[fishyfishy86]

I'm a 25 year old unemployed chick from the city that had the massive earthquakes, Christchurch. Don't know whether it was publicized overseas. Anyway I enjoy volunteer work, fish and watching the crime channel.

[Jakiebabie]

Welcome from Ontario Canada FishyFishy86!! I have a 25 year old daughter born in 86! Name makes sense to me!!
What kind of fish do you keep?

[fishyfishy86]

Hey again. Thanks for replying to my message. I have four tanks. The first has platy's, the second has mollies and platys (I like platys), the third has harlequins, golden and rocket pencils and the fourth has emerald eye rasbora, What do you have? Just a question, how do you start a new thread on here?

[Jakiebabie]

I have a 75 gallon with Rainbowfish and Congo Tetras, Mollies, Swordtails. And one pearl Gourami... oh ya and a bunch of Cory's.

you click on the top left logo for TFK.com which takes you to all the topics. Scroll down, drill down into the topic of your choosing... and then there should be a tab sort of top left for "new thread". Click and type. Then preview and post.
Hope that helps.

[Byron]

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum. Glad to have you join us.

Byron.

[fishyfishy86]

Thanks, good to join you:)

[fishyfishy86]

I didn't know about cycling before I put my fish in the tank. They are dying off because of the high ammonia so I'm selling them off. How do I cycle once they are gone? I am new to this!

[Romad]

Hello FF86 and welcome to TFK

Do you have a good liquid test kit to test your water (like API)? The only way to keep ammonia in check at this point in time is to do large water changes until it comes down. Live plants would help the process as well.

[fishyfishy86]

So shall I leave the same water in or change it all once the fish are gone? I do have an api kit.

[Byron]

If ammonia or nitrite test above zero with fish in the tank, do a 50% water change. Use a water conditioner, one that detoxifies ammonia and nitrite is advisable during the initial period. Not all do this; Prime and Ultimate do. They are effective for 36-48 hours, and ammonia and nitrite will still show with the API test even though they are non-toxic during that period. But if they continue into the second day following the water change, do another 50% change, and so on.

Live plants are the best and safest way to "cycle" a new tank. With enough fast-growing plants, they will handle the ammonia and there will be no discernable cycle and thus no harm to the fish. Even some stem plants floating will achieve this.

Here is an article written by one of our members on cycling that will give some background:
A Beginner's Guide to the Freshwater Aquarium Cycle

The fishless cycling is mentioned in that article; it works, but rather than fuss with that I use live plants.

Byron.