First Aquarium
 

I just got my first aquarium. While I had one as a kid my dad always took care of it. I have a 29 gallon and I got it all hooked up for the cycling to start. I rinsed the gravel and put it in as well. I haven't added any plants and such yet. I noticed that air bubbles are gathering at where I can assume was the water lines when that was added. Will these go away or do I need to clean it myself. Also I am trying to figure out a good starting fish to help with the cycle in a couple days.

Thanks

Kevin

guppys platys mollies swordtails silver dollars cory cats gourami's tetras things like that

Regardless of which fish you put in there, it is going to take much longer than a few days to cycle your tank. I would count on at least 3 weeks to completely cycle your tank. And as far as fish go I would recommended zebra danios. They are cheap and hardy.

Thanks for the imput. Do you mean to cycle it empty for 3 weeks before adding any fish? or just before I add more then a couple?

My humble opinions & advice...
 

There is the fishless cycle you can do with fish food or similar, which in my opinion takes longer, but it also doesnt put a fish through the harmful cycle. Everyone has their own opinion on why they think one way is better than another.

I have always used fish to cycle my tanks. And if you choose to cycle your tank WITH fish, then you should start by deciding what type of fish you ultimately want to keep. Then decide which of those types of fish are the hardiest. Use the hardiest fish to put in the tank for the cycling process (I would say 2-3 fish). Test your water on a regular basis, and do partial water changes during the cycle so that ammonia and such wont build up and kill the fish.

Not sure what you are looking to keep in your tank, but I can tell you that some of the hardiest fish that normally survive a cycle are most cichlids (not recommended for your tank size), guppies (Mine have survived a tank cycle and a small outbreak of ich all within 2 months), mollies and platies are pretty hardy too. A lot of tetras are hardy, but most have nipping issues which is controlable by groups but could also limit future fish choices (like guppies, gouramis, and anything with long fins or flashy tails). Brilliant Rasboras are pretty dang hardy if you ask me. Danios are hardy.

I personally would NOT cycle the tank with gourami or cory, as both can be sensitive to water parameters.

So when picking a fish out to cycle the tank, there is a chance it will die, but there is also a chance it will outlive every fish you ever put in there, so unless you plan on re-homing it, make sure it is a fish you would enjoy having in your tank, but not a fish that you would consider your favorite fish because you will only be heartbroken if it dies during cycling.

And it will take about 3 weeks (or more) to fully cycle a tank, in which to cycle you have to have fish or fish food or something that produces the right bio to make a tank cycle. I also recommend a quality filter.

As for the bubbles, those are fine, and they will eventually go away once the tank calms down and water begins to settle...they wont hurt anything.

Hope this helps, and welcome to TFK!!!

Thanks. That is a really helpful post. I ultimately don't know what I want in the tank as there are so many choices. I spent about 2 months reading about them and learning about the first cycle but I'm always looking for more information. I'm trying to build the right ecosystem and am willing to take my time to get there. I don't even have decorations. The filter came with the tank it's a 3 stage filter that just rests on the side.. I figure it will work well enough in the beginning and then I can upgrade(I didn't expect it to be top of the line since it came with the kit). I'll probably buy a UGF on saturday when I get the plants and such. As for the bubbles. I noticed when I got home today that half of them had gone away so I figured that was normal. I haven't read about using food for the cycle. You just add it in?
Thanks for the help

Kevin

http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/f...m-cycle-38617/
That will answer all your questions. Good Luck!

Thanks. I appreciate it!

Your welcome! But thank the writer not me :)

Thanks for the link to the writer :-D.