Nearly there?

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vygec

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Oct 15, 2003
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Right, i think ive finally cycled my tank (excuse me if i sound excited, but its like passing an exam :)).

Its day 19, yesterday nitrite was 0.25, and todays reading is showing 0, along with Ammonia being 0 as well. Before i delve in with my fish stock, would like to know if there's a certain order i should be going by.
Overall, im looking at a pair of baby angels, a few glass cats, a shoal of around 15 neons, a few corys, a Bristlenose cat, and a red tail shark. I was thinking of bringing the neons in first, maybe 5 at a time..give it a week..then introduce another 5? then the angels.
as a general note, how many fish should be placed in tank at any one occasion? and is it safe to this weekly?
also, upto now i havnt touched the filters, or replaced any water.. would it now be safe for me to do my first water change?
one other thing...ive been feeding every other day, would it be now safe to feed every day?
Would like to thank all the ppl who have helped me along the way, coz..if i was honest.. i would have seriously ****** this process up..if it wasnt for u guys.
 
Actually if you did a full fishless cycle and now have all zero readings you have a full bioload of bacteria and can bring in a full tank of fish all at once. If you don't bring in a full load of fish the bacteria will die back to the level of fish you do get. The bacteria needs food. Whatever way you decide to introduce your fish make sure to keep testing with your kits and do the appropriate water changes if levels spike upwards.

Bare in mind that when angels age the eat neons (usually), and that cories do best in groups of 5 or more. How big is your tank? Retailed sharks can be a bit intolerant of other bottom dwellers, though should be fine with the ones you've chosen, provided that there is enough space and hiding spots (driftwood, plants etc...).
 
I would say that now would be a great time for a water change. IMO adding a few fish at a time would be best. The most I personally have ever added has been between 5 & 10. That will allow your bacteria colonies to keep up with the increasing load on you tank and help prevent another mini cycle.
Sounds like a good plan to me, anyone else?
Welcome to the world of fish.
 
tank dimensions are:
width =101 cm
depth = 41 cm
height = 50 cm
 
Your tank is around 50 gallons in size so your fish load sounds great to me. The bottom feeders shouldn't have any problems (like I said add some driftwood, some rocks or small terra cotta pots for caves and some plants either real or fake) as there is plenty of territory. A pair of Angels will look nice inthere, especially once they grow nice and large and become the centerpiece fish of the tank. Still make sure to get at least 5-7 cories.

I agree that a water change prior to adding the fish is best. But adding small amounts at once will just lead to lots of mini cycles as the bacteria keeps shrinking and growing. You have a full load of bacteria right now so feel free to add all of the fish. If you are waiting a few days to get your fish keep adding your ammonia source to keep those bacteria alive.

Plus if you add all of your fish now there won't be any problems with territories being formed too early.

It is just like the biospira product you can add to tanks. Once added you are supposed to add a full tank load of fish within 24 hours.

Either way you do it still make sure to test for any extra ammonia or nitrites and do water changes if they are detected.
 
Originally posted by TKOS
Your tank is around 50 gallons in size so your fish load sounds great to me. The bottom feeders shouldn't have any problems (like I said add some driftwood, some rocks or small terra cotta pots for caves and some plants either real or fake) as there is plenty of territory. A pair of Angels will look nice inthere, especially once they grow nice and large and become the centerpiece fish of the tank. Still make sure to get at least 5-7 cories.

I agree that a water change prior to adding the fish is best. But adding small amounts at once will just lead to lots of mini cycles as the bacteria keeps shrinking and growing. You have a full load of bacteria right now so feel free to add all of the fish. If you are waiting a few days to get your fish keep adding your ammonia source to keep those bacteria alive.

Plus if you add all of your fish now there won't be any problems with territories being formed too early.

It is just like the biospira product you can add to tanks. Once added you are supposed to add a full tank load of fish within 24 hours.

Either way you do it still make sure to test for any extra ammonia or nitrites and do water changes if they are detected.
Click to expand...

Is the terracotta safe for the fish?if you just by new pots should you wash them or soak them or do what with them? I think it would look really cool.
 
I just cleaned mine with boiling water. They are just made of fired clay with nothing else (don't get the ones with glaze). They are pretty cheap as well. Don't use used ones as they might have poison on them from past fertilizers or other things.

Some people like to break the bottom off and file the edges so the pot can be swam through. Mine are just whole. I actually use them for some plants as well because I like to move certain plants around.
 
Upon completing a fishless cycle, I dose the tank with ammonia (I like 4-5 ppm) and then check to see if I get zero ammonia and nitrite 24 hours later. (I usually perform this test two days in a row, just to be careful.) If the testing shows no ammonia and nitrites, I do a 95% water change and add fish.

With fishless cycling, as noted above, you can add the entire stock immediately. With fishy cycling, you need to add the fish in one or two at time.

Good luck,
Jim
 
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