My Aquarium...?

Question

My aquarium has been set up for about 3 to 4 days now... can I start adding fish?

Answer 1

You are ready to add fish no doubt. Assuming you have not been adding any chemicals for cycling or anything like that, your tank is as ready as it will get.

Begin by adding only a very few fish and try to use only the more hardy or stronger fishes. Give this a few weeks and add a few more fish. The trick is to add slowly allowing the number of two particular bacteria to build up. These two bacteria (nitrosomas and nitrobacter) will convert the ammonia in the tank to nitrite and the nitrite to nitrate, each step is less toxic to the fish. The bacteria are naturally occuring so you need not worry about getting them in the tank, but they will not grow in the tank without food (ammonia and later nitrites).

Take it very slowly and all will be well. Best of luck!

Answer 2

Are you doing a fishless cycle with the chemicals? If so, I am not sure about that.

If you are not, you really should get some cheap goldfish to get the cycle started. It will probably take about a month or so to cycle the tank. You did not mention how big the tank is so I am not sure how many you should start with.

You can buy a test kit (which I would recommend) or take a sample of the water into the pet shop and have them test it for you. Also, you should invest in a beginners aquarium book. Lots of great information in those.

It's a little work to get one up and running, but once it is the maintance is not so bad.

Enjoy the new aquarium and good luck

Answer 3

If your planning on adding community tropical fish, and your ph is 7.0..your heat is about 78 degrees and you have a filter, air pump and dechlorinated water in the tank, then sure you can add fish.
The tank will "cycle" naturally, just make sure to buy a ph test kit and an ammonia test kit to monitor your tank each week or so.
You can purchase a product called "Cycle". This contains live bacteria that will help cycle your new tank. The bacteria work like the bacteria in a septic system. They help by feeding off the waste in the tank, and helping to keep it non toxic to the fish. A cycled tank will not have ammonia very often, as the bacteria take care of that part.
Bacteria need fish to be in the tank to create waste to feed off, so its pointless to let a tank just sit for days or even weeks to build up bacteria, it just doesnt work that way.
There is also something called "Ammo-Lock" that you can use during your cycle weeks, to change your ammonia into a non toxic form so it wont harm your fish. All these can be purchased at a petstore.
You should only add a few fish at a time. Keeping in mind that you shouldnt have more then 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. So for a 10 gallon tank, keep it to about 10 small fish, one algae eater and one or two cat fish. If you dont have a good filter system, then do a few less fish. You can count 6 neon tetras as 3 fish as they are very small and do better in schools. Same rule for zebra danios, etc. Have fun

Answer 4

I used to, they was so non violent. however the extra moderen aquariums, despite the fact that purportedly extra desirable for the fish, are basically too busy. And there are too many toddlers rampaging (actually) around--mom and dad look to convey their toddlers there and basically set them unfastened and the toddlers bypass working and screaming around--if I have been a verify i could be extra careful as a results of fact pedophiles ought to extremely haul a toddler away and it could be a on a similar time as earlier the verify figured their youngster grew to become into lacking. I stay in a sincere length city and the final time i grew to become into on the city aquarium, human beings have been leaving their luggage and purses on those benches, unattended, and wandering off to look on the different tanks! Plus the front fee for the aquarium is something like $35 now--too prosperous for me to do.

Answer 5

A Short Brief on the Nitrogen Cycle.


When you start a new aquarium it will go through what is called the nitrogen cycle.

The nitrogen cycle is a process which allows "good" bacteria to establish and multiple in the tank, thus breaking down the fish wastes.

Fish excrete ammonia as a waste product. Ammonia is highly toxic to fish and even small quantities in the water can kill your fish. The first bacteria that establish as part of the nitrogen cycle break down ammonia into a product called nitrites.

Nitrites are also toxic to your fish, but not nearly as toxic as ammonia is. As the nitrites start to rise in the tank the bacteria that feed on nitrites will start to multiply and consume the nitrites breaking them down into nitrates.

Nitrates are also toxic to fish, but only in very high quantities. The nitrates will continue to rise in your tank as long as you have fish and are feeding them. Water changes are used to reduce the nitrate levels.


How long does this process take?

Typically the nitrogen cycle takes between 4-6 weeks to complete. During this time it's recommended that you take samples of your tank water to the local fish store and ask them to test it for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. The test levels will progress as follows:


Stage 1:

Ammonia zero
Nitrites zero
Nitrates zero

Stage 2:

Ammonia starts to rise
Nitrites zero
Nitrates zero

Stage 3:
Ammonia continues to rise
Nitrites begin to rise
Nitrites zero

Stage 4:
Ammonia levels drop
Nitrites continue to rise
Nitrates begin to rise

Stage 5:
Ammonia: zero
Nitrites levels drop
Nitrates continue to rise

Stage 6:
Ammonia: Zero
Nitrites: Zero
Nitrates continue slow rise



Tips to reduce the time of the nitrogen cycle.

The easiest way to reduce or eliminate the nitrogen cycle is to use a filter from an established tank. This filter already has the bacteria needed to breakdown ammonia and nitrites. By using an established filter you essentially bypass the nitrogen cycle.

Another easy way to shorten the cycle is to use "seed" gravel from an established tank. Simply take a few cups of gravel from an established tank and add it directly into the new tank. This gravel will contain a starter of the bacteria needed. If you don't want to add the gravel to the tank because it is a different color/stone than your gravel you can simply put it into a nylon stocking or cheese cloth "bag" and drop it into the tank. Using this method can cut your cycle time by 50%.

Finally there are live cultures of bacteria such as Bio-Spira (available at http://www.fishstoretn.com ) which will seed your tank with the bacteria needed. This product can virtually eliminate the cycling process.



Stocking your tank during this period.

During the cycling process you want to stock your tank very lightly. This is because if you have too many fish the ammonia will build up faster than the bacteria can break it down and your fish will die. I recommend only 1 or 2 hardy fish such as mollies. You want a fish that can tolerate the fluctuating ammonia and nitrite levels during the cycling process. There are many fish which should be avoided during this process including all catfish and any scaleless fish such as loaches.



Feeding during the cycling process.

I recommend that you feed your fish only once per day, and only as much as they will eat in 5-10 seconds. You should net out any food left over after feeding to prevent it from breaking down into ammonia. Once the cycling process completes you can double the feedings to twice a day.



Water changes during the cycling process.

If done correctly your tank shouldn't need any water changes during the cycling process. However should you find that your ammonia or nitrite levels are dangerously high during the cycling process you should do an immediate 25-50% water change to lower those levels. Water changes during the cycling process can extend the time it takes for your tank to cycle. Once the tank has completed cycling you should start your weekly 10-25% water changes to lower the nitrates in the tank.

Answer 6

It needs to cycle. Look up the cycling process online (put "aquarium cycling" into a search engine) and research that first. The cycling process takes about a month to finish. You need to supply the aquarium with ammonia, whether it comes from a bottle or from fish, to start and finish the cycling process. Please research it first, for the sake of any fish you will be adding.

Answer 7

u can add cheap fish to help cycle the tank but don't yet add expensive fish yet

Answer 8

we left our tank for one - two weeks - u need to let the bacteria build up first if it has a filter.

Answer 9

Go for it!

Answer 10

1. is there water in it- if so, leave it alone for atleast 15 min. and it will be room temerature. (unless you want teh fish to die...)
2. sometimes it depends what kinds of fish. BETA FISH MUST BE ALONE.