Stuck fishless cycling?

38 days

Somewhere I read that cycling takes 38 days..... you're almost there.

(starting from scratch, I know it can be speeded up in various ways)
 
Anonapersona, I almost started from scratch with this tank. All I had was an ornament from a coworker's tank, so not that much to start with. Guess I'm just getting anxious to see fish swimming around in there.

I have a 10 gallon tank, so 3-4 corys will probably be my limit if I want other fish, right? I'm thinking of putting a couple of types of tetras in there as well. Or should I get a school of all the same type of tetra - would they like it better?
 
Yeah, in a 10 gallon stick to 3-4. You don't want to overstock. But don't forget that once a tank is cycled you can fully stock it all at once. Just keep testing for ammonia and nitrites. The reason to fishless cycle is to avoid poisoning the fish but also to build up a full tank load of bacteria.
 
stocking not stuffing

OK, start with 6 rasboras, then add 3 - 4 cories if you can find the tiny ones maybe 6 -- do the research first as they do vary in size from 1 inch to 3 inches. My skunks are under 2 inches, some are smaller, some are larger. PlanetCatfish has the last word in identification, for most general stores don't know for sure.

I'd still add an otto or 3 and a few tiny shrimp and not count them in the bioload.
 
The corys I've seen around here are the peppered corys and albino corys as well as the plain grayish ones. I did see some panda corys but they were really expensive.

The rasboras were fairly pricey as well, and my kids seem to like the tetras. So I think we'll get some tetras for them and add the corys in a week or so just to get used to all of this.

I also saw some otos but the shrimp are almost impossible to find here.

Are the rasboras as easy to care for as tetras? I know platys are easy too but then you have the problem of all the babies.

Nitrites are still holding steady at 1.6 today; added 1 ml ammonia tonight.
 
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