How to Cycle a new fish tank?

Question

I am buying a 50-100 gallon tank later on and wondering how to cycle it? Do I just install the filter and everything and let it run for a few days?

Answer 1

Fill it with de-chlorinated water,add some live plants,a few goldfish ( small ones) or guppies and a few snails,and add some Cycle to it.Turn the filter on and let it run for about two weeks.Keep checking the ammonia and nitrate/nitrite levels until they are stable,then slowly add a fish or two at a time,giving the tank time to adjust before adding more.Add more Cycle as needed.

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Answer 2

this can help you

Answer 3

ok cycling of a tank takes about a month and just seting it up and letting it run will not even start the cycle process there are 2 ways to cycle a tank they are with or without fish what takes place is the same either way cycling with fish can be very hard on the fish if you do not pay close attention to the water condition's

the basic's of what cycling a tank is boils down to this it is the natural process a tank goes thru to build up good bacteria in order to break down excess food and fish waste in to something the wont harm the fish.

excess food and waste turn into ammonia so the tank builds up a bacteria to convert it into nitrite and then another one that converts nitrite into nitrate.

ammonia and nitrite are fish killers with ammonia being the number one killer

cycling with out fish you need to add something into the tank for the ammonia source I recomend adding fish food a few pinches a week other recomend useing pure ammonia which is fine if you can find it

the tank will get cloudy a lot of the time it is extreamly cloudy but is fine once the tank clears up on it's own test the water for ammonia and nitrite they will be 0 when the tank has completed the cycle then you can slowly add fish a couple a week that way the tank wont get an over load to the bio load

if you choose to cycle with fish do not get more than 3 or 4 small ones

test the water daily for ammonia if it gets above 1.0 do a 25 percent water change this will lower it do not touch the gravel at all

one way to help speed up the cycle process is to get some gravel or water that has been siphoned from the gravel of an established tank and put it in your tank this is called seeding the tank with good bacteria

edit:bek is a prime example of what not to do there is a trick to cycling with fish it is called knowing what you are doing I do it all the time and the fish I use now days I sell for upwards of 50 dollars and I never lose fish during the cycle but it takes a lot of work and paying very close attention to what is going on in the tanks if your not going to be able to keep a close eye on the tank and fish than do a fishless cycle

Answer 4

hmmmm huge tank 100 gallon i have a 82 gallon tank and boi oh boi have i had trouble cycling mine.....u need all the equipment like gravel,heater,filters,air pumps and declorinaters and u need a goldfish or 2 to cycle it for u...it can take up to 12 weeks to cycle and  alot of fatalitys can occur with fish in doing so....so best to talk to your trusty fish store and decide what ur going to have tropical or coldwater....trops are cleaner then cold....when i was cycling mine i lost a total of 6 fish......lucky they were only cheapy goldies....but goldfish re the best to cycle with as they are very hardy and can go the whole way thru the cycling process

you can speed up the cycling with 1/4 tank of water from a trusty source but i wouldnt recommend it....

Answer 5

add everything but the fish...

do ph test and any other test everyday or every second day or so and give it 3 days ATLEAST once the ph test n other test become consistant than you can add up to 3 to 5 fish at one time give them a few days then add the other few and another few etc  however im sure youll be fine to add a few more than that considering the tank is so big...but you dont want to add to many the tank just wont cope with to many fish yet

its very time consuming

Answer 6

Yes insall the filter and every thing and let run for a few days.or 24 hours if you already have fish.

Answer 7

If I were you, I would buy a 50 litter tank  and have four or five fishes in it. It will be easier to maintain.

Answer 8

In established aquariums, just as in nature, toxic ammonia from fish waste is broken down by bacteria into nitrite, which is itself broken down by a different group of bacteria into nitrate. In a newly set up aquarium, those bacteria are not present in any quantity, and it takes time - about a 4 to 6 weeks under normal circumstances - for those bacteria to multiply to the point of being able to keep up with the waste output of the fish. “New Tank Syndrome” and “The Break-In Cycle” describe the period in which ammonia and then nitrite levels rise to dangerous quantities before being converted into relatively harmless nitrate.

New tanks are generally broken in by adding a few hardy fish and simply waiting out that first month. It is important to note that the cycling process does not begin until fish are added. Some hobbyists set up their aquarium for weeks or even months before adding fish, and are surprised to see high ammonia and nitrite readings shortly after fish are finally added. Smaller barbs (tiger, gold, rosy), larger tetras (head and tail light, red eye, red minor, buenos aires), danios (zebra, leopard, pearl, gold) and rasboras (heteromorpha, scissortail, redtail, brilliant) are hardy enough to withstand the temporarily high ammonia and nitrite levels and inexpensive enough to replace if some perish during a particularly rough cycle. Damselfish (blue, yellowtail or striped) and mollies are their saltwater counterparts. Anywhere from two to five inches of fish may be used per ten gallons of water - any less and the tank may go through another, but lesser, cycle when more fish are added later; any more and the ammonia and nitrite levels may rise beyond what even the hardy fish can tolerate. A few hardy Corydoras catfish (green or albino) may also be added to reduce the risk of overfeeding. Algae eating fish are generally unnecessary until after the cycling process is completed.

