Does Anyone Here Cycle With Fish?
- Thread starter bubble87
- Start date
nurglespuss
Fish Gatherer
Hi There 
Yes I still cycle with fish, as I think its a more resilient method with less crashes.
I ususally use the hardier species (white clouds, zebra danios). I usually add extra aeration and/or live plants right at the start which really takes the edge of any negative effects. Luckily, I've never lost a cycle fish during this process.
The one thing that I have found is that taking your time is important. I setup the tank for a week (with plants), then add 3-5 cycle fish, wait for a month, and then start gradually stocking after that.
Yes I still cycle with fish, as I think its a more resilient method with less crashes.
I ususally use the hardier species (white clouds, zebra danios). I usually add extra aeration and/or live plants right at the start which really takes the edge of any negative effects. Luckily, I've never lost a cycle fish during this process.
The one thing that I have found is that taking your time is important. I setup the tank for a week (with plants), then add 3-5 cycle fish, wait for a month, and then start gradually stocking after that.
Noahs ark6
Fish Herder
i cycle with fish, i did a 15% water change every week, start of with danios and slowly move up to fancier fish, but it takes a while.
moochy13
Fish Herder
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i am currently cycling with fish, im nearly a month in now. as i have another tank already going, i stuck a sponge in that filter for a couple of weeks while i was setting the new tank up. once the tank was full of water, sand, gravel and bogwood and the extra bit of sponge i spent a few days adding bacteria solution - whether this works or not i dont know, but it doesnt cause any harm and none of my fish have died, other than one that got jammed under the filter box, nothing to do with the water.
the tank was running for a few days, then i put 2 red eye tetra in from the other established tank (all my current fish bar 2 are from this tank). at this point i also brought a few plants. i let it run for just over a week, kept using the bacteria solution as instructed and done a 60L water change (130L tank). i let it settle for a couple of days then added a small black angel that was getting picked on and damaged. everything was still going well, done another water change, let it settle (still using the solution) and added a small sailfin plec. at this point i brought some more plants. late last week i added another 3 store brought red eye tetra, of which one got under the filter and died. done another water change, and yesterday i put a small cuckoo syno (i think) in the tank.
everything is going well, my fish look happy and healthy and are revelling in the extra room they now have. the purpose of the tank was to rehome unsuitable fish from the established smaller tank, hence the migration of my current fish. i will now leave it another week or so, using the solution, do another water change and move the last couple of fish (a tiny humbug cat and small headstander) from my small tank into the new bigger one. inbetween the big changes, i am hoovering up fish poo - you dont realise how much they crap until you have sand !! this is also removing about 10L every other day.
everybody is happy, the only casualty is not because of the water, and the fish in the smaller tank are happier. i'd say its going quite well. my tetras are lively and schooling, my angel is typically nosey when i enter the room and is healing up nicely, the syno is hiding as usual and the plec just mooches about doing its own thing.
because it was relatively urgent that i remove fish from the smaller tank, i felt i had to go with a fish in cycle just to relieve the smaller tank. also because all these fish were already tankmates, im having no problems at the moment. the fish that was attacking the angel will obviously be staying in the other tank. if it decides to start on something else he'll have to go.
the tank was running for a few days, then i put 2 red eye tetra in from the other established tank (all my current fish bar 2 are from this tank). at this point i also brought a few plants. i let it run for just over a week, kept using the bacteria solution as instructed and done a 60L water change (130L tank). i let it settle for a couple of days then added a small black angel that was getting picked on and damaged. everything was still going well, done another water change, let it settle (still using the solution) and added a small sailfin plec. at this point i brought some more plants. late last week i added another 3 store brought red eye tetra, of which one got under the filter and died. done another water change, and yesterday i put a small cuckoo syno (i think) in the tank.
everything is going well, my fish look happy and healthy and are revelling in the extra room they now have. the purpose of the tank was to rehome unsuitable fish from the established smaller tank, hence the migration of my current fish. i will now leave it another week or so, using the solution, do another water change and move the last couple of fish (a tiny humbug cat and small headstander) from my small tank into the new bigger one. inbetween the big changes, i am hoovering up fish poo - you dont realise how much they crap until you have sand !! this is also removing about 10L every other day.
everybody is happy, the only casualty is not because of the water, and the fish in the smaller tank are happier. i'd say its going quite well. my tetras are lively and schooling, my angel is typically nosey when i enter the room and is healing up nicely, the syno is hiding as usual and the plec just mooches about doing its own thing.
because it was relatively urgent that i remove fish from the smaller tank, i felt i had to go with a fish in cycle just to relieve the smaller tank. also because all these fish were already tankmates, im having no problems at the moment. the fish that was attacking the angel will obviously be staying in the other tank. if it decides to start on something else he'll have to go.
always4lora
Fish Herder
i cycled with fish for my first tank and then for the other tanks took some of the media fromt he filter and put into the new tank and slowly built up the stocking
JohnRossDele
Fish Herder
the biffster
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i used to be a big believer in fish in cycling
but not any more as the stress that the fish go
through i find it a lot better to do a fish less
cycle that way the tank is already for the fish
to go in to instead of them been stressed out by
having to deal with ammonia and all the other aspects
of tank cycling
but not any more as the stress that the fish go
through i find it a lot better to do a fish less
cycle that way the tank is already for the fish
to go in to instead of them been stressed out by
having to deal with ammonia and all the other aspects
of tank cycling
JohnRossDele
Fish Herder
thats because you change the water every day, which is good, but to save the hassle, i would use danios, even though i always fishless cycle
JRD
Personally I wouldnt cycle with fish - you are making them live in a toxic environment and they will suffer - just because they cant show pain doesnt mean they are not suffering. Also it is really hard work as to be fair to your fish you will need to do a water change every day for 5-8 weeks! Much easier and kinder to do a fishless cycle and cheaper too as you wont have to replace dead or sick fish! 
I cycled my first tank with fish in because I knew no better (found this place afterwards). I set up all my other tanks after maturing filter media in existing tanks for a good long while first. I wouldn't want to put fish through the stress ever again.
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