I totally splurged!

[peaches3221]

well I used some of my Christmas money and bought a 5 gal mini bow! my fish currently lives in a unfiltered 2 gal and gets dirty really fast, so it will be well worth the money if I can get it to cycle, any tips? I asked about cycling my 2.5 (if I were to get a filter) and got mixed answers, mostly that it would be too small, but a 5 should be fairly easy to cycle? I did look at the sticky but I also read that stress zyme or nutrafin cycle help, (and the ammonia source being either cooked shrimp or fish food) opinions? I could jump start from my dad's community tank but I think one of the fish might have popeye so I don't want to risk it

[nel3]

i've already asked here about nutrafin cycle. its a hit and miss result from the answers i got. i went for fish in cycle for the 5g asper my own situation, it worked out well given the risks it carries. its probably best to go with traditional fish in or out method to cycle your tank. it took 1-2 months for my 5g to cycle,

[peaches3221]

Hmmm... But then does the good bacteria just naturally form? We're does it come from?

[Vizja13]

Hahaha you sound like me xP I splurged on a 5.5 gal rectangular tank at Petco's sale so that Jazz can have a smaller tank while he's recovering from some tail-biting issues. Third time i've had to fix his tail....

[nel3]

Originally Posted by peaches3221

Hmmm... But then does the good bacteria just naturally form? We're does it come from?

im no expert on cycling but the nitrogen cyle starts with ammonia and end with nitrates regardless of the source, live fish or just plant food. depends on fish in or out. no fish you can let the parameters spike high as no fish will be hurt (fish out) or limit the spikes when it gets too high for the live fish (fish in, more frequent water changes). beleive fish out is quicker but that depends on your situation as per when you want to put th betta in. just let the cycle do its natural thing with or without fish and you'll be fine.

i changed 0.5g a day when cycling but had to do 2-2.5g once in a while to get the nitrate and nitrite levels to safe limits. a master liquid test kit is highly recommended of you want to cyle ie API freshwater master test kit.

thread specifically on cycling
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=47838

[peaches3221]

Ohh ok Thank you! I will probably do fish out, I wouldn't wan't the ammonia to spike too much... I might try using stress zyme /and/ fish food as an ammonia source, then just wait a few weeks and see if it goes down?

[PitGurl]

I've always cycled my tanks with the fish in them. I just test the water often and do lots of water changes. I always have a bottle of Amquel near by for any sudden spikes. You can use pure ammonia if you want to do a fishless cycle. I've never used this method but I've heard it works well.

[nel3]

Originally Posted by peaches3221

Ohh ok Thank you! I will probably do fish out, I wouldn't wan't the ammonia to spike too much... I might try using stress zyme /and/ fish food as an ammonia source, then just wait a few weeks and see if it goes down?

i wish you lthe best of luck in cycling your tanks regardless of the method you chose. if theres an LPS nearby, they probably would accept water samples and can test the water for free. cycling a tank may seem daunting but it sounds more complicated than it actually is. you just need to know the water parameter values and have patience.

[elegantlyunsophisticated]

I always have fish in and I dose with Seachem Stability. With that and regular water changes my tanks cycle in no time.

[peaches3221]

Well a lot of you seem to have had experience with fish in so... Maybe I will just put him in and monitor very carefully. I will see if I can buy the master test kit. What is the highest the ammonia should get? and thanks nel3, the Betta I'n your avvie is sooo pretty!