Goldfish To Help Cycle?

[RN2BNVA]

Hi Everyone!

I am another of those newbies that had a fish tank when I was growing up (and did nothing special! LOL) but have since had bad luck with fish. I have decided that I would like to get a 10 gallon up and running again. I bought the tank forever ago but have been scared to death to do anything with it because it was such a nightmare with my previous attempt.

I have since read bits and pieces of tips and tricks... and they often conflict with one another so I am spending a lot of my time lost as to how to get started! LOL I went to a LFS the other day and the owner was a great help. I am a bit confused by one of his suggestions though.

He said that he has had a lot of success with people putting 1 or 2 of the feeder goldfish in the tank to start the bacteria growth. And said that often these fish do not live long anyways so they will likely die soon anyways... and if not he would even be willing to take them back after 5 days or so. Has anyone heard of this method to start cycling?

I am open to suggestions, etc. At this point I have the tank, hood w/ light, filter, heater, and thermometer. I have not purchased gravel or anything yet... but I plan on going out later this afternoon to do so... and then I will get the tank set up and add water. Beyond that I am lost... I do know that I would like just a community tank with a couple of mollies probably. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

 

[Underwurlde]

Cycling means building up ammonia eating bacteria in your filters so that it is then safe to keep fish in the water it is filtering.

To colonize your filters with bacteria you have to 'cycle' your tank. It is cruel to use fish as basically a source of ammonia (pee) because they will get poisoned during the initial cycling stages.

So:

He said that he has had a lot of success with people putting 1 or 2 of the feeder goldfish in the tank to start the bacteria growth. And said that often these fish do not live long anyways so they will likely die soon anyways... and if not he would even be willing to take them back after 5 days or so. Has anyone heard of this method to start cycling?

Sounds like bad (and cruel) advice to me. Also it will take a lot longer than 5 days using this method. More likely 6 to 8 weeks.

Read
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861

IF your LFS is up to it they could greatly speed up the cycling of your tank by 'seeding' your filters for you. This way you could easily be up & running ready for your first fish within 2 weeks.

Andy

PS
Don't get Goldfish!

 

[RN2BNVA]

Thanks... I thought it sounded a bit mean... and it wasnt one of the techniques I had heard of.

I also have two bettas (each in a 2+ gallon tank) that have been around for over a year now... they are do for partial H2O changes this weekend... can any of the H2O be used to help seed?

I will check out the link you sent as well... thanks again!

 

[vic]

Google "fishless cycle" and do some reading. The research will serve you well. Cycling a tank usually takes about 40 days. 2 goldfish for 5 days will accomplish absolutely nothing. The fishless cycling method avoids the death sentence for any fish that are in the tank before the cycle is complete.
Cheers;l

 

[Underwurlde]

I'm guessing your bettas are in individual tanks that do not use filters - i.e. you simply do periodic water changes to keep it clean?

If so then no, you cannot seed with this water. This water will simply be dirty crap & pee contaminated water with none of the ammonia busting bacteria needed to 'seed' your new filter.

Andy

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

Darn it! Sorry Andy, hate to go against you again, but it might be benificial to use the old betta tank water that is full of wastes since these are eventually going to break down into ammonia and become a source of food to establish the bacteria you are looking for in a cycled tank.

Another GOOD reason why using goldfish in particular to cycle a tank is a bad idea is because they are so easy to get and bring problems to a tank. While many people think, and as I used to as well, that Ich is always in a tank, no matter what, this is not true and it must be brought into a tank through a host. Feeder fish are a great source of Ich since they are usually kept in huge numbers in a tank that is too small and obviously since they are sold in bulk usually, hundreds if not thousands of fish can be put in and taken out of these tanks each month. So, as the number of fish increases, so do the chances that one or more are carrying things like Ich or other parasites (also a good reason why feeding live fish is risky).

There are some very good alternatives to cycling a tank and they all require finding or creating a source of ammonia in a tank whether that source be pure ammonia or just fish food that eventually decays and breaks down into ammonia. I have used a few of these methods myself and found the dosing of pure ammonia to be the easiest to control and keep track of, IF you can find some that has no dyes or scents added to it. If you decide to go this route, and can find it, just add 5 drops of pure ammonia for every 10 gallons of water and this will give you an ammonia level of 5 ppm or ml/L. Too much will be bad and too little will slow things down so 5 ppm (ml/L) is a good mark to aim for.

 

[mark.w.jones]

Be careful when dosing your tank with ammonia solution. Depending on which you get they come in different strengths. 5 drops may be enough for one type of ammonia solution but mine took 20 drops for a 10 gallon tank.

Id recommend testing your ammonia solution in a 10 litre bucket of water. Add a few drops and test with your ammonia test kit, then repeat until you reach 5ppm. Keep count of your drops as you go obviously. Then multiply up to get the correct dosage for your actual tank.

Apart from that just follow the add & wait method on the thread posted above.

 

[Underwurlde]

Darn it! Sorry Andy, hate to go against you again,

Hehe. No point everyone on a forum just sitting there like a bunch of slack jawed yokels agreeing with each other is there? (BTW I love your responses, so much effort & detail.....)

but it might be benificial to use the old betta tank water that is full of wastes since these are eventually going to break down into ammonia and become a source of food to establish the bacteria you are looking for in a cycled tank.

Would YOU. Be honest now

Andy

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

I actually do use old tank water in quarenteen tanks, especially saltwater so yes, I would. It is hard to say if someone else should do so or not 100% because I dont know how their tanks look or are are maintained. I wouldnt use water between two tanks if one had Ich or another parasite/problem or if the tank has had copper in it.

If your solution of ammonia takes more than another in order to get a good 5 ppm reading, then it isnt pure ammonia and must be diluted in one way or another. Pure is pure, no matter what the brand name on the bottle would be, right?

 

[zoekin8yg]

goldfish can live to at least 10 years old if looked after properly! That man clearly has no idea !

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

goldfish can live to at least 10 years old if looked after properly! That man clearly has no idea !

True, even closer to 20 years for some goldfish.

 

[zoekin8yg]

I was going to say twenty, but thought I had remembered it wrong!