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ok I have a 50 gal pond I was thinking of adding WHite clouds or Zebra danios to. But I don't want to go through the trouble of cycling the pond when I have to bring the fish in in 3 months. So I'm thinking of adding roughly 8 fish of one of these to a 15 gal or 4 of each maybe.
The thing is I'm going off-Island to the Cape on June 4th and if I have time I want to buy some fish. My question is how long does the tank have to cycle before I can add fish?
When should I setup the tank?
Thanks,
ABF

can vairy between 1 and 3 weeks although it can be sped up by the addition of fish food flakes(food for the bacteria)and comercial products containing bact. like "stresszyume" or "cycle"
Dec( thats my real] name)

Cycling time varies, generally 3-4 weeks for a full cycle although as the bacteria are temp sensitive it can take much longer. The bacteria grows slower in cooler temps(ie: outside), and of course is dependednt on its food supply.
I'm not sure I really understand the question though ...
If you add the fish the pond will cycle, the only way I can see to keep it from cycling is keeping it so lowly stocked that any plant matter is able to consume the ammonia before the bacteria can begin to convert it.

^_^[hr width='40%']"Cause you can't jump the track,we're like cars on a cable
and life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button girl,
So cradle your head in you hands
And breathe, just breathe..."

welcome ABF and dec to fp

Babel is right to definately say a tank is fully cycled you need a month, but you can easily buy different products to help the process speed up...the one I use usually has the tank safe within 1-2 weeks if the stocking is rather low, and then slowly add fish...I'm really gonna have to get up I guess to get the bottle to remember the name:%)

And it would really depend how your pond is set up and where you live as to whether you would have to bring the fish in, in the winter...might want to check and see if you can get some sort of a heater just incase...

heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

]:|Why can't I edit tonight]:|

Anyways here are somethings you might want to look at since you are planning on a larger tank/pond...it is the same items, but you use less because it is rated for ponds/large tanks...and you can find them at any pond/lfs; and hey they are cheaper

[link=Pond Stress Coat]http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441778336&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030159&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1116740221948" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]
[link=Jungle Pond Clear Zyme]http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441781492&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030159&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023693&bmUID=1116740491577" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

Those are just a couple of things to think about, there are tons of other things, like Melafix=Pondfix in the larger size, less money, and more concentrated....

Best of luck again, heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

It takes about a month for a tank or pond to be fully cycled.
During this process, your ammonia and nitrite will decrease to 0 and the level of nitrate will rise. Depending on your pH, the ammonia isn't much a threat to fish if your pH is low, but NO2 is. In acidic environment, ammonia will bond to a proton and form ammonium ion, which is not toxic to fish.