Now what? (for those of us who didn't know about "cycling" beforehand) (Long!)

[SimonWoodstock]

I read you post in the other forum and i saw your post on this thread too, so i thought i would throw my 2 cents into the mix. I'll probably get a millions responses back saying how wrong i am but this is what i do to get a tank cycling.

Go out somewhere and buy you some feeder goldfish or guppies or something. Feed them good and keep them in there for a few weeks. Once your tank is cycled, just take out the feeder fish and toss em into your oscar tank and let them take care of em. Then go pick you out a goldfish and put him in your tank.

I have never really had any expensive or delicate fish, i always decided against it thinking i will just kill the fish and i have never had any goldfish before either so i dont know if it will work.

I hope this has helped you out some, but if you want to understand the cycling process more search the internet and read up on it before you put any fish in there.

 

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

uh... How do I start the cycle w/ ammonia?

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Actually, you >did< cycle your tank with Oscars. You just did a cycle with fish as opposed to a "fishless" cycle.

http://www.aquamaniacs.net/cyclingsafelyfishless.html

 

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

I bought Bio-Spira today... I already poured it in my tank. It should be done in 24hours!

 

[Karlsbad]

This is the first post I've seen that reccommends changing any water during the cycle. Others say that will only prolong it. I'm on day 16 in my 20 high with a 3" Oscar and a 3" catfish. I have a penguin 125 filter with a bio wheel for up to a 30 gallon which isn't as oversized of a filter as I wish I'd gotten. On day 7 there was thread algae all over the glass and we called an aquarium place who said to clean it because it would hurt the fish. After cleaning the glass and vaccuuming the gravel I had to do about a 25% water change and change the filter(cause it was coming out the inlet which the manual for the filter says is the time to change it, and the bio wheel had all but stopped turning).

The water hasn't gotten very cloudy yet, and there have been periods where the Oscar has panted at the top of the tank but now he's acting happy and he's even grown noticably in this period. I will get a test kit tomorrow, to be honest the reason I haven't yet is because I am under the impression I have to ride it out and I already feel like a ******* for doing it this way(lost my pleco) and I'm worrying about the little guy enough as it is if there's nothing I can do about it.

My question is, what's all the foam/bubbles at the top of the water that otherwise looks nice and clean? At one point for a few days I think around days 5 to 9 the water smelled noticably noxious and this foam stuff did in particular so I was skimming off big the biggest collections with the net and leaving the hood open in hopes of letting ammonia vent(which may be stupid lol but when I would walk up and open it the smell was strong but when I left it open it was lessened). He definitely doesn't want to eat near the bubbles which aren't thick, just like one layer if that makes sense.

 

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

hmmm..... wierd...

 

[funkifish]

Fishless cycling is the way to go, heck i fishless cycled my bettas little tank! If you are impatient and have an already setup thats been running for a long time take some of that tanks gravel and put it in some hose and let it hang in your new tank. It will help grow the very much needed bacteria. I didnt want to fishless cycle but i am doing it right now, I'd rather be bored than have fish die.

 

[pharoh08]

wow i cant believe most of you have never done a fishless cycle, its not hard, and you dont need amonia , simple fish food works just fine, im not actually sure most of you even understand what a cycle does. if you dont let me know ill make a post on all the details includig specific instructions, i might just do that any ways

 

[pharoh08]

by the way , do you guys know what a fishl cycle actually does to the fish. its pretty much the same thing as amonia poising , your pretty much putting your fish into a tank full of amonia, which burns their gills and makes it harder to breath , and this is what normally kills them, i f you do it right with a fishless cycle you can add fish in as little as 2 weeks , if you add them slowly. And if you dont have the patience to wait then you either care more about yourself than you pets or you just plain dont care.

 

[GoLdFiSh_GrL]

for your information we DO know what cycling is all about. What do you think we are, children?