[justinl]

bv_reefer, seriously i think that, for everyone's sake, you really ought to just stop posting for a while. read other people's posts and figure out what is and isnt correct. please.

oh and to clear things up, if anything, ammonia spikes and nitrate rises... basically any chemical swings... will be more severe in tanks with less volume. think of the volume as a sort of buffer... it will take more time to contaminate/change to a significant level than it would in a larger tank.

fin, i assume you are just starting out? if so then i suggest you reconsider your stocking choices. Fu manchu lions are suited only for the most experienced at getting finicky fish to eat... they do not do well in captivity. fuzzies are a bit more forgiving but i still wouldnt suggest them to a beginner unless you are able to find a healthy one that is already trained to eat frozen food.

my advice would be to just let the tank sit fishless for a week or two... just to let things settle out. other than that, the already cured rock should be able to handle a single fish by then... only add single fish at a time though, especially in such a small tank. oh and fyi, when a tank cycles and matures, it refers to the rock and sand which has bacteria living on it to deal with ammonia. whether the water is newly mixed or aged in a tank, has nothing to do with cycling... if anything, it's worse since it will have the old tank's waste in it... i do hope you didnt BUY that.