Fishless Cycling

[neha]

Hello everyone....
The cycling period [ 6 weeks] of tank has been completed today.....yeppeee
But i don't have any idea whether the tank is really safe to use now....
Can anyone please help me out ..what should i do to check whether the tank is safe to use..or should i directly put guppies tomorrow itself
I don't want my first set of fish to die of harmful bacteria

Suggestions will be appreciated ...
Thanks

 

[MitchM]

Hi neha,
If the tank has been operating for 6 weeks now with water and plants, then you can't see it, but a biofilm has formed over all the submerged surfaces and is safe for you to put your fish in.
Your fish should come in a bag of store water, so open the top, clamp the bag to the inside edge of the aquarium, hang that bag in the aquarium for about 20 minutes, then place about 1 cup(250 ml) of aquarium water in the bag, discard about 1 cup of bag water and repeat that 3 times every 15 minutes. Do not place store water into the aquarium.
After that, catch the fish with your hand and place in the aquarium.
Throw out the water that is left in the bag.

Oh, and post some pictures for us!

 

[neha]

Hi neha,
If the tank has been operating for 6 weeks now with water and plants, then you can't see it, but a biofilm has formed over all the submerged surfaces and is safe for you to put your fish in.
Your fish should come in a bag of store water, so open the top, clamp the bag to the inside edge of the aquarium, hang that bag in the aquarium for about 20 minutes, then place about 1 cup(250 ml) of aquarium water in the bag, discard about 1 cup of bag water and repeat that 3 times every 15 minutes. Do not place store water into the aquarium.
After that, catch the fish with your hand and place in the aquarium.
Throw out the water that is left in the bag.

Oh, and post some pictures for us!

so sorry for the late reply, i was actually busy with my exams.
Thanks a lot for your reply
Well , even i think my tank is ready but i have a doubt.
During the cycling process, approximately 1/4 of the water in the tank is evaporated.so can i add some stored water[i have store the water for a week] into the tank ?

 

[neha]

so sorry for the late reply, i was actually busy with my exams.
Thanks a lot for your reply
Well , even i think my tank is ready but i have a doubt.
During the cycling process, approximately 1/4 of the water in the tank is evaporated.so can i add some stored water[i have store the water for a week] into the tank ?

Hii
Can i please get answer to my question as soon as possible....
I am really confused
During the cycling process, approximately 1/4 of the water in the tank evaporated.so can i add some stored water[i have store the water for a week into a separate container] into the tank and then can wait for a day .
Any better idea???? ...because the water is too less and i am really excited to bring new fish ....

Please do give me suggestions
Thank you

 

[MitchM]

No one was able to tell neha to go ahead and top up her aquarium?
Yes, neha, top it off with stored water.
Also, because you are relying mainly on water changes for filtration, change about 10 - 20% every couple of weeks.
Watch for excess algae growth to let you know if you need to change the water more frequently.
The plants and biofilm will protect your fish from a buildup of ammonia.

 

[Tara]

My apologies @neha that you waited so long for a reply, I have not been on the forum much these past few weeks. I do hope your exams went well, my own kids had mid term exams last week so I know how hectic it can get. Have you got some fish yet? If so I would love to see a photo.

 

[neha]

No one was able to tell neha to go ahead and top up her aquarium?
Yes, neha, top it off with stored water.
Also, because you are relying mainly on water changes for filtration, change about 10 - 20% every couple of weeks.
Watch for excess algae growth to let you know if you need to change the water more frequently.
The plants and biofilm will protect your fish from a buildup of ammonia.

Thanks a lot
I am very lucky to have such mentors like you all who always guide me in fisheries and things related to it.
I have filled the tank with stored water and now its running amazingly.
I have decided to get a pair of guppies or mollies[ i am confused which pair to buy ]
Actually i had not put any plants in this tank[ i had put some plants in the tank which got leaked] , so i hope there will not be much problem

And i'm trying to upload some images of my cycled tank but i couldn't upload.
But i'll try to upload the images of tank with fishes tomorrow .

 

[neha]

My apologies @neha that you waited so long for a reply, I have not been on the forum much these past few weeks. I do hope your exams went well, my own kids had mid term exams last week so I know how hectic it can get. Have you got some fish yet? If so I would love to see a photo.

No problem , well thank you so much for your reply.
My exams went really very well [fingers crossed for good results]
My tank is now ready so tomorrow itself i will buy a pair of guppies or mollies
I am really trying hard to upload some images of my cycled tank but due to some problem its not uploading.
More than you all i'm very excited to show you all the images of tank but.....
I'll try tomorrow once again or i will ask my mom if she can help me uploading the images.

 

[neha]

Hello everyone
I got a new pair of guppies
They are very beautiful...adorable
I tried but could not upload the images
But i thanks each and everyone of you who helped me in this process

Thanks a lot to everyone...

 

[Tara]

I'm so glad you finally got your guppies, after waiting for so long it must be a great feeling to see them in their tank. Pity about not been able to upload a photo, but I'm sure they are just as beautiful as you say.

 

[neha]

I'm so glad you finally got your guppies, after waiting for so long it must be a great feeling to see them in their tank. Pity about not been able to upload a photo, but I'm sure they are just as beautiful as you say.

Thanks a lot ....my new tank looks amazing with the pair of guppies...its really wonderful to see them....
But i couldn't do the without you all....so ..thank you so much