How long should the settling period be for a new fish tank?

Question

you know, the process for the good bacteria to grow. when can the fish be introduced?

it's a 10 gal. tank

is it possible to put a little bit of food, wait 4 it to decay and yeah, to get the bacteria goin?

Answer 1

The good bacteria growing- or the nitrogen cycle takes about a month. However, the bad news is that it won't start unless ammonia is introduced into the tank. Thus a fishless tank simply with all equipment running is not going to cycle itself unless you introduce the bacteria/ammonia yourself. There are some ways you can do this. Firstly buy yourself a test kit to test for ammonia. You will need it no matter what you do.

1. The most common way is to introduce a few hardy fish. Feed them sparingly and monitor the ammonia level in the tank. Do regular 10% water changes (weekly). You will observe the ammonia spike and then go down. When ammonia is 0, then you can add other fish. However, this is widely regarded as a cruel way since your fish could suffer from forms of ammonia poisoning and their lifecycle is shortened.
2. You can use additives. Brands like cycle have a lot of anecdotal support but Biospira has been proven via research to work. Make sure your water is richly oxygenated (through a filter for example or pump) to help beneficial bacteria. Another almost free way of `seeding' a tank is asking a reputable fish store (i.e not petsmart of walmart) for a rock or two or drippings from their filtersponges etc of a disease free tank (you could ask a friend too) and introduce this to your tank.
3. Another way is to put small amounts of fish food (a few specs) and let that rot and create ammonia in your tank. The beneficial bacteria will grow. However, this takes a long time.

Average time for a "seeded" tank may vary. Test for ammonia every 2 days. You will notice that ammonia levels will shoot up, and then kind off drop off. Finally they will reduce to non detectable levels. The cycle is complete when after the spike, they are non-detectable.When ammonia levels read 0 for 3 days in a row, you may start introducing fish. Also remember- you have to add very few fish at a time, or your tank will go through another cycle and you may lose fish. Since your tank is small and can support maybe 3 fish, add them one by one, wait for ammonia to stablize then add the other and so forth.

The final pointer. The bacteria grows best in a 72-80 degree heated tank with richly oxygenated water. Sponge filters will provide a great `bed'. Cold water tanks take slightly longer.

The fewer the fish, the healthier the tank will remain. Good luck!

Answer 2

Don't bother with that bacteria in a bottle junk cycle, stress zyme whatever it's called. The only one that is any good is Bio Spira, and it's hard to find and expensive because it needs to be kept refrigerated. And even then, there's no guarantee it was kept refrigerated the whole time during transport and at the pet store. The others, the bacteria is most likely dead by the time you buy them. Just wasting your money on that stuff.

If you have a friend that has an established tank that's been up and running awhile, and no diseases in the tank, you could get some filter media or some gravel from their tank. Put it in your filter, and you could add some fish immediately. I did this when I moved long distance, and I made sure to keep their filters and bio wheels in with the fish water to preserve the bacteria.

Do a search on these links for fishless cycling. It's very easy, and fairly quick to do.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/

http://www.aquariumboard.com/forums/home.php

Answer 3

Condition your water to remove chlorine, add good bacteria (Cycle by nutrafin works good)Let the tank run for about a week, then you can add some small inexpensive fish, 10 neons perhaps, this will also help stabilize the tank. You will probably have an ammonia spike and high Nitrite, though probably not enough to harm the fish as long as you don't have to many, feed every other day for about a week to prevent buildup of waste. In about 4-6 weeks your tank should be completely stabilized. Use an ammonia and Nitrite/Nitrate test kit to be sure. Good luck!

Answer 4

I am 100% sure its 7 days. You can introduce the fish on the third day, just be sure to keep adding the bacteria as perscribed. I would not add good fish until the 7 days are over though. I often use feeders at three days to help the filters get a good bacteria colony in them. Feeders do not live long so it works out well if you think feeders are ugly or if the fish you want eat them anyways.

good luck,
Silence

Answer 5

It really depends on the amount of water in your tank - really the best way to start is by using some beneficial bacteria in a bottle, you can buy this quite cheaply in any aquarium store.

You simply add a teaspoon full every few days. The bottle reccommends that you leave it for 2 weeks before you add just a few small fish - Tetra's or minnows are usually a good choice. If you introduce the fish very slowly then you shouldnt have any problem. Buy yourself a water test kit and check for levels of nitrate, nitrite and ammonium. Also check that the PH is stable.

It is always very tempting to add loadds of fish all at once - especially if you are in a good fish store. But if you resist, start small and be patient then you will have far greater sucsess rates.

Have fun choosing!.

Answer 6

I have been Dealing w/ fish for years and I can set a tank in 8 hours or less. 2 Hr minimum , as long as the water is treated and all things are rinsed and cleansed properly and well. Introduction of fish after 20 min of float and I always , I Alwyays use live plants that have been planted mid water fill.

For cautions sake go ahead and set everything 24 hour before hand. Always treat water , or use distilled water , also enxyme can be bought at any good supply outlet.

You can also ask your source for a sample of their water if nesscairy to quickstart.

Answer 7

Your tank will be cloudy for the first few days, then it will clear up but that doesn't mean its settled... It will take three to four months for your tank to develop the bacteria it needs to dissolve ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and balance the tank. I don't recommend you get any expensive fish until this period ends. It's possible that they get ick and other illnesses until the tank is ready.

Be patient ... it's worth it... .... hope i helped

Answer 8

You should let it set for about a week for a 10 gallon tank. After that you should be able to get fish. Be sure to let your fish adjust to the new tank temp before dumping them in!! When you get your fish, set them in the tank, bag and all. and leave them like that for about 20-30 minutes for the fish to slowly adjust to the water temp. If you just dump your fish in, it could go into shock and die. Usually you can tell if they are in shock. They sit in one spot and kind of shake. If that happens prepare to buy a new fish. It may not die but it could. Good Luck!!

Just curious...What kind of fish are you getting?

Answer 9

Wait a few days, then add one small fish. Wait four more days while the aquarium adjusts to the new bio-load and add another fish. Wait a week before you add the next pair. Always bring a fresh sample of your water in for testing before buying a new fish.
A

Answer 10

I would say 3 months on a 55 gallon for a good bed of bacteria to do its thing. But, I am no expert.