# How long for tank to cycle?



## wonderd (Aug 22, 2011)

Hey guys I just set up a 20 gallon high tank and I have a 2 year old established 10 gallon tank. I am using HOB filters for both tanks. So what I did was take the filter cartridge from the 10 gallon and put it in the 20 gallon. Also I took a nice cave ornament from the 10 gallon and put it in the 20 gallon. I also took 2 gallons from the 10 gallon and put it in the 20 gallon. 

How long do you think I should wait before its safe to add fish being I added good bacteria to the tank. Also will adding some fish food speed up the process?


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## NeonShark666 (Dec 13, 2010)

Add two or three tough fish now. In three to four weeks add two more. After six weeks cycling should be complete. Fish you can cycle with include Danios, White Mountain Clouds, Guppies and Female Bettas. You can also try Cardinal or Neon Tetras after four weeks. Their colors will be bright if they are happy. Make a 30% water change after 4 weeks to remove some of the accumulated Nitrates.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

Another thing that will help, is to take some nylon stockings and put some gravel from the 10g into them. (Basically, make yourself some media bags.) Drop one onto the floor of the 20g and put one into the new filter - if it will fit. That will help speed things up. _ If_ you _don't_ have fish in there (ex: fishless cycling) then turn the heat up to 86 or so. It will help the bacteria multiply faster.

The type of cycling you do will depend on the speed. If you use fish, it takes around 6 to 8 weeks to finish, and you have to do constant water changes to keep the ammonia from killing the fish. (Most will still end up with dead, sick or stressed fish in the end.)

I recommend fishless cycling. It took me 3 weeks to cycle my 36g doing a fishless cycle. Fishless cycling can take less time than that, and it can take a few weeks more, but it's usually a bit quicker than cycling with fish, and you don't have to use fish to cycle it.

There is a sticky in the forum somewhere (either in "New to Freshwater" or "General Freshwater") that explains the process of fishless cycling.

I totally screwed up my 20g fishless cycle (using Nitrazorb during the cycle, and leaving the lights on), so it took 8 weeks to fix it all and get it started and finished. But I did it right with the 36g, and was done in 3 weeks. I actually finished the cycle last week and have fish in the tank.

With a fishless cycle, the tank is primed to handle about 4ppm of ammonia in 24-48 hours, so you can add a heavier stock right off the bat when it's finished, rather than just 1-2 fish per week. (Don't fully stock it right away of course.) I finished cycling a week ago, and have got 6 Harlequin Rasboras, 6 Julii Corys and 4 Dwarf Gouramis in the tank now. (Still have a few more Rasboras and Corys to get - but like I said - don't fully stock right away, but definitely takes a heavier stocking.) Still check each day for ammonia once fish are added for the first few weeks, to be sure the ammonia doesn't spike and nothing else goes awry.


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## wonderd (Aug 22, 2011)

Nice idea for the nylon stocking. I will definitly do this. Also you said it was wrong to do it with the light on? Should I have my light on or off?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

If you stuff the tank with fast growing plants at least 50% of the tank is plants you can add fish within a day or 2.


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## wonderd (Aug 22, 2011)

I just put 2 stockings of gravel from the 10g in the 20 g. The only thing I plan on putting in there at first is 1 of my chiclids from the 10g. I guess Ill wait a week?


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## peter008 (Aug 11, 2011)

NeonShark666 said:


> Add two or three tough fish now. In three to four weeks add two more. After six weeks cycling should be complete. Fish you can cycle with include Danios, White Mountain Clouds, Guppies and Female Bettas. You can also try Cardinal or Neon Tetras after four weeks. Their colors will be bright if they are happy. Make a 30% water change after 4 weeks to remove some of the accumulated Nitrates.


 good idea


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I wouldn't wait. The beneficial bacteria you entered into the new tank feed off of ammonia. Better to put the fish in sooner than later. You should just start your light on a normal lighting schedule - no need to keep it off. With as much material you added from your other tank I would say your cycle will be abbreviated, but hard to tell how long. A normal cycle is somewhere in the 6-8 week timeframe.


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## wonderd (Aug 22, 2011)

so how long do you guys think i should wait before I add the chiclid? add it after 24 hours 48 hours, 72 hours, a week? I dont want to loose this fish


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

In general, if the tank has steadied out temperature-wise, you could add now. I would not cycle a tank with a cichlid. They aren't the best fish to use for it. If you have some other fish....


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## AdrienneandTiger (Aug 21, 2011)

This is interesting. My friend who had given me a 20g tank that was balanced, told me to use her filter to get beneficial bacteria in my original 20g to help it balance. I was so confused, and afraid that if I stuck a filter in there from an entirely different tank, I might harm my fish. Would it have been ok to do that then? 
Adrienne


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

If you have a fish and plants in there, then you can have the lights on like you normally would.

I screwed up, because I was doing a fishless cycle and left the lights on for like 16 hours a day, trying to grow good algae for my algae eaters.... I ended up growing some weird grey fuzz that screwed up my water and I had to do a complete water change and gravel vacuum, which set me back a bit.


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## pjones (Jun 5, 2011)

AdrienneandTiger said:


> This is interesting. My friend who had given me a 20g tank that was balanced, told me to use her filter to get beneficial bacteria in my original 20g to help it balance. I was so confused, and afraid that if I stuck a filter in there from an entirely different tank, I might harm my fish. Would it have been ok to do that then?
> Adrienne


Yeah, you only need the media, not the whole filter


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## Ranger (May 20, 2011)

You add fish when Amon and Nitrite are at Zero, there is no set time on how long a tank takes to cycle.


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## wonderd (Aug 22, 2011)

Hey guys I did the rock in the stocking a couple days ago. How long should I keep the stockings in the fish tank?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I would leave them in for a few weeks,long enough for the bacteria to spread a little.


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## Russell (Jun 20, 2011)

I think the point that needs to be emphasized is that you need to add a source of ammonia to your tank to nourish the beneficial bacteria you've transferred with the filter and the gravel. Doesn't matter if it's done by adding pure ammonia or a tough fish or even rotting food (yech!). The beneficial bacteria need to be fed so they can multiply and develop a large enough population to eventually handle the biologic burden (number of fish) you intend to add to the tank.


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