fishless cycle

I just finished cycling my 40 gal tank using pure amonina and I now have my amonina and nitrite readings down to 0. Now I am suppose to do a major water change, so how many gal of water should I be taking out of the aquarium,and when replacing the water do I add the tap water conditioner(to rid the chlorine) to the aquarium before I put the water back in the aquarium. I am new to this, so please bear with me.

you can either add the water conditioner before or after you put the water in the tank. If you add the conditioner before you pour the water in the tank you only need to use the amount for the water you are adding to the tank. If you add the water into the tank and then add the contitioner you need to treat the whole 40 gallon tank. I usually add the conditioner before I put the water into the tank.

I also dont typicly like to do more than 20% water changes. others might have there own opinion on that. the main think is to watch your water quallity

Welcome to our forum.

Just to be safe, you could do a 20 percent water change then check for ammonia in a couple of days before adding fish. If the tank is not fully cycled, you could still get ammonia spikes. Live plants can sometimes be a challenge, but they are also quite a benefit when it comes to cycling a tank and maintaining a balance between beneficial bacteria and waste materials. In two aquariums i set up last summer, i started by adding hornwort and other live plants and got zero ammonia readings from day one.

You need to treat tap water to at least remove the chlorine. A good water conditioner like Stress Coat or Amquel+ will treat more than just chlorine. While you're waiting to do that ammonia test, you may want to Google the names of fish you plan on buying for the aquarium. It's important to learn about their behavior, water parameter requirements, adult size, food needs, compatability, etc. It's also a good idea to start with an UNDER-populated aquarium and fish that are easy to keep. Over feeding and over crowding are two of the most common mistakes made by people who are new to aquarium keeping.

Good luck on your new adventure. Please keep us posted, and feel free to ask more questions.

Thanks everybody, I think I will do a 25% water change and add the Stress Coat to the Aquarium before adding the new water. I do have live plants in the Aquarium now, but I didn't put in any hornwort. I only plan on starting out putting in 3-4 fish to start out with and then add every couple of weeks. I am checking on the internet as far as compatability, Ph & temp. So far, the fish I plan on adding til complete are as follows: Bloodfin Tetra(6 or more)
CherryBarb(6 or more)
Dwarf Gourami(1, 2 at the most)
Platy(1 male-2Female)
From what I have read I should figure on 1" of fish for every gal. of water, and figure the fish at their max. size, is this
correct? What other fish would you all suggest and what about algae eaters or possibley shrimp? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I want to set up this Aquarium right. My granddaughter who lives in CT will be visiting us here in Myrtle Beach this summer and she is all excited about seeing the aquarium setup when she gets here. Thanks in advance for all the information you have provided me so far. I will keep everybody posted as to how everything is progressing.

Cory cats get along well with most other species, and they're fun to watch. The one inch per gallon thing is just a general rule and does not apply to all situations. For example, some fish get territorial and aggressive when they mature, and no aquarium is big enough for more than one pair. Angelfish are a good illustration of that. For some reason, live bearing fish don't seem to do well in an aquarium full of egg layers. It may be good to purchase the catfish and forget about the platties. Not everybody will agree with that opinion, so it's up to you. All the rest of the fish you picked seem to be good choices, but I don't have experience with blood fin tetras; some of the larger tetras can be fin nippers and can torment fish like gouramis.

PS: On the subject of dumb suggestions, white cloud mountain minnows could be a good replacement for the tetras if you have any doubts. The white clouds are small, colorful, peaceful and cheap, and a dozen will make a nice shoal. Also, many fish stores sell only the male dwarf gouramis, because the females are not very colorful. It seems like a pair would be better for the fish.

Welcome to the forum!

I have to add that Bristlenose plecos are my favorite!

I need to add something here...

This is something that is a need to know for new aquarium enthusiasts...

I understand that you only want to add 3-4 fish at first... Most likely... you'll go to the fish store and end up with more... LOL!!

But that being said. A lot of fish at the local fish store are under a LOT of stress. You have to figure that the fish were either raised by an individual, caught in the wild, or (most likely) raised in a fish farm. So they had to make the trip from where they were... in their happy environment, to the fish store (STRESS) They're now there, going into different tanks... that are not the same as their happy environment (STRESS) So most likely these are quarantine tanks (At any pet store that cares about their fish and customers) So in a week or so... they're going to be renetted... (STRESS) and moved to the sales floor in another aquarium that is probably different than the one it was in (STRESS) So now they're trying to get over this 3rd move, and along you come and go "AWWW Cute little fishy! Come home with me!" So they get netted again (STRESS) and you make the trip to the house (STRESS) and you acclimate them the best you can and put them in their "forever" home - different than any of the other 4 places they're been in the last month... (STRESS)

So stressed fish are more likely to die. Or pick up disease. Please... do yourself a favor and quarantine your fish before you put them in your tank. I know it's another (stress) but if you're planning on adding a few fish every couple of weeks... you are going to need to quarantine... So that you don't loose the happy fish that are now used to your aquarium...

Good Luck! And no (STRESS) to you!

Adding to what Angela said, I always recommend using the drip acclimation method for introducing fish to their new habitat. It's easy, it greatly reduces stress, and it's discussed in the tips and tricks section. Good luck.