[jake]

Hey there guys, I'm jake and completely new to aquariums in general. I recently found a 10gal enclosure in the garage in my new place and decided to pick up the hobby. Little did I know that a lot more goes into it than just throwing water and fish in the glass. I currently have 2 rainbow sharks Yin and Yang, as well as an African Dwarf frog Buddha. I started out with a few more fish than this and when they started dying off after only a few days, decided to do a little homework. The nitrogen cycle and ammonia poisoning was completely new to me, so I was overwhelmed to say the least. Fortunately after adding a heater, a few plants, and starting a daily 25% water change as well as cutting back on feeding and some light gravel vacuuming, I have managed to save 3 of my animals. I want to move to a larger enclosure and am looking at a 75 gal tank. I was wondering if it was better to do some fishless cycling before moving those guys into it. It seems like a better idea than subjecting the poor little guys to what they already triumphed through, but I would prefer an experienced opinion. Also feel free to criticize any of the methods that I am currently using to create the best environment for the fish, their wellbeing is more important than my pride! :) Thanks guys!

[Tommy Gun]

Hello Jake ~ welcome to the Aquarium Fish Forum!

I think that just about everyone here would have to agree with your comment about this hobby being more than just adding some fish and water to a glass box. On the other hand though, I think most would also agree with me when I say that being successful in this hobby is actually pretty easy once we understand a few basic principles. IMO, the key is getting yourself started on the right foot with your new aquarium and if you can do so, then the hobby does become a lot more simple.

I was wondering if it was better to do some fishless cycling before moving those guys into it. It seems like a better idea than subjecting the poor little guys to what they already triumphed through, but I would prefer an experienced opinion.

I completely agree with the notion that fishless cycling is a much better way to go and would always encourage you to do so but to be fair, you can also find success when cycling with fish. Again, once we understand some basic concepts such as how the nitrogen cycle works within an aquarium, I think fishless cycling is actually a bit easier because you can move along at a more steady pace, do a lot less testing, and a lot less worrying about which fish will still be alive in the morning. If done correctly, fishless cycling can often times be the faster method for a variety of reasons.

Also feel free to criticize any of the methods that I am currently using to create the best environment for the fish, their wellbeing is more important than my pride! :) Thanks guys!

For now, my only suggestion would be, at a minimum, to test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and do water changes frequently to give your fish the best possible shot at a long life. I might stir up a hornet's nest with this one but IMO, it is not completely necessary to do the light gravel vacuuming because, based on some more recent research, it sounds as though this doesn't really remove as much bacteria as some people might believe and you would probably want to make sure that there isn't a bunch of detritus (e.g. solid wastes, uneaten food, etc...) adding to ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate problems because it is trapped in your gravel. Looking into the more long-term future, it is very possible that your will start to see some aggression problems between your two rainbow sharks, especially in a smaller tank, but also in larger aquariums as well.

It sounds as though you are definitely starting to head down the right path by doing some research before moving too far forward. We also have a few video articles which cover at least a few of the topics that we all have to deal with in this hobby and can be accessed via the "Video" link at the very top of this page. Of course, our greatest resource is our fellow members so feel free to ask any questions or ideas you might have and I can all but guarantee at least one, if not many members can help you out. If you would like to, you can also start an "Aquarium Diary", for lack of a better term, and post information such as your test results and other progress so that we can follow along with you and give you feedback.

Again, welcome to the forum!

TG

[jake]

Sounds great man! Thanks for the advice! I think that I am going to start cycling a 55 gal to move them into and hopefully in time introduce some more animals. Unfortunately however last night I lost one of the rainbow sharks to ammonia poisoning, but all levels are looking great now. My plants are all doing well and the water is finally crystal clear. Ill do my best to keep an eye on the chemical levels and def keep you guys posted with my questions. I did have one for now though, with fishless cycling, what is the best way to introduce ammonia without using fish? Hopefully doing this correctly and moving them into a larger environment will make them happier fish! Thanks for all your time and advise though! Hope to hear from you soon.

[Tommy Gun]

Sorry to hear about your loss Jake. I think the plants should end up helping you in the long run as they will also feed off the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate so in theory, things should get a little easier for you over the long run as you try to keep your current livestock healthy. Keep in mind that the water clarity isn't always directly related to the cycling process but instead, could be caused by a different, but still beneficial bacteria that is breaking down organic matter into ammonia. This bacteria clouds the water when their population is high; something that is very common in an new aquarium because of the instability of the environment you are trying to develop. Point being, the water clarity might not be you primary concern and shouldn't be as big of an issue for your livestock as the ammonia and nitrite levels are.

The best source of ammonia would be pure ammonia that can be hard to find for some people. However, I have found it at a local Super Walmart and if you cannot find it there, you may also be able to find it at a drug store or even a hardware store. As you may know already, ammonia is commonly used in cleaning solutions but the best option for fishless cycling will be ammonia which is dye, perfume, and surfactant free. If you aren't sure, one good test would be to shake the bottle of ammonia and if doing so creates a lot of bubbles or foam, then you might want to look for a different product. If all else fails, you can also look on the internet as you might be able to have it shipped to you.

Although they may not be as easy to control or as instant as pure ammonia would be, you do have some other options as well. Many people simply use fish food or even shrimp that is intended for human consumption because these will eventually decay and become ammonia. Of course, this means you have to wait for the decaying process so there is that added time and as far as I know, there is no good way to determine how much food or shrimp to add in order to acheive a particular amount of ammonia, but this still does work very well.

Another thing you can look into is finding a source of beneficial bacteria so you can boost the population in your tank faster. There are a lot of products available for doing this such as Bio-Spira; although I wouldn't necessarily assume that the claims on many of these products of being able to "instantly cycle" your aquarium with a grain of salt, but they do help. You can also try to "clone" your aquarium(s) from another, already cycled tank(s). Doing this would involved adding items such as filter media or sand/gravel from an established aquarium into your new one with the idea being the transportation of beneficial bacteria between the two tanks. Looking at the big picture though, trying to seed or clone your new aquarium isn't on any "must have" list since the bacteria will find your aquarium without any help from you but instead, this is just an option for helping to speed things up a bit.

Lastly, I am sure that you will find that cycling a 55 gallon aquarium will be a bit different from cycling a 10 gallon tank. Obviously the larger water volume means that any ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are more diluted so you have to keep this in mind as you proceed and especially before you come to the conclusion that the tank is cycled but you can cross that bridge when you get there and we can definitely help you then as well.

TG

[jake]

Bought a 55 gal tank today and am going to start cycling! Super stoked. Ill keep you guys posted on the chem lvls as i cycle the water!