Advice - Bad or Good?

[colinsk]

I have been given a lot of advice in the last few weeks. Some from reading on the net and some from the LFS. I want to make a list to see what others think.

The only way to cycle a tank is to add fish.

You should not change water for 6 weeks during cycling.

Dip strips are as good as titrations.

.5 ppm ammonia at pH 7.5 is OK for platies.

Biospira is the only cycling aid that ever worked.

To acclimate a fish before adding it to your water, dilute the fish store water with your tank water a little at a time over a few hours.

Only feed fish when ammonia levels are 0 during cycling.


I am cycling a 29 gallon tank with two platies. I tried to add a third twice but I have had no luck getting it to work.

Here is todays readings (Day 12) with dip strips:

Ammonia .5
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 10
Total Hardness 75 (much of this is magnesium hardness in my tap water)
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 120
pH 7.5

With titrations:

Ca++ 17 ppm
Mg++ 20 ppm
Na+ 16 ppm
Cl- 9 ppm
SO4-- 110

Thank you in advance for any comments.

 

[excuzzzeme]

I have been given a lot of advice in the last few weeks. Some from reading on the net and some from the LFS. I want to make a list to see what others think.

The only way to cycle a tank is to add fish. False - this is the most undesired method.

You should not change water for 6 weeks during cycling. You should do partial changes.

Dip strips are as good as titration. False

.5 ppm ammonia at pH 7.5 is OK for platies. ammonia in any amount will stress fish

Biospira is the only cycling aid that ever worked. Food or PURE Ammonia works best

To acclimate a fish before adding it to your water, dilute the fish store water with your tank water a little at a time over a few hours. TRUE

Only feed fish when ammonia levels are 0 during cycling. False


I am cycling a 29 gallon tank with two platies. I tried to add a third twice but I have had no luck getting it to work.

Here is todays readings (Day 12) with dip strips:

Ammonia .5
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 10
Total Hardness 75 (much of this is magnesium hardness in my tap water)
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 120
pH 7.5

With titrations:

Ca++ 17 ppm
Mg++ 20 ppm
Na+ 16 ppm
Cl- 9 ppm
SO4-- 110

Thank you in advance for any comments.

You sure were given bad advice from somewhere!.

 

[beblondie]

The only way to cycle a tank is to add fish.
Wrong all you need is an amonia source this can be with bottled amonia from the store often called fishless cycling

Biospira is the only cycling aid that ever worked.
Its the only bacteria in a bottle that works that i know of now called tetra brand safestart

To acclimate a fish before adding it to your water, dilute the fish store water with your tank water a little at a time over a few hours.
Yes this allows the new fish to adjust to your tanks water chemistry

 

[Zebulon]

Have you taken a nitrate reading at the tap? If it is low or zero at the tap, then it seems your cycle is almost finished.

The technique you have used is what we call "fishy" cycling and is considered by some to be sorta abusive towards the fish. The only way to make it kind is to seed heavily from established filter media, and do water changes as necessary to keep ammonia and nitrites super low, which actually prolongs the cycle but keeps fish from becoming stressed.

 

[chefjamesscott]

i have to disagree with the statement that the only way to cycle a tank is to add fish

personally ive set up more than a few tanks by making a fast cycle using existing media , substrate an decor from existing tanks also by squeezing the sponges from my other tanks into the new tanks water and then leave it for a few days and allow the filter to clear it up and then make sure that i do regular wc an tests an the tank is almost instantly cycled as well good use of conditioners and seachem prime to finish the fast track

 

[KarlTh]

I have to take issue with the business about mixing water from the tank. The only chemistry change a fish can adapt to in this time is pH, and this is trivial; you can actually just dump and the fish will be fine in a few minutes. Changes in hardness take hours or days to adapt to, and temperature changes also take a few hours; the best you're hoping for is to avoid a sudden shock on this last one. Big changes in hardness are killers; pH shock, by comparison, is a myth.

If the fish has been in the bag more than a couple of hours, it can be dangerous as pH rises suddenly and turns ammonium into toxic ammonia.

 

[centralharbor]

I have been given a lot of advice in the last few weeks. Some from reading on the net and some from the LFS. I want to make a list to see what others think.

The only way to cycle a tank is to add fish. No, there's fishless cycling.

You should not change water for 6 weeks during cycling. If you do fishless, then yes, if you do with fish, absolutely not! You should change water whenever the ammonia gets high.

