Why Cycle A Tank

[Jallen]

dead prawns is what we were talking about silly!
lol

im not goin to put ded stuff in my tank... i might as well put leftovers from dinner

The decaying matter will produce ammonia which bacteria will feed on, produce nitrites which will then be fed on by different bacteria which will turn it to nitrates.
Believe it or not it's actually making the water less toxic in the long term.

 

[KingOfTheSea]

Its not that they dont cycle, the tank will cycle anyway. They just fish-in cycle without knowing it.

 

[Tropical_Fish]

dead prawns is what we were talking about silly!
lol

im not goin to put ded stuff in my tank... i might as well put leftovers from dinner

You really haven't researched this much have you!

Have a read first - all these comments trying to make out you know best are just making you look silly.

You can choose a fish-in cycle or a fishless cycle - that is up to you - everybody here has told you that a fishless cycle is easier and less work but you don't want to listen! So go ahead and cycle your tank with a fish-in cycle - its just more work for you or dead fish.

Also you do realise that your 10 gallon tank can only support a few fish? What sort of fish were you going to put in? Your looking at 10" of adult fish as a maximum. That's about 5 guppies or similar.

 

[oswoldy]

*cough* http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...302116&st=0

Mike

 

[Truck]

Ps. Any trace amounts of ammonia or nitrite (which WILL be in the water in a fishless cycle at the beginning even if they don't register on the kit), can cause harm. I don't see the point of risking causing harm when you could go with the easier option of fishless cycling.

trace amounts of ammonia are always in a tank cycled or not.

@ lawrance

you must be one of the most arrogant people ive ever met...i think doing some 'basic' research will open your mind. if you doing a fish in cycle...good for you i do fish in cycles but just make sure you do 3* 80% water changes a day and keep an eye on your water stats

 

[fluvial]

Whether one goes down the Fish In or the Fishless cycle is a matter of personal choice -
what is important is to do the research so that one can make an informed decision.

I chose a Fish In cycle - followed a stress free routine of daily water testing and water changes when necessary
that 6 weeks later has resulted in a healthy looking cycled tank with 9 fish at present, adding another 4 next week.

I am an avid reader of this forum, and other sites & books etc.
It all adds to the knowledge and helps what, at first, is a steep learning curve.

 

[Inchworm]

Let's be helpful to Lawrence and to all new members who have questions about cycling. There is no right or wrong way to do it, but there are different methods. The best thing you can do for a new fishkeeper is to explain them. The reasons and ways of cycling a tank are complicated and sometimes difficult for some people to understand.

Please treat each other like you would a new tank....just have a lot of patience.

 

[Matthew Lee Newell]

absolutley understand inchworm

just fustrates me when somebody asks advice, people give the best advice,
and the person asking the advice is ademant that there method will still be better

thanks guys
hope the information people have given were acceptable......

 

[Harlequins]

Sorry i don't mean to cause any ill feeling,but i feel Laurence isn't taking on board what is being said about fishless or fish in cycle! let alone reading all the fab advice from everyone.
I know we all need help has newbies to a certain extent and we all learn by our mistakes.

But to blantantly get fish stick them into an uncycled tank because you can't be bothered to look at an empty tank,and say right live in there,doesn't matter if you all die i'll just get some more...you say you don't want dead fish in your tank for fishless cycling,yet thats what you're probably get if you don't take on board what people are saying about cycling tanks.

Sorry if i offend anyone,but why don't people listen to good advice?,i'm off my soapbox now!

 

[arobinson1984]

dead prawns is what we were talking about silly!
lol

im not goin to put ded stuff in my tank... i might as well put leftovers from dinner

With your attitude I dont think it will be long before you have dead things in your tank, unfortuanately its most likely to be fish

Andy

 

[Lawrence]

dead prawns is what we were talking about silly!
lol

im not goin to put ded stuff in my tank... i might as well put leftovers from dinner

You really haven't researched this much have you!

Have a read first - all these comments trying to make out you know best are just making you look silly.

