New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

[Knee-u-bee]

I just set up my 55 Gal. I got my filter going. (Whisper 60), i found it kind of weird. I have a AquaClear in my 20 gal. and it has a sponge, amino chips, Carbons. But the whisper only has a sponge and (from what it looks like) a carbon bag. Why is that?

Well again i got my filter going and my heater. I added the "stress coat" to remove the chlorine and all the stuff from tap water. Then I added "Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Zyme" Improves the development of the biological filter and helps clean a dirty aquarium. Contains over 300 million live bacteria per teaspoonful. Breaks down organic compounds that cause dangerous conditions such as ammonia and nitrite poisoning and low oxygen levels. Continuous use assures an active biological filter, cleaner aquarium, healthier fish and good water quality. No refrigeration necessary. Use when setting up and maintaining an aquarium. For use in fresh and saltwater. Washed some of the bag rocks and added them also. Temp is @ 80-82.

Well today i bought two small tiger barbs and two small mollies, because i remember when i set up my 20 gal they told me to add inexpensive fish to help the cycle.

I'm i doing it right?

I do have a established 20 gal fish tank, i remember a year ago, or a few months shy, when i set my 20 gal up i was asked if i had an established tank i could use that.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Well.....the difference between the two HOB filters shows which is superior in a sense.

As for the stress zyme thing I think it's to be taken with a grain of salt.... Bio-spira is one I have used and though nothing went wrong it's hard to say it was completely fool proof.
Since you have a tank running already and established I would take the sponge from that tank(without rinsing) and put it in the filter on the 55g which would help jump start the beneficial bacteria.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Well.....the difference between the two HOB filters shows which is superior in a sense.

As for the stress zyme thing I think it's to be taken with a grain of salt.... Bio-spira is one I have used and though nothing went wrong it's hard to say it was completely fool proof.
Since you have a tank running already and established I would take the sponge from that tank(without rinsing) and put it in the filter on the 55g which would help jump start the beneficial bacteria.

Well i thought about that, but the sponge is to big to fit in the whisper, unless i take out the sponge and carbon out of one side of the filter.

Can i just take out the sponge and squeeze it in the water or the filter? How about just running the established HOB filter and letting it run for a hour or so? (How long can the 20 gal go without having a filter running) Can i take some of the fake plants i have in the 20 gal and put them in the new tank, will that transfer some of the bacteria?

[eklikewhoa]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Well you could squeeze the sponge into the new filter or what you could do is switch the filters for a few weeks.

[CichlidFan]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Whisper = Basic Water Filter
AquaClear = Advanced Water Filter

AC is a much superior filter, as our illustrious Dagon points out, but then again, a whisper filter is the basic of filters. It can do the job, but is not designed for multiple applications such as advanced chemical & mechanical filtration.

I did not see where you let the tank sit idle for a few days, adding a pinch of fish food to start the friendly bacteria chain growing, but overall, you're most likely going to be okay. The stresszyme is always a plus, as is a table spoon of iodized salt too.  I'm pretty sure they even have boxes of Aquarium Salt in the stores, which I am pretty sure is iodized table salt.

Anywho, your temp setting is fine, and the number of fish is good,  you should have a fine healty tank in a couple of weeks.

Good Luck

& remember to feed those guys just a pinch, try not to overfeed.

CF

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Dang it. But if i add a more advanced water filter...lets say....6 months from now it will not affect the tank to an extreme correct?

I didn't even think about it, what do barbs and mollies eat? I have Cichlid flakes and pellets lol.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

I am sure those flakes are fine....as for iodized salt I would not use it since it has iodine so no table salts....get kosher salt, sea salt or rock salt which are the same as what is sold for fish use.

[spyke1969]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Yes moving the plants will help too, but no this isnt going to happen in an hour. Like EK said put he established filter on the 55 for a week or so.

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

Yes moving the plants will help too, but no this isnt going to happen in an hour. Like EK said put he established filter on the 55 for a week or so.

