Fathers new tank

TJFitz1980 · Dec 12, 2016

My father is setting up a fluval evo 13.5 gallon tank. It is on order and will be here in a week or so. Of course he wants to set it up asap however he will be away from home the entire month of February with no one to care for it.

Would you suggest he set it up to start the cycle process right before he lives so it should be ready to go when he returns? If so what method would you suggest he use to cycle the tank? Fish? Rotting shrimp? Bottle of bacteria?

Or just wait until he is back in March to start the cycle process?

He is going to purchase premixed nutra water to fill his tank. Use live sand and dry rock.

Thank you

Jason mack · Dec 12, 2016

Hi .. just a thought, but if hes not there too test the water he wont know if the nitrate has spiked or not , if he's using dry rock and it's not been cured or cooked . There should be enough dead critters already in the rock too start the cycle .. but it will take anything from 6-10 weeks to cycle properly .. a starter bottle bacteria will start it quicker .. but it is adviseable too be testing ammonia/ nitrite/nitrate during this cycle ..

Jason mack · Dec 12, 2016

Jason mack said:
Hi .. just a thought, but if hes not there too test the water he wont know if the nitrate has spiked or not , if he's using dry rock and it's not been cured or cooked . There should be enough dead critters already in the rock too start the cycle .. but it will take anything from 6-10 weeks to cycle properly .. a starter bottle bacteria will start it quicker .. but it is adviseable too be testing ammonia/ nitrite/nitrate during this cycle ..

I also used live sand and dry rock on my first build .. my next one I will just use fine sand and dry rock .. just because after awhile cleaning I'm left with a lot of coarse sand with the live sand ..

adamk · Dec 12, 2016

if would be skeptical leaving a new system up and running for a month with no one to take care of it....if he can monitor the tank for at least the first few days and iron out all the possible kinks in plumbing or what have you then id say go for it...
BUT he will need a ATO with a BIG reservoir to keep that baby topped off for a whole month.
once all that is in place i wouldn't think twice about it.....
best way IMO is to use live sand, dry rock, throw in a couple bottles of bacteria, then dose the tank with 2-3 ppm of ammonia in a bottle and when he gets back id bet good money its ready for a big water change and 1-2 hardy fish

Lowstorm · Dec 12, 2016

If it was me I'd set it up before leaving doing the rotting shrimp method with a bottle of back thrown in, a powerhead and a heater. No, he won't know exactly when it cycled but I bet he could get home, do the tests, feed the tank good, do the tests again 24 hours later and see how solid of a bacteria base or cycle it has.

adamk · Dec 13, 2016

I've never done the shrimp thing but I've read people usually end up taking the shrimp out after a week or so cause it starts smelling bad, i couldn't imagine what it would smell like after a month...all the shrimp is doing is turning to ammonia as it starts decaying, you need that initial ammonia source to kick the cycle, after that nature will run its course. Thats why i recommended dumping some ammonia in there, and a couple bottles of bacteria, regular pure ammonia is all you need, make sure it dont have any cleaning agents in it if you shake the bottle and bubbles form then its not pure ammonia.....i think dr tims sells ammonia, I've also heard ace hardware sells pure ammonia.

adamk · Dec 13, 2016

there is a calculator online somewhere if you google it...tells you exactly how much ammonia to add to X amount of gallons to get X ppm. You want to dose 2-3ppm to kick the cycle...then when he gets home he can dose the tank again to .5 or 1 ppm, test again in 24 hours, if ammonia is gone he's good to do a big water change and throw a fish or 2 in there

Lowstorm · Dec 13, 2016

I'd worry that with only the first ammonia dose and nothing after there'd be nothing for the bacteria to 'eat'. The shrimp method isn't hard. And you don't need a lot. if someone is around, and it's too stinky can always just put it in a pantyhose and attach it to the top of the tank for easy removal. It is literally an ammonia source for however long it's left in the tank.

But like I said, I'd go that route just for the fact that there's not going to be any more ammonia additions for a month.

So many different ways to cycle Lol. This thread could get crazy fast.

TJFitz1980 · Dec 13, 2016

Lol yes many options. Half of me says wait but then it would be nice if it was ready to go when he got home

adamk · Dec 13, 2016

as long as you have an ATO to keep the tank topped off and monitor everything for a few days to make sure equipment is running smooth id get that baby going asap....waiting for a tank to cycle is torture lol