You can choose a fish-in cycle or a fishless cycle - that is up to you - everybody here has told you that a fishless cycle is easier and less work but you don't want to listen! So go ahead and cycle your tank with a fish-in cycle - its just more work for you or dead fish.

Also you do realise that your 10 gallon tank can only support a few fish? What sort of fish were you going to put in? Your looking at 10" of adult fish as a maximum. That's about 5 guppies or similar.

to be honest i was being sarcastic before...and i have kept a tank with 10 fish in before similar to the following:

3 angelfish
5 guppies
1 plec (cleaner fish) or armano shrimp
1 dwarf gourami
1 platy

nd 2-3 other fish i forgot

Ps. Any trace amounts of ammonia or nitrite (which WILL be in the water in a fishless cycle at the beginning even if they don't register on the kit), can cause harm. I don't see the point of risking causing harm when you could go with the easier option of fishless cycling.

trace amounts of ammonia are always in a tank cycled or not.

@ lawrance

you must be one of the most arrogant people ive ever met...i think doing some 'basic' research will open your mind. if you doing a fish in cycle...good for you i do fish in cycles but just make sure you do 3* 80% water changes a day and keep an eye on your water stats

that is exactly what im gonna do...im not arrogant...nd to be honest i wasnt even goin to do a cycle before i stumbled upon this forum.

 

[MewMew42]

i personally did my first cycle fish in, because i didn't know any better, i got my second tank and i decided to do it again because it went so well the first time

and those fish are still alive with the weekly water changes of 30% i did, their immune systems aren't bad as i have an outbreak of coloumnaris right now and all 6 of them are still kicking

but still its personal preference at the end of the day, the more people shout at those for even thinking about doing a fish in cycle the more that they are going to go away and never come back! its happens a lot on this forum!

 

[Truck]

Ps. Any trace amounts of ammonia or nitrite (which WILL be in the water in a fishless cycle at the beginning even if they don't register on the kit), can cause harm. I don't see the point of risking causing harm when you could go with the easier option of fishless cycling.

trace amounts of ammonia are always in a tank cycled or not.

@ lawrance

you must be one of the most arrogant people ive ever met...i think doing some 'basic' research will open your mind. if you doing a fish in cycle...good for you i do fish in cycles but just make sure you do 3* 80% water changes a day and keep an eye on your water stats

that is exactly what im gonna do...im not arrogant...nd to be honest i wasnt even goin to do a cycle before i stumbled upon this forum.

thats nice to hear

 

[Lawrence]

ok so everyone will know i will do a fish in cycle, and check water conditons daily...i will post in a few weeks how it went on. if my fish die then i know that i should have listened to u huys, but i am sure that my way of a fish in cycle will work.

lawrence

 

[Inchworm]

ok, while i am considering of cycling my tank for a week or more, i have this question:

howcome the majority of people who buy aquariums dont even bother cycling their tank and their fish do fine?

i do have patience but i was curious...and if i monitor the water everyday and the conditions are fine (readings 0) then that means the water is fine, and the fish are not being poisoned

I don't think you quite grasp what is involved here, Lawrence. The tank is going to cycle if there is any ammonia source in it, and this includes fish. The fish will produce ammonia and beneficial bacteria will appear to consume it, but for some time there won't be enough of them to eliminate it all. This excess is what will harm your fish. The same goes with the nitrite. Eventually you will get bacteria that will turn the harmful nitrite into nitrates, which are harmless in small amounts, but by then the damage will be done.

If you start out with a few fish, and do lots of water changes, it can be done. It takes a long time and if you are short of patience your fish will be hurt and possibly die. If you want to start out this way it's best to get some filter media from someone who already has an established tank. Add a few small fish and then, when the bacteria have had a chance to multiply, add a few more.

If you think people who don't cycle their tanks do fine, just look at all the people who have posted in the New to the Hobby section because their fish are dieing. You will see that their fish are anything but fine.

If you are starting a fish in cycle and test the water every day and the readings stay at 0, yes the water is fine. The problem is that it will most certainly not stay that way. In a very short time they will start to increase and that's when you will start noticing that your fish are in trouble. Once the damage is done, it cannot be reversed.