Question:i just set up my 33 gallon aquarium about 2 days ago. and i ran a water test and test the same as my 55 gallon tank that has been set up for like 7 months now. so i put in my convict cichlid pair into the newly established aquarium, and now they're doing fine with their 200ish babies. so is my 33 gallon aquarium cycled now? the water is crystal clear just like my 55 gallon. the convict cichlids have been in the tank for 2 days now, and they're healthier than ever.
Answers:
No its not even begun. If you do everything exactly right it will take 3 weeks. Sometimes it can take up to 7 weeks, if you use ammonia reducing products instead of frequent water changes. The babies are the highest risk. I would take some of the filter sludge or biological material (foam pads or ceramic beads) from the other filter and put into your new filter. It will drastically reduce the time for the filter to cycle. Cycling takes place in the filter and substrate not the water. Change the water if you get any readings for ammonia or nitrite. Just BC the water is clear does not mean its clean. Clear water can have very high ammonia or nitrite. Cloudy water can be better especially if its green cloudy water. So don't be fooled by clarity of water, the lake is green and the fish live just fine in there.
You should probably 'watch' your 33 gallon aquarium very closely for the next month, at least ... and TEST THE WATER at different times of day so that you will know if the Ph and ammonia levels are off only for a 'little while' ... but I'd say it's a 'good thing' that your aquarium is clear and the 'family' in it are all 'healthier than ever.'
Unless you added some seeded gravel from your 55 gallon, your tank is not cycled.
It takes about 6 weeks to properly cycle a tank. Your water levels are fine now, but keep a close eye on them.
no, it hasn't had time to build up the colonies of bacteria that are present in a tank that is cycled. The reason that it tests the same as your larger tank is that the new tank hasn't had time to even start the cycle. It takes about a month for a new tank to cycle without fish. If you leave the fish in your new tank, the levels nitrogen and ammonia levels will spike, potentially harming your fish. You'll have to keep a very close eye on the levels if you want to keep the fish in there, and do some pretty massive water changes when they start to rise.
If nothing happens your fine
just watch out in case they get sick, if they do and there is a good way to move them, move them to a diffrent tank and do this...
Ok u should set your tank up and get a few feeder fish like .10 . Then have them live in there for 2 weeks or so. I know it takes long but this stuff takes time. After that u check ur tanks Ph and ammonia levels if they are good u can put ur fish in. (important if u put expensive fish in)
You probably don't have enough bacteria to process that many fish. Urine will build up in the water in about a week.
If you change some of the water next week they might be ok.
Two days is not even close. Two months is more realistic. The ammonia hasn't even come up yet.
http://www.fishlore.com/nitrogencycle.ht...
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycl...
Your tank is not cycled yet, the process just begins, but if you want to do cycling with fish in it that is fine too, as long as you watch your temperature, Ph levels, Nitrat levels, Nitrit levels and your ammonia levels.
You have to test it every day especially for nitrit and ammonia, because these 2 are the most 2 dangerous for your fish
Hope that helps
Good luck
EB
Cycling takes 24 hours. So YES.
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