Once the cycle is in progress, it’s best to not add other fish until it is complete. The starter fish have had a chance to become slowly accustomed to the increasing ammonia/nitrite levels; any new fish have to deal with the shock of being dumped into poor water conditions all at once. It’s also best to feed regularly, once or twice per day, but sparingly. Any uneaten food can worsen the already poor water quality.

Periodic testing of water chemistry will help to determine if a tank is on course during the break in period. (See the Typical Break In page that follows.) Break-in fish may show signs of distress, including rapid breathing, loss of appetite and skittishness during the peak times of the cycle. It is especially important to monitor the fish regularly during this time, watching for ich and other stress-related diseases. Partial water changes of up to 30% do not substantially affect the cycling time and dilute the harmful chemicals, at least temporarily. Cutting back on the feeding will also help keep levels in check.

As the cycling process nears an end, many hobbyists notice an improvement in the appetite and overall deportment of their fish. In addition, a small green algae bloom will often accompany the drop in nitrites and rise of nitrates. The cycle is over and the tank ready for additional fish when both the ammonia and nitrite are zero and the nitrate has begun to rise. This is an appropriate time for a first routine partial water change.

Good Luck!

Answer 9

yes, let it run a good two weeks or so, before adding your permanent fish. it will speed it up a bit if you toss in some feeder gold fish, to help establish your biological filter.

good luck. enjoy.

**I disagree with the answer of 48 hours... NO NO NO.

at LEAST TWO WEEKS.

Answer 10

Run the tank for a couple of days with the light on half the day, and after a couple of days, you will need starter fish. Cheap, hardy fish that will survive the cycle. Mollies (freshwater), or damsels (saltwater) Do this for a month to two months to ensure the longterm health of your fish.

Xander.

Answer 11

set it up with just gravel and let it cycle for about two weeks

and start adding fish once every two days to if it is well.

if its not cycling the first fish will die

Answer 12

The recommended amount of time to let your fish tank cycle is between 2-4 weeks, it may take longer, it may take shorter period of time. It also depends on how your water parameters is. If you are thinking of transferring your fish to the new tank, it would be wise if you save some of your old tank water and use some of that water in your new tank, it'll help cycle the tank faster providing that you do the necessary work to helping the cycling of your tank.

The purpose to letting your tank sit and with the filter running for 2-4 weeks maybe longer maybe shorter period of time, is to let the necessary bacteria grow within your filter to allow the necessary bacteria grow in your filter. It will reduce the amount of nitrites, nitrates and the ammonia levels.

You can use fish during the cycling of your tank, however, I will not recommend this, the reason for this is because it'll unstabilize your tank. Your ammonia, nitrite and nitrates will fluctuate up and down, thus making it harder to complete the cycling process. You should do it the proper way by letting the filtration run along with the water sitting for a few weeks. In the meantime, you should conduct proper water changes of 10-15% each week, depending on the water parameter levels. You should also conduct a once a month water change of 25%.

The reason why I said to add some of your current tank water into your new tank water is to help stabilize the water parameters. It will also help the cycling process faster, however, I would recommend you to continue to cycle the tank fishless for 2-4 weeks.

If you don't cycle your new tank, and you just put your fish into a tank that has not completed the cycling process, you may jeopardize the life of your fish. People that do know what they are doing can put fish in the tank during the cycling process, however, it is more work that needs to be done and a lot of care.

A few days of cycling is not enough in my opionion. The reason for this is due to the fact that if there is any bad bacteria in the tank, it will cause the tank to go cloudy which will result in bacterial bloom.

Make sure that you use water conditioners every time that you change water or when water evaporates. Water conditioners will not necessarily speed up the cycle process, but it may help. It takes out the chlorine which also can make your tank go cloudy, it neutralizes heavy metals such as iron, copper, zinc, etc. Water conditioners also adds slime to the fish to help with a protective coating so that way they can fight ich easier.

Anyways, I hope that this helps, thanks for asking......................

Answer 13

Fresh or marine water?

Fresh im assuming. Fill the tank, add a water purifying solution such as aqua clear.

Add all your rock and decor, including bubbler is you are going to have them.

Hook up the filters, and lights. Run the filter 24-7 and turn on the aquarium light for at least 8 hours during the day.

I would say at LEAST 48 hours and you should test your water. If it comes back normal it will be good to add a couple fish. start slow though. If you dump in 5 or 10 fish at once the nitrate levels and ph levels can jump causing death.

Answer 14

cycling a tank can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks

all depending on which method you use doing so

here is a great article which explains every single one of them

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/...