Need Guidance for a Quick Fishy Cycle

Interesting thread...

As to not being able to cycle a tank that small because it doesn't have enough surface area, well that is almost too ridiculous to even mention. Ignore that.

As to having too many fish to be able to get a tank to cycle - well that is about as uninformed of an opinion as the previously mentioned statement. Rubbish. Read about fishless cycling - look at the ammonia levels used to cycle the tank. They are way higher than what those little fish can produce and somehow the bacteria colony establishes itself anyway.

Cycle is nothing more than a way to cycle money from your pocket to somebody else's pocket. Worthless.

Don't bother with buying R/O water - your water isn't hard anyway. You said it was GH 60ppm? That's less than 4 dGH. If anybody told you that was hard - they are not a viable source of information. And if that person suggested that you had hard water because you have a pH of 7.6 (?) - and that same person later tells you it's raining, go look out the window before you grab an umbrella.

The most cost-effective product you can get for dechlor is Prime. Some of the others make claims of all kinds of wonderful things they can do for your fish. Ask yourself this - does aloe grow under water? (no) Then why would fish need it? Manufacturers prey on the gullibility of the general public.

If you do not have room for the Corydoras now, you should not have them now. Planning an upgrade? Great, when it is set up, buy the fish for it. Not before. Plans are great, but life has a habit of getting in the way. The fish are the ones who suffer.

Without the Corydoras in the tank, you really don't need to stress too much about the water parameters. Reality check : What do you think the parameters were like in the bowl the Betta lived in before? It is in significantly more water now, which will dilute pollutants. I'm not saying not to do water changes - just don't stress about it. The Betta will do fine. Change 50% daily with dechlorinated water. It will take time to get the cycle going. But it will happen.
 
The water hardness readings I mentioned are those of half tap, half RO water. Straight tap water is the highest possible readings on my test strips: GH 180 and KH 240. Besides, I don't have to buy RO water. Our dining hall has a big RO unit for drinking water, and I have free access to it anytime I want.

Well, I already have the Cories, so I can't change that, but I am trying really hard to give them the best possible care. Thanks for the comforting words about tank size, fish population, etc., etc.

I'm off to test the water again, then I have to go study.
 
The tank just tested at :
pH 7.2
Ammonia 0.50 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate 10 ppm
Temp 82*

I did a PWC, about 50%, and tested for ammonia. It is now back to 0.25 ppm The temp also went down to 80*

I have been feeding the betta Hikari Betta Bio Gold pellets, and the Cories get one Tetra Min tablet after lights out. I have tried Tetra Betta Min flakes to add some variety, but so far, no one touches them. I can't even tell if the cories are really eating the tablet or not. I just don't find it in the morning.
Are my fish getting the right diet for their needs? Are my cories getting enough to eat? How can I tell if they are eating? Any suggestions?


Thanks, everyone! You guys are great. :D
 
BlueTetraGirl said:
The water hardness readings I mentioned are those of half tap, half RO water. Straight tap water is the highest possible readings on my test strips: GH 180 and KH 240.
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Part of the issue here could be the use of test strips vs using a liquid test kit. Strips are notoriously inaccurate. If your water is 180ppm or more from the tap, and you cut it with 50% RO, the minimum GH you should then read would be 90ppm. Just an indication of the accuracy of dip-strips.
Well, I already have the Cories, so I can't change that
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You could possibly return them. You can give them away to someone with a suitable sized tank. You could sell them. "It's too late because I already bought them" is no excuse for keeping fish in improper conditions.
 
the betta can withstand higher temps than 82..the wild bettas live in freakin rice paddies that get much warmer than that.
it is also a labrythn fish(can breath air) which is why they can tolerate conditions most tropical can't..high water temp means less dissolved O2.

stay on top of the water parameters. and keep up on the water changes.

even tho betta's are tough..you should try to provide them with qualtiy conditions.
 
I'm only using the strips for GH and KH, just to use them up. Then I am getting a liquid kit for that. I have been using a liquid kit for all other readings.

The cories are HAPPY in this tank; they have all the normal corydoras behaviors, and school together. (I had Cories in my tanks for about ten years as I was growing up, and they even spawned, so I recognize happy cories.)
One is Cordoras aneus, the other is Cordoras trilineatus. Since they are so small, they manage quite well in the tank.
Besides, I am absolutely sure that I am setting up my bigger tank within the next three months, when I go home.
Maybe I could set it up over Spring Break in early April, and get my dad to run a fishless cycle on it, so it would be ready in May, when I get home?
 
Yeah, I want to give all my fish the best conditions possible under the circumstances. ;)
My roomate thinks I am insane with the amount of time and effort I put into caring for these fish. :D
She says that if they were hers, she would flush them down the toilet! :eek: She is a big tease, though. LOL. :p:

Any advice about their food?
 
Cories will eat what the betta eats. They are great little scavengers and will help keep the tank clean in between warer changes. Don't worry too much if you think they are not getting enough to eat because they probably are. Unless no food is going into the tank then there is a food source for them.

Marinemom
 
Kira, What I meant about having a hard time cycling that tank with that bioload was that it might be difficult to keep the ammonia low enough for the FISH, not for the bacteria. (as in fact she is,IMO, keeps hitting .5)
As far as setting up the tank in april and having it cycled in MAy, I am all for it. the sooner the corries can get into it the better.
I agree that for now the cories can eat whatever the beta eats. I wouldn't bother with the flakes if i were you. I don't know how big those tetramin tablets are, but the last thing you need now is additional ammonia. just see that some betta bits make it to the bottom and the cories will be ok for now.
keep up with those water changes, lucky you to have free RO access, I wouldnt bother with that if i were you . How different is the water at home? that might be something to think about once the tanks cycles.
 
Update!

I started seeing some nitrite readings on March 1st, and have been keeping close tabs on ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. The nitrite were highest on the 2nd, at 0.50ppm. I have been doing pwc's VERY often to keep the levels within a safe range. (I did four pwc's yesterday!)

I got some Bio-spira, and started adding it on Saturday night. (cold, milky appearance). Since then, I've only done one pwc, cause I heard that it would remove the good bacteria.
My ammonia is up to about 0.75 ppm, even after the pwc. My nitrites are about 0.25ppm.
Is this ok? Is the Biospira working? Should I do another pwc, or will this deprive the bacteria of needed food? How do I tell if my fish are getting poisoned by the ammonia?
They all look good to me, but the cories have been very active lately. They school beautifully, and love to lie next to each other very close together (practically on top of each other). ;) Maybe they like the improved diet I got for them. :D

What else can I do to help the cycle along?


Thanks for the help!
 
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