Dip strips are as good as titrations. Don't know what trirations are

.5 ppm ammonia at pH 7.5 is OK for platies. If you're doing a fish cycle, you should change the water before it gets to .5, but if you do fishless, you'll not have to deal with ammonia with fish in the tank.

Biospira is the only cycling aid that ever worked. Depends on what you mean by cycle. Biospira is the only commercial product with beneficial bacteria in it, but if you do a fish cycle, there are products that take out ammonia, but that's just stalling the cycle and also adding chemicals to your tank.

To acclimate a fish before adding it to your water, dilute the fish store water with your tank water a little at a time over a few hours. Some say to do this, and some say to just put the fish in the tank, but whatever you do, don't put the store water in your tank. Net the fish out to put it in.

Only feed fish when ammonia levels are 0 during cycling. Absolutely not! If you're doign a fish cycle, feed them, but also check the ammonia every day (if not twice a day) to see if the levels are too high. Do a water change when it's getting high (not when it's too high).


I am cycling a 29 gallon tank with two platies. I tried to add a third twice but I have had no luck getting it to work. Since you've already started a fish cycle, test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Change the water frequently, then when you have 0 ammonia and nitrite, and low nitrates before you do the water change, that means the bacteria that uses those chemicals are built up. You can then add a few more fish. Repeat the frequent water changes and testing until you fully stock your tank.

Here is todays readings (Day 12) with dip strips:

Ammonia .5
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 10
Total Hardness 75 (much of this is magnesium hardness in my tap water)
Chlorine 0
Alkalinity 120
pH 7.5

With titrations:

Ca++ 17 ppm
Mg++ 20 ppm
Na+ 16 ppm
Cl- 9 ppm
SO4-- 110

Thank you in advance for any comments.

.

 

[James0816]

The only one that is good is the acclimation process. I highly disagree with everyone who says to just dump the fish in. While this may be acceptable to some for say $1 fish and don't really care, I would like the peace of mind in knowing that any live fishies I just bought will be fine when added in. Triple this comment when dealing with salties and fish running into the triple digits. And definately don't dump foreign water in your tank.

 

[KarlTh]

James - the reason for disagreeing with the acclimation process described is that in some circumstances it can result in more fish deaths than just dumping. I equalise temperatures and dump and never lose fish, including sensitive ones. The water mixing process simply does not allow enough time for fish to acclimate so achieves nothing. Fish cannot adjust to osmotic differences in a matter of half an hour or so; it takes hours, even days.

I could easily turn it around and say that "acclimating by mixing water might be OK for a £1 fish, but with more expensive specimens I prefer the peace of mind of knowing that ammonium in the bag has not turned to ammonia during the process and fatally weakened the fish".

Moreover, by this method one does not introduce foreign water. One floats the bag until temperatures are equalised, opens it and nets the fish from the bag to the tank.

If you are concerned about differing water chemistries, them what you are going to have to do is change the TDS of the QT tank (pH is irrelevant) to that of the source, then gradually over the QT period of at least 14 days change the composition of the QT tank to that of your display aquarium. By simply mixing water over a period of half an hour or so you're just kidding yourself that you're giving the fish the opportunity to acclimate and buying false peace of mind.

 

[Blueiz]

James - the reason for disagreeing with the acclimation process described is that in some circumstances it can result in more fish deaths than just dumping. I equalise temperatures and dump and never lose fish, including sensitive ones. The water mixing process simply does not allow enough time for fish to acclimate so achieves nothing. Fish cannot adjust to osmotic differences in a matter of half an hour or so; it takes hours, even days.

I could easily turn it around and say that "acclimating by mixing water might be OK for a £1 fish, but with more expensive specimens I prefer the peace of mind of knowing that ammonium in the bag has not turned to ammonia during the process and fatally weakened the fish".

Moreover, by this method one does not introduce foreign water. One floats the bag until temperatures are equalised, opens it and nets the fish from the bag to the tank.

If you are concerned about differing water chemistries, them what you are going to have to do is change the TDS of the QT tank (pH is irrelevant) to that of the source, then gradually over the QT period of at least 14 days change the composition of the QT tank to that of your display aquarium. By simply mixing water over a period of half an hour or so you're just kidding yourself that you're giving the fish the opportunity to acclimate and buying false peace of mind.

Referencing the above bolded. This is why it is important to know the source PH and your own PH. Depending the difference will depend on how long you acclimate. Drip acclimation over hours, or a day or so if the swing is high, or you have extremely sensitive fish.

Ill add as well that just dumping the fish in is not the proper way to acclimate, and anyone reading this needs to take that to heart.