Fastest way to cycle a 10 gallon tank?

Question

going to have a few tetras, and underwater frogs. how long i need to wait? is there a fast way to do it if i already have the fish, i dont want them to die. (i told my husband to fill the tank i got home the next day after work with fish, without a running fishtank)

Answer 1

As said above, there is no "fastest" way. If there was, everyone would do it. In our societal needs to "have it now", we all tend to think, including myself sometimes, that there is a new revolutionary speed up process. I personally think many of the things we study to try to improve are really playing with fire and things we aren't meant to be tampering with. Basically as stated above, you need time.

Things that can help, but wont make it go faster then it should are:

Keeping your feedings to every other day so there isn't excess food or waste in the water, making your ammonia oxidizing bacteria take longer to be set.
Don't add more fish until it's stablized.
Don't do water changes in the tank unless you see your ammonia or nitrite building up to danger levels or you're doing your weekly maintenence. This allows you to leave a fuel source for your bacteria to grow with.
Get a test kit and check your levels daily.

Above all else, just be patient. You'll want to keep your fish for a long time, so be patient and get thier long term enviorment set up the right way the first time around. It'll save you more headaches and discouragement along the way.

JV

ADDITION:

Of course, getting some filter media or gravel from an established tank will really help, but it's still going to take at least a good month or so for it to be stable.

Answer 2

The term "Cycle" just doesn't refer to having the water move around for a while and then everything is good. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks for a tank to cycle properly. The term also is known as the Nitrogen Cycle which is something your tank must go through in order to have healthy and happy fish (after everything is done). What happens during this time, in your 10 gallon tank filled with de-chlorinated and conditioned tap water with a filter and heater is that beneficial bacteria will grow and colonize within your filter pad and on other surfaces of your tank. These initial bacteria take approximately 2 weeks to become a substantial colony and what they do is eat Ammonia and convert it into Nitrites. Ammonia comes from decomposed fish food, dead fish, fish poop etc. and when the bacteria eat it, they poop out the Nitrites. Both are DEADLY to fish even in small amounts so that's why it's best to cycle a tank with a pinch of fish flakes every 12 hours. Also, there is another set of beneficial bacteria that eat Nitrites and convert them into another, less toxic chemical called Nitrates. It may take some time from start to finish of the cycle to see Nitrites go down and Nitrates rise, but it should happen. After both Ammonia and Nitrites are at a constant zero and Nitrates are high, it's time for a large water change of about 80-90 percent to lower these Nitrates to 20ppm or less. At this point, it should be safe for you to add fish, making sure you add fish that are fine living in a 10 gallon tank and ones that can live with each other. Now, in order for you to test these chemicals, I'd recommend you get an API freshwater Master test kit which will have testers for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, pH and High range pH. The heater will be good during Fishless Cycling because you can crank it up to 90-96 degrees and this can help speed up the cycle. Make sure that the temperature is suitable for your fish after the cycle is complete (usually with tropical fish around 76-82 F) so a thermometer is good to have as well. So, definitely check out links for more information on the Nitrogen Cycle and check out what types of fish that are best for your 10 gallon tank. Remember that if you want to have more than one species or even more than one fish of the same species, just research if they can live with each other. Good luck!

Answer 3

There are a couple of ways to speed up the cycling of a tank. One is to "seed" it with substrate or filter medium from an established tank. These things already have colonies of beneficial bacteria, so the cycling would be reduced to a couple of days. The other is to purchase freeze dried bacteria from your local aquarium supply store. These are fairly hard to find, and its not guaranteed that your store will carry them.

Without these things a proper cycling should take between 4 and 6 weeks.

You really shouldn't have been so hasty to buy the fish. Please check out this link to learn more.

Answer 4

It takes 5 weeks if properly done,with fish in there it will take longer. There is no fast way to cycle a tank,because you have to grow bacteria colonies on solid surfaces. The bacteria are always present in the air around us,it's a waste of money to buy "starter cultures",it's just a rip-off . Look up a good aquarium web-site and also do a search for "fishless cycling".

Answer 5

Well first off a ten gallon tank is only big enough to have like two to three fish. If you already have a sponge filter that is used or a friend to borrow one, that would cycle your tank right away....if not, the fastest and safest way I know how is to do a fresh water change everyday (at least half tank) until you see algae growth.

Answer 6

There are products that help to cycle a tank faster. Look at your local pet shop.

you know you have to condition the water before adding fish.


To cycle a tank it takes from 4 weeks to 6 weeks.

You can add the fish. The tank will still cycle.

I never cycled my tank and my fish are still living.

For a 10 gallon I wouldn't put no more then 7 tetras and 2 or 3 frogs (I assume African Dwarf Frogs)