Just started cycling - a few questions

[emeltee]

I just stuck a piece of shrimp wrapped in some pantyhose in my new tank. It's floating at the surface. Is this okay or should I weight it down to the gravel somehow?


Does the tank need to be fully decorated from the beginning? All I have is the gravel & filter. I'm prepping the driftwood, and it'll be put in within the next few days. I will buy plants this week for the tank. Is it okay to add these things during the cycling procedure or should I have them from the start (which is already too late since I started it today.)

[Welsh]

It doesn't matter what deco you have to start out with, when I was cycling my first tank all I had was the gravel and filter, I never did the shrimp thing though since i'm a vegetarian haha but good luck I don't know if you already know this but a quicker way to speed the cycle is use some gravel from an already estabilished tank along with filter media and deco. I did this with my third tank and it took a week

[JKfish]

Floating is fine, so long as it is in the water.

You can put the decorations in, that'll add more surface area for the good bacteria to grow on. When you put them in doesn't matter :)

[emeltee]

Originally Posted by Welsh

I don't know if you already know this but a quicker way to speed the cycle is use some gravel from an already estabilished tank along with filter media and deco. I did this with my third tank and it took a week

I wish I had a friend with an established tank. Alas, I must do it the slow way.

[JKfish]

If possible, go to a LFS and ask them to test their waters for you. If their tanks are cycled, you could ask for them to put some of their gravel in a bag of water or for a piece of their filter media. If they're nice and let you have it, that'll work too :)

[Welsh]

The slow way is the frustrating way, thankfully the 2nd and 3rd time I already had an established tank and the 3rd time it only took a week but it was still too long for me lol

[emeltee]

Originally Posted by JKfish

If possible, go to a LFS and ask them to test their waters for you. If their tanks are cycled, you could ask for them to put some of their gravel in a bag of water or for a piece of their filter media. If they're nice and let you have it, that'll work too :)

What specifically would I want them to test their water for?

Wouldn't most LFS tanks be cycled?

If they give me a piece of filter media, what do I do with it? Just stick in the tank or the filter?

[Welsh]

They would test your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels , this would then tell you whether its safe for you to start adding fish

If they gave you a piece of filter media then you would take the sponge out of the filter you were using to cycle the tank and replace with the sponge you were given by your lFS

[emeltee]

How much gravel do you need to help kickstart a tank?

[JKfish]

You would want to just double check to make sure their tanks are cycled. :)

You would probably want to put filter media in your filter, seeing as that is where the bacteria seems to grow the most.

I used a good handful from my dad's pond/tank/ thing and that helped a good bit, so definately a handful, though filter media is probably going to hold the most ammount of good bacteria to help jump start your cycle