New 10g Tank For Glowfish

Hello all,

I am new to having fish, I had them when I was very little, but my parents took care of all the tank maintenance, so I don't remember much. I have gotten two 10 gallon tanks, one for each of my kids to have Glowfish.

I have set up each tank the same, gravel, heater, lights, filter and such. I have no fish in them yet, as I want to so the fishless cycle first that I keep reading about.

I have so far added the following to the tank ( 24 hrs ago )

Stress Coat + ( 5ml )
EasyBalance Plus ( 10ml )

I have been looking over the nitro cycle, but its very confusing to me. I also have TSS ( Tetra Safe Start ) which I have not added in yet, as I read that, that should be put in 48 hours prior to adding in fish.

I currently have two other 1.5G tanks that came as a kit for Glowfish and they currently have 2 Glowfish in there that I would be starting these new 10G tanks with. I got the new 10G tanks because I read that the 1.5G tanks are not big enough for these fish. ( not sure why they would even sell these kits if that is true )

Questions that I have

1) will I be able to use the two fish in the other tanks ( 2 in each of the 1.5G ) to start the cycle in the new 10G tanks?

2) how much of the TSS do I use 48hrs prior to adding in those two fish?

3) anything else I am missing or need to know here? any help is much appreciated.

 

Hello,
I’m new to fish lore but have been keeping tropical freshwater fish for several years.
fishless cycle
That website is a good place to start and details fishless cycling.
In short, get a bottle of pure ammonia with no additives (I’ve had luck with Dr. Tim’s brand). Make sure your tanks are set up how you want them, with the filters running, and make sure your water is dechlorinated.
Dose the tank up to 5 ppm with the ammonia, and monitor and maintain that level for a few days.
When you test the water and find the presence of nitrites, you can reduce the dose of ammonia to about half. Continue to maintain this level and eventually you will see a spike in nitrites.
When the nitrites spike, reduce the dose of ammonia to about a fourth of the original dose, and continue to monitor the levels. Eventually, nitrites will drop and nitrates will rise. When ammonia and nitrite levels measure 0 ppm and only nitrate is present in the tank, you can perform a final test.
Dose the tank up to 4 ppm with ammonia. The following day, if all that is present are nitrates, you are done. Perform a 50-75% PWC to reduce the nitrate level to one that is safe for fish, and enjoy your newly cycled tank. You can fully stock the tank all at once (a benefit to fishless cycling, you don’t have to introduce fish slowly) and have fun exploring this fun and interesting hobby!
The entire process can take up to three weeks, but I managed to cycle my ten gallon in ten days. Good luck!

 

Hello,

Thank you for the replay and all the info.

I have not put any Ammonia in the new 10G tanks yet. I have done a test on them this morning and I have the following levels on my Tera test strips

Nitrate 0
Nitrite ( Safe ) 0
Harness ( Hard ) 75ppm
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity ( Moderate ) 80ppm
PH ( Neutral ) 7.2

So if I am reading you post correctly, I need to do the ammonia part to jump start the tank and get the Nitrates & Nitrites cycle?

Wired thing is that, I also tested my other two 1.5G tanks with that currently have two GloFish each in them, and I pretty much got the same results above for those tanks, I'm guessing that is not right at all, since there should be some Nitrates in those tanks, correct? I should also note, that those 1.5G tanks, the water is getting a little bit cloudy and it needs to be cleaned since, I'm starting to see fish food I think building up on the bottom that the fish did not eat. ( I'm using fish flakes as instructed if you were wondering ). I also, prior to adding fish to those 1.5G tanks, brought samples to Petco where I got them from, and they said the water was good for the fish, so I'm assuming they had Nitrates in them, but are now gone?

 

Are you using strips? They are very inaccurate. Try using a liquid test kit that can also test ammonia. ApI master test kit is $15 in the us right now.

 

The API test kit is a very handy tool to have as a fish keeper, the kit may be more expensive but you get several hundred tests out of the kit as opposed to test strips where you may only get 10-25.
There are no bacteria that will bring down the nitrate levels in the tank, those need to be removed through PWC’s.
How long have your fish been in the 1.5 g?

