Cycling A Tank

[Danny84]

is it better to do the cycle with or without fish? im rather impatient and would probably prefer to do it with fish, is it more work? can someone explain how to do a cycle with fish in the tank as i cant find anything on here

thanks (sorry for the silly questions )

 

[drobbyb]

Without fish is preferable. It's better for the fish, and less work on your part.

 

[jmkgreen]

It's considerably less work without the fish.

One analogy would be moving into a new house before the water company had installed the sewerage pipe. You get to be personally responsible for removing waste every few hours while you wait...

 

[Danny84]

when you put it like that my mind is made up lol , it seems like a lot of work and time but im sure it will be worth it in the end

 

[Forestpisces]

There are pinned topics at the top of the pages

Fishless cycling is by far the more humane and less work option info here:

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


Fish in cycling which will most likely kill your fish (at least some) and mean you doing endless labouriouse water changes and water testing everysingle day multiple times a day:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=224306


I've done both and believe me fishless all the way

Fish in = BAAAAADDD!!!

 

[Danny84]

without cycling i guess the fish are guaranteed to die after a matter of weeks at the most?

 

[mickspark81]

I performed a successful fish in cycle (wasnt informed about cycling) however..i wish i hadnt..alot of work..dont even want to think about the ammount of buckets of water i carried into the kitchen and back..ammonia builds really fast and u need to keep it low

Fishless will not only be easier, it will probably also be far better for you and your fish as ammonia (even a little bit) can seriously affect fishes long term health and has been known to sometimes greatly reduce the lifespan of your fish

Fishkeeping and patience go hand in hand.

I bet most aquarists have rushed into a decision or done things on impulse only to later regret it.

You will have years to enjoy your new hobby so i think its for the best you start the best way you can

These guys are very very helpful and will answer any questions you might have

have fun

 

[Danny84]

thanks for the help , fishless cycle it is i suppose i can get the layout of my tank exactly how i want it while cycling

now all i need to do is go shopping tommorow or at the weekend and find me a nice tank etc

once the tank is cycled and the fish are in do i let the filter do the work with the obvious water changes or do i need to keep doing a cycle every now and then?

 

[mickspark81]

once tank is cycled you can start to introduce your fish. Im not too sure of the exact ammount of ammonia that should be processed within 12 hours after cycle (may be 5 ppm) but when its ready you can usually add most of your stock at once.
If you ever introduce more in the future id suggest only adding a couple of fish every week or so. This give the bacteria time to adjust to higher levels of ammonia

You shouldnt have to go through a mini cycle again provided you dont clean your filter media in untreated water. And..only ever change a maximum of 1/3 of your media at a time as bacteria needed would be removed and wouldnt be able to cope with the current load

 

[jmkgreen]

When you can add 5ppm of ammonia and watch both ammonia and nitrites reduce to zero inside 12 hours THEN add the first fish.

Set your tank temperature to 29C and keep the lights OFF (prevent bacterial bloom). See the guides on this site for more detailed information.

 

[Danny84]

thanks for the help

how long should i keep the light off for? what about natural daylight is that ok or should i keep the room as dark as possible?

 

[Danny84]

1 more daft question

should i add all my plants before or after the cycle , if after so i need to clean thrm thoroughly before putting them in my cycled tank?

 

[waterdrop]

thanks for the help , fishless cycle it is i suppose i can get the layout of my tank exactly how i want it while cycling

now all i need to do is go shopping tommorow or at the weekend and find me a nice tank etc

once the tank is cycled and the fish are in do i let the filter do the work with the obvious water changes or do i need to keep doing a cycle every now and then?

I know you mentioned feeling impatient up in the first post but you have a very rare opportunity here by having found this forum prior to even buying equipment. Any extent to which you can hold yourself back and first ask some questions about filters and what goes in them and about what tank sizes are needed for what types of fish... those sorts of questions... would probably pay off pretty big for you in the long run. The members are great with all those types of questions too!

~~waterdrop~~