about my 155 gallon aquarium water cycling

[ericcarlsoc]

if i put hardy starter fish in my saltwater aquarium will it cycle in 1 week.

what does the water how to be to be right

my water didnt spike any
i just tested it a few minutes ago
the water has be running for 1 week with 20 damsels in my 155 gallon aquarium to cycle faster. do you think i can put more fish in my tank now or wate because people i bought this from a aquarium store told me if i did what i told you above i could put any fish i wanted in the aquarium in 1 week and today is 1 week.
salt is 1.023
ph 8.8
ammonia 0 ppm

 

[KathyC]

No, it will not cycle in a week if you add living fish to it, nor will it cycle faster if you add even more.

What it will do is start the nitrogen cycle of the tank..while doing that it will burn the gills of the fish you have added.

Frankly I would take those poor fish back to the LFS who sold them to you and I would buy a good book that explains how to cycle a fish tank properly. It will include info on what test kits you need to have on hand to tell you where you are in the cycling of the tank (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)

To properly cycle a tank - it will take from 6-8 weeks before you add ANY living creature to it.

Nothing good happens fast in reefkeeping.
Patience, and lots of it, are the key to success in this hobby.

 

[Lenny718]

+1 to what Kathy has said. Cycling a tank with live fish is cruel and completely unnecessary. Nothing good happens quickly in the marine hobby, you have to take things slow. I would also bring the fish back to the store you got them from and go to a supermarket and buy a raw cocktail shrimp to get the cycle going.

 

[THEDLO]

OMG 20 damsels! they are little devils but still! +1 to kathy!

 

[masterswimmer]

Follow Kathy's advice. :sad2:

The Conscientious Reef Aquarist is a great starter book.

Russ

 

[KathyC]

Follow Kathy's advice. :sad2:

The Conscientious Reef Aquarist is a great starter book.

Russ

Hey Russ,

Did you realize your site has that book on sale right now? lol

http://saltwatercritters.com/inc/sdetail/2700


Eric - this is a really good book, one we often suggest as a must read for all new SW keepers..you might want to look into purchasing a copy of it.

 

[ericcarlsoc]

hey i just called my local fish store last night they will take the damsels back. im going to take them back today because it not good for what i did.

 

[KathyC]

hey i just called my local fish store last night they will take the damsels back. im going to take them back today because it not good for what i did.

Thanks Eric - that is much appreciated by many around here ..and especially those poor fish.

We'd be more than happy to help you through cycling this tank properly but we also ask that you also do some reading on your own as YOU need to understand how the tank runs.

The book suggested above is an excellent first step and provides many of the basics that you do need to know! Always good to have on hand when things go wrong.

After you get those fish out of there, you want to go to the supermarket and purchase a raw cocktail shrimp and just drop it in the tank. It will start to decompose and provide all of the ammonia you need to get your cycle going properly.

2 things to do in the meantime:
-read more about the Nitrogen Cycle (ignore methods that use live fish to do this please)
-tell us more about your tank - do you have a sump, what lighting is on the tank? How much live rock do you have in there? Sand? Pictures are the best way to show us the tank

 

[masterswimmer]

hey i just called my local fish store last night they will take the damsels back. im going to take them back today because it not good for what i did.

:party: Awesome. Great to hear. Kudos to you.

As of this point in time, I'd like to say that you are now headed in the right direction. :tongue1:

Keep in mind, the book Kathy is suggesting for you to read, keep on hand, refer to every now and then, is a super tool to guide you and empower you with knowledge. NOTHING is better than that.

Finally, I applaud your decision to do the right thing. We can always recommend certain actions, but it is obviously your ultimate decision whether or not to execute those actions. Good job.

Russ

 

[jdnumis]

+1 to Kathy and Russ. You need patience in this, if you want to have a successful setup with little to no problems.

Everyone on here is very helpful and again do yourself a favor and read read read. Watch videos as well.

 

[tentacles]

I would also avoid whatever LFS you went to that suggested you put 20 damsels in an uncycled tank.

 

[Imbarrie]

You can get some sand and rock from an established tank to help you seed your tank. That will help start the process but it will still take some time.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[mqur1963]

i started my tank with ro water and put this stuff with 2 demsel after 24 hr put powder blue tang and atlantic blue tang and other with live rock and coral it is over 6 week on my 55 gal tank it is fine

 

[jrobbins]

Let us know how that works out for you. Pls don't forget pictures.

i started my tank with ro water and put this stuff with 2 demsel after 24 hr put powder blue tang and atlantic blue tang and other with live rock and coral it is over 6 week on my 55 gal tank it is fine