Auto Cycle? (I thought this was a moped!)

[Pinepages]

Hi Everyone
My tank is now more or less complete. I started with the 230L tank, added gravel / silica and water, then let it run for a few days before adding plants and an additional aerator. All this over about 10 days. (See pics in thread posted by Tails)
My nephew, who maintains tanks for a living is assisting. He has not taken any readings but says I must trust him and all will be OK.
All I read about is ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, etc. I think I understand the process.
My question is, "What are the chances of everything working out ok without taking readings?" We are about to add a few neons at the end of the week.
I bow to the expertise of the forum.
Many Thanx

[Chrona]

If you are adding only a few neons, you will not have a problem.

[Pinepages]

Should I rush out and buy the kits? They are about R200 each and it appears I would need 3. It's around $100 but with an exchange rate of 7:1 it gets expensive.
It's probably just that I have been frightened by all the posts relating to cycling. Why is such an issue made of it?
I must admit, when I was a youngster, I set up a tank in one day. The fish lasted for years. Was I just lucky?

[Chrona]

It depends on the fish. When I started goldfish, I cleaned the whole tank out every month so it recycled each month (lol) The comet goldfish all made it for many years though, despite the massive ammonia poisoning they were probably subjected to.

A test kit is a solid long term investment in terms of analyzing issues, but in this particular case, I can guarentee you that with that plant mass, a decent amount of lighting (which it appears you have), combined with the fact that it's a 60g tank, the bioload from a few neons will not even register on your test kit. One thing to watch out for is to take out a plant as soon as you start to see it rot, as that DOES pollute the water a lot. I'm not sure what plants you have, but some of them will probably not survive/do well without fertilization and CO2.

[Pinepages]

Thank you, I am relieved. I will at some stage get the kits since I want what's best for the fish and I love gadgets.
Maybe I'm a sucker for things on a display shelf but I bought a bottle of Plantamin (German) and added it to the water. It claims to do all kinds of marvelous things for the plants. It also claims not to promote algae. My reasoning was that the roots are in pure gravel so where does it get nourishment. Is it all from the water and the roots are just for anchoring?
What role does the plant play biologically?

[Lady Hobbs]

Like a doctor, I'd have to have the results of tests. You can't look at water to tell if it's cycled and that part would scare me. Kits will also be need every now and then after you have a cycled tank so I definately would get a test kit.

With plants, often a cycle is really not needed as the plants take up the ammonia but those are heavily planted tanks. I believe with using only gravel you'll need plant spikes for fertilizing to add iron to the roots but that isn't done until the roots grab hold.

Neon's are rather delicate and I wouldn't add any if I had no definate readings. Zebra Danios are good starter fish.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Chrona]

Yep, Hobbs is right, most plants don't show a need for fertilization for at least 2 weeks or so, assuming only low/moderate light. Plants generally take in CO2 and nitrates in an aquarium, as well as house bacteria on their surfaces. At night, they use O2 instead. Most plants actually prefer to take in nitrogen via ammonium however, which is formed to some degree (depending on the pH) from ammonia. Thus in heavily planted tanks, the bacteria is playing only a moderate role in breaking down fish waste.

[Pinepages]

Many thanx to you and Hobbs
This is food for thought. Wow but I have a long way to go.

[Pinepages]

Thanks - turns out we added the neons today haha They've eaten and are moving about quite freely/happily (though favouring the corner of the tank where we put them in)

[Chrona]

Be sure not to feed too much (no more than a small meal once a day), since your tank isn't cycled. Rotting fish food sitting at the bottom of the tank will contribute a decent amount of waste.

[Pinepages]

Will do! Thanx.
One or two more questions if you please. (Will they ever end?)
1. Do neons play "tag" or is it aggression? This morning two of them are chasing each other in tiny darting circles.
2. What will my best schedule for lighting be? I work from home and the tank is in my office. I am an early riser. (4-5am) I would naturally want to see the effect of the lights for a while at night. So for instance, if I switch on at 5 and leave it for 10 hours (as I understand), the lights will be off at 3pm. Can one split the lights on times or do the fish think that days and nights are passing quicker? Do fish think?
3. What type of lighting does the neon enjoy? I have 3 x 30W tri-colour 15000K tubes. (Quite bright if all are on.) Keeping in mind that my tank is cycling. (I hope)
4. What is the effect of the ceiling light in my room on my community?

By the way there are now 3 or 4 chasing each other around. The lights are still off so just the ambient light from the room.

[Chrona]

Will do! Thanx.
One or two more questions if you please. (Will they ever end?)
1. Do neons play "tag" or is it aggression? This morning two of them are chasing each other in tiny darting circles.
2. What will my best schedule for lighting be? I work from home and the tank is in my office. I am an early riser. (4-5am) I would naturally want to see the effect of the lights for a while at night. So for instance, if I switch on at 5 and leave it for 10 hours (as I understand), the lights will be off at 3pm. Can one split the lights on times or do the fish think that days and nights are passing quicker? Do fish think?
3. What type of lighting does the neon enjoy? I have 3 x 30W tri-colour 15000K tubes. (Quite bright if all are on.) Keeping in mind that my tank is cycling. (I hope)
4. What is the effect of the ceiling light in my room on my community?

By the way there are now 3 or 4 chasing each other around. The lights are still off so just the ambient light from the room.

Are the neons eating? There are many reasons for uncharacteristic aggression, but in your case, I would say there aren't enough neons for them to school (need 6+), or they are still stressed from transit.

Get a timer for the lighting so it turns on at about 10. That way the lights can stay on till 6 or 8 PM.

Fish don't really care about the color spectrum. Plants, on the other hand, would prefer 10000k or 6700k bulbs, full spectrum variety. People tend to prefer 10000k bulbs, as it gives just enough blue to make it look nice without that weird unnatural glow.

How bright is the ceiling light? For the most part, ambient lighting (with the exception of direct sunlight) plays no role.

[Tails]

Lol my dad only realised after he posted his last post in this thread (with all his questions) that I'd already posted a post in this section asking somewhat of the same questions (at his request last night *sigh*) so thanks for your patience with the two of us :)

We have 10 tetras, so would that be enough for them to school (i think that's why we got 10 lol so I hope so)

[Chrona]

Yes that's enough, but I was under the impression that you were only getting a few when I said it was safe to put them in without cycling. I would invest in that test kit now instead of down the road.