Someone remind me again...

[Mith]

... why am I doing a fishless cycle? I just got back from the fish place (same place I bought my tank) and I was telling him that I'm about a week or two close to getting my fish. I told him I was doing a fishless cycle. He said, why don't you just add bacteria and you're ready?

I didn't know.... so someone please remind me once more why I (or anyone else) just add bacteria and have done with it?

Thanks.


BTW... he had a WAY better supply of fish. I have come to the conclusion that me finding fish online, printing up the pictures and taking them to the fish store, doesn't necessarily mean those are gonna be the fish that I actually get. There are SO many different types and when they're young, a lot of them look very similar.

So I figured I'll just pay a bit more so that I can actually see what the fish look like! They also had some fish that I hadn't even seen. His tank had probably 200 fish in it and all of them were getting along.

I'm convinced that if you have enough fish, agression won't be an issue becaue there are too many fish to steak out a territory.

So I'm going down the path to fish... just thought I'd share where I'm at right now.

[fins_n_fur]

Because it's safer for the fish, and much less of a hassle and stress less for you (constant monitoring of parameters, numerous w/c's, nail biting, ripping out of hair, etc). I think the only product for instant cycling, if you can source it, is what used to be Biospera (now TetraSafe, or similar, but a Tetra product, if I re-call).

Of course, if you know someone with an established tank, then you can speed things up quickly. If you have access to someone like that, then your bad for not doing so.

[Mith]

Because it's safer for the fish, and much less of a hassle and stress less for you (constant monitoring of parameters, numerous w/c's, nail biting, ripping out of hair, etc). I think the only product for instant cycling, if you can source it, is what used to be Biospera (now TetraSafe, or similar, but a Tetra product, if I re-call).

Of course, if you know someone with an established tank, then you can speed things up quickly. If you have access to someone like that, then your bad for not doing so.

Dang, I should have grabbed a cup of his water and thrown it into my tank... LOL.

[kaybee]

Dang, I should have grabbed a cup of his water and thrown it into my tank... LOL.

'Dirty' filter media (biological & mechanical) would be even better as it's teeming with beneficial bacteria colonies.

[bushwhacker]

that wouldnt work mith, the bacteria is in the filter and a little bit in the gravel.. hardly none in the water... after following your thread since the beginning i cant see how a fishless cycle is supposed to be faster, and your not the only one i've watched go crazy.. people have cycled with fish for a hundred years fishless has been around for a cple years at most its just the newest fad......

[Gemini]

Dang, I should have grabbed a cup of his water and thrown it into my tank... LOL.

Will do nothing. You need filter bacteria.
Grab his dirty filter media and throw it in your filter.
Juvenile fish do not have the same behavioural traits as adults. You will regret buying whatever gets along in that tank as they get older.
I personally have learnt the hard way that just because it works in a LFS sale tank doesn't mean it works after months at home.
But by all means do what you want it is your tank after all.

[Northernguy]

There is Tetra Safe Start and Seachem Stability.Both are excellent for a fast cycle but you are so close with yours that its not that neccesary.As Hobbs also said yesterday!lol
A couple more days could be all it takes.

[Sharon]

I agree with Gemini. Be careful, Mith....They won't behave the same way once you get them in your tank. If you were to overstock as much as the LFS tanks, you'd never maintain water quality, you'll have unhappy fish, and you'll be posting HELP threads!

[mac]

i cant see how a fishless cycle is supposed to be faster, and your not the only one i've watched go crazy.. people have cycled with fish for a hundred years fishless has been around for a cple years at most its just the newest fad......

Well IMO and IME have I have not found that Fish-less Cycles are fast than cycled tanks with fish, in setting up. And yes both work. BUt it all comes down to one thing, the fish, and this question, "Do you want to hurt your fish?"

As for it being a new fad, I can't agree with. YEs it is new. BUt it has been proven to work great with no damage done to the fish.

As for comparing the old tried Cycling with fish against the new one there is no comparison. Really it just comes down to the fact that yes it works, but it can be improved in many different ways.


Mith, that is one thing simple stocking, means easy to care for tank.
Good luck with your tank.

mac

[Mith]

Will do nothing. You need filter bacteria.
Grab his dirty filter media and throw it in your filter.
Juvenile fish do not have the same behavioural traits as adults. You will regret buying whatever gets along in that tank as they get older.
I personally have learnt the hard way that just because it works in a LFS sale tank doesn't mean it works after months at home.
But by all means do what you want it is your tank after all.

Now let me clarify... my intent here is not to just grab fish and throw them into the tank. I'm putting my best effort into selecting fish that are known to be compatible. The only thing at this point that has changed, is my method of getting the fish. I went online and found compatible fish. I chose Peacocks. The glitch I ran into was that actually GETTING those exact fish is difficult. I am not expert enough to possitively identify juvenile fish based on adult photos... etc. At this point, I would rather go to a fish store where I can see exactly what fish i'm getting as opposed to picking out a picture of one online... and who knows what it will look like once you get the fish... and of course, then it's too late if it's not what you want. Cichlids (correct me if I'm wrong) have a huge variety of colors... and it's not likely that you'll get one that looks exactly like one you picked online (excluding say the flagrant colors like the yellow ones, they seem to be fairly consistent.

My LFS guy also said a lot of those cichlids are man-made with all the breeding they do. Again, picking out a fish online is not reliable.

I'm also finding (through other sources online about maintaining fish....and don't ask for my source lol... becauseu I've gone to a MILLION sites about these suckers)... that a more densly populated tank has less aggression. As far as not being able to maintain the quality of the water. I don't find that to be true based on the fact that fish stores regularily have large amounts of fish in thier tanks.... they don't seem to have fish falling out of the sky, if you will.


There are many opinions about everything I'm finding. I'm new to all this, but this is why I'm here and other places trying to get everyone's opinions about how things work. Even on this forum we have people with different opinions about how to do things. I've always been taught, listen to everyone, then take all that iformation and make your decision based on what you learned.

Anyway, this is where I'm at (as I like to say... lol). I'm not throwing up my hands and giving up. I'm here asking questions and doing a lot of internet searches (thank you Google!).

Peace Out.... <--- I HATE it when people say that... LOL....
but i could think of at this point.