Aquariums: Just got my first tank yesterday trying to get nitrogen cycle started as soon as possible any tips?
I ended up kind of splurging and got 100 gallon tank, these are the only chemicals they gave me at PetSmart. But I researched that I needed to add ammonia or is this good enough?
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Posted by Forbeslist500
12 Comments
Sember-uno on
you can just ghost feed for ammonia
Forbeslist500 on
I was hoping for something quicker so I can get fish in there soon
Da_0ne on
1. Obtain seeded media to put in your filter from a little fish store.
2. Get lots of plants that have bacteria on them.
SheDoesScienceStuff on
Epiphytes and floaters do not take soil, stem plants do. To answer your original question, getting a seeded filter sponge would help kick the cycle off, but you are essentially looking at the equivalent of an island created by a volcanic eruption. New with no life. Succession takes time and is worth the wait.
One-Instruction-2254 on
Its clear you have not done your research. If you are cycling a tank from scratch you must regularly add an ammonia source and wait around 6 weeks then do a large water change before adding fish. This can be as simple as sprinkling a bit of crushed flake food every day. You need to be patient otherwise you will have problems. If you really can’t wait you should buy cycled media from aquarium co-op or etsy. [https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/water-care/products/live-aquarium-bacteria-starter-culture](https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/water-care/products/live-aquarium-bacteria-starter-culture)
autistic-mama on
You can’t rush a cycle. Cycling your tank can take 4 – 6 weeks, possibly longer. You can just put fish food in for ammonia. You’ll need an API Master Freshwater Testing Kit, which I hope you bought while you were at Petsmart.
For live plants, they’re absolutely necessary for a healthy tank (unless you are stocking fish that do not do well with plants, like many of the cichlids you’ll find in your pet store’s cichlid area). I personally think the glow fish substrate is extremely tacky. You would be much better off with sand, and you can use the $5 bags of sand you can get at Lowes (they’ll be listed as all purpose, general use, or play sand. Pool filter sand is fine, too, as long as it hasn’t been chemically treated.). When you get the sand home, you’ll need to rinse it before it can go in the tank.
To rinse the sand, you put it in a bowl or bucket outside, and run hose water through it while you stir it with a hand or a stick or something similar. Store-bought sand has a lot of fine particles that will float in water, so you’re washing those out.
Fill the bucket with water, stir the sand, pour the water (and the fine sand floating in it) out of the bucket, rinse and repeat until the water becomes clear within a second or two of you stirring the sand in the bucket. Then it can go in the tank.
For live plants, you will need root tabs and a water column fertilizer – Petsmart carries both. Be aware that not all plants should be planted in sand. Some plants (like java fern) need to be tied or glued to rock or driftwood, with their root systems out in the water column.
I would strongly suggest getting your plants and supplies from a local aquarium store if at all possible. Petsmart employees have no clue what they’re talking about with fish and should never be used as a source of information, whereas a local fish store can give you better advice and also help you figure out the best stock for your tank and even how plants work.
Intrepid-Persimmon33 on
Something else to consider: adding a secondary filter to the other side and/or some sort of current maker and/or air stone. Tank needs more oxygen turnover on the “dead” side.
Economy-Lynx9926 on
If you can ask the petsmart to give you the liquid of there media, it’ll help kick things in. Also if you use amazonia soil, it will release ammonia in your tank.
StressPsychological7 on
You lack plants
Tivomann on
Patience and time is key. Lots of good advice is here. As a beginner many years ago, I tried to rush the cycle process. Lots of dead fish.
Forbeslist500 on
Has anyone ever mixed different types of substrate before? If the glow stone rocks are a problem, I’ll just add a different type.
OhNoLenX on
Here’s cheap and easy. Go to Walmart, get organic soil and put about 2inches in the tank. Then get you some play sand, add at LEAST an inch over the soil. Sprinkle in some of your glow fish stones on that should you so desire. Put some cool rocks in there. Add some plants. CAREFULLY fill with water (you don’t want to blast your sand off your soil) and boom. You have a tank. Add the necessary water treatments. You can get a bottle of starter bacteria from petsmart. Give it a week or two. Add fish. Can you add fish same day? Sure, assuming you treated the water and all that jazz. But I also wouldn’t be spending bucks on pricy fish before my tanks established. personally have multiple tanks so when I start a new tank I have both plants and fish I rotate to help set up tanks.
