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+--- Thread: my tank cycling plan, does it sound ok? (/Thread-my-tank-cycling-plan-does-it-sound-ok)
my tank cycling plan, does it sound ok? - andisc - 08-30-2013
I am getting a 25 gal tank. I already have a 10 gal, I plan on transferring over the substrate and some of the filter media if possible, but I can only do that after the new tank is ready because I have fish in my 10 gal.
My plan to cycle it is to fill it with conditioned tap water, add Tetra SafeStart, then add ammonia, test how much ammonia is now in the tank, then test again in 12 hours to see if the ammonia level has lowered to at least near 0, and then continue adding ammonia and testing for ammonia and nitrate appearance/levels for at least a week to make sure it's really good to go. When it balances consistently to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite with nitrates present it is cycled?
Then I would add either 4 Cory catfish or 3 Blue Danios (I will eventually have a proper school) to the tank and see how they do?
I will follow this article ( http://petskeepersguide.com/fishless-cycle-nitrogen-cycle/ ) closely and follow the ppm amounts given when adding ammonia and testing the various chemical levels.
Thanks for advice.
**ETA opps I didn't mean to make two threads, I don't know how that happened, sorry
RE: my tank cycling plan, does it sound ok? - Ram - 08-30-2013
Hi andisc,
Way to go on planning to do fishless cycling before adding the fish.
It is an important step toward becoming a responsible and successful fish keeper. 
If you plan to use Tetra SafeStart, there is no need to transfer the filter media or the gravel from the old tank. The basic idea is to have bacteria seeding to jump start your cycling. Tetra SafeStart already serves this purpose. So there is no need to do them both.
The key is to have everything set up and running. What filter system do you plan to use for the new 25 gallon tank?
It is very important to have a sufficient filter. You may add Tetra SafeStart after the tank is running.
Make sure you do not overdose ammonia. What source of ammonia do you plan to use?
The aquarium nitrogen cycle is not completed until you always get 0ppm on both ammonia and nitrite readings, with an increasing nitrate concentration. <---- Important: It is under the condition that you have a constant source of ammonia. ex: You dose ammonia daily, and at the end of the day you get the readings of what I said earlier.
All those schooling fish require minimal 5~6 to be a school. Less fish in each group will make them feel unsafe and thus behaving unnaturally.
As long as you can complete the cycling with 5~6ppm ammonia dosed daily with a sufficient filter system, you should be safe to add full stock of fish at once afterward. This is one of the good points of doing fishless cycling. It gives you that option of adding more fish instead of a few at a time.
RE: my tank cycling plan, does it sound ok? - andisc - 08-31-2013
Thanks for the help, I'm more confident about the process now.
The filter is an integrated Fluval filter in a Fluval Accent tank. As for ammonia source, I hoped to find something at the pet store. Is there a product in particular I should look for, or just any pure ammonia product?
We have a Petco and Pets Plus. The Pets Plus had pure ammonia products for aquariums, the ones I remember looked like black power or pellets in plastic jars I think.
I do want my Cory catfish to have a school of six, and the Danio at least five-eight max, but the Petco only has two or three Long Fin Blue Danio right now. So, I hope they get more in. Same with the Albino Cory catfish, I've never seen enough there for a full school. The last time I went they only had one Albino Cory.
In a 25 gal, is it possible to have a school of six Cory Catfish, and two schools of two species of Danio? If each school of Danio is the minimum size, five, that would be sixteen fish in all counting the Cory.
RE: my tank cycling plan, does it sound ok? - Ram - 08-31-2013
Quite some of us had used Ace Ammonia Janitorial Strength Formula from Ace Hardware. However, the bottle is huge and you do not need that much ammonia if you only plan to cycle one tank.
There is another commercial available product called Ammonium Chloride Solution by Dr Tim's Aquatics. Some people have had good experience with it. It is actually mentioned in the article you have read.
By the way, do you have a liquid test kit? Get the API Freshwater Master kit if you haven't. It is one of the mandatory supplies if you want to do fishless cycling.
If you only plan to get 6 corydoras catfish, and 12 Danios, it will be fine. Could you please take a closer look at that Fluval filter and give the exactly model? It is important to have a filter system rated high enough to handle all these fish.