Is my 5 gallon tank cycling?

Question

I was under the impression that only tanks that are 10G and above should be cycled, so I didn't plan to cycle the 5G.

Two days ago, I brought the tank home, washed it out, filled it with treated water and some aquarium salt. I put in an Indian Almond Leaf, two live plants, some Taiwanese moss and the one betta. There is no filter in it yet. All went well.

The next day when I came home, the water was a bit cloudy and sort of yellowish-green. I thought the IAL might have been causing the colouration, so I removed it. Today, it's worse. The water is still cloudy - no visible particles, but just sort of murky. The greenish colour is still there - there's no algae or anything growing on the tank walls, and the tank does not get direct sunlight (nearest window is about 5 feet away.)

I've read that putting live plants into a tank will cause a cycle to start going. Is this true? Should I remove the plants? Is this harmful for my fish? How do I get rid of the cloudy water?

I have a sponge filter from another tank. Should I use this to start the cycle instead?

Answer 1

You have a few things going on that can contribute to your cloudy water.

Since you mention using IAL and plants, and that the water has a greenish cast, this can come from the plants, especially if any have dying leaves. The IAl will also tint the water.

As far as plants causing a tank to cycle, not really. Cycling only involves ammonia and bacteria. The tank size doesn't matter, this can happen in sonething the size of a betta cup, but you may never get enough bacteria that you'd notice it (or enough to be effective at removing all the ammonia that might be produced). If you have fish in the tank already, they're producing ammonia, and there will be bacteria in their feces, so you will get some cycling. About the only involvement the plants would have is there are probably some bacteria that came attached to their roots, and as leaves die, they add ammonia to the water as they decompose, but cycling will go on with or without plants present.

It sounds as though you're setting this up as a betta spawning tank, so you probably aren't using any substrate or filter. The substrate and filter media would give the bacteria a place to colonize, so there would be more bacteria to cycle the tank more quickly. You might try a sponge filter with a control valve to keep the flow very minimal - the sponge would give the bacteria a place to grow, especially if you seed the tank with some gravel (and some "gunk" from the gravel) of an established tank. Not only will this give you additional bacteria so the tank clears faster, you'll also be seeding small organisms on which fry can feed. You might also try raising the water temperature to abot 86o or so if you don't have fish in the tank, or if the fish can tolerate this temperature. Warmer water makes the bacteria reproduce faster.


ADDITION: Yes, you can use the sponge from the other tank to seed this new one with bacteria, as long as the other tank has no problems with diseases, parasites, or algae - then you'd be running the rish of adding these as well. And you need a source of ammonia to "feed" the bacteria, so you could use the water from the tank your fish is in now (as long as testing shows there's ammonia in the water - since there's bacteria in the tank your fish is in, some will be removed, but a pet store could test the water for you). You could also add a few drops of pure ammonia if you have any on hand, or a pinch of fish food. You can still increase the temperature if you have a spare heater, and this will cycle the tank even faster.

Answer 2

The water going cloudy is a bacteria bloom, The tank is cycling, And the green water is from too much light or sunlight, Dont add anymore fish untill you get a filter

~ GG

Answer 3

You can cycle any tank bigger than 2.5 gallons although that is only for a betta.I have three 5 gallon tanks and have cycled each of them.If you don't cycle your tank it won't be very good for the fish so I would get a filter and cycle it.If you have an existing tank take some of the gravel and some gunk from the existing filter to get your tank cycled quickly .The only thing with 5 gallon tanks is you need to be more careful if anything goes wrong it will go wrong more quickly for example a bit of uneaten food will foul a 5 gallon much more quickly than a 20 gallon.

Answer 4

To get the best, clearist looking water the best way to get this is to use a filter. Since bettas can be sensitive to filters that break the surface of the water, due to the nature to build bubble nests. It would be best to use an undergravel filter. Also, when using live plants you should have your plants in the water for while before adding the fish. Depends on how many plants as to how long. You should check out these websites on betta, they can be really great fish to have. My husband and I were breeding bettas for about a year and created some really beautiful fish.

Answer 5

Dear, i just got a 5 gal tank as a gift for my AP grades. Yes, you need to have a filter before you put anything in it. A tank larger than 2-3 gal needs a filter because the water will get nasty and it takes alot of effort to keep it clean. Here's my suggestion:

1) take out your fish and plants. Put the fish in one of those 2 dollar little beta tanks from wal-mart. Keep him in the original water!! (However, get a cup and fill it with water, place your chemicals in it and have it ready at room temp for tomorrow when you'll need to switch water in 12 hours. This is NECESARY to keep your fish alive for however long it takes you to get your tank reset!! They'll need new water to breathe. BTW: keep your fish separate. Close quarters is bad right now) As for the plants, you should be able to keep them in ziploc bags with water in them. ORIGINAL water.

2) Get a filter. Below i've attatched few photos of my tank and its set up. It is in the process of cycling so the water looks clear right now. Algae hasn't started to build up yet and i dont plan to get more fish until it does so. Clean your water, rocks and accessoies and give them all a good rinse. THen add new water and chemicals and hook up your filter. Let it run for 24 hours. 24 HOURS. No less. Then, you can place your fish in plastic baggies and hang them as you would if you just came home from the petstore. Wait an hour or so, then add them. As for your plants, add them after about 12 of the 24 hours used to set up.

You might want to invest in a light to help the plants as well as a heater. However, it is summer where i am at now and i am home enough between my jobs to keep an eye on the water temp and my room is warm enough to keep the water temp in the 70s. When it gets to be colder however, a heater is a must for your fish to stay comfy and unstressed. Water temp should be in the 70's somewhere, depending on your fish. You can get a cheap heater from wal-mart for under 10$. Just make sure it is for 5 gal only.

If you have any more questions, find me on AIM kittytehpirate or yahoo [e-mail].

Good luck!

The tank in full. Its a 5 gal hexagonal tank. I have two pot-bellied mollies in it currently.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/nekokyoko/IMG_0995.jpg

The filtration pump inside of the tank. It fits right in the corner and doesn't suck up the fish! Also,you can see my thermometer.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/nekokyoko/IMG_0997.jpg

This is the filtration system in itself. The blue is the filter and the little wheel is there to keep the nitrogen cycle in check. These came with the tank, but are found at any petstore. Take your tank in before you re-fill it and let the people there find you the correct pump.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/nekokyoko/IMG_0996.jpg

Answer 6

i think you NEED a filter like NOW