set up for new grow out tank

hi im just wondering how long to leave my new grow out tank to cycle its getting run by 3 sponge filters it has bog wood and sand in it and water from breeding tank added to new dechlorinated water and bacteria from sponges of mature filters how long do you reckon i should leave it to run and should i fishless cycle it or add some livebearers to cycle it before i start to add my bristlenoses to grow out what do you reckon would be the best amount of time to leave it for before adding super red fry?ps i set it up only today.

hiya,

you sound like you have most things covered to me....

adding old media from other tanks I firmly believe can speed up the cycling process greatly.
then add the old water from the breeding tanks should enhance the cycling process.

with sand it sounds like my breeding set up, along with my filters too...

I probably shoot myself in the foot, since Doug, Moo, Curby and a few others can probably provide scientific data.

I never add fish of any sort for the one week in a new set up when using sand as it seems to take a while to settle, and this is quick compared to normal
any way, and I only do it with what you have explained, my main reason is for the beneficial bacteria to acquire its own base in the tank,
the other reason is for the heater and filter media to acclimatize to the new set up.

I ALWAYS PLAY SAFE RATHER THAN SORRY!

if the super reds are small I would add them to mine after a week, then leave them a further week before possibly adding two more.
though this could vary with surface area of bogwood and caves, as well as size of tank etc.

Most I have ever added I think is no more than 5 after about 17 days in total.

Needless to say it can go on experience and set up.

As remember most beginners do not know enough about cycling, but most of US - fish keeping aquarists here know you can aid the process
with some little hints and tips what carp man as mentioned here.

I will leave you know to ponder my advice for the better or worst,
before other more or less experienced members give their advice

thanks mate for that im only going to add fry of my super reds to grow on will probarly wait 10 days then add 5 and go from there thanks for your input its the first time ive specifically set up a grow out tank i usually leyt them grow with adults but i want to do more water changes in this tank to try and improve growth rate il keep you updated with future results thanks for that mate.

I did for get to mention in my speed of answer that alot of reliable sources would still use the fish ratio to size of tank / water in the tank.

Though as we are talking about fry fish, and successful breeders we may get some varied answers on this question.

I can not wait to read other answers...

That is why this web site is such a good resource

First question...how big is the grow out tank?

I always suggest the minimum size for a grow out tank should be 3ft (150ltrs). The reasons for this are two fold. Firstly, the larger volume of water will promote faster growth in the fry while allowing you to keep more fry growing at the same time. secondly, the volume of water will provide a buffer agains't any nasties.

I am assuming you have done a bit of reading up on grow out tanks, if not see here

http://www.bristlenoseworld.com/bristlenose-talk-f5/rearing-tanks-t1806.htm?highlight=rearing

good bit of discussion on them.

In terms of your question, how long to leave it. the answer can be simple or it can be a calculated guess. The simple answer is when the ammonia and nitrite in the water have reached 0ppm as with any cycling tank you want the ammonia levels to get to zero, then the nitrite levels to get to zero indicating that the cycle is complete.

Unfortuantly, this is not always possible, i.e. if you dont have the test kits. Judging by what you have done i would suggest that you would have plenty of good bacteria in there but they need time to settle down and start eating again. If there is no rush then I would leave it 2-3 weeks. this is porb overkill but as Wolverine said, better to be safe than sorry.

if it is urgent then i would give it a few more days then take some water to a local fish shop to test for you, chances are that if the bacteria were not to shaken up by the move then they will be feeding away fine, but you need to check it. also, check all the other parameters as well (pH, hardness, temp etc) last thing you want is to move the fry into a fullly cycled tank then have them go into shock because the water is so different.

good advice Doug,

thank you for helping Carp....

I have not been getting enough sleep so could be a little rusty on my advice right now...

I always make sure I use pre soaked bogwood as well (I pre soak all my bog wood for between 6-12 weeks, depending on how much they leach),
which I forgot to mention.... and my new fry seem to love cucumber after about 3weeks...

Exactly why I need to upgrade my tanks with increase in size, and why I try to be pro active in establishing fish keepers get minimum of 3ft or 4ft
if they wish to take up grow out and breeding

all the best to you all for the festive season too

Interesting. I went back to look at the old thread Doug mentioned, but don't want to be accused of reviving it so please can someone tell me what IBC is:

"Procull:"how about useing a IBC ? , i started useing several cut in half (gives me 500lts each) about a six months and cant believe the growth rates""

Another question. Is the fact that some of my 10 week fry are huge and some quite small by comparison any indicator of sex?

Its a giant water container June. Quite often in a metal cage. You can cut them in half to make two containers. useful in a fish house to cut down on expense

Stannyblade wrote:

Its a giant water container June. Quite often in a metal cage. You can cut them in half to make two containers. useful in a fish house to cut down on expense

I didn't know IBC's were still going... we used to use them years ago in a friends fish house to store standing water inside so we would
not have to waste money with dechlorinator, some others were used to hold fish prior to sale, other's we used to grow oxygenating plant inside

I forgot the full name for them it was so long ago... but Stanny as revived the name here now....

(stanny added a thankyou point for you mate)

good luck

lj