 

Anaerobic bacteria converts nitrate to nitrogen gas. You need something like lava rock or ceramic rings and low oxygen to grow it though.

 

Are you using strips? They are very inaccurate. Try using a liquid test kit that can also test ammonia. ApI master test kit is $15 in the us right now.

Hello, yes unfortunately, I just read they are inaccurate. Guess ill be buying that big master kit today to use.

The API test kit is a very handy tool to have as a fish keeper, the kit may be more expensive but you get several hundred tests out of the kit as opposed to test strips where you may only get 10-25.
There are no bacteria that will bring down the nitrate levels in the tank, those need to be removed through PWC’s.
How long have your fish been in the 1.5 g?

Hello, the fish in the 1.5G tanks have been in there for almost 2 weeks now.

 

Hello, the fish in the 1.5G tanks have been in there for almost 2 weeks now.

There’s a chance they might have already cycled the 1.5, but it’s probably still in the ammonia phase of the cycling if you’re not getting any readings for nitrite or nitrate. I’m not sure if they do ammonia readings at the pet stores, but I think your best bet is to get that API test kit and start cycling your ten gallons because, as you mentioned earlier, a 1.5 gallon isn’t big enough for really any fish, let alone glofish which like to school.
The cloudiness in the water is more than likely a bacterial bloom, probably caused by the excess amount of fish food you said you saw accumulating at the bottom of the tank.
I would do a PWC and try to siphon up as much debris as you can from the bottom of the tank, and keep treated water handy so that you’ll be able to perform another PWC if ammonia or nitrites do spike and your fish start to struggle or behave strangely.

 

There’s a chance they might have already cycled the 1.5, but it’s probably still in the ammonia phase of the cycling if you’re not getting any readings for nitrite or nitrate. I’m not sure if they do ammonia readings at the pet stores, but I think your best bet is to get that API test kit and start cycling your ten gallons because, as you mentioned earlier, a 1.5 gallon isn’t big enough for really any fish, let alone glofish which like to school.
The cloudiness in the water is more than likely a bacterial bloom, probably caused by the excess amount of fish food you said you saw accumulating at the bottom of the tank.
I would do a PWC and try to siphon up as much debris as you can from the bottom of the tank, and keep treated water handy so that you’ll be able to perform another PWC if ammonia or nitrites do spike and your fish start to struggle or behave strangely.

Sounds like a plan. Thank you everyone, yall are amazing!! Ill keep you updated on this as well. Ill be going to get the better kits tonight as well as the siphon and ammonia

 

Ladman , welcome to the forum!

your 1.5g's are either experiencing a bacterial bloom or the cloudiness is from the build up of fish food.

Yes, it is true that a 1.5g is too small for any of the Glo-Fish brand of fish.

Once the 2 10g's are up and running, I would transfer your current Glow-Fish into them.

A better species of fish for a 1.5g would be a betta. One per 1.5 tank would be good.

The other members gave excellent advise as usual. While test strips are ok, the API Freshwater Master Kit is great. They are good for 800 tests and at $15 online, they are an excellent value. I have used them since I bought our first tank, and are a great tool to have to guage the health of the tank.

You mentioned getting a siphon vac later today. Make sure you get one with the bulb primer. Some do not have the priming bulb, which makes it harder to use. I would also advise to get a 5 gallon bucket and a 2 quart container that you can dedicate as "fish only".

Like freshwaterninja stated, Dr. Tim's Ammonia is a good way to precisely dose ammonia to start a cycle. I have used it in conjunction with Tetra Safe Start (aka TSS) and worked for me to jump start a cycle on a new tank.

While other's use pure ammonia found at hardware stores, I found Dr. Tim's Ammonia easy to use because you can precisely control how many drops per gallon of tank water you have, so you can dial in the exact ppm level you want.

The TSS will not work unless it has a "food source" for the bacteria. The ammonia will be the "food source".

Even then, you won't be able to cycle the tank in 48 hours.

My suggestion would be to bump up the heat to the mid 80's, which will allow the bacteria to colonize slightly quicker.

When the bacteria starts to colonize and metabolize the ammonia, the ppm levels of ammonia will start to drop. When they do, you can dose more ammonia and continue the process.

