept alive in bottles. Hovanec was the one that solved that issue I've always understood.

 

The problem is that I don't have a test kit or Seachem Prime right now so I'm scared that putting my betta in an uncycled tank would hurt him. Should I proceed to put the bacteria in for 7 days with fish flakes, then add the Betta in the tank to further provide ammonia? Sorry I’m really confused and I feel like I’m not receiving enough information I can’t buy any products from the fish shop right now and the closest time I can actually go there would be 2 weeks later((( If anybody would help me sort out this, it would be great! Thank you!!!

 

They are not really spoofs. They contain bacteria that really will munch ammonia and nitrites (in fact a kind of second job).
So they'll keep levels low till the real ones natural will settle / cycle the tank.
In fact it is a product sold in cases of "not enough patience". They can do a great job in case of a minicycle keeping fish in safe.
I would always use the mentioned brands.

BTW : Keeping this in mind you should reread manuals / bottles. You will be amazed how perfectly the brands can put things without saying anything wrong but also not telling things clearly.

And here's what makes me wonder how they speed up the cycle. If those bacteria are "munching" down the ammonia, where is the food for the good ammonia converting bacteria? Doesn't this other bacteria out compete it? I've been a member here for just over 10 years now. When I first joined, people recommended not using Stability claiming it did not contain a self sustaining form of the bacteria. It was claimed that this non-self sustaining would out compete the good bacteria you really wanted to use.

But then about 3 years ago, a lot of members started saying that stability works great and his has gained popularity on this forum.

I've never used Stability myself, but here's my take on it. Stability contains a "temporary" bacteria that will process some (but not all of the ammonia). This leftover ammonia can then feed the bacteria you really want, and your tank finally cycles. So basically instead of doing daily water changes to keep the ammonia level down, stability allows you to go long without a water change because it process some of the ammonia, leaving a smaller amount behind.

But that's just my theory.

 

That is exact, but exact what I think and know about it. They don't speed up the cycle, but speed up the moment one can put fish in (they are a replacement for the bottle of "Patience").

And here's what makes me wonder how they speed up the cycle. If those bacteria are "munching" down the ammonia, where is the food for the good ammonia converting bacteria? Doesn't this other bacteria out compete it? I've been a member here for just over 10 years now. When I first joined, people recommended not using Stability claiming it did not contain a self sustaining form of the bacteria. It was claimed that this non-self sustaining would out compete the good bacteria you really wanted to use.

But then about 3 years ago, a lot of members started saying that stability works great and his has gained popularity on this forum.

I've never used Stability myself, but here's my take on it. Stability contains a "temporary" bacteria that will process some (but not all of the ammonia). This leftover ammonia can then feed the bacteria you really want, and your tank finally cycles. So basically instead of doing daily water changes to keep the ammonia level down, stability allows you to go long without a water change because it process some of the ammonia, leaving a smaller amount behind.

But that's just my theory.

 

The problem is that I don't have a test kit or Seachem Prime right now so I'm scared that putting my betta in an uncycled tank would hurt him. Should I proceed to put the bacteria in for 7 days with fish flakes, then add the Betta in the tank to further provide ammonia? Sorry I’m really confused and I feel like I’m not receiving enough information I can’t buy any products from the fish shop right now and the closest time I can actually go there would be 2 weeks later((( If anybody would help me sort out this, it would be great! Thank you!!!

Welcome to FishLore!

Where is your betta now? Is it in a cycled tank? If not, what difference would it make which uncycled tank he is in?

Cycling without access to a test kit can make cycling impossible. Unless you can test, you don't know how much ammonia is in the water (especially if using fish food as an ammonia source) and you never know when you've completed the cycle.

So in my opinion, in your case you will need either a test kit or Prime in order to cycle. If you get the test kit you can cycle fishless, since you'll be able to monitor your levels. If you get Prime, you can cycle fish-in. A betta has a pretty low bioload, so if added enough Prime to treat the entire tank volume daily , you performed 35%-50% water change every 3 or 4 days with enough Prime to treat the entire tank volume you could feel pretty confident your betta is never exposed to toxic ammonia and/or nitrite. The reason being that a dose of Prime will detox up to 1ppm of ammonia and/or nitrite for 24 hours (at which point you would be adding more Prime). You would need to continue doing this for about 8 weeks (or whenever you manage to get a test kit and read 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrites)

 

The problem is that I don't have a test kit or Seachem Prime right now so I'm scared that putting my betta in an uncycled tank would hurt him. Should I proceed to put the bacteria in for 7 days with fish flakes, then add the Betta in the tank to further provide ammonia? Sorry I’m really confused and I feel like I’m not receiving enough information I can’t buy any products from the fish shop right now and the closest time I can actually go there would be 2 weeks later((( If anybody would help me sort out this, it would be great! Thank you!!!

