Cycle

[TKOS]

And most aquarium test kits are not sensitive enough to meausre all of the ammonia present. So even it it registers 0ppm then chances are there is still a little left. But with your fish load that won't be the case right off. And don't forget to test your ammonia after a water change as well. a 25% water change will cut the total amount of ammonia by 25% not a finite number. You still have to get it below 1ppm so on some days 2 water changes may be needed.

With lots of diligence your fish should do fine.

 

[daveedka]

And don't forget to test your ammonia after a water change as well.

My thoughts after reading these threads:
This quote is the key to all of this, and to the 30g as well, constant testing during your cycle is what matters, then you can figure out what to do based on your test numbers. the same with an estabilished tank. Many people get caught up in do's and don'ts, and in how long a cycle takes etc. There are many true facts stated in this thread, and a few slighly skewed by mis-conceptions. The gunk from the pet store filter, might have been enough to instant cycle the tank, This is one of the few plus's you have going with your current situation. the easy way to tell is to test constantly. Yes water changes slow the cycle time, but you have fish in there already, and their health through the cycle is most important. 6 weeks at very low ammonia levels is far less damaging IMO than 2 days at 4ppm. Since you aren't trying to hurry the cycle so you can get your fish, it really shoudn't matter how long it takes as long as your fish aren't subjected to spikes. I have cycled tanks in 1 week and sometimes it takes 6 weeks depending on bio-load and filter type. I have done fishy cycle's where there never was a significant spike, I know there wasn't because I tested twice a day throughout the cycle. With the gunk from the pet store filter in place, you essentially have your bacteria. The cyle is technically complete (assuming gunk means media of some kind)each type of bacteria that you need is in there, your worry is that your bio-load may be too high for the amount bacteria you have and it needs time to reproduce and expand its populaation. You simply added too many fish to a tank with questionable bacteria present. very risky, but what is done is done as Richer said. test ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, PH, and hardness at least once a day, and control any fluctuations with water changes. Keep a chart or list of test times and results so you have an accurate pattern. As was said, test before and after the water change and make sure you did a big enough change to keep toxin levels low. I have never kept stingrays myself, but I do know that they are said to be EXTREMELY sensative to water quality. They are absolutely awesome animals.
Good luck, I sincerely hope this works for you, and you never put yourself through it again.

 

[copeina]

Originally posted by daveedka
Good luck, I sincerely hope this works for you, and you never put yourself through it again.

Well said.

 

[copeina]

CountryGirl - It is now day 11. How's the tank doing?

:dance

 

[countrygirl]

I just wanted to let you all know that it is now Day 12 and all is still well. We have had increases in ammonia levels but never over 1.2 which we bring down by doing partial water changes and adding a bag of ammocarb to the wet/dry system. The fish seem to be healthy and happy and eating well.

Thanks to everyone for all of your help. Also I just wanted to say that I am not a newbie, I have had aquariums for over 5 years now. I guess I would say I am more a newbie at knowing about cycling.

 

[QCppg]

I've been doing this for years without knowing a thing about "cycling." What I would always do was to add a couple tablespoons of gravel from an established, desease-free tank and wait a few days. Then I'd add a single 1-inch goldfish and some plants. After a week or so I'd add a few more fish, and so on. I have no access to a nitrate test kit (I've never seen one at the LFS) but this seems to work well enough.

 

[silentskream]

one thing i'd like to suggest is that if you have a used filter cartridge or filter material from another tank that can fit into the new tank, USE IT.

i'm cycling my 55 gallon tank right now (fishless cycling), and i was told to use Cycle, and it seemed like absolutely nothing happened until i put a used filter cartridge from my 20gal tank's Whisper power filter in the 55gal whisper filter box.

since then, the ammonia has dropped in half, (and its only been 3 days) depending on how the nitrite levels go, i'm expecting i'll be able to have fish in the tank very soon.


The great thing about fishless cycling, is that no fish are harmed at all. not only that, but you can add all the fish at once, which means they all have an equal chance at growth and territory. if i did the common add one cheap fish every so often until its safe, then every one of those fish would be affected by the ammonia levels, which could greatly reduce the lifespan of the fish.

i'd rather spend a dollar on ammonia than spend any money or time killing my fish.

 

[LongTime]

Originally posted by countrygirl
I will keep a very close eye on the levels and test the water every day, if I even have a slight discoloration on the ammonia test I will do a 25% water change.

II have even had people tell me to overfeed the fish like crazy so the bacteria will grow faster, and people tell me to barely feed them so they don't produce much waste. It's so hard to know what to do.

You are a lot braver than I I don't know how you are going to avoid a ammonia spike with those many fish in a new tank.

Yes, it is hard to know what to do because there are so many different opinions and each has worked for the one giving that opinion. I would never advocate overfeeding the fish for any reason.

I tend to do a fish-less cycle because it is easier on me and on the fish, but I have also done a fishy cycle. At that time I had Oscars and I was setting up a new tank. I put a feeder goldfish in the new tank. After the cycle he went to the oscars.

 

[daveedka]

countrygirl,
Just curious ifthings are still going well, Any hiccups etc.

Yes, it is hard to know what to do because there are so many different opinions and each has worked for the one giving that opinion. I would never advocate overfeeding the fish for any reason.

One of the nice things about this board is the advice usually always put the well being of the fish first. A lot of advice that is given does not. In this case overfeeding is used to create an ammonia spike to speed up the cycle, and the health of the fish is deisregarded. One of the things I try to do with any reccomendation is understand the process it creates, try to see the pro's and con's and then decide for myself whether or not to incorporate it. I know I can save some cycle time at the expense of my fish, but don't chose to because I like my fish, and more importantly I firmly believe we have a responsibility to any animal we house to provide them with a decent environment to live in. As the old saying goes "there is more than one way to skin a cat"
And as my dad always said "there are only a couple of good ways to skin a cat, but the rest will get the job done I guess" ( I hope most people know this saying comes from a fisherman, not a feline chef)

 

[pinballqueen]

Originally posted by countrygirl
I just wanted to let you all know that it is now Day 12 and all is still well. We have had increases in ammonia levels but never over 1.2 which we bring down by doing partial water changes and adding a bag of ammocarb to the wet/dry system. The fish seem to be healthy and happy and eating well.

Thanks to everyone for all of your help. Also I just wanted to say that I am not a newbie, I have had aquariums for over 5 years now. I guess I would say I am more a newbie at knowing about cycling.

Be really careful about removing the ammonia from your tank with ammocarb... it will defeat the purpose... while ammonia is lethal to fish, ammonia-consuming bacteria are what you are trying to establish and if you remove it all chemically, you can halt the process.

The trick is keeping the fish relatively comfortable without completely stopping the process...

But, it looks like you're not doin too bad You're still not over the hump, though, so keep a watchful eye on those readings. I would hate to hear of any of those very pricey fish passing away

/drools over cg's tank....