Setting up a new tank

Question
QUESTION: Hi Jaymie,
First of all thank you for your help with my betta, he seems fine and the tank is doing a mini cycle so I have some ammolock so he wont be harmed by the ammonia forming in the tank.

I am currently setting up a 13 gallon aquarium and I am getting new rocks for it tomorrow- the old rocks I had in it started to disintegrate! I am going to let it cycle until me levels are correct however in the mean time I was wondering if I could possibly add some other fish in there with him? I was thinking about 3 neon tetras but I am not sure if adding fish in with him would stress him out so I thought I would ask before considering it.

Thanks for the help

ANSWER: Alexander,
Not sure what a mini cycle is, but he should not be in the tank if it is going through any type of cycling. He is a Betta, therefore does not require a cycle. ammolock will not help him in any way if the tank is cycling. You can put tetras in the tank with him, just keep an eye that he nor the other fish are harassing each other.

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QUESTION: Thanks,

Where should I house him while my current tank is doing a mini cycle? (I went to an aquarium store and that is what they called it. The bacteria is building up again but I will only see a rise and drop in ammonia) The ammolock converts the ammonia into a non toxic form so it can be eliminated by the cycle without him being harmed and they gave that to me while the bacteria builds up, which should take no more than a week and a half.

Also, if I do get tetras for it, how much can I put in the tank with him? and would I have to put them in first? I hear that since they are active fish that they require a lot of space

Thanks

ANSWER: Alexander,
You can put him in another tank that does not have a filter until the other tank has cycled. As for the chemicals you are putting in the tank, they do nothing but add stuff that the fish do not need. If you add tetras you can put 5 of them with him. Put the tetras in first and let them swim around for a few days before you add the Betta. Just keep an eye on them because all fish are different and what works for some will not work for other.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks,
I have taken your advice with the tank. I checked my ammonia this morning to find out it had gone from 2ppm to 4ppm over night and I had to throw out my plants as they were falling apart. I took him out along with some water and did a full tank clean out, removed the rocks, gravel and only put new water and a large rock in for him. I have no gravel so I can manage the ammonia in it while my bigger tank cycles. I am taking this opportunity to keep the salt treatment going for his fins to heal up.
(It looks exactly like a quarantine tank!) I feel more confident managing it now.

Now that he is in the tank, how often should I be doing a water change? I called the people I got him from and their tank set up is the same- no gravel, and one floating plant, and they use ammonia converters and do weekly water changes and they have no ammonia problem. I have kept my filter running but with no bubbles, the water just flows in without disturbing the water.

Also, I am cycling my new tank and I have added some blood worms in a media bag to leach ammonia into it. I also have a product called stress zyme biological filtration booster which I use for three weeks to add bacteria and give it a kick start to developing bacteria. I used it in my 20L and it worked fine. I let the ammonia build up then added the instructed amount. It took 3 weeks for my tank to fully cycle (not including the 2 weeks of adding the ammonia from a prawn) and I left it for another week to settle down before I added the fish.
Is it ok to do the same thing with my new tank? I want to make sure my bacteria won't crash when I add the fish as it couldn't pick up again when I changed my filter media in the 20L

Answer
Alexander,
I am what you might call an organic fish keeper. I add no chemicals at anytime, including when I cycle a tank, for fish other than Betta's nor do I add anything because the ammonia is high. Adding too many chemicals into the tank can and will cause problems with the fish. Most people do not have the patience when it comes to tank cycling and start adding what you are adding. You state it took a total of 5 weeks to cycle adding chemicals. It takes 6 weeks to cycle with no chemicals. So you only saved 1 week by adding things that should never be added. You add the ammonia into a tank by "seeding" it. All you do is add fish food daily for about a week and the ammonia will set in as the food rots. To me, it does not make sense to ass straight ammonia. Adding the fish food is better and healthier for the fish going into the tank. I have 40+ adults Betta's and everyone stays healthy for the most part. When I see a problem, I add salt to the water, do daily water changes and they come back no problems. I know that people set their tanks up differently and do their cycles different but if you really think about it, would you rather have healthy fish without the chemicals, or unhealthy fish with them? I have explained to you the ONLY way I cycle, therefore I cannot advise you to add the chemicals to your tank.