Do you already have your betta fish? If so, what is he being kept in now?

If you have the fish, put him in the tank and do 50% water changes daily or every other day. If he’s already in a cycled tank, you can use media from the current filter to cycle the new one. If not, there is no use in using the bacteria product if you don’t have an ammonia source. You can use flake food, but there’s no exact answer as to how much to use.
I get my test kits on amazon. They are cheaper and they ship fast. (If you’re on a budget, you can order the ammonia test now, the nitrite test next week, and nitrate the next week.) You also probably won’t find the ammonia you need at a fish/pet store. Most people use the stuff you find at a hardware store. You need pure ammonia, diluted in water, with no surfactants, scents, etc., the ingredients should literally say ammonia and water and nothing else. If you shake the bottle and it foams up, it’s the wrong stuff.

 

The problem is that I don't have a test kit or Seachem Prime right now so I'm scared that putting my betta in an uncycled tank would hurt him. Should I proceed to put the bacteria in for 7 days with fish flakes, then add the Betta in the tank to further provide ammonia? Sorry I’m really confused and I feel like I’m not receiving enough information I can’t buy any products from the fish shop right now and the closest time I can actually go there would be 2 weeks later((( If anybody would help me sort out this, it would be great! Thank you!!!

Hopefully all the great suggestions posted since you posted this have put your mind to rest as to what you can do and doing it will keep your Betta safe.

As I said before as long as you keep up with water changes your Betta will be perfectly safe in an uncycled tank. Even if the tank NEVER cycles your fish will still thrive as long as you keep up with the water changes. I cannot stress the importance of keeping the water fresh and clean too many times.

You don't even have to have prime or a test kit if you will keep up with the water changes. That is the one thing I stress above all else.

As long as one has a product to condition the water, 'specially if they have chlorine in their source water, their fish will be fine. I personally used Tetra AquaSafe for many many years. To be perfectly honest, now that my tanks are cycled I am still using it. I did use prime throughout the cycling process though.

Since you don't have a test kit I highly recommend 50% water changes at least twice a week. If it were me doing it I would be doing it every other day but I think twice a week with just the one fish will be alright as long as you aren't over feeding.

If you will commit to that and be very careful about not over feeding him he will be fine and in the end I feel sure that your tank will cycle within 6 weeks or so but even if it doesn't, weekly water changes of 50% after about 6 weeks of twice weekly water changes will still keep your little guy healthy.

I really hopes this will ease your mind as to what to do and how to do it and still keep your Betta safe.

I may have missed it but what size is your tank?. I don't think you have actually said yet so some of us are just assuming that you already have the Betta. Do you and if yes, what is he in now?

 

Right now, my Betta is happily living in a cycled tank so no worries! I got the tank, filter, heater, fish and decorations all second hand so I believe it was cycled already by the guy who previously owned the Betta My new tank is 4 gallons and I know it’s pretty small but I hope he likes it! I’m might actually get a test kit tommorow so I’m I really want to move my Betta in a new tank as soon as possible so a fish in cycle would be perfectly convenient. However, I’m rather confused because I’m getting a lot of different opinions on the matter. Some people are recommending me to change the water 50% daily. Another says to change 50% at least twice a week and others say to change 35-50% every 3 to four days? I’m still in school so I’m very busy and if somebody could give me an exact amount of water to change that would be most comfortable for a fish in cycle, it would be great! Also, am I allowed to use any water conditioner instead of seachem prime? Once I put in my Betta in the new tank, am I allowed to continue adding B.B. to fasten the cycle? And one last question to confirm, I have one sponge filter in my old tank where my Betta is currently residing. Can I move the sponge into the new tank, and if so, how? Thank you everyone!!!

 

If your Betta is in an already cycled tank and you are just moving him to a bigger tank why not just move the fish and the cycle over to the bigger tank. If you do that you won't have to go through starting from scratch. That is the beauty of having an already cycled tank.

 

Sorry Matt Girl but can you please explain further? By "Moving the fish and the cycle to the bigger tank", do you mean putting the sponge filter from the cycled tank to the new one? Is so, how can I achieve this? Thanks again

 

Sorry Matt Girl but can you please explain further? By "Moving the fish and the cycle to the bigger tank", do you mean putting the sponge filter from the cycled tank to the new one? Is so, how can I achieve this? Thanks again

Yes, just move everything including the filter, the decorations, the water and the fish over to the bigger tank. If you aren't going to be using the gravel you have in the smaller tank just bag it up in some type of media bag. If you don't have a media bag a clean sock or stocking will work.

