taking advice and downsizing from 180g tank. cycling new one.

[hillbillyamber]

I have decided to take advice and do away with the 180 gallon discus grow out idea! LOL;) ESP. after reading the sticky on planted tanks for grow out! So, I was given a 55 gallon and I seeded it with a sponge filter from my 180. About how long does it take to cycle? I was told a few days to a week? I do not have any test kits yet. So maybe I will take the water to LFS for testing. Any idea what the best tests are to purchase? I am hoping to start shopping for Discus.
So I have BB and sponge filter 2 pieces of small driftwood. Should I remove the driftwood? maybe add plastic plant? Or have a totally naked tank! LOL!
Its going to be interesting as we lost an angelfish the other day and my son cried and fell apart. I said to my husband, What am I going to do If I loose a discus? !?! We tried to prepare him that this may happen again, as these angels where new and it must have had an issue when we bought it as it acted funky from the first day we had it. Anyway, I want to make sure I do all I can to keep any discus I get perfectly healthy esp. as my son is saving his birthday money and wants me to use it towards Discus!

[ashtricks]

Even before you buy anything else, I would suggest you buy API freshwater test kit. (liquid tests)
Some people also use test strips. I prefer liquid tests.
About cycling time, it varies anywhere upto 3-4 weeks. I have seen numbers even more than that. If you use bacteria startups, the time is reduced quite a bit.
Decor: Easiest to clean if you have nothing in the tank. :D As long as the driftwood does not have sharp edges/points, you can keep it in. Discus will tend to spook quite a bit initially and dart around the tank like mad!
Don't worry about dying discus. As long as you do your homework, water changes, good food, water changes, no chemicals, water changes LOL.... they will do well. And ofcourse, getting the fish from a good source will reduce the chances of you ending up with a dead fish a lot!