Cycling my brand new tank

[:o)rosie:o)]

Yay! We've just been down to one of lfs that we had no idea was there & bought a 20" fish tank to start breeding my guppies in. Is there a specific length of time that I should cycle my tank for according to its size?
Any advice would be appreciated

[t_chelle16]

There's no set time. You cycle the tank until it's done cycling and you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrIte, and some amount of nitrAte.

Everything you need to know about fishless cycling:
http://flippersandfins.net/CyclingFishless.htm

-Chelle

[:o)rosie:o)]

Thanks chelle. I didn't know you cycled your tank until it had those readings. I've previously checked out that site after you posted the link for somebody else.

[:o)rosie:o)]

Ok, we set up the tank this arvo. The heater is in but isn't on (should it be on?), the gravel is down, the water is in & has had drops to de-chlorinate the water & the fliter is going. Is there anyhting else or anything I've missed that I should be doing?

Thanks

[t_chelle16]

Yes, you should turn the heater on. Other than that you just need to start adding your pure ammonia.

-Chelle

[:o)rosie:o)]

Excellent. I will do it I'm just curious about why we should turn on the heater. The link you posted said I can a cleaning product as pure ammonia, can you reccomend any?

Thanks

[t_chelle16]

A warmer temperature will help the bacteria grow more quickly so the tank will cycle a little faster.

I have to admit, I've never actually fishless cycled a tank. We set up our first tank before we knew about fishless cycling and from there, we just used established media when setting up the others. Your best bet would be to look at ingredients lists on products and find one that's 100% ammonia.

-Chelle

[:o)rosie:o)]

thanks

[t_chelle16]

I just read somewhere today that dollar stores tend to be more likely to have pure ammonia than other stores. Also, you should look for ammonia that is clear and doesn't foam when you shake the bottle.

-Chelle