The bacteria lives on every surface of the tank. The bacteria is the cycle. The bacteria is a living thing. There is no bacteria in the water but it is the water your fish and the bacteria are used to so by moving it and everything else over to the bigger tank and by doing it this way your fish and the bacteria will just think they have just had a big water change and will quickly settle in.

I know this is sometimes a hard concept to understand but cycling a tank is simply growing bacteria. It starts with ammonia. Ammonia eventually produces and feeds nitrites. The nitrites eventually produce and feed nitrates. That in a nutshell is what it means to cycle a tank.

Just a couple of weeks ago I set up a grow out tank for my molly fry. I keep 2 dual sponge filters running in my 55 gallon tank at all times just for times when I need to set up and cycle a new tank. I put 2 double sponge filters in the grow out tank. I took 2 of the 4 sponges out of the 55 gallon and replaced them with 2 new ones. I put those 2 seeded sponges in the newly set up tank. It instantly cycled the new tank.

This is basically what I am suggesting that you do. If you move everything from the smaller tank over to the bigger tank it should instantly cycle the bigger tank. Just add enough conditioned water to fill the bigger tank.

It is important not to allow any of the decorations or sponge filter to stay out of the water for any length of time.

 

Ok thanks so much Matt girl! I already have a filter on my new tank and so can I just squeeze the old sponge juices into the new tank to help establish bacteria? To make stuff more complicated, my mum was hoping to add another betta into the old cycled tank we previously own but we don’t know yet

 

Ok thanks so much Matt girl! I already have a filter on my new tank and so can I just squeeze the old sponge juices into the new tank to help establish bacteria? To make stuff more complicated, my mum was hoping to add another betta into the old cycled tank we previously own but we don’t know yet

Some folks lately have been saying that squeezing that stuff out and into the new filter or actually in the tank will speed up the cycling process but I am not convinced that it will help. In my humble opinion I think using the actual media (sponge in your case) is the best way to do it.

Since you are not going to break down the smaller tank just move most of the water, the sponge filter and the fish. It would be best to do an at least 50% water change twice a week for the first few weeks in case you experience a minI cycle.

If she is wanting to do that just use move the sponge over to the new tank and put another sponge in the smaller tank. There should be enough bacteria left in the small tank to help seed the new sponge. Just be sure to add an ammonia source. Either another fish, fish food or pure ammonia. As long as it has an ammonia source the bacteria will keep growing and should quickly colonize the new sponge.

 

So do I just let the sponge float in my tank? And am I allowed to remove the sponge when cycling is finished? Once again thank you for all the quick and useful replies!!!!

 

What kind of filter do you have on your new tank? If it is a hang on back kind of filter you should put the sponge in there. You want the water to run through the sponge. Just floating won't do as much good if any at all.

For some reason I was just assuming you were running a sponge filter on both tanks. That is what I get for just assuming.

I found a great deal on dual sponge filters on ebay so they are what I use on my smaller tanks and also keep 2 of the running in my big tank for both extra filtration and for setting up new tanks.

 

My filter in the new tank is just a normal filter (has suction cups) while the filter in my old tank is a sponge filter

 

So you have a sponge filter that just sits on the bottom and has an air pump hooked up to it? If so, your bacteria that keeps a tank cycled lives on that sponge, so if you put that sponge filter in the new tank, you should have an instant cycle since you are not increasing the bioload, it's still just a single betta.

I recommended doing a partial water change every 3 to 4 days based on you also using Prime. The reason being, Prime can detox up to 1ppm of ammonia/nitrite for 24 hours. And since a betta has a low bioload, you should be able to go 3 or 4 days before the ammonia/nitrite level got close to 1ppm, therefore keeping your betta safe from toxin exposure.

The one advantage Prime has over other water conditioners is it's ability to detox ammonia and nitrite. And by detox, I mean put the ammonia/nitrite in a form that is not toxic to fish, but still in a form that the ammonia/nitrite converting bacteria can feed off of. If you are not using Prime, your fish will be exposed to toxic ammonia and/or toxic nitrite. So you would want to much more frequent water changes to keep those level low, low ,low, to minimize exposure.

 

Thank you for stepping in jdhef It is water change day for me. Just finished the 55. Had to take a break before tackling the smaller ones.

