Just curious as to how you're cycling this 45g. Fishless, or fish-in?
It's a tall looking tank. Is it 30" wide? Looks like good dimensions for an angle fish as a center piece fish.
Advice on starting new 45 gal freshwater tank
- Thread starter Deadcell
- Start date
Just curious as to how you're cycling this 45g. Fishless, or fish-in?
It's a tall looking tank. Is it 30" wide? Looks like good dimensions for an angle fish as a center piece fish.
To be honest, I'm not sure what the dimensions are. Its the 45 gallon Aqueon on Petsmart's website. They were running a deal when I grabbed it.
Nope, cycling fishless. I'd prefer to go as humane as possible lol. I'm using the filter media from my 10 gal as well as using Nutrafin Cycle to speed up the process.
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Gotcha. Petsmart can have some really good deals, especially in-store ones. In regards to your cycle, are you adding ammonia or did you sprinkle something organic in there to rot away and eventually form ammonia?
IMO, if you've got healthy, established filtration from another tank setup in the new 45g, I'd verify your water params are 0,0,<10 and add some fish. There's nothing inhumane or harmful in doing this provided you monitor water params and do your water changes. I'd also add a pantyhose of used gravel from your healthy established tank, to the new 45g.
FWIW, I've setup several new tanks with nothing more than used filtration and some used substrate and added fish right away. Never saw a fraction of a PPM of ammonia or nitrites. Instant cycle.
I've also gone the fishless route by adding household ammonia. I'd rather take a tack hammer to my junk then go that route again.
IMO, if you've got healthy, established filtration from another tank setup in the new 45g, I'd verify your water params are 0,0,<10 and add some fish. There's nothing inhumane or harmful in doing this provided you monitor water params and do your water changes. I'd also add a pantyhose of used gravel from your healthy established tank, to the new 45g.
FWIW, I've setup several new tanks with nothing more than used filtration and some used substrate and added fish right away. Never saw a fraction of a PPM of ammonia or nitrites. Instant cycle.
I've also gone the fishless route by adding household ammonia. I'd rather take a tack hammer to my junk then go that route again.
The problem with moving media from another tank and then testing, is that if you don't add a source of ammonia after moving the filter media then your water is bound to test as 0s if that is what comes out of the tap.
testing water at least daily is essential if you follow this route (It's close to what I do as well) until your tests show an amount of nitrate (Unless you have plants consuming the nitrogen compounds) and 0 ammonia and nitrite. It's also prudent to feed only sparingly until you are sure that your beneficial bacteria colony is sufficient to handle the bioload of your tank and contents.
I hear you Doug, I was just basing my comment on the OP stating his tank is currently showing "very little ammonia". Wouldn't want fish to be added directly to that.
I may have skimmed over it, but I'm not sure where the ammonia was introduced to the tank. If it's not being added at a similar rate as the desired fish stock will create it, then you can't really be considered 'cycled'.
mitigating the amount of ammonia being produced by lighter than normal feeding will help, frequent water testing will alert you to perform a water change when ammonia is detected.
ultimately, if a decently established filter or amount of seeded media is used, the risk is low. Personally I use a box filter filled with ceramic rings taken from a number of canister filters.
but, to keep it humane, test the water... often. As should always be the case
mitigating the amount of ammonia being produced by lighter than normal feeding will help, frequent water testing will alert you to perform a water change when ammonia is detected.
ultimately, if a decently established filter or amount of seeded media is used, the risk is low. Personally I use a box filter filled with ceramic rings taken from a number of canister filters.
but, to keep it humane, test the water... often. As should always be the case
You guys are acting like I have fish in it lol. It IS humane.
I sprinkled some food in there, thats how I'm trying to get the ammonia going. However, I realized that adding that Nutrafin Cycle was a mistake. O ppm ammonia now, with 0 ppm of nitrite and nitrate. Yeah, I'm thinking it killed all of the ammonia off and I'm starting back at square one.
I've discovered its much more difficult to cycle a 45 gal vs a 10 gal.
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I sprinkled some food in there, thats how I'm trying to get the ammonia going. However, I realized that adding that Nutrafin Cycle was a mistake. O ppm ammonia now, with 0 ppm of nitrite and nitrate. Yeah, I'm thinking it killed all of the ammonia off and I'm starting back at square one.
I've discovered its much more difficult to cycle a 45 gal vs a 10 gal.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
