Any advice?: Fishless Cycling

[crazkat]

I have a 10G tankand I'd like some advice on how to set it up and how to cycle it. I'm thinking about usinf bottled amonia, but it's hard to find pure amonia w/o and soaps or extras. If anyone has any advice concerning fishless cycling (the more specific the better!) please let me know! thank you!


There are more questions in my last post! Thank you for any information or advice!

[accountingchick]

I am still somewhat new to raising fish in aquariums, so I will only answer a couple of your questions. I would recommend that you buy a filtration system for your tank. It is easier to keep the tank clean that way. I would also suggest that you buy a gravel vacuum. To do your 25% water changes. Amanichen is the water expert, so he could give you better advice on that then I could. Water quality is the biggest thing to be concerned about when setting up a tank. Have you checked out the care section on the homepage of this website? That would have some helpful tips for you.

*edited for incomplete post*

[crazkat]

Thanks accountingchick! I have looked at the care pages, but I'll go look again. How much would a gravel vacuum and a filter cost?

[accountingchick]

I paid $2 for my gravel vac from Walmart. I don't know how much a fitration system would cost for a 10 gal. because I have the 2.5 minibow, and it came with the tank. If I were you, I would buy the filtration system from a petstore who knows what they are talking about because you don't want to buy something that would not work well with bettas.

[amanichen]

If you haven't already, take a look at my website:

s94779296.onlinehome.us/website/Fish/

It contains information on aquariums in general. Once you've read that I can answer specific questions you might have.

[accountingchick]

amanichen said:

If you haven't already, take a look at my website:

s94779296.onlinehome.us/website/Fish/

It contains information on aquariums in general. Once you've read that I can answer specific questions you might have.

I forgot about your website amanichen. I will have to remember that in the future.

[crazkat]

I'm thinking about diving my tank so that I will have a male betta on one side and a female betta and one or two other fish on the other side. Are female bettas as aggressive as the males? How picky do I have to be to determine the types I room w/ her. And how long do I have to quarantine the other fish for before I put them together?

[twoluvcats]

2-3 weeks is a good amount of time to quarantine...gives anything nasty time to pop up.

Female bettas can be aggressive too...i'm not sure of good female betta tankmates, but you can have multiple female bettas together...with any betta, male or female, there's always a chance for aggression...they are just aggressive fish

[crazkat]

Well, amanichen said I should ask more specific questions after I read (or re-read in my case) his website info and I've got some! I would like to cycle my tank, but how would that effect the cleaning of it? What kind of filter is best for the bacteria to live in? Can I keep live plants (like java moss) in the tank while and after I cycle it? is a bubble wall ok to have in a cycled tank? Is there a certain temp the water needs to be? Can I purify the tap water I use w/ Aqau safe? I've heard that I can buy some things that speed up the cycling (called cycle I think) are they any good and do you recommend them? Also, for cycling, what kind of water testing equpiment do I need? and, for those of you who've cycled your tank, how did you do it? and I'm not going to use fish to cycle- so specifically, what chemicals did you use, what quantity and how often?

and Thanks for the information on female bettas twoluvcats, Maybe I'll just section the tank into three parts instead then...

[amanichen]

crazkat said:

Well, amanichen said I should ask more specific questions after I read (or re-read in my case) his website info and I've got some! I would like to cycle my tank, but how would that effect the cleaning of it?

Any tank needs regular maintenance. Many people will quote some sort of rule of thumb, but really it depends on how the tank is set up, how many fish are in it, and what the chemical levels look like after a certain amount of time.

The main concern with a cycled tank is performing the water change quickly, without disrupting the filter too much (that's where most of the bacteria will live.)

What kind of filter is best for the bacteria to live in?

Nitrifying bacteria will live anywhere in an aquarium that has a steady of oxygenated water. Do you need help selecting a type and brand of filter?

Can I keep live plants (like java moss) in the tank while and after I cycle it?

Some plants might not like the rapid pH changes associated with cycling a tank, but once you start to see nitrate show up, they can go in. If you do a gentle cycle for the tank, the plants might not mind so much, but an aggressive one may rule out some types of plants.

is a bubble wall ok to have in a cycled tank?

Additional aeration and water movement can be beneficial in any tank.

Is there a certain temp the water needs to be?

It depends only on the aquatic life you are keeping (primarily fish, secondarily plants.)

Can I purify the tap water I use w/ Aqau safe?

What are you currently using?

I've heard that I can buy some things that speed up the cycling (called cycle I think) are they any good and do you recommend them?

Aside from Bio Spira, the cycling products will only help with part of the cycle. The total cycling time won't be reduced by any appreciable amount unless you use Bio Spira.

Also, for cycling, what kind of water testing equpiment do I need?

Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits. A pH test kit as well.

During the cycling period all of these are important, but once your tank is established you only need to monitor the nitrate and pH levels.

[crazkat]

Thanks amanichen! Yes, I do need some pointers in choosing a type and brand of filter, and I'm using AquaSafe by TetraAqua to take out some of the hardness in the water, the cholorine, chlorimine, and amonia.
As to the filter, I'd like something suitable for a 10G and not something too expensive, if anyone knows of any that fit that description, that would be great!

The only question amanichen didn't answer was the one concerning HOW to do a fishless cycling and that's because he has info on that on his website, but if anyone else has experience with it, please give me some pointers. thank you!

[iemsparticus]

For the filter brand I use the AquaClear 20 for my ten gal tank. I just got another 10 gal tank and will be using the same filter - I like it, it has an adjustable flow (imperitive if you are keeping bettas in the tank), and the tapered end make it so that a Betta can't get stuck in the end if for some reason the flow is too much for him. And as for the fishless cycling, the basic idea behind cycling period is for the ammonia levels to rise high enough for the nitrifying bacteria to change ammonia into nitrite and then to nitrate. The way you get the ammonia in teh water in the first place if you use fish is the waste they produce. Doing a fishless cycle you introduce ammonia into the tank without fish being there - easiest way is to add ammonia from a bottle (which you can get almost anywhere) into the tank. Make sense?

[Rachel]

iemsparticus said:

For the filter brand I use the AquaClear 20 for my ten gal tank. I just got another 10 gal tank and will be using the same filter - I like it, it has an adjustable flow (imperitive if you are keeping bettas in the tank), and the tapered end make it so that a Betta can't get stuck in the end if for some reason the flow is too much for him.

I also use the Aquaclear 20 in one of my tanks and it's a pretty nice filter. I've found the intake to be a bit too strong for my betta so I put a sponge covering over it to prevent my fish from getting sucked towards it.

without fish being there - easiest way is to add ammonia from a bottle (which you can get almost anywhere) into the tank.

This is a great method, just make sure there aren't any additives, perfumes, or surfactants in the ingredients (if you shake the bottle, it shouldn't foam).

[crazkat]

well, I'm not going to try this brand unless I get a positive response, since this is my first time cycling, but I got a kroger brand amonia and the ingredients say that it contains Soft water, Ammonium Hydroxide, surfactant, quality control agents, but it contains no phosphorus (!)(This is the purest one I could find at frys), if it won't work, could someone give me a brand that will? I know Rachael said not to use one w/ surfactants though and I'm not sure what these quality control agents are...

[twoluvcats]

'pure' ammonia is hard to find. and no, you cannot use any with 'surfactants' in it...they are soap, and that's bad. You need to find one where the ingredients are just 'water, ammonia' and i've heard this can be a hard task.