 

Easiest method and cheapest is Prime + hardy fish and Water changes and let nature run its course, never failed me and never had a fish die during the cycling process yet, but now I have ample seeded media for newer tanks but still. bottled bacteria for the most part is ineffective but people see that their tanks “cycle” and think it worked, but in reality the tank simply cycled on its own which is how it works

 

Ok I think I have come to a conclusion! So the things I need is a test kit and seachem prime.

1. So I acclimate my Betta and put him in his new tank.

2. Always test the water using the test kit to monitor and prevent ammonia spikes, doing partial water changes of around 50% every 3 to 4 days using Prime.

Do you guys think doing the fish less way would be so much easier? Apparently it takes shorter and is much less stressful and cruel to my fish

 

In my humble opinion doing a fish in cycle for a Betta is neither hard nor cruel as long as one is willing to keep an eye on the perimeters and doing water changes as necessary. The test kit will tell you if there is a spike and if it does just do a water change to get it back where it needs to be. If you keep up with the water changes you should never have an ammonia spike.

I was out of the fish keeping hobby for about 6 years so when I decided to set my 55 gallon tank back up I had to start from scratch with my tank. I set it up, made sure everything was working as it should and added my fish. With water changes as needed not once did this tank register any ammonia. I know it was there because the tank did in fact complete its cycle in about 6 weeks. All of the fish that were there during the cycle are still alive and thriving and that was 2 1/2 years ago.

We all have to do whatever we are comfortable with and if a fish in cycle isn't comfortable for you a fishless cycle can work.

 

Ok sorry for the late reply but I went to the fish store to ask the fish guy about cycling my new fish tank. He says as long as I put the bacteria supplement in the tank, I can add my Betta fish in. He tested my water but only my PH and the nitrite and says they are in safe paremeters. I was going to buy a test kit but apparently they were out of stock so instead bought a PH kit instead. The thing that blew my mind and got me really confused was when I questioned him about water changes while cycling and he says that changing the water will slow the cycling process and tells me not to change the water for 5 weeks while adding the B.B into the tank. 5 weeks for god sake!!!! You guys are telling me to change my betta’s water for at least 2 times a week to keep him safe but the fish guy insisted that I don’t need to change the water for five weeks as long as I put the bacteria supplement in everyday! Arg I’m so confused right now! Please help!

 

Compare putting a fish into an uncycled tank to putting a chain smoker into a closed room. With a broken ventilation system. They can survive, but the more time passes, the more smoke is in the room.
Then imagine someone opens the door and turns on a fan, clears out the smoke. Much more comfortable. How often do you want them to open the door?
Same thing with cycling a tank. The ammonia, and then nitrite, builds up. It’s survivable (to a point), but it does get toxic. Fish in cycling is possible, but you definitely should do more water changes than once every 5 weeks. I do weekly water changes on all my tanks.

But you said you have a cycled tank and filter. What kind of filters (old and new) do you have? Sometimes you can take a portion of the cycles media and put it in the new filter, sometimes you can run both filters in one tank for about a month to establish the cycle in the new filter. Then you can put the old filter back in the old tank for a new fish.

 

Ok sorry for the late reply but I went to the fish store to ask the fish guy about cycling my new fish tank. He says as long as I put the bacteria supplement in the tank, I can add my Betta fish in. He tested my water but only my PH and the nitrite and says they are in safe paremeters. I was going to buy a test kit but apparently they were out of stock so instead bought a PH kit instead. The thing that blew my mind and got me really confused was when I questioned him about water changes while cycling and he says that changing the water will slow the cycling process and tells me not to change the water for 5 weeks while adding the B.B into the tank. 5 weeks for god sake!!!! You guys are telling me to change my betta’s water for at least 2 times a week to keep him safe but the fish guy insisted that I don’t need to change the water for five weeks as long as I put the bacteria supplement in everyday! Arg I’m so confused right now! Please help!

A little food for thought....He tests your PH and nitrite and calls it good enough. How does he know that the ammonia isn't sky high if he doesn't test for it. I'm not saying that it is but how can he tell you you are good to go if he only knows the PH and nitrite levels.

Who are you gonna trust to have the best interest of your fishes health in mind. The combined experience of the folks here trying to help you out is staggering. The fish store personnel want to sell you stuff. We have nothing to gain other than a feeling of satisfaction when each person we try to help is successful.

As always, just my humble opinion.

 

A little more info, higher pH and temp make ammonia more toxic. Some fish give off more waste, I.e. more ammonia. Lots of variables. Ammonia of 2ppm in 72° with pH of 6.8 would be fine, 2ppm at 79° and pH of 8.0 would likely kill any fish.