hi folks, and happy easter! ok i am trying to cycle a new 90g tank, and i really wanted to seed the tank using media from my establiished 35g hex. since i am totally paraniod about this whole cycling issue, i figured that more is better than less. so what i did was i put 4 bio wheels (emperor 400, i am using 2 on the 90) in the established tank water for about two weeks. then i made 3 bags of gravel from the old tank and put them in nylon stockings, each about the size of a large fist, and added that to the 90. i also took 2 filter sponges, and 2 of the bags with the ceramic rings from the 35g filter, and dumped them into the 90. finally for good measure, i put one bag of bio spira directly into the tank, and another bag of bio-spira and squeezed it onto the bio wheels of both emperor 400s. i dont have a test kit at the moment, but i was wondering how long will it take for this tank to cylcle? and how long should i leave the gravel bags, sponges, and ceramic ring bags in the 90? i know this may sound like overkill, but i remember when i set up my 35g without the benefit of established media, and let me tell you the proccess was pure HELL! had to do a crazy amount of daily water changes to keep the amonia levels in check. thanx in advance. its been 2 days now, and the water is crystal clear, no sign of bacterial bloom, and the fish seem really happy and at ease.
cycling a new tank
- Thread starter mrmagic2713
- Start date
well some people who use bio-spira say it cycles a tank in 2 days.
butttt.. unless the biospira was kept refridgerated during the whole shipping to the store process, it can be pretty ineffective.
you can also put a plant in your tank, if you would like. plants suck up the ammonia nitrites and nitrates that your fish produce and use it for their own good.
alsoo- if you have small fish, or a small amount of little-waste producing fish, it will take a long time for the ammonia to build up to harmful levels for them... especially with all the added equipment with beneficial bacteria that you put in there.
if you have small fish in a big tank, even better.
but as for your question, it really depends on how the biospira was handled.
butttt.. unless the biospira was kept refridgerated during the whole shipping to the store process, it can be pretty ineffective.
you can also put a plant in your tank, if you would like. plants suck up the ammonia nitrites and nitrates that your fish produce and use it for their own good.
alsoo- if you have small fish, or a small amount of little-waste producing fish, it will take a long time for the ammonia to build up to harmful levels for them... especially with all the added equipment with beneficial bacteria that you put in there.
if you have small fish in a big tank, even better.
but as for your question, it really depends on how the biospira was handled.
i would wait a minumal of 3 weeks and after 3 weeks put some danios in there, your LFS should have a test kit that you can use, and remember if you put 3 danios in there to finish the cycl and then take them out, then the size of 3danios is what you can put into the tank intill you get it acliulated with more bacteria, slow and steady you add fish you can do up to 5 in a week after a month and keep up with the water changes
well right now i have one jack dempsy, one acclimated ciclid, onered devil, one bala sharkone placo, and one albino catfish. all are about 3.5 inches long
You can probably go to a full stocking list right away and never see a significant spike. The bio-spira and the rest was overkill. Putting the new filters onto the old tank for two weeks was more than enough to get it started. bob is right that you probably will never see any ammonia or nitrites. I personally would do 2 water changes in the first week and then call it good.
The reason your first cycle was terrible is because you started out with very low numbers of bacteria. It took a long time for them to increase. This time you are starting with a ton of bacteria and they will be up to sufficient numbers in a few days.
The reason your first cycle was terrible is because you started out with very low numbers of bacteria. It took a long time for them to increase. This time you are starting with a ton of bacteria and they will be up to sufficient numbers in a few days.
wow that is good news indeed! I will do mabye a 40 percent water change tommorrow, then another in a few days!