old fish tank with new tap water how long to wait before adding fish?

Question

Aquarium

Answer 1

Ok first off, don't follow that first poster please. That is not accurate. I am thinking when you say old it's a tank thats been non active for months or longer and there isn't going to be any bacteria there that will help you. Treat that tap water with conditioner, and get your filtration and heater up and running. I gave mine 24 hours to allow it to settle and began adding some fish to start the cycle. There are some posters that will advocate fishless cycling, I have not tried it to advocate that, nor do I advocate needless torture of fish either. I do feel though that using fish that are hardy and can endure these conditions is a good way to establish the bacteria needed to keep long term fish. So esentially if you are adding fish, I'd reccomend Danio's, Platty's, Mollies, Guppies, or zebra's. They are fairly hardy enough to endure the cycle process which should tank between 4-6 weeks to level off in most cases. Make sure you closely monitor your feeding of fish. Your fish can be fine for much longer then most pets in terms of food, and once a day is fine during your cycle process. Excess food is the biggest contributer in my opinion to lenghty cycle times. I'd reccomend getting your testing kits as well. Ammonia, and nitrite are a must, nitrate and ph are really nice to have, more on the ph though. I am not a complete expert at this point and I am sure some of the top contributers could give you even more good advice, but either way this is my reccomendations and best of luck!!

Answer 2

Tap water contains chlorine, that many people thik will evaporate if they let it sit. IT WILL NOT. You need to add a water conditioner that will neutralize the chlorine before you add any fish, and give it an hour to circulate in the tank with your pump running.

Once you have treated your water, I always recommend running the pump in the tank for at least 24 hours before adding any fish to make sure dust particles from your decorations have been filtered out, that there is nothing leaking, or any problems with your filter, and time to allow the water temperature to equalize so your fish will not be shocked once you add them.

When you do add fish keep these simple rules in mind.. the average amount of fish per tank is one inch of fish per gallong of water. If you have a 10 gallon tank, and you add a fish that will grow to 3 inches, you can only put two more of the same fish in the tank. Add your fish slowly, so your tank can acclimatize. Too many fish at once will cause "new tank syndrome" which is basiclaly a buildup of ammonia from too much fish wastes. There are natural bacteria in your tank that will break down this ammonia over time, but cannot handle a huge flow in one shot. And make sure you add compatible fish. Your local pet store can advise you on which fish can co habitate. Most fish will eat any smaller fish that will fit into their mouths, so try and keep similar sized or very peacable fish together.

Good luck

Answer 3

This process of starting the aquarium is often referred to as “cycling”, which is the introduction into an aquarium of various types of bacteria which utilize the ammonia and nitrite (both toxic to fish) produced by fish waste. This process is accomplished by reducing ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, which is not toxic to fish. This process (cycling) takes an average of 30 days after the introduction of the fish. It can take as little as 21 days, or as long as 60 days without any apparent reason for the differences. There are live bacterial cultures on the market, which can help “cycle” an aquarium faster. These products do work when the bacterial cultures are viable, but fish should still be added very slowly.Depending on the size of your aquarium you soul wait atleast a week. Adding a filter that has been running in a cycled ( healthy) tank helps this process move along quicker. For a 10 gallon i usually cycle it for 12 days an then add 2-4 fish and then add 2-4 fish per week until fully stocked. ( remember do research on you fish to find what size tank they need) The rule of thumb is usually 1" of fish per gallon.

Answer 4

Jon's got some good advice, but how long to wait just based on the tapwater will depend on what your water supplier uses as a treatment. If it's chlorine, it will disperse in 24 hours, especially if the water is exposed to light or it's in the tank with the filter running. Chlorine is a gas and it will evaporate.

If they use chloramine, this won't evaporate. More companies are using this to treat water for ths reason. It needs to be removed chemically, and you need something that is made specifically for chloramine removal. Chloramine is a compound containing both chlorine and ammonia. If you use something to remove chlorine, this will break the bond between these and the chlorine will be removed, but the ammonia, which is toxic to fish, will still be in the tank. You need something that removes both. There are products that will remove both chlorine and chloramine, but different amounts are required, depending on which you need to remove. You can find out whic your water company uses by a quick phone call to their office.

The chlorine/chloramine removal products work in seconds, so the only other concern for adding fish is the water temperature - it should be close to what the fish require.

Answer 5

When we first got our 29 gallon tank we waited about a week before adding fish so that the water could warm up and the levels would be good for the fish to survive. Do you have a heater, air filtration system? If you don't you need to get one because the fish won't live without the air circulating and the fish will freeze without the heater. Good Luck

Answer 6

it depends on how big is your aquarium.

if its below 10 gal, i suggest that you have to set the water for 72 hrs before adding any fish. the chlorine neutralizer doesn't help in this size of an aquarium because the water volume is to small. it will make the water salty.

Answer 7

At least 24 hours! Make sure you add water conditioner! Test water before adding any fish!

Answer 8

use tap water conditioner/declorinator and start adding slowly.if you have just cleaned it out then dont clean filter too well and its ok to add straight away cos the bacteria is already there.i clean mine and add fish straight away.not reccommened for new set up with new clean filters.

Answer 9

One day is a good time ...
but take note of your local water condition ... it may contain too much minerals..

Answer 10

at least until its room temputure. like 12-24 hours