12 Comments
you can just ghost feed for ammonia
I was hoping for something quicker so I can get fish in there soon
1. Obtain seeded media to put in your filter from a little fish store.
2. Get lots of plants that have bacteria on them.
Epiphytes and floaters do not take soil, stem plants do. To answer your original question, getting a seeded filter sponge would help kick the cycle off, but you are essentially looking at the equivalent of an island created by a volcanic eruption. New with no life. Succession takes time and is worth the wait.
Its clear you have not done your research. If you are cycling a tank from scratch you must regularly add an ammonia source and wait around 6 weeks then do a large water change before adding fish. This can be as simple as sprinkling a bit of crushed flake food every day. You need to be patient otherwise you will have problems. If you really can’t wait you should buy cycled media from aquarium co-op or etsy. [https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/water-care/products/live-aquarium-bacteria-starter-culture](https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/water-care/products/live-aquarium-bacteria-starter-culture)
You can’t rush a cycle. Cycling your tank can take 4 – 6 weeks, possibly longer. You can just put fish food in for ammonia. You’ll need an API Master Freshwater Testing Kit, which I hope you bought while you were at Petsmart.
For live plants, they’re absolutely necessary for a healthy tank (unless you are stocking fish that do not do well with plants, like many of the cichlids you’ll find in your pet store’s cichlid area). I personally think the glow fish substrate is extremely tacky. You would be much better off with sand, and you can use the $5 bags of sand you can get at Lowes (they’ll be listed as all purpose, general use, or play sand. Pool filter sand is fine, too, as long as it hasn’t been chemically treated.). When you get the sand home, you’ll need to rinse it before it can go in the tank.
To rinse the sand, you put it in a bowl or bucket outside, and run hose water through it while you stir it with a hand or a stick or something similar. Store-bought sand has a lot of fine particles that will float in water, so you’re washing those out.
Fill the bucket with water, stir the sand, pour the water (and the fine sand floating in it) out of the bucket, rinse and repeat until the water becomes clear within a second or two of you stirring the sand in the bucket. Then it can go in the tank.
For live plants, you will need root tabs and a water column fertilizer – Petsmart carries both. Be aware that not all plants should be planted in sand. Some plants (like java fern) need to be tied or glued to rock or driftwood, with their root systems out in the water column.
I would strongly suggest getting your plants and supplies from a local aquarium store if at all possible. Petsmart employees have no clue what they’re talking about with fish and should never be used as a source of information, whereas a local fish store can give you better advice and also help you figure out the best stock for your tank and even how plants work.
Something else to consider: adding a secondary filter to the other side and/or some sort of current maker and/or air stone. Tank needs more oxygen turnover on the “dead” side.
If you can ask the petsmart to give you the liquid of there media, it’ll help kick things in. Also if you use amazonia soil, it will release ammonia in your tank.
You lack plants
Patience and time is key. Lots of good advice is here. As a beginner many years ago, I tried to rush the cycle process. Lots of dead fish.
Has anyone ever mixed different types of substrate before? If the glow stone rocks are a problem, I’ll just add a different type.
Here’s cheap and easy. Go to Walmart, get organic soil and put about 2inches in the tank. Then get you some play sand, add at LEAST an inch over the soil. Sprinkle in some of your glow fish stones on that should you so desire. Put some cool rocks in there. Add some plants. CAREFULLY fill with water (you don’t want to blast your sand off your soil) and boom. You have a tank. Add the necessary water treatments. You can get a bottle of starter bacteria from petsmart. Give it a week or two. Add fish. Can you add fish same day? Sure, assuming you treated the water and all that jazz. But I also wouldn’t be spending bucks on pricy fish before my tanks established. personally have multiple tanks so when I start a new tank I have both plants and fish I rotate to help set up tanks.
https://preview.redd.it/6v5m8ytv7dtg1.jpeg?width=5712&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3efd0185bda349b8ae5130181245c3e8b168cad