From: jimh@ultra.com (Jim Hurley)
Subject: Re: New Tank Setup
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 92 16:45:48 GMT

In <9839@bgsuvax.bgsu.edu> graue@bgsu.edu (Louis Graue) writes:

>I just purchased a 50 gal tank and wondered if anyone can explain what is 
>this cycling in stuff.  I have the impression that all the fish I put
>in it for the first several months  will die.  So far I have added 3 very

There's absolutely no reason why they should die unless they were
already extremely stressed when you bought them. Quite often a fish
might die within the first week of purchase, but if they are
handled well at the start and treated properly after that, they will
live a normal life.

It sounds as if your fish started out OK - now it's up to you
to find out how to treat them well.

>small swordtails and a couple of danios.  They seem happy and active.

These are good starter fish, very hardy. You have enough fish now
to get the tank started, but don't add any more until the tank cycles.

>How long do I have to wait for the bad stuff to happen?  I have an UGF and
                                    ^^^ (it's good stuff)

It starts as soon as you add fish. You have two wait for two colonies
of bacteria to get established. The first breaks down ammonia products
into nitrites. This takes a few weeks to build up. Then a second
set of bacteria start to grow that reduces nitrites into low-toxicity
nitrates. That also takes a few weeks. The total cycle is from 5 to
7 weeks or so. You can introduce other fish after that if you're
careful. You need to periodically change water to remove (dilute) the nitrates
and other by products.

>a couple of Whisper 2 power filters.  I have not treated the water which
>came through the tap from the water softner.  It is water from a well.

>I am anxious  to get some more fish to add  but what I have read seems to
>say that I should wait for from  a week to as much as 6 months.  

6 months is sufficient to form a well-established aquarium with all
sorts of microbiology, but 2 months is enough to get the main critters
working for you.

With that size tank, you must be moderately interested in the subject
and you owe it to yourself and your fish to get some good starter
books. Most fish stores have a rack of small books on fish care.
Ask the store owner (who may be the only one there who really knows a lot
about fish) for some recommendations. The FAQ from this group
might have some mentioned.

You will probably find it interesting to watch the levels of by products
during this period. If you buy a cheap ammonia and nitrite test kit,
it will give you some idea of when to change the water during this time.
Often a store will test it for you, but you might want to test frequently.

Well water may or may not be good (the same could be said for
any tap water) - you could get an idea of it's quality and the
kind of fish that would like those water conditions with a few
other test kits - pH and hardness, but these can wait until you
decide to get other fish.

Make sure your later fish purchases are compatible with you tank size,
tank occupants, and water chemistry. A good book on 
community tanks might help you select.
-- 
Jim Hurley --> jimh@ultra.com  ...!ames!ultra!jimh  (408) 922-0100
Ultra Network Technologies / 101 Daggett Drive / San Jose CA 95134