Got 37 gallon Aqueon setup

kahunacohen said:
Really, I thought everyone on this forum was about fishless cycle...
Click to expand...

Fish-in cycling is all about maintaining proper water parameters, regardless of how you do it. You can keep 0,0,x params with fish-in, provided you've got the used decor/filtration in there, measure your params daily with an API Master Test Kit and be ready to do water changes more often than once per week if needed.
 
Last edited:
My LFS agreed doing fish in is probably best for me. I put some decor from my 10g tank which I've had fish in for a year into the 55g tank, put some crushed up fish food in and squeezed out the media from my 10g. I also put in a plant from a friend's tank. Bringing the water temp up a bit right now, and when it's up a bit going to drop in some bacteria starter then I'll put a few fish in and see how it goes.
 
kahunacohen said:
My LFS agreed doing fish in is probably best for me. I put some decor from my 10g tank which I've had fish in for a year into the 55g tank, put some crushed up fish food in and squeezed out the media from my 10g. I also put in a plant from a friend's tank. Bringing the water temp up a bit right now, and when it's up a bit going to drop in some bacteria starter then I'll put a few fish in and see how it goes.
Click to expand...

You should be OK, but I would have not added crushed up food and would have left the 10g's media right in the new tank. I'm not a fan of store bought "bacteria starter", pretty sure it's just wallet lightener, but it certainly won't hurt anything. Add a few fish, they'll hopefully consume the crushed up food.

The main thing is to have your liquid test kit and measure it daily until your certain the tank produces nothing but nitrates.
 
Yeah, I got this book, http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Freshwater-Aquariums-Second-Edition/dp/0793821223 (after I set up the aquarium). The only mistake I made was adding food too early.

Anyway I got 4 platies few days ago and so far so good. I am testing for Ammonia and doing water changes to bring it down.

The book mentions putting the heater horizontally below the filter, which seems like a good idea except it makes it hard to change the temp, which you shouldn't have to do too much anyway.

Can you really totally submerge these filters?
 
Also, what tools will make water changes easier for the 55g. I have a 3g bucket. I really need a 6 I guess. Also my syphon is kind of small. Are there ones that would reach across a big room into the kitchen to the sink? What kind do you recommend? My downstairs laundry room sink has threads on it, so I could attach a hose to it to fill the tank.
 
Are they male and female platys? If so, eventually, you'll have more platys than a 55g can handle. I have a cheap eBay gravel vac with a squeeze bulb to start the siphon that I use for my 55g, 20L and 10g. I have a larger Aqueon grave vac I use for the 75g. I siphon the 55, 20L into a 5gal pail and toss the pails outdoors. The 10 and 75 are close enough to my utility sink that I can route the gravel vac right into the sink, and then re-fill with a short section of hose directly from the sink. When refilling from a hose, make sure to dose the whole volume of the tank with your dechlorinator.

Search "python water changer" if you want something super easy.

I don't have a "python". I try to limit my water down the drain because I'm on an old septic system, which is why I toss most tank waste water in the garden or on the lawn.
 
I don't know if they are male or female. How do I tell? They are the orange kind of platies.

So, I've been doing water changes and measuring Amonia. I'm now between 0 and .25 ppm for a couple days now with 4 platies, some plants and some used decor.

I was going to add a few more platies, and a school of tetras next. Do you think my tank is cycled?

I have a dalmation molley in my 10g tank. Can I put him in too?
 
kahunacohen said:
I don't know if they are male or female. How do I tell?
Click to expand...

Sexinglivebearers-1.jpg

This is how, same as most livebearers

Sent from my SGS4 Active
 
and always perfect for party trivia too!
 
kahunacohen said:
I don't know if they are male or female. How do I tell? They are the orange kind of platies.

So, I've been doing water changes and measuring Amonia. I'm now between 0 and .25 ppm for a couple days now with 4 platies, some plants and some used decor.

I was going to add a few more platies, and a school of tetras next. Do you think my tank is cycled?

I have a dalmation molley in my 10g tank. Can I put him in too?
Click to expand...

You arent cycled just yet. You dont want any ammonia to show up at all... Even in small amounts because amount is toxic and can kill fish very quickly if actions are taken to reduce it ( Water changes will reduce the ammonia you have). I do have a few questions since i havent read every post in the thread.
1.) do you have a good test kit? ( i.e- API master test kit)
2.) what are your other parameters other than ammonia? Such as nitrites and nitrates.
3.) are you dosing any type of dechlorinator to your tank when you do water changes?

I wouldnt add any more fish until your done cycling the tank first. Once done cycling, you can then add fish in slowly to allow the bacterial colony to catch up.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom