Okay now I realize some of you out there are not into cycling with fish and I respect that. But it just seems a bit harder to do a fishless cycle, now that is just my own personnal opinion. I planned on putting in a variety of plants after about 2 or 3 days after I set up my 75g, then let them get established for about a week or so. Then slowly add some hardy fish to the set-up. I was thinking some platies, but I would like to hear some opinions on other cycling fish, and remember there will be plants in the tank, the only fish that I would have a problem with as a suggestion would be non-community fish, and zebra danios. But I would like to hear about other good starter fish. Thank You. Oh and also could you give me a reccomendation on how many fish to start with?
Cycling with fish and plants
- Thread starter yellow tang
- Start date
Ok, all personal opinions on cycling set aside, why not zebra danios? The hardiest fish I know of. Unless of course you don't intend on keeping them afterwards I would reluctantly suggest using those.
Also to let you know, just in case you do not already know this...fish cycling does require careful monitoring of water params and frequent water changes. Fishless only requires one large wc at the end of the cycle to remove the large amount of nitrate. Fish cycling may appear easier and quicker but I will say that it is much harder on the fish. Thats all I will say, take it or leave it
Also to let you know, just in case you do not already know this...fish cycling does require careful monitoring of water params and frequent water changes. Fishless only requires one large wc at the end of the cycle to remove the large amount of nitrate. Fish cycling may appear easier and quicker but I will say that it is much harder on the fish. Thats all I will say, take it or leave it
If you are going to use fish, platies are as good as most would be. Make it easy on yourself and keep the number low like 5 or 6. That way the ammonia they produce will be minimal and the plants can even help take care of that. The plants probably will carry some of the right bacteria with them so it might help speed up the cycle and by keeping the fish numbers low, the ammonia build up should be slow enough to be easily controlled with water changes. What this means is when your water is "good" you will be able to very slowly start adding other fish. Very slowly because you won't have a large bacteria population since you never had a lot of ammonia input.
well as far as the zebra danios go, I have heard they can be a bit to much to cope with for fish like neon tetras, just because they are so active, that's what I've heard anyway. I've also heard they will nip at long finned fish, could someone clarify this for me, because if they don't, I would like to keep them.
if you plan on keeping the danios then use them otherwise use other fish.
do you plan on heavy stocking of plants. some will take up nutrients faster than others.
also you may want to wait a few weeks with the plants as some do not establish very quickly.
but this depends on the plants.
if the planting is heavy enough and the plants established well,I understand it is possible to actually not see much of an ammonia spike.
do you plan on heavy stocking of plants. some will take up nutrients faster than others.
also you may want to wait a few weeks with the plants as some do not establish very quickly.
but this depends on the plants.
if the planting is heavy enough and the plants established well,I understand it is possible to actually not see much of an ammonia spike.
What size tank are you getting?
Danios can be nippy, especially if there's not enough of them. And they are very active, and i personally wouldn't put them with neons.
What was your intended stocking?
BTW, if you are going to cycle with fish, i would suggest using BioSpira . It speeds up the cycle.
the problem with using plants during the cycling process is that if you don't have the experience/information to keep the plants alive and thriving beyong the cycle, when they start to die you get hit with a double whammy - the dying plants cause ammonia, and the more plants that die, the less there are to take out the ammonia that is being produced.