It has been years since i first set a new tank up and cannot remember how long to filter the tank before the fish go in. We have city water in Davie , so do i need to dechlorineate it and what other test do i need to do.

Thank you
gypsyfla

What you need to research just so you know more about it, is called tank cycling process. This process can take 8 to 10 weeks, and there are several ways to do it.

1. Get a couple of hardy fish leapard danios or blood fin tetras, something inexpensive, there a very good chance that some will die. add 3 or 4 to the tank and feed them and maintain them as ususal, except don't replace any filter media or gravel vac the whole tnak at one time, I like to divivd the tanks footprint (bottom ot the tank) into four sections and only vacume one section each week and rotate it weekly. What your doing is creating a biocolony in the gravel that converts ammonina into nitrates and nitries. These are the things you want to test for.and when they get to dangerous levels (.20) do a water change. After 2 months you will or so, your tank will be cycled to start adding fish to the tank that you want to house slowly. There are no real ways speed up the process but what you can do is add a bio-colony to the tank. I fyou can get some dirty gravel or filter floss and use that it has a god amount of biocolony in them to seed the tank. Also live plants have an establish biocolony arounf there root bulb so adding them will help and there are also products you can buy that claim to make a biocolny in a few days, imo that is bunk becuase this is a thing that happens over time. what your doing is make the water safer for the fish instantly.

2. is call a fishless cycle process which you use pure ammonia instead of a live fish.

If you haven't yet invest in a liquid testing kit, it seems costly now but with the number of test you can do per area of intersest over time it saves money. Also, they are very accurate, unlike the test strips that are effected my the humity in the air.

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida
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I couldn't have said it better myself. No, really, I couldn't....

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Thank you . I will get what you say , And Thank you again

just wondering?? what you you setting the tank up with?? what filter are you using?? you can cut the time in half or better by using the following.......

you can speed the process up by a LOT by using an aged sponge filter in your new tank.

or if you are using an undergravel filter, take some (a cup or more) gravel from one of your other tanks to add to the new one.

another way to speed things up is to use plants in the new tank. plants are always good to use in new tanks.

also put the tank light on like you would normally (8-10+ hours a day), lighting helps out a lot in building up good benificial, algae

good luck with your tank

ron

I recieved with the tank a Marineland Multi Stage Canister filter and also a Whisper Power filter.

I was wondering if i put these in my tanks that are cycled will it help the new tank i am planning on setting up?? It is a 90 gal.