Hello :)

[BlackestBambi]

Hello! Just thought I'd give a quick introduction. here. I go by Bambi, it's really my nickname. I'm 21, and fairly new to the Aquarium world. I currently am nearing the end of cycling my very first tank! In my tank I have two Blue Coral Platys for starters. I'm pretty shy when it comes to socializing and forums, so you may not see me post much. Generally I'm more of a lurker. But I'm here! And I already have some questions in mind for the forum. I look forward to getting started.

 

[Ninjouzata]

to TFF, Bambi! Hope you enjoy it here.
 
In the future I recommend doing a fish-less cycle following THIS. Would love to see some pics of your platys.

 

[RRaquariums]

Welcome

 

[brittgs]

Glad that you have joined the forum. I am very new to fish keeping and the people on here are so helpful. I lurked for awhile but joined when I had questions. Mdont be shy-ask away.

 

[Tongue_Flicker]

Hey bambi welcome aboard Tf!

 

[Rexenator]

Welcome!

 

[AquaPit]

Welcome Bambi!

 

[BlackestBambi]

Thank you everybody for the very warm welcomes. 

 
I knew that there was such a thing as a fishless cycle, however I was extremely impatient upon setting up my tank and just HAD to get a couple right away. Plus, I think it has helped speed up the process, if I'm not mistaken. 

 

[Ninjouzata]

Fish-in cycling is slower and more detrimental to the fish, unfortunately, which is why I recommended a fish-less one in the future.
Just keep an eye on the water parameters using a liquid test kit and hopefully all should go well

 

[BlackestBambi]

My water parameters have been pretty good during the whole process, to be honest. As far as I have tested, anyway. I'm not sure how in-fish cycling would be slower, given that fish contribute elements which help the process along. But maybe I just haven't read up on it enough. I thought I did, though. I'll have to read the link you posted earlier and see if it makes sense to me. 

 

[Ch4rlie]

Hello and 

 to the Forum!
 
Ninjouzata is quite correct in her statement that fishless cycle is quicker than doing a fish in cycle.
 
Main reason is that, is for a fish in cycle you have to do lots of water changes, therefore that mean less ammonia for bacteria to process and thus slows down the growth of bacterial colony in the filter and tank that you need to fully process ammonia from fish waste to nitrite and then to nitrate. Thats a very basic outline really.
 
Do read that link for Fishless Cycle that Ninjouzata provided, it is very useful to learn this for future reference.
 
A fair bit to take on when just joined the fish keeping world and theres a bit of a learning curve, we've all been there.
 
Hoep you enjoy the forum!

 

[BlackestBambi]

I read through that link a couple times and think I'm missing something. It says that cycling with fish can take up to 5 or 6 months and that fishless cycling only takes about six weeks. That's the part that gets me, because I've had my fish pretty much the whole time I've had my tank set up (only two starters) and it's only taken me 6-8 weeks to cycle. So I guess it varies. I think I will stick with the in fish cycling. 

 

[Ninjouzata]

Did you have mature media when doing this or were you adding any reputable bottled bacteria? Or were you using tons of live plants and stocking slowly?

 

[BlackestBambi]

Ninjouzata, I used a bagged gravel that had some bacteria already on it. I also used some live plants and currently only have two fish stocked in my tank. (Think I mentioned this in my very first post, maybe?) I know better than to overstock! 

 My tank is finished cycling after eight weeks so I'm looking to buy a couple more soon. 
 
I find the idea of fishless cycling interesting, and I'm grateful for the advice. However that's the only thing I don't understand, the supposed time difference. Because I personally didn't experience that. However, I imagine if someone hadn't started with the kind of "goopy gravel" I did, that it might have taken a bit longer. Starting with bacteria was a choice I made because I believed it would definitely help. And it looks like it has! I'm really pleased with it.