new to aquariums

canadian fishguy · 11-01-2006, 10:18 AM

hi my name is steve and i recently got what i thought was the deal of a lifetime, i wanted an aquarium and searched through news papers online and local fish stores and pet shops, i then came across a guy that was selling what he called a 20 gallon tank and filter. so i went to look at and buy it and he showed me an aqua clear filter and a peguin 330 and a ten gallon tank that he said he would include in the sale of the larger tank for free.
when he took me outside to show me the bigger tank my jaw dropped. it wasnt a 20 gallon tank it was a 75 gallon tank. when he told me he only wanted $40 (CDN) i jumped on the deal.

Anyways what im wondering is how would i cycle the tanks with houshold ammonia? how much or little? I am beter off to do it with fish?

I have had the ten gallon tank running with a brand new penguin 100 power filter and 2 tea spoons on aquarium conditioner for a week now.

the guy at the fish store told me that was all i needed to start the tank he made no comment about ammonia though.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
steve

gm333 · 11-01-2006, 05:01 PM

Thats a heck of a find!
I have never used the ammonia method, I have always used the cocktail shrimp method, just throw some cooked coctail shrimp in and wait for the ammonia to start from decay.
My understanding on using the ammonia method is add 4-5 drops of pure ammonia per 10 gallons of water, once a day until nitrite becomes measurable. At that point cut back to 2-3 drops per 10 gallons of water, per day. When nitrite and ammonia are both at zero, the tank is cycled. Make sure to use pure ammonia, no added detergents or colors. Aquarium conditioner will not start a cycle, unless it has bacteria in it. By the way......Welcome to the forum!

fishuz · 11-01-2006, 08:40 PM

Welcome fellow Canadian...Nice find on the tanks ( you should set the 10 gallon up as a hospital tank ) the ammonia cycle method is new to me as well I would use the shrimp one

canadian fishguy · 11-01-2006, 11:45 PM

thank you for welcoming me. I am new to the aquarium world, i used to go fishing a lot so this is a little different for me( keeping them alive instead of eating them lol)

Anyways how long does the cocktail method take? and my intentions with my ten gallon was to set it up for neon tetras and smaller fish since i want some more agressive, bigger fish in the 55 gallon and dont want to see the little guys become a snack. I am considering a pair of red tail catfish, i understand they grow to a pretty decent size. does anyone have any experience with these fish? how long do they take to grow to adult size? and any other warnings or tips with these fish would be of great help.

Another thing i just started wondering is if i use a used power filter (penguin 330) will the bacteria i need still be present or does it die?

fishuz · 11-01-2006, 11:59 PM

The Bacteria will be dead if the filter hasn't been used in a while and has been out of the water. I'm not sure how long the cocktail method takes ( I haven't done a fish less cycle yet ) but I assume until your readings for ammonia are at zero at this time the filter medium will have built up enough beneficial bacteria. you should read Jays post on cycling that would be a good start

Jay · 11-02-2006, 06:55 AM

Hi canadian fishguy and welcome to our forums !

You might want to read the sticky article on tank cycling it will answer a lot of your questions.

The article is here -> http://www.fishtankforums.com/5-fres...-aquarium.html

Ammonia is easily found at any pharmacy and most large grocery stores. Just avoid ammonia cleaning products which contain soap and other additives.

The ammonia method gives you a lot of control over the process and probably will speed things up a little. It is also something to do to kill the boredom of looking at an empty tank for 4 weeks or so

I would also add a wee bit of the shrimp (once) the decaying process will help establish the bacteria colonies which break down food and detritus.

Regards,
Jay