# New Tank Set Up - Mbuna. CYCLING QUESTION



## Saxsan (Jul 16, 2009)

I am not new to the hobby...just new to Cichlids. I have had a salwater reef tank for 7 years and decided to cross over.

I have just set up a 90 gal tank with the intention to set up a Mbuna Tank. In the set up I have used a 50/50 mix of crused coral and live sand from my established reef tank mixed with black Tahitian Moon Sand.

I understand that the sand and coral from my previous tank will boost the neccessary bacteria I need and help with PH. In fact my PH is already @ 8.0.

I am unsure what to do next. If my Amonia and Nitite = 0 am I good to add fish? Can Icompletely stock my tank? I understand that with Cichlids it is sometimes beneficial to do that due to agression. Do I need to jump into a "Fishless" Cyclying technique and add household ammonia at this point to ensure I can handle the load?

I would really appreciate some step by step guidance on how to proceed. I am 5 days in at this point and want to do it right. I have wasted alot of time and money in the past trying to rush this hobby!

Thanks in advance!


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

when u say live to mean still in fact living? Id also be weary about using substrate from a reef tank in geberal.....also if u need more help on the cycling process take a look in the library section it explains the whole thing very well.....also i think fishless cycling is the way to go IMO.


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## Bwell79 (Jul 12, 2009)

You propably need to cycle the tank. How long has your fresh water tank been running with nothing in it? Some recommend a fishless cycle but i have had much better results using fish to cycle my tanks. I have a 100g tank I am cycling with 8 mbuna right now. Its been about 12 days and my ammonia has spiked and now is negligable. my nitrites are still spiking and Nitrates are also spiking. I predecit my water will be ready for 8- 10 more fish in about 5 days. I havent used any media from other tanks. This is straight from the tap + conditioner and fish.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

Bwell79 said:


> You propably need to cycle the tank. How long has your fresh water tank been running with nothing in it? Some recommend a fishless cycle but i have had much better results using fish to cycle my tanks. I have a 100g tank I am cycling with 8 mbuna right now. Its been about 12 days and my ammonia has spiked and now is negligable. my nitrites are still spiking and Nitrates are also spiking. I predecit my water will be ready for 8- 10 more fish in about 5 days. I havent used any media from other tanks. This is straight from the tap + conditioner and fish.


i dont like the way you put this at all im sorry....the point of cycling with fish is to use cheap fish that are not going to be housed in the tank....these spikes ure experiencing will have lasting effects on ure Mbuna N2M its takes around a month to cycle a tank properly and ure talking of adding 5-10 more fish after 17 days when ure water parameters havent even reached a stable level...IMO this is foolish and should not be done by the OP.


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

> I understand that the sand and coral from my previous tank will boost the neccessary bacteria I need


Actually the vast majority of the beneficial bacteria is contained within the filter media and other places typically contain a negligible amount.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> Do I need to jump into a "Fishless" Cyclying technique and add household ammonia at this point to ensure I can handle the load?


Yes, do a fishless cycle.

Find some ammonia which contains no perfumes, surfactants, etc. Ace hardware or Walmart seem to be common sources.

Add enough to bring the ammonia level up to 2-3ppm. Try starting with 1 drop per gallon and test after 20 minutes. Work out the number of drops needed from there.

Test each day about the same time. If ammonia has dropped, add enough to bring it back up to 2-3ppm.

Once ammonia drops you should now see nitrites rising. You can stop testing ammonia (but keep adding it daily) and start testing nitrites daily.

When nitrites (and ammonia, of course) are at 0 24 hours after adding the ammonia, tank is cycled.

Add the last dose of ammonia about 48 hours before adding fish.

You can add the full load of fish with a tank cycled to 2-3ppm.

After cycled, test for nitrates. They will be high. Do a series of small water changes to reduce them to 20ppm or below. Avoid a massive water change because I've seen it cause nitrite spikes in a newly cycled tank.

Don't bother testing for nitrates until nitrites are 0. The test results won't be vaild and only confuse.

Total time for an unseeded tank is usually 4-6 weeks. The time waiting for nitrite to drop is usually the longest and some start to think the cycled is 'stalled'. It's not, be patient, it'll happen.

Seeding with media, etc can dramatically reduce cycling time, but depending on the media results can vary. If you can get some filter media from a *fresh water *tank that you know is free of disease, that'd help.



> I understand that the sand and coral from my previous tank will boost the neccessary bacteria


Actually, anything from a salt water tank won't help at all from what I've read. Different bacteria involved. I also would have rinsed the 'live sand' before using to remove any organisms that will just die off in a fresh water tank. No long term harm if you haven't, just stir the sand and realize that it may add to the ammonia levels in the tank for a while. I"d be tempted to vacuum it out and rinse it myself since you've really only begun the process of setup.

HTH and post back if you have any more questions. Fishless cycling is really very easy and very reliable and very good for the fish. :thumb: It is true that even though fish may survive ammonia spikes, damage may be done that affects long term health.


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## Saxsan (Jul 16, 2009)

Thanks prov 356. this is what i needed. I did rinse the sand very well before I set up the freshwater tank. Like i said, I am about 5 days in with no fish in the tank. I will start adding ammonia per your instruction now. If anyone else has any suggestions, please share.


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

:thumb: to the fishless cycle...did mine in 18 days then added my entire stocklist at once with no spikes


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