Ammonia

[salman]

I am currently cycling my new tank. I was just wondering, how high will the ammonia get when cycling a new tank? And, if its a little higher or lower, will it still work? I am using the fish cycle method, but i added some old filter cartlige, put some gravel in sockings to speed up the process.

[zackish]

What kind of fish do you have in there? How big is the tank?
For fish cycling they will never get that high because you need to constantly do water changes to keep the fish alive.

[salman]

I have 8 tiger barbs in a 100 gallon tank. I got all the cycling information from this website: [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]-cycling

][Only Registered Users Can See Links.] ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.)

This was a helpful chart i found, but i've been cycling the tank for 2 days now, and i see no sign of ammonia. On 1 test kit it read 0.25 and another it read 0. But on the 0.25, i couldnt really match the color of the liquid to the graph since it was between 0 and 0.25. So i tested it with another kit and i got 0.

[Lady Hobbs]

Salmon, with a tank of that volume of water, you will probably not have to do a cycle at all. Whatever ammonia you get will be highly diluted with so much water. I would just leave the barbs in there for maybe 2 weeks and start adding other fish, maybe 6 at a time.

When I set up my 55 with fish, my ammonia never got over .25 and you have twice that amount of water volume.

[salman]

So i dont have to cycle the tank?? But what about the nitrites? And, if the ammonia and nitrites wont get high, then why can't i add the fish now?

[Lady Hobbs]

6 barbs in a 100 gallon tank will take forever to cycle. It will cycle but will cycle with much lower levels that will not get toxic. My concern is that you probably want to put your discus in the tank? They are pretty sensitive fish so make sure you check your levels every day to make sure they are fine but I see no problem.

[salman]

6 barbs in a 100 gallon tank will take forever to cycle. It will cycle but will cycle with much lower levels that will not get toxic. My concern is that you probably want to put your discus in the tank? They are pretty sensitive fish so make sure you check your levels every day to make sure they are fine but I see no problem.

I'll wait a week then. Yes, i will be adding discus. If i were to add any other fish i wouldn't even wait to cycle it. So, if less than .25 ammonia gets in my tank, it means there will be less nitrites and then less nitrates. But, how long does ammonia take until it spikes? I've been testing it daily, its been almost 3 days now. Even after adding filter cartilage and gravel in stockings I'm seeing nothing.

[Lady Hobbs]

Do you have other fish you can put in the tank to cycle it? You mentioned possibly having other fish with your discus. Perhaps you could get them now to help cycle. (If the barbs don't kill them.) I think it will take a long time to cycle that tank with only those 6 barbs. You have to have something to bring the ammonia up enough to start a cycle and I think the barbs alone won't do it with that volume of water.

You could add some shrimp shells to a bag and put them under a rock in the bottom but since you are using a seasoned filter, changes are you don't even need to cycle. Did you add any of the old decorations for now you want to get rid of later or did you start with everything new?

[salman]

Do you have other fish you can put in the tank to cycle it? You mentioned possibly having other fish with your discus. Perhaps you could get them now to help cycle. (If the barbs don't kill them.) I think it will take a long time to cycle that tank with only those 6 barbs. You have to have something to bring the ammonia up enough to start a cycle and I think the barbs alone won't do it with that volume of water.

You could add some shrimp shells to a bag and put them under a rock in the bottom but since you are using a seasoned filter, changes are you don't even need to cycle. Did you add any of the old decorations for now you want to get rid of later or did you start with everything new?

I think i might go to a cleaning department and look for pure ammonia. But, if i dont find any, how many cardinal tetras should i put it the tank to help it cycle?
The only thing i have in the tank right now is sand and 3 stockings with gravel inside them. I'm going our in about 2 hours to get some plants and decor for the tank. And maybe some cardinals?

[Lady Hobbs]

What I would do personally, is put your discus in the tank and a bunch of cardinals. You have that seasoned filter in there and chances are that's all you need to get that tank going.

Don't leave the barbs in there with the cardinals tho or the discus.

Just check for ammonia daily but don't be surprised if you don't see it. It's likely the filter will do your cycling for you.

What I do to speed up a cycle quick is clean the gravel in my other tanks and dump the nasties right in the new tank. That gives it a good quick boost in bacteria, as well.

[salman]

What I would do personally, is put your discus in the tank and a bunch of cardinals. You have that seasoned filter in there and chances are that's all you need to get that tank going.

Don't leave the barbs in there with the cardinals tho or the discus.

Just check for ammonia daily but don't be surprised if you don't see it. It's likely the filter will do your cycling for you.

What I do to speed up a cycle quick is clean the gravel in my other tanks and dump the nasties right in the new tank. That gives it a good quick boost in bacteria, as well.

If i dump all the dirt from the gravel, the tank will look really messed up! Do i want to do that? Or can i just put more stockings in? But, first i was to add all the plants and decoration.. and leave it for today.. i'll also get the cardinals today.. and have everything set and going.. and ill pick up the discus tomorrow :D

Thanks for all your help!

[Lady Hobbs]

Gez......how dirty is your gravel! LOL I clean my every week so mine isn't all that bad. Ahhhhh, that's right. You had some worms or something in your gravel, didn't you? Forget it! Whatever those were, you don't want to transfer those over.

It isn't like dumping a load of cow manure in the new tank, you know. There's just a bit of debris (poop and food) and the filters on the new tank clear it right up. LOL

[salman]

Gez......how dirty is your gravel! LOL I clean my every week so mine isn't all that bad. Ahhhhh, that's right. You had some worms or something in your gravel, didn't you? Forget it! Whatever those were, you don't want to transfer those over.

It isn't like dumping a load of cow manure in the new tank, you know. There's just a bit of debris (poop and food) and the filters on the new tank clear it right up. LOL


I hate cleaning the gravel with the gravel cleaner.. I dont think i ever clean them, maybe once every 3 months to a tank i like? There is one tank that i havnt touched the gravel for 2 or 3 years. Cow manure would be a compliment!
Yep i had worms, but i have other tanks lol. In the tank that has worms, i use sand, and its only 2 weeks old. I dont think theres much bacteria in there.

[salman]

I'm going out now, or like 10 mins to get me some plants and driftwood and whatever useful i can find, also the biggest filter i can find that can fit in my cabinet. I'm also getting cardinals, but before i go im going to look up which tetras go with discus so just incase i dont find them.