Yeah i know it's not going to establish in an hour. I plan on having those 4 test fish in there for 2-4 weeks. One of barbs has a red (blood looking) gill when my wife came home with them. Guessing the tank didn't have good water @ walmart. (Yes i know, i told her to go to the LFS, shows how much she listened to me that time)

If i have like silver dollars, mollies, barbs and other non-cichlid fish in there two weeks before i introduce the cichlid will the cichlid still pretty much eat them or bug them where the other fish rather die then live with cichlids?

[Zulaab]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

I am sure that there are people here who will tell you that getting fish from Walmart can be dangerous.. I have gotten fish before at Walmart who have all lived for quite a while.  Now it happens to be that all the fish I got where Betta's and each of them are in their own container.

The fish you got can live with Cichlids..  as long as they are small cichlids...  larger ones may pray on them and believe they are food.

[Mzungu]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

If i have like silver dollars, mollies, barbs and other non-cichlid fish in there two weeks before i introduce the cichlid will the cichlid still pretty much eat them or bug them where the other fish rather die then live with cichlids?

Like Z said, it depends. Do you have those fish right now? I thought you only had a couple mollies and tiger barbs...What kind of cichlids are you thinking about? There's a world of choices out there, and a world of different behaviors.

What did you end up doing about the filter? BTW, I have no problem with Whisper filters. None at all, actually. I love them.  8)  If your filter has two chambers, I see no problem with taking out the media from one side and replacing it with some seeded media from your other filter.

[Philbert]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

I often use a few gallons of water from an established tank, and some used media, to get the cycle going on a new tank.
The cycle is the cycle, how you get it established is not important; you need something livable for the fish in a semi-closed environment. I usually put several small fry or small mollies in a tank and after a week or so add a few more; to give the bacteria something to feed on and grow.
I have seen Sailfins living in Cichlid tanks, but even Mollies eat small fry if they are big fish and the fry are small...
I use Whisper HOBs and weekly water changes...no one dies and my fish grow big, have fry, etc.
My clearest tank always is a 55 with a 50-60 gallon HOB (I don't know the brand) and an Eheim Ecco. The more filtration the better.

Everyone else knows more than I do, so pay no attention to whatever I said. :)

("I didn't even think about it, what do barbs and mollies eat? I have Cichlid flakes and pellets lol."
I raise mostly Sailfin Mollies; a decent flake and some brine shrimp/bloodworms will make them happy and fat. Sailfins eat a lot more than people realize, feed them until they don't eat anymore or they suddenly look pregnant! )

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

If i have like silver dollars, mollies, barbs and other non-cichlid fish in there two weeks before i introduce the cichlid will the cichlid still pretty much eat them or bug them where the other fish rather die then live with cichlids?

Like Z said, it depends. Do you have those fish right now? I thought you only had a couple mollies and tiger barbs...What kind of cichlids are you thinking about? There's a world of choices out there, and a world of different behaviors.

What did you end up doing about the filter? BTW, I have no problem with Whisper filters. None at all, actually. I love them.  8)  If your filter has two chambers, I see no problem with taking out the media from one side and replacing it with some seeded media from your other filter.

Yes i have a Cobalt Blue X 2 one is 2in or so, the other is 5 in, Jack Demps is 5 inch, German Red 2in, Red Zebra 2in, Pleco 5in.

Im thinking of getting venustus, daffodil, Ruby Green, Fire mouth, Texas cichlid, Ram, Red claw Crab. Maybe not all of them, cause i don't want the tank to look crowded.

This afternoon when i came home the filter was not going, and the tank got cloudy (guessing cause of the white gravel) i unplugged it for a hour or so and plugged it back in and it worked. Weird. So i took it out to make sure everything was spinning freely. Going good now, just have to wait and see if it happends again.

[edkrueger]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

You already have way too much there I'd say a Dempsey needs at least 30 gallon to him self and same with the Texas. [You could keep a pair of small ones in that space]. I'd just go with a pair of dempseys or texases to avoid agression [and a pleco, but its likely he will be killed].

[Knee-u-bee]

Re: New Tank-cycling-How im i doing?

So what i already have (not including the ones i want) is to much for a 55gal?