Is This True?

[orandas]

Hi, whilst researching on cycling info i cam across this statement;

"As you are doing a fishless cycle, you have the liberty of plowing into your local fish store and asking for dirty media. If there are sick fish in there - it doesn't matter. The fish pathogens (disease causers) will die off without fish to sustain them. And you will have successfully seeded your tank."

I'm too new at cycling, so i don't know what to make of this statement.....anyone with experience etc??

 

[Hollywood1992]

Hi, whilst researching on cycling info i cam across this statement;

"As you are doing a fishless cycle, you have the liberty of plowing into your local fish store and asking for dirty media. If there are sick fish in there - it doesn't matter. The fish pathogens (disease causers) will die off without fish to sustain them. And you will have successfully seeded your tank."

I'm too new at cycling, so i don't know what to make of this statement.....anyone with experience etc??

I wouldn't to be honest- I'd ask for some from the healthy tanks just to be on the safe side

 

[ShinyCard255]

Hi, whilst researching on cycling info i cam across this statement;

"As you are doing a fishless cycle, you have the liberty of plowing into your local fish store and asking for dirty media. If there are sick fish in there - it doesn't matter. The fish pathogens (disease causers) will die off without fish to sustain them. And you will have successfully seeded your tank."

I'm too new at cycling, so i don't know what to make of this statement.....anyone with experience etc??

I wouldn't to be honest- I'd ask for some from the healthy tanks just to be on the safe side

+1 Why would you want to take media from a diseased tank when I'm sure they have (hopefully) healthy tanks

 

[ctsv510]

The statement is not necessarily false, as if you are referring to a disease such as ich that is caused by a parasite, taking filter media from a ich infected tank and doing a proper fishless cycle with water temperature at least 86 F for 3 weeks, all of the stages of the parasite would have died off by the time your cycle was finished. The high temperature speeds the life cycle of the ich parasite, and without fish to feed on they cannot reproduce, so your cycled tank would be safe for fish from an ich infection standpoint.

But there are other types of fish diseases such as bacterial and fungal diseases that I am not that familiar with and may be able to survive through the length of the cycle and infect your new fish. It's just not worth it when you should be able to find media from healthy tanks just as easily. If your only LFS only has diseased tanks, where would you plan on buying fish from when your cycle was complete anyway?

The bottom line is the statement isn't false, but its not specific as to the types of diseases that it would hold true for, so you should not follow it as advice.

 

[Mikaila31]

I wouldn't worry that much TBH. Most disease will die off like ich, those that do are obligate parasites and require a host to complete their life cycle. Not all are obligate though and can survive without a host if conditions for them are right. They of course need a food source, exactly what depends on the organism. If you were cycling fishless with ammonia I would not worry much about these pathogens. Three things are needed for a disease: a susceptible host, a pathogen, and a favorable environment for disease. Just because a disease may or may not be present does not mean your fish are going to get sick. Fish have an immune system and are pretty well protected if they are healthy like most things. If the fish are healthy and the environment is in their favor the chances of them getting sick from whatever pathogens survived the fishless cycle is slim.

 

[orandas]

@ Hollywood1992 & ShinyCard255 the advice wasn't given to me, i just came across it, but i had never heard of such a thing,so i wanted to check with this forum if the advice was sound, since this forum is particularly thorough in the cycle procedure.

@ ctsv510 thank you,once again sound logic. i agree. i normally use 3-4 different LFS (40mins-1hr). I never buy from diseased tanks. And i would never use LFS media.i don't know if its one big filter filtering all or individual filters.

Long story shortened;
i had a 3year tank going, everything hunky dory, zero problems, then on a bored moment listened to bad advise,changed my filtration,wot a mistake,fish suffering,forced to cycle with fish,scrambled for new filters,ended up doing a fish-in cycle (my first,other than at the begining of fishkeeping,even then, i knew nothing about cycling),lots of water changes, 6-7weeks later, 4 fatalities and a few ammonia related casualties, its cycled!
Nightmare. Will never do a fish-in cycle again.And i don't think much of Prime(though i know others do).
Managed to keep most of my 3year old orandas.Think they're alittle battle worn though,but alive and happier these days.All they think about is food these days, and come to me and not running away from me.

I want to go back to my previous filtration set-up, since the cycled current one is inadequate in the long run,so i will be doing a fishless cycle.

To save time i ought to use some of the cycled media from my cycled temporarey tank, but in my head, due to the association with the fatalities and a few ammonia related casualties, i think its diseased, but then, i reason that since its cycled, i've not had any problems since and they look happy. Think i'm just beating myself up.
Then i saw that advise about diseased media being ok. http/www.fishgeeks.com/tropicalfishforums/viewtopic.php?t=21163

@ Mikaila31 What you advised is true, all of them went thru the same conditions and yet a couple didn't make it, a couple suffered but still alive & kicking, and others don't know what all the fuss was about.

Reflecting back,my orandas only had problems whilst cycling, and not before or after a cycle, so the cycled media shouldn't be diseased. And even if it was, the right water conditions(cycled&maintained) and the fishes own immune system would handle it?

Its ironic, couple of months ago, bored,tried something new, and since,find myself doing back-to-back cycling;a fish-in cycle, and now a fishless cycle, and only now truly understanding the nitrogen cycle thru this forum.

Giving myself a major headache on add&wait or add daily, AND,use own seeded media or not, AND, hot tap water or kettle boiled water.Decisions decisions, if i make a mistake thats fine i can correct it, but its their life & health on the line, no pressure then...........

One thing is true,this forum is great with lots of knowledgeable members.

I'm slowly swayying towards add and wait, and if my cycle gets stuck or problems at all, i will use my own seeded media (only abit) as a last resort.

 

[Hollywood1992]

Ahhh I see, sorry misunderstood question

 

[orandas]

no problem