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Hi there

As some of you know I've Bought a new Tank.
The tank capacity is about 80g / 300 Litres.

The Question is:
Should I Introduce 2/3 little fish like a cory and a Guppy or even a pair of them to help Stimulate the cycle or Should I let the Tank cicle alone.

I'm interessed to Cicle the tank as fast as possible because I need to give my 20g to my grandfather.

Anyway my first concern is not to lose any fish so if I am to put them there to die I won't put them there of course but if I can use them to stimulate the cicle then I'd really like to do it.

Thanks for your help.
Miguel

Face up make your stand and realize your living in the golden Years

You could use ammonia or other cycling products to cycle the tank, its just as quick as using fish, and puts no fish at risk.

Also forgot to say that my other tank is a bit overstocked

Face up make your stand and realize your living in the golden Years

Aside from transferring already cultured gravel/filter media into a new tank, the fastest and safest way to cycle a tank without putting any fish at risk is, as said above, fishless cycling.

Fishless cycling is quite simple, but you'll need to pick up a bottle of ammonia from your local drug store. Attempt to get the highest concentration possible that has NO perfumes/scents, NO colors, NO surfactants (sudsing agents, bubbles) or anything of the like. ALso, be sure it's ammonium chloride, not hydroxide. Chloride is usually diluted a bit, but it's safer. A long time member who's moved on had good luck with "Great Value" brand ammonia. You'll also need to pick up test kits for ammonia, nitrIte, pH and if you can find it, nitrAte. These will guide your cycle and take guesswork out of timing.

Fill up the tank and put your filtration and heating on it. Once the water has de-gassed (approximately 24 hours) take a pH reading. Note this, you'll be watching it throughout the cycle. Now bust out the ammonia and spike the tank up to around 5ppm. The dosing will vary, so go slow and take lots of readings. Usually around a drop per 2 gallons or so will suffice. Add the same amount of ammonia you just added daily until you can measure some nitrItes. When this happens, cut the dosing in half. Deep dosing the half doses until nitrIte and ammonia both reach zero. Keep checking the pH when you test your ammonia/nitrite to make sure it doesn't bottom out. Your tank is now ready for fish

This'll take a few weeks still, but it won't hurt any fish and you'll learn more about the cycle this way

Good luck!

Best way to do it is too fill your tank. Use whatever product you use to condition the water ( remove chlorine ). Take your new gravel and put it in the tank. Then, on top of the new gravel, put the gravel from the 20g tank. The new gravel will be "colonised" in no time.

Use your filter from the 20g tank and set it up in the new tank. Setup also your new filter. IF you can use part of the filter media from the old filter, like ceramic rings, you can use like half of it in the new filter. Replace what you took in the old filter with new media. Run BOTH filters in the new tank.

Put all your fish in there. Remember that you are multiplying the volume of water by 4, so it will be much more stable than your 20g tank. Monitor the water the next day for ammonia and nitrites. If you have some, which would surprise me, make a 25% water change. Do the same thing the next day IF you still have ammo/nitrites.

I've done this several times and never lost a fish. I have 7 aquariums at home and all but the first one were started like that. It's the fastest way to do it IMHO.

The cool thing with this method is that when you are done, you can simply return the old filter back to the old tank and it's already cycled ! So you just fill and play !!!

Good luck !

Sponge

I would be hesitant to put all of your fish in this 80g with only gravel from the 20g and the filter. I don't think it would be cycled enough to put all of the fish in there and not cause a huge ammonia spike that may kill some fish.
I don't know how many fish you have in your 20g, but putting more than about 6 fish in the uncycled tank would make the ammonia rise. And if any of the fish are not hardy, then they may die.
I put gravel from an existing aquarium and filter media from another filter in my 55g when I cycled it. I added a few fish at a time with atleast a week in between additions. I never registered ammonia, but I think my test kit was old. I am not saying this method is better, its it just what I did.
It may have worked for you, by adding fish all at once. I am not doubting that. It is just that most tanks take atleast a couple weeks to cycle, especially one that is 80g.
I think it would depend on what kind of fish you have because some may not be able to stand the high ammonia.

Sponge-what size aquariums do you have. It is interesting that this has worked for you many times. Again, I am not doubting or argueing with you. Just surprises me that this method has worked.

edit: Seventh-I have never tried fishless cycling. I wanted to fishless cycle the 55g but couldn't find the right kind of ammonia. This is the best way if you don't want to risk exposing your fish to ammonia and don't want them to possibly die. I have heard from some people that it sometimes doesn't take as long as cycling with fish. This may not be the case all the time though. Having plants helps speed the cycling process up a little. Also, adding Bio Spira can help. Good luck!

Last edited by GirlieGirl8519 at 18-Dec-2005 22:51

*Kristin*

I've completely cycled tanks by moving a little gravel and filter media plenty of times. All my 5g tanks and 20g were cycled that way. I also did it several times with a 10g that I used for hospital/quarantine.
When moving everything from a 55g-90g though I slightly cycled the 90g first with a very small bioload(guppy fry and snails). Just enough to get a small ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate reading. Then moved 1/4th the substrate in the 55g and put it as a thin layer on top of the substrate in the 90g, both the filters off the 55g, and the fish all in the same day.
When I set up the 55g as my first tank I did a fishless cycle with ammonia but after searching everywhere I only found one store that sells pure ammonia. Now that store isn't selling it so I have nowhere to get it.

You're not going to find pure ammonia unless you get it from a lab. most "pure ammonia" is a solution of ammonia and water, with ammonia composing up to 10%.

Everyone calls the ammonia in stores with only ammonia, water, and maybe chelating agents pure ammonia. Whenever I've talked to someone about fishless cycling they always say to find pure ammonia but everything here has copper based coloring(blue ammonia) or surfactants. Even most of the fishless cycling guides I read called it pure ammonia and since ammonia diluted with water is still not technically pure ammonia I really don't care if the term is 100% correct.

best bet??? use the faom from your old tanks filter, drop a ton of Cycle(tm) or other tank kick starting chemical agent, transfer some gravel over after a bit, maybe even drop some sinking pellets to the bottom to creat waste to help the ammonia spike to occur quicker. after you get the spike, which, if you do it right, should occur in a week, and thats if you cheat, then try adding a few of your heartiest fish, like a small school of corys.

the load from the corys may cause another nitrate spike, but, the main concern is to make sure its not an ammonia spike,lol.

i dunno, thats what i did with the transfer from my 10 gallon to my 29 gallon.

it sped of the process, and no fish were lost.

an over crowded tank and having to do steady water changes on the over crowded tank is better than transfering all your fish into the 80gal before the ammonia spike...i mean, it will prolly kill the fish, and it isnt their fault you overstocked your smaller tank, is it? i think they would rather be cramped and alive than have more room whilest belly up, so to speak....

Thanks For All your repplys
I'm going with the fisheless cycling and just bought Tetra easy balance to start up the bacteria colonies quicker.

Once again thank you all

Face up make your stand and realize your living in the golden Years

Girlie,

I have the following tanks that were ALL started the way I described above :

2 10gal ( except the 1st 10gal that was my initial tank )
1 25gal
1 35gal
1 55gal
1 60gal
1 80gal.

Sponge