How long do I need to leave it before I put fish into a new tank?

Question

I recently bought a new tropical aquarium. I have read different ways of introducing fish and in what numbers.

Answer 1

When you start a new aquarium, it needs to go through "the cycle". They cycle allows for the growth of bacteria and the bacteria will help to eliminate the toxins produced from the fish. The usual time frame for this to occur is 4-6 weeks. Most people start off with 1-2 fish and wait a min. of 3 weeks before adding more. Be sure to test your water. Know your pH, temp, Ammonia and Nitrate levels, and make sure all are stable before ou introduce more fish! Ammonia levels should be 0 before adding new fish.

Also, don't be surprised if your aquarium turns cloudy a few days after you intoduce your fish. This is normal. It is from the bacteria bloom that is occuring. It will go away within 3 weeks, but you can also purchase products that will help the cloudiness subside.

Good luck!

Answer 2

OK, first you need to let the tank cycle. Place a fistful of ammonia into a stocking/tights/sock or similar and after 2 days, test for ammonia. You'll notice the level rise over the course of a few days to a week. Change the ammonia ball when the smell gets unbearable.

After a while, you'll get to a point when ammonia doesn't rise. This means it's peaked and it won't get any higher. After a few more days, it'll start to fall. Start checking for nitrite. When the ammonia levels fall below 2ppm, top it back up to 2ppm. This is so you can work out how long it takes for the filter to process 2ppm of ammonia. Don't let the filter go too long without an ammonia source because the bacteria will start to die off.

You'll notice nitrite does the same as ammonia - rise, peak, fall and you'll have to start checking for nitrAte (totally different, in spite of the spelling. Fish can tolerate nitrate below 40ppm).

Once ammonia and nitrite stay at 0ppm - even though you top ammonia up on a daily basis - the tank is cycled. Carry out a 70% water change (you should NEVER change that much water at a time again) and get your fish.

When you get new fish, never buy more than 8 at any one time. Too many fish will overpower the filter and you'll get an ammonia spike. Place the bag in the tank, open it, and roll the top down. You might find it useful to use a clothes peg to clip the bag to the tank. Leave the bag there for 30 minutes to an hour, and every 10 minutes, pour some of the tank water into the bag. This is to acclimatise the fish to the water conditions in the tank. After 30 minutes to an hour, let the fish swim into the tank themselves. Don't feed them for 12 hours - the stress of the move will probably mean they won't be hungry anyway - and leave the lights off in the tank until the following morning.

Answer 3

Many people have commented and said 5 days, 24 hours, etc. But really all you need to do is let it sit in the bag in the tank for half an hour. The water in the bag will slowly adjust to the temperature in the tank, which will prevent your fish from going into shock. I would say 2-3 fish at a time. Be sure not to leave them in bags and not in the tank for too long, though!

Answer 4

It takes 3 to 8 weeks for a tank to complete the nitrogen cycle.Not 24 hours,or 5 days.You can cycle with or without fish.

Go to fishlore.com or fishlesscycling.com

Both have articles on how to cycle a new tank.

If you do not have one,get a water test kit.Look for a master kit,these have all the tests you will need,and are cheaper than buying them separately.


edit:
The reason people have their fish die when they first set up a tank(read above) is because the ammonia from the fish waste and uneaten food builds up and kills them.Properly cycling a tank allows bacteria to grow,and this bacteria consumes the ammonia and nitrites.

Answer 5

It depends on the filter in the tank, some will be 24 hours, others a week. Leave it for a week to filter before introducing fish to be on the safe side.

Wait, do you mean how long you leave it before getting fish or how long you leave the fish before putting them into the tank once you've actually got them?

Leave them in the bag, submerged in the tank, for an hour before putting them in the water.
Oh, and you wanted to know about numbers. Again, depends on the tank but 3 is a good starting number.

Answer 6

i left mine about 5 days just so the filters got wokrin n the bacteria could grow. oh and in your book wen u add new fish it will say add 2 or 3 - thats rubbish. i did that with my first tank n they kept dyin. so add 3-4 n then 1 week after (if those r still alive ) put in about 12, some will die but because ther are more there will b more poop n stuff and therefore more bacteria in the tank which is good. but make sure u dont over feed - once a day is sufficent and make sure u check your water quiaily every week with the new tank, you dont have to do that for ever but just to make sure its ok whilst it strats up.
soory i told u more than u asked but wen i started my new tank my book gave me alot of false info n all my fish died, so i like to make sure other peoples dont !

if u mea how 2 add a new fish then leave the bag floatin in your tank for bout 5 mins then all some of your water and leave 5 mins and do it again, do this bout 3 times. when i put new fish in i dont like get the shops water in my tank so instead of pourin the fish into your tank get a net and scoup it out into your tank. i dont like adding there water incase its has harmful bacteria that makes the fish ill.
good luck x

Answer 7

Well, not 100% sure what you've asked so I'll cover everything from the start.

Rinse and scrub everything thoroughly with tap water. Now set up your tank with treated tap water (to remove chlorine and chloramines). Leave it running for a few days to check everythings working.

Now cycle the tank.

Then it's safe to add fish, slowly, 2-3 at a time.

Answer 8

The whole cycling process takes 6-8 weeks, doesn't matter with or without fish
here are 2 topics you should read
myself and another person kept track on our cycling process
mine was with fish
http://fishlesscycling.com/forum/index.php?topic=772.0

his was without fish and fishfood only
http://fishlesscycling.com/forum/index.php?topic=595.0


you can do it either way, if you wonna do it with fish it's just more maintenance in between the cycling process and you might loose some fish
if you do it without fish, you don't have to worry about fish dying in the cycling process




Hope that helps
Good luck


EB


Feel free to email me for further help or follow the link in my profile

Answer 9

It usually takes a couple weeks for it to completely cycle. There's products that you cna add to the tank for it to cycle faster though, but you shouldn't put fish in there for at least 6 days

Answer 10

depends on the size but mostly a couple of days.

5 gallon - overnight

10 gallon - 2 days

15 gallon - 4 days

20 gallon - week

25 gallon - 10 days