New to hobby and forums, hello guys! i have many questions

G

GTO

AC Members
Dec 6, 2006
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hey guys,

glad to find this forum and be a part of it :) . well i have a few questions about a fishless tank cycling. i read the sticky post about a fishless cycle but it takes weeks and im just too impatient to wait that long. but first off...where can i get ammonia? and i heard of this product called bio spira that already has the good bacteria in it already, can i jsut add that to the tank and would it be already cycled? do i need to add ammonia with bio spira? and how long would it take for a tank to cycle if i use bio-spira properly? if possible can i have a step by step directions on doing a fishless cycle with bio spira and ammonia?

i also plan on getting a 29 gallon tank its 30"Lx12"W18"H. Im going to stock it with a school of tiger barbs, i read that they are schooling fish that should be kept in a group of at least 6 to decrease agression so im getting 8-10 of them and a L-018 gold nugget pleco. are they compatible? because i want to get a group of 4 cory catfish in ther also would i be over stocked?
 
GTO said:
i also plan on getting a 29 gallon tank its 30"Lx12"W18"H. Im going to stock it with a school of tiger barbs, i read that they are schooling fish that should be kept in a group of at least 6 to decrease agression so im getting 8-10 of them and a L-018 gold nugget pleco. are they compatible? because i want to get a group of 4 cory catfish in ther also would i be over stocked?
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to AC!

I would go for 8 Tiger Barbs, a Gold Nugget Pleco, and five Cories. They should be all compatible together.

Its great that you reasearched your fish that you're planning to get, because a lot of newbies just plop fish in their tank with out reasearching them.

Happy fish keeping and good luck!

Cory Lover
 
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thanks cory lover =]. well im still a bit confused about cycling with bio spira. but i think this is how the procedure goes:

1. add ammonia to about 5ppm
2. add recommended dose of bio spira
3. everyday i dose a little bit of ammonia to keep bacteria alive
4. do a x %(how much water am i suppose to change?) water change when i decide to add fish

is that how it goes?

how fast will it take to cycle the tank like that?
 
Actually, you can add the bio spira and your full fish load the same day. No ammonia needed, just momitor your water closely and do water changes as necessary to prevent damage.
 
i see...but the thing is i dont want to harm any of the fish and shortening their lives. so basicly i can add the fishload within a couple hours after i add the bio spira and tested the water for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia?
 
Follow the instructions exactly...
 
Cory Lover said:
Hi and welcome to AC!

I would go for 8 Tiger Barbs, a Gold Nugget Pleco, and five Cories. They should be all compatible together.

Its great that you reasearched your fish that you're planning to get, because a lot of newbies just plop fish in their tank with out reasearching them.

Happy fish keeping and good luck!

Cory Lover
Click to expand...
i wouldnt mix tiger barbs with any other species in that small of tank. with a 29 gallon, you should go for a species tank if you want tiger barbs.
 
GTO said:
i see...but the thing is i dont want to harm any of the fish and shortening their lives. so basicly i can add the fishload within a couple hours after i add the bio spira and tested the water for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia?
Click to expand...

Your water source should not have any ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate present so adding the biospira and waiting a few hours is unnecessary. When you add your fish, they will generate a very low amount of ammonia that will build up over time, this ammonia is needed to feed the bacteria in biospira so adding them together would be ideal.

You may get an ammonia and nitrite reading for a day or three, which is normal. Don't do a water change for 48 hrs to allow the bacterias to colonize the surfaces of your tank. If ammonia is present after 48 hrs and is posing a risk to your fish, perform a water change.
 
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