You will see nitrites start to rise. Then the ammonia will start to drop. Then nitrates will start to be detectable. The nitrates will indicate the cycle is working and will soon be finished.

Once you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and detectable nitrates, you can add the fish.

Your Stress Coat is a good dechlorinator. When you start to get low, may I suggest to look into Seachem Prime dechlorinator. It cost a few more $ per oz, but it is super concentrated. It actually costs less in the long run to use Prime. The 500ml will last you a long time. 1ml of Prime treats 10 gallons of water. I use 1ml and 5ml plastic syringes to dose mine. It keeps me from wasting it and gives a more accurate dose.

It seems to be the gold standard for water dechlorinator in our hobby. It also is great at detoxifying ammonia and nitrite spikes.

also, here a link for adding DIY Filter Media to your filters. It offers some ideas on inexpensive and effective ways to boost your mechanical and biological filtration.

 

man, glad I found you gents. this is a boat ( forgive the water pun ) load of info I was having a hard time finding and understanding else where.

For the heater, I have the one my 10G tanks came with, but the temp has not gone above 78. I do have another smaller heater that is in the 1.5G tanks. Would it be a good idea to add a second heater to the 10G tanks?

 

It may be a preset heater that came with the 10g, unless it can't overcome the temp differential between the setting and the ambient temp of the room.

If it can hold the temp at 78f, then that will still work. No use spending more $$.

Now if the heater has to run 24/7 just to keep the tank at 78f, then maybe a future upgrade maybe in store.

What wattage heater did the 10 gallon come with, and what is the temp in your house?

I always forget that other parts of the country up North are under a few feet of snow/ice, while I'm down opposite at almost the Southern most end. Forecast is mid-upper 70's next week!

 

The heater that came with the 10G kit is 50Watt heater and my upstairs where the tanks are in the winter is ~70 max

 

They need cooler water than 78. Ideally, they should be kept in a minimum of 20g. Your 10 gallon is still too small, but it's a start. Since your current glofish are in a 1.5g, the best thing to do is just to go ahead and put them in the new 10g.

 

I think he was trying to bump up his temp to help jump start his nitrogen cycle. He's doing a fish'less cycle for now.

 

Ok, picked up the syphin for cleaning the tanks and also the master freshwater testing kit. unfortunately, I was not able to find the Dr.Tims ammonia to use at Petco, so I will have to order some on Amazon and ill have that in a few days.

Tested one of the 10G tanks and the 1.5G tanks this morning and got the following results.

10G Tank 1: ( No Fish Yet )
======================

PH 7.6
High PH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

Assuming this is to be expected as no Ammonia has been added to start the fishless cycle.


1.5G Tank 1: ( 2 GlowFish 2 weeks in tank )
====================================

PH 7.6
High PH 8.8 ( Is a bit high, should be 7.8 )
Ammonia 4.0 ( Needs to be resolved )
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

From reading what the master kit suggested, I need to do a 25% water change and also add some Ammo Lock to detox the ammonia. As for the High PH being seen, I should it suggests to use API PH DOWN to adjust the level.

 

I wouldn't worry about the ph right now ... I would worry about the ammonia. I would look at doing several large water changes to get the ammonia down. I would invest in Prime since you are having such high spikes of ammonia in the tank. You can use it instead of buying another product like ammo lock, and it will also work as your dechlorinator as well.

 

I wouldn't worry about the ph right now ... I would worry about the ammonia. I would look at doing several large water changes to get the ammonia down. I would invest in Prime since you are having such high spikes of ammonia in the tank. You can use it instead of buying another product like ammo lock, and it will also work as your dechlorinator as well.

I agree with this, don’t worry about the pH and focus on getting the ammonia down. Prime is probably the best thing to get. How are the fish behaving?

 

Roger that, ill pick up some Prime tonight and do a water change on the two 1.5G tanks. you think doing a 70% WC is too much?

 

If you do larger water changes regularly (i.e. weekly or sooner), then you should be able to change out most of the water without it being a shock. I change out at least 70 percent of my 46 gallon each week. A 70% change will still leave the ammonia at around 1.2, so I would then do at least a second 50% change - all with Prime. Dose for the whole tank and not just the amount you are changing (or you can double dose ... it won't hurt).

