Fish In Cycle

F

fishnkats

Registered Member
Jan 6, 2009
2
0
0
:dance: Ok so it has been a long time since my last aquarium and the science of aquatic life has come a long way since the 1970's....that being said, I am performing a "fish in" cycle for several aquariums. I joined the forum late and discovered all this "new science". That being said and understanding the ammonia, nitrate, nitrite cycle, I stocked my tanks with some real plant life. I added the few fish that I had already purchased and were sitting in a small "holding tank". I purchased the master test kit from API. I added some polyester sheeting cut to fit in between the foam sponge and the charcoal, The polyester is great for catching all the particulate suspended in the tank from the substrate. Even after heavy pre-washing, there is a lot of particulate suspended in the water. When the sheeting was full of particulate, I washed the sheeting using some of the aquarium water in a separate container and placed back it into the filter. I have performed this about three or four times. At the same time, I have also taken readings on the nitrite level...which never got above 1 ppm. And also drained the tank about 60% 40% 40% and 10% over a three to four day period. On the final 10% I allowed the tank "to rest" and within 72 hours I had crystal clear water as I had seen at the LFS. I pulled the test kit...all levels were zero...and with NO Fish Loss. Each time I dropped the tank and replaced the water, I added an approrpiate amount of conditioning salt to keep the fish "happy". I am now into week two of a"fish in" cycle on a 55 gallon with cichlids..an acei (yellow fin) a jewel and a red zebra...performing the same tasks as I did with the 20. Last night the Nitrite was 1ppm and I dropped the level about 60 %...tonight will test again...drop 40%..and so on...at the same time, clean the polyester sheeting and replace...add condtioning salt. I believe I have reduced the cycling by about two weeks-perhaps more as compared to a fish less cycle. I dont know if using aerotors has made a difference in this, but all the tanks now in their cycles were all set up with aerators and fresh plants. It certainly didn't hurt the fish.:)
 
You should be doing those water changes whenever ammonia or nitrites hit .25 ppm.
 
Welcome to the forum FishNCats.
As Bob Bishop said, the water changes are called for any time your ammonia or nitrites get to 0.25 ppm. Depending on the fish that you keep, the salt may be doing a lot more harm than good but I easily remember the 70s fish keeping practices so I am not too surprised. These days a water change is the cure all for problems during the initial set up of a tank and are even a good idea later in the tank's life cycle. The dechlorinators we use these days are better than in the past and fish do not suffer from a water change. It is always better to get rid of the nitrites than to try to minimize the ill effects with salt but even some fish stores still try that.

Karlth, conditioning salt is what we tend to call aquarium salt. It is table salt without the iodine and anti-caking added. It is a relic of the 70s but everyone has their own approach to keeping fish. I avoid salt like the plague but there are still people who use it for everything.
 
thanks for the info on the use of the salt...i posted for comments and appieciate the critique. I have different tanks with different fish but primary focus is on the cichlids as I mentioned...they are very hardy and I do change the water as you prescribed. I was not crazy about the conditioning salt...which now i know is plain ol non iodized..I will back off the use of the salt. My cycled tank has one pleco, 2 honey dwarf gouramis, a threesome of swordtails (2 females, 1 male) 2 veil tetras and two rainbows. Plan on relocating the rainblows when they get bigger.
 
Ah. Another con trick playing on the old iodine-in-salt-will-kill-your-fish myth, and the freshwater-fish-already-in-water-higher-in-TDS-than-their-natural-waters-want-it-raising-even-further-with-salt myth.
 
you can seed the other tanks you are cycling using bits of filter material or gravel from the tank that is already cycled. that's what i always do when i get a new tank. that or i run the filter from my new tank on the cycled tank for a week or so jump start the bacteria colony.
 
Transfer half the media from an established tank's filter to the new one, and introduce the first fish. Both tanks will be at full complement before you know where you are.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom