Why cycle?

[TheCat]

4 years ago after much thought but not enough research, I decided to purchase an aquarium. I had decided that I wanted convicts because I thoroughly enjoyed watching those a friend had. I had read somewhere that a smaller tank is more difficult to keep stable therefore I decided a larger tank was the way to go.

Thus, I purchased my 50G, Whisper filter, heater, gravel, air pump, bubble wand, air stone, and a really cool rock. I was told that I needed to run the tank for 24 hours before I put any fish in it. We agreed that they would hold 9 half-inch convicts for me so that I could pick them up the next weekend. Therefore, my tank actually ran a week without fish in it but no additive either.

When I picked up the convicts, I asked if it was okay to put all 9 in the tank and was told it was since not all of them would survive anyway. Not knowing any better, I assumed that this was basically natural selection. No one told me it was because they would put too much load on the filtration system and that they would be damaged by the toxicity of high ammonia levels.

Anyway, I got home, floated the babies to acclimate them to the water temp, and then released them into the tank. I was fun watching them explore and enjoy all the room they had in the tank. Later I fed them and went to sleep. I wake up next morning excited to see how the fishies are doing and the water is cloudy. I go to the fish store where I purchased everything and asked what to do about cloudy water. One person told me to get a clarifier another took me aside and said it depends on why it is cloudy. “How is the tank’s ammonia level?” First time I heard of it. Found out I need to test the ammonia levels. So purchased an ammonia test kit – not a dip stick)

When I tested the water, I found that yup, the ammonia level was up there. Did a water change first 50%, then filled it up, then 30%, filled it back up, then 50% again. Tested the water, 0 ammonia water is clear. Go to bed. Water almost looks foggy when I get up. Okay test the ammonia yup up there again. Change the water same way again. Test the water 0 ammonia. Go to bed this time by the time I get up, the water is milky. At this point, I start searching online for help. Found a forum where some people just commented on my ineffectiveness and how I would be lucky if none of the fish died and not to expect any that lived to last long. One person was kind enough to pm me and helped me out a great deal. Told me to try not changing the water that much, get ammonia neutralizer to allow the bacteria that would take care of the ammonia to grow and then to watch out because once there was no more ammonia I should expect a nitrite spike. Additionally, it was through this person that I learned that I needed to neutralize the chlorine in the water – first I heard of it.

It took almost three months to cycle this way and I managed to save all 9 convicts. I kept 4 pinks and 1 pair, giving three away to a friend. At this time, I told my husband that we couldn’t keep all of them in the same tank because I wanted to get a severum and a parrot. Therefore, he purchased another tank, 40G tall. I cycled this one with “Cycle” and it went much smoother than my first. Having learned much from my first experience, I eased the pinks in there one by one with about a week in between monitoring the water parameters until they were optimal before I put in another one.

I eventually gave away all but the 4 pinks and it wasn’t until this year that they started to go, one at a time. I cried over each one knowing that it was my fault that they didn’t live long healthy lives.

I hope this answers anyone that asks, “Why cycle?”

[Mgamer20o0]

keep trying to explain to people its far less stressful to cycle a tank with out fish in it. doing it by adding ammonia speeds it up less stress on you and i never had one fish die because of it.

[TheCat]

I'll never do a cycle with fish in it again. I value their little lives too much to consider any fish disposable.

[RobertW]

on my next tank i will do a fishless cycle...

dont feel to bad Cat... at least you did the best you could with the knowledge you had...

[chinnp]

The good thing is that once you have one tank cycled you never have to cycle another tank again. (At least not in any sort of drawn out way.) New tanks can be seeded from old tanks and if the fish load is light to begin with there will be no spike at all. A better way (which I do) is to run a new filter in a cycled tank for a few weeks or a month or so and you've got a cycled filter to begin with.

[Lady G]

Hey, Cat...do not feel bad or be to hard on yourself there, many of us have been there!! My first tank was a complete disaster!! I knew nothing, my Aunt gave my son a 29g tank...my Mom took him fish shopping...needless to say they came home with a rainbow shark, 2 Bala sharks, 2 columbian sharks, a powder blue gourami, a sunset(?) gourami, and a irridesent shark...they were told they would all do fine in the 29g tank together. At the time, as I said I knew nothing and went by what my Mom said they told her, none would get any bigger then 4-5". Talk about a surprise when I found out exactly what we had!!

The columbians started getting this weird stuff on them, that is when I found AC...the LFS would NOT take them back, was told again they were all fine in that tank....needles to say I lost them. I got a 55g, Found a home for the irridesent, a friend of a friend with a pond...still have the rainbow and had the balas until last years power outage from the snow storms, and the gourami's started fighting and killed each other. So that is my lesson learned and talk about feeling like crap for not learning first!!!!

[Rbishop]

A very good testimonial!

[PuppyFluffer]

yep, the lesson is hard. i Just set up my first tank and lost 4 neons. I was told by the employee at the LFS that I could add Bio-Spira and fish the same day and all would be well. WRONG! I had done some reading about the nitrogen cycle and knew a little about it. I made it perfectly clear that I was patient and didn't wish to kill any fish and that if I had to wait a month for fish, that was fine. I never should have listened to him! I've had high ammonia and nitrite and have been changing water like crazy. There is still a dwarf frog in there that I hope to save!

Thanks for the message.

[leighasnana]

Even with an established tank it's survival of the fittest when it comes to fish. The quality of the fish which are imported just isn't that great. They need optimal conditions to survive the transition to our tanks. Put them into an uncycled tank and you have a double whammy. Everything I've learned about my fish I learned the hard way. What I've learned is that there's no such thing as a perfect tank and that the people who have an easy going approach to the whole thing are the ones who are most successful at it. It's sad to see people quit out of frustration because of the bad advice they got from the store or from attacks on fish boards making people feel stupid and filled with guilt. Most of us do the best we can for our fish with the knowledge we have and realize that we'll always be learning.

[Star_Rider]

now that you have a cycled , established tank.. yo won't have to go thru a cycle again.
you now have a source of live bacteria with which to seed the new tanks you get.

every week or so I rinse sponges in old tank water, basically tossing live bacteria. ;)
I cycled my marine reef tank with uncured live rock. in essence similar to cycling with ammonia.
it is much easier and much faster..all you need to do is monitor the cycle and add ammonia or change water accordingly.

[blasterman_]

Most of us do the best we can for our fish with the knowledge we have and realize that we'll always be learning.

The nitrogen cycle is one of the most basic concepts of biology, and among the easiest of all natural processes to maintain with stability in a consumer fish tank. It's the *lack* of common sense and a consumer addiction to 'gadgetry' and chemical warfare that causes problems. Gravel, fish and water current are the only things required for keeping a stable biological filter for the life of the tank. We've learned this lesson the hard way in reef tanks.

There are three basic ways to cycle an aquarium; (1) dump straight ammonia in it as an initiator, (2) use substrate or filter media from an established tank or bed, or (3) use 'junk' fish that are hardy enough to not be bothered by the cycle.

I've used all three methods, and while all three work with common sense, a combination of #2 and #3 might be the easiest and most stable for the beginner to do. For new fresh tanks I prefer tinfoil barbs to start the tank cycle because they're cheap, eat anything, produce huge ammounts of waste and ammonia to seed bacteria, don't tend to carry parasites like ick, and aren't bothered by the ammo cycle given they can practically live in raw sewage and thrive. After about month and a half I take the tinfoils back to the fish store and get my real fish and consider the tank 'cycled'.

Zebra danios are another option.

[Cory Keeper]

The nitrogen cycle is one of the most basic concepts of biology, and among the easiest of all natural processes to maintain with stability in a consumer fish tank. It's the *lack* of common sense and a consumer addiction to 'gadgetry' and chemical warfare that causes problems. Gravel, fish and water current are the only things required for keeping a stable biological filter for the life of the tank. We've learned this lesson the hard way in reef tanks.

There are three basic ways to cycle an aquarium; (1) dump straight ammonia in it as an initiator, (2) use substrate or filter media from an established tank or bed, or (3) use 'junk' fish that are hardy enough to not be bothered by the cycle.

I've used all three methods, and while all three work with common sense, a combination of #2 and #3 might be the easiest and most stable for the beginner to do. For new fresh tanks I prefer tinfoil barbs to start the tank cycle because they're cheap, eat anything, produce huge ammounts of waste and ammonia to seed bacteria, don't tend to carry parasites like ick, and aren't bothered by the ammo cycle given they can practically live in raw sewage and thrive. After about month and a half I take the tinfoils back to the fish store and get my real fish and consider the tank 'cycled'.

Zebra danios are another option.


Shall we go through this again. This is a FW setup, not a reef, stop trying to make SW ecology apply to a FW tank, it doesn't work. When you refer to 'gadgetry' I'm assuming you mean the filter, to which most will agree is the most important aspect to a FW tank.

Also, a fishy cycle borders on cruel, and if exposed to that enough, will die. I'm surprised the LFS lets you take them back at all. And a fishless cycle is no more difficult, if not less stressful. Add a source of ammonia, (dead plants, shrimp, fish food or pure ammonia) monitor levels, once cycled start adding fish. All done, no problem. Yes you are looking at a bare tank for a little while, but alot less stressful on you and your fish.

[wataugachicken]

There are three basic ways to cycle an aquarium; (1) dump straight ammonia in it as an initiator, (2) use substrate or filter media from an established tank or bed, or (3) use 'junk' fish that are hardy enough to not be bothered by the cycle.

I've used all three methods, and while all three work with common sense, a combination of #2 and #3 might be the easiest and most stable for the beginner to do. For new fresh tanks I prefer tinfoil barbs to start the tank cycle because they're cheap, eat anything, produce huge ammounts of waste and ammonia to seed bacteria, don't tend to carry parasites like ick, and aren't bothered by the ammo cycle given they can practically live in raw sewage and thrive. After about month and a half I take the tinfoils back to the fish store and get my real fish and consider the tank 'cycled'.

Zebra danios are another option.

I feel really bad for the person who sees tinfoil barbs as real fish, unknowingly buys all those wonderfully damaged ones you just returned, and wonders what they did wrong when their barbs die an early death because of all the toxins you exposed them to earlier on. doesn't that make you feel a little ashamed? it's kinda like buying something, breaking it a little, and then returning it to the store without telling anyone it's broken. would you do the same thing with a microwave or a tv?

as far as calling any kind of fish a "junk fish", maybe you've forgotten which forum you're posting to. at this one, we tend to respect all fish, from guppies to jags to little zebra danios.

[Rbishop]

The nitrogen cycle is one of the most basic concepts of biology, and among the easiest of all natural processes to maintain with stability in a consumer fish tank. It's the *lack* of common sense and a consumer addiction to 'gadgetry' and chemical warfare that causes problems. Gravel, fish and water current are the only things required for keeping a stable biological filter for the life of the tank. We've learned this lesson the hard way in reef tanks.

There are three basic ways to cycle an aquarium; (1) dump straight ammonia in it as an initiator, (2) use substrate or filter media from an established tank or bed, or (3) use 'junk' fish that are hardy enough to not be bothered by the cycle.

I've used all three methods, and while all three work with common sense, a combination of #2 and #3 might be the easiest and most stable for the beginner to do. For new fresh tanks I prefer tinfoil barbs to start the tank cycle because they're cheap, eat anything, produce huge ammounts of waste and ammonia to seed bacteria, don't tend to carry parasites like ick, and aren't bothered by the ammo cycle given they can practically live in raw sewage and thrive. After about month and a half I take the tinfoils back to the fish store and get my real fish and consider the tank 'cycled'.

Zebra danios are another option.

I seriously hope no pays any attention to your, "advice".

I do not consider any fish "junk" and would never try to help newbies out with the insinuation that they are, and that some fish are expendable.

I also take exception to your statement of "lack of common sense" description of fish keepers, especially newbies. They may have been ill informed or mis-informed, but please do not insult them with the label of no common sense. It is extremely insulting, to them, to me as a Mod here, and it should be to you.

Thanks.

[baybgrl81]

The nitrogen cycle is one of the most basic concepts of biology, and among the easiest of all natural processes to maintain with stability in a consumer fish tank. It's the *lack* of common sense and a consumer addiction to 'gadgetry' and chemical warfare that causes problems. Gravel, fish and water current are the only things required for keeping a stable biological filter for the life of the tank. We've learned this lesson the hard way in reef tanks.

There are three basic ways to cycle an aquarium; (1) dump straight ammonia in it as an initiator, (2) use substrate or filter media from an established tank or bed, or (3) use 'junk' fish that are hardy enough to not be bothered by the cycle.

I've used all three methods, and while all three work with common sense, a combination of #2 and #3 might be the easiest and most stable for the beginner to do. For new fresh tanks I prefer tinfoil barbs to start the tank cycle because they're cheap, eat anything, produce huge ammounts of waste and ammonia to seed bacteria, don't tend to carry parasites like ick, and aren't bothered by the ammo cycle given they can practically live in raw sewage and thrive. After about month and a half I take the tinfoils back to the fish store and get my real fish and consider the tank 'cycled'.

Zebra danios are another option.Junk fish? can we throw you in a tank for the cycle? Decomposing human remains tend to let off ammonia

[wataugachicken]

Junk fish? can we throw you in a tank for the cycle? Decomposing human remains tend to let off ammonia

ooh. . . . ibtl.

[StereoKills]

For new fresh tanks I prefer tinfoil barbs to start the tank cycle because they're cheap, eat anything, produce huge ammounts of waste and ammonia to seed bacteria, don't tend to carry parasites like ick, and aren't bothered by the ammo cycle given they can practically live in raw sewage and thrive.

I'm sure they can handle the cycle better then other fish, but "not bothered" and "thriving in raw sewage" i seriously doubt.

[kimmisc]

Why make living creatures suffer when there are so many other things you can toss in for an ammonia source? Wouldn't a cocktail shrimp from the grocery store provide ammonia with just as much ease as so called "junk" fish? :( Knowlingly putting living fish through ammonia and nitrite spikes, and watching them die one by one without trying to do frequent pwc's to keep the levels down is just plain heartless and abusive. I don't care what kind of fish it is or if it might manage to survive the cycle.