Cycle with 40 fish!...I think NOT!!!

[lillibirdy]

Just when I thought my LFS knew something about fish.......arrrrrrrrrg!! I was trying to explain fishless cycling to her, she hadn't heard the concept. She was dubious and asked why don't I just get 30 or 40 feeder fish , to cycle my (45g) tank!! 30 or 40!!!! Waaaaaaaaa!

Got my 45g set up couple days ago, had to wait for my Magnum 350 Pro filter to come in to start fishless cycle. I finally found some ammonia. It is Bi Marts brand and says "clear ammonia" on it, but has no ingredient list. I shook and and no foam... BUT........I gotta tell ya, I am having anxiety about putting this in my tank. I would hate to ruin it before I even get fish in it.....if it says "clear ammonia", is THIS the one I need for sure?

I am sorta thinking now about doing a cycle with fish and bio spira....haven't thought much about that way... I just seeded the new filter with gravel and piece fo filter from a cycled tank. It says with bio spira you can add fish within 24 hours, does that mean wait 24 hours? Reason I am asking it because I live pretty far from the other fish store that might have the bio spira and where I will buy my fish. Was wondering if I got them in one trip, considering the tank is seeded, if I could put them in several hours apart. I could float them and acclimate them for several hours or longer doing mini water changes in the bags. I have to admit to being anxious, my husband is coming home next wk from working out of town for 4 weeks and want to surprise him with a purtyful tank.

BTW I LOVE the Magnum 350!

KathyW

 

[Blinky]

IMO, fishless is the way to go. It's boring to watch an empty tank and do water tests for a few weeks, but you'll be rewarded with happy, healthy fish in the end. There is a recent post about bio-spira not working at all, though some people have used it and seen virtually no NH3/NO2 at all, right from the start. Fishless works every time, I'd go with that.
[edit] I can't believe someone told you to cycle with 30-40 feeders - that's insane.[/edit]

 

[Harlock]

While I can see an FS telling someone to use 40 feeders to cycle (after all to her they're disposable fish anyway and she would make a sale!) I also think that it's pretty terrible. If you want to use BIO-Spira, I would grill the LFS from whence it came in order to find out when they got it, how long it's been in the fridge, has it always been in the fridge, how long was it in shipment, etc. BIO-Spira is great stuff, but it has to be handled properly all along the route or it is worthless. Clear ammonia is the correct stuff to use. If it is clear and not foaming, you have the right stuff. Since you already have it, I would say go for it.

 

[gonefishin]

While I can see an FS telling someone to use 40 feeders to cycle (after all to her they're disposable fish anyway and she would make a sale!) I also think that it's pretty terrible.

If they are selling bio-spira, or even if they just stock ammonia, they could still make thier sale. How much are thier feeders? 10 for 1$? They would make 3 or 4 bucks? I doubt bio-spira is less than that (although I havn't checked recently). Regardless of how much money they will make, I will agree that it is horrible they tell people this. Mabey you could fill them in on the fishless cycle?

 

[TKOS]

Fishy cycles can work, but what is worse is telling people to buy fish that they won't end up wanting to keep. Fishy means tons of water changes and extra work but most fish can easily tolerate it. But if fishless is something you want to try then more power to you as it measn no fish going through it.

It is rare to see a person with 1 post talking about fishless cycling. That is very refreshing.

The ammonia you bought sounds like the right stuff. It should also smell like ammonia and not lemon or anything else. But be very careful when handling it as it is quite toxic stuff.

This also gives you lots of time to fully plan out how the aquarium will look when you are ready to add fish.

 

[lillibirdy]

Hi all. I been reading and researching for a couple months now. Tank has been set up since Wednesday, put the Magnum filter on last night. I have been debating this cycling issue in my head till this minute and have not quite decided yet. I think your correct about bio-spira, if it has failed some folks I am thinking it is due to improper handling, and might be hard to know if fish store is lying to make a sale or what...

I just never heard of any fish store telling anyone to cycle with THAT many fish! Everything I have been reading says start slow.....40 isn't slow, wouldn't that just be a fatal mistake if someone followed her advice. But maybe that was her thought, losing feeder fish, no biggee, they served their purpose. I am not in that mind frame. I still have a problem with my girlfriend letting the other fish eat her guppy fry.......... .

Thanks for the input. Think I might hang around a while....

KathyW

 

[SA14mars]

Fishy cycles can work, but what is worse is telling people to buy fish that they won't end up wanting to keep. Fishy means tons of water changes and extra work but most fish can easily tolerate it. But if fishless is something you want to try then more power to you as it measn no fish going through it.

It is rare to see a person with 1 post talking about fishless cycling. That is very refreshing.

The ammonia you bought sounds like the right stuff. It should also smell like ammonia and not lemon or anything else. But be very careful when handling it as it is quite toxic stuff.

This also gives you lots of time to fully plan out how the aquarium will look when you are ready to add fish.

excellent post TKOS. I appologize if this sounds like preaching, but I just wanted to reiterate your point about being careful with ammonia. always read everything on the package, etc., and follow it to the T, no matter how silly it sounds. try to avoid breathing too much of the fumes and never directly sniff it or any chemical - if you have kids I'd make sure they are out of the house or in a part of the house well away from the fumes. I know a guy who almost got his little brother sent to the hospital because he wasn't paying attention and let the fumes go right into the next room. Good luck with your new tank!