 

Awesome sauce!!

 

Personally, I'd move both fish into one of the 10g's and fishless cycle the other. 10 gallon is much easier to keep at safe levels than 1.5g, and you can just add TSS to help get things moving. I'd want to get them out of the 1.5g asap, but that's just me.

 

If the ammonia in the 1.5g is at 4ppm, the best thing for you to do is just move the fish to the new tank. By the sound of it, the other one isn’t cycled either.

 

Did a large water change in both 1.5G tanks last night an used the Prime as suggested.

Tank 1:
===================
PH 7.2
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia .5

Tank 2:
===================
PH 7.6
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia .5

So those two tanks are much better now. I ordered the Dr.Tims Ammonia to add to the two 10G tanks, that should be in by the end of the week so I can start the fishless cycle on those.

 

Did a large water change in both 1.5G tanks last night an used the Prime as suggested.

Tank 1:
===================
PH 7.2
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia .5

Tank 2:
===================
PH 7.6
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Ammonia .5

So those two tanks are much better now. I ordered the Dr.Tims Ammonia to add to the two 10G tanks, that should be in by the end of the week so I can start the fishless cycle on those.

Now just check the tanks every day and if the ammonia & nitrite combined is below 1 ppm, dose prime. If not, do a water change to get it down. That's definitely much better though!

 

Ok, status update on the new 10G tanks

Added in the DrTims ammonia on this past Saturday. Instructions said to do 4 drops per 1 gal, so I put in 40 drops in each 10G tank. I have let it set for a few days, and tested it yesterday.

Ammonia is high still ( about 4.0 ) and there is 0 Nitrite or Nitrate in the tank. So I assume the bacteria has not started to grow in the tank yet.


Oddly enough, I'm seeing the same results in the 1.5G tanks I have with fish in them. I would have thought after the LWC on those and using the Prime, they would have become balanced by now ( Being almost 3 weeks old ). So ill have to do another water change on those to get the ammonia down.

 

Ok, status update on the new 10G tanks

Added in the DrTims ammonia on this past Saturday. Instructions said to do 4 drops per 1 gal, so I put in 40 drops in each 10G tank. I have let it set for a few days, and tested it yesterday.

Ammonia is high still ( about 4.0 ) and there is 0 Nitrite or Nitrate in the tank. So I assume the bacteria has not started to grow in the tank yet.


Oddly enough, I'm seeing the same results in the 1.5G tanks I have with fish in them. I would have thought after the LWC on those and using the Prime, they would have become balanced by now ( Being almost 3 weeks old ). So ill have to do another water change on those to get the ammonia down.

The 1.5g tanks will probably need daily water changes to keep ammonia down since they have fish. In such a small tank, the water can get bad really fast. Cycling normally takes around 6-8 weeks without fish and longer with, so I'm not surprised you're still seeing ammonia.

 

1.5 would definitely benefit from more frequent water changes due to its size.

 

Ok, ill keep doing daily water changes, I'm assuming like 20 t0 30% with adding in Prime will be sufficient. And ill keep testing the 10G tanks every few days until I see the ammonia spike and or start to balance out.

 

Ok, ill keep doing daily water changes, I'm assuming like 20 t0 30% with adding in Prime will be sufficient. And ill keep testing the 10G tanks every few days until I see the ammonia spike and or start to balance out.

I'd test daily then do a water change based on the results. You should do a large enough water change to get combined ammonia & nitrite below 1 ppm. If it's not, anything above 1 ppm won't be detoxed by the prime and will hurt your fish. If the level is below 1 ppm, you can just dose prime. I'm guessing you'll have to do a 50% water change or more every day though.

 

After adding the ammonia to the 2x 10 gallon tanks, did you add anything that had bacteria from the 1.5g's?

Any use of a bacteria cycle booster like Dr. Tim's One and Only or Tetra Safe Start?

If not, it may take a while for the 10 gallon to start to colonize the beneficial bacteria.

Right now, there is nothing for the ammonia to "feed".

 

If you only have that few glofish just put them in one 10 gal tank. Then add the TSS . You can then do weekly water changes in the 10 .
Will be better for the fish .