Is This True?

[raptorrex]

You didn't read what I put. I never said there was no ammonia in urine. I think it might be wise for you to read someone's comments properly before mocking them in future.

quite right, i will concede that, i also mention it in my signature, however it will not change the way i post. as passing on correct information, even if you do make the odd mistakes sometimes, is far better than passing incorrect, information to those who wish to learn. your comments were still faulty at best. you advise against a practice, yet the reason you give, is actually the reason it works! now if you had identified the troublesome culprits in urea that you fear may cause problem, fair enough.

if you already have tanks set up why not use the squeezings from your filter sponges
thats just as good as puting bactetia in your tank and also a hand full of gravel this will all get
your cycle started


biff

good point. but would you still not need to add ammonia to this type of cycled tank, to ensure it is actually working? or i guess you could put fish in. may perfered method is to run two filter side by side, in a mature cycled tank, then transfer both some water and one of the filters to the new tank,then add the fish over some time. its just at around 10 days or so, you seem to be able to cycle a tank from scratch using this method. there dont seem to be many other systems that are significantly faster than the "Outback Special" as i like to call it, even using mature madia to kick start it.

 

[fish481]

if you already have tanks set up why not use the squeezings from your filter sponges
thats just as good as puting bactetia in your tank and also a hand full of gravel this will all get
your cycle started


biff

i agree with you biff i just dont understand why moor people are not useing this method
this is the best way to set up a new thak but most people dont no that lol .

 

[fourthtimelucky]

I did a fishless cycle using fish food. It took about six weeks but was quite convenient as when I went away (several times in that period) I just left little 'baggies' of flakes in cut-up tights for my mate to chuck in, which was a lot easier than expecting someone else to test & add precise quantities of ammonia.

The baggies are ESSENTIAL, otherwise you end up with a filthy, empty tank with loads of bits floating around in it - not the ideal way to convince your other half that having fish is a great new hobby.

Of course as soon as I'd finished my cycle I finally found some pure ammonia... I now have a bottle in reserve in case I ever have to cycle again (but plan on just transferring mature media).

The main problem with peeing into your tank would surely be the lack of control over its concentration? Unless you took in precisely the same amount of water every day... very difficult to estimate how much ammonia in the pee? So you'd have to test the pee every day before adding it to the tank, then test the tank... that's a lot of tests!

 

[omega59]

i cycled my tank using half of my 20gal media spondge, then i placed 1 platy in there, now i got 4 all is well. you should try that method if you got astablished media goodluck!

 

[raptorrex]

The main problem with peeing into your tank would surely be the lack of control over its concentration? Unless you took in precisely the same amount of water every day... very difficult to estimate how much ammonia in the pee? So you'd have to test the pee every day before adding it to the tank, then test the tank... that's a lot of tests!

indeed so, but checking the stats of your water, reveals just how much ammonia is in there. if the amount goes up or down it is of no consequence, though lower ammonia will lengthen the cycle, it will do little else. the amounts don't need to be precise, all you need is the ammonia turning into nitrates, and all in between, adding fish slowly after the cycle is completed, as you should anyway, allows the colony to build up with the stock you have.

 

[aaronnorth]

the rotting food lets bacteria feed off it therefore speeding the cycle up, i always put a couple of flaes in as it does make sense, i also use cycle.

 

[Tobigara]

I dont think i would ever cycle with fish, i read that even hardy fish that are used to cycle, still go through things like the gills burning etc, and thinking of that does not make me feel good..

That's good to see, 5teady. IMO theres no excuse for anyone who knows what effect cycling has on fish to deliberately use them for cycling. Lets face it, if you want to subject fish to that kind of discomfort (and even death) then you should probably be questioning whether you should actually be keeping fish at all. That said, i do understand that circumstances may dictate a fish-in cycle must be done, and that there are lots of people who simply don't know any better.

i agree. it's good to see. i can tell you tho that a fish-in cycle can be done without harming the fish.

 

[rdd1952]

adding fish slowly after the cycle is completed, as you should anyway, allows the colony to build up with the stock you have.

Actually, one of the great advantages of a fishless cycle is that you can fully stock the tank immediately. You will have plenty of bacteria to handle the waste load of a full stock of fish.

the rotting food lets bacteria feed off it therefore speeding the cycle up, i always put a couple of flaes in as it does make sense, i also use cycle.

I'm not quite sure how flakes could speed the process. Actually, if anything, it would be the opposite and slow it. Flakes first have to be broken down to create ammonia. That takes time meaning that the beginning of the cycling process is slowed as opposed to simply adding ammonia.

i can tell you tho that a fish-in cycle can be done without harming the fish.

Unless you have the ability to test the fish, you really have no way of knowing what harm the fish may have sustained. Exposure to any level of ammonia and nitrite for even a short period of time will cause some issues and prolonged exposure can lead to permenant damage. I do agree that fish-in cycles can and are done but we dont know what harm has come to the fish.

 

[col748]

Sorry guys if its daft question but what is meant when you use the term "cycle" a tank?

 

[rdd1952]

"Cycling" is the process of building a bacteria colony to process the fish waste (ammonia and later nitrite, both of which are toxic to fish).

 

[raptorrex]

rdd1952
Actually, one of the great advantages of a fishless cycle is that you can fully stock the tank immediately. You will have plenty of bacteria to handle the waste load of a full stock of fish.

fair enough , so you add all the fish you wish to keep in the tank up, and work out their total ammonia output, (how exactly would you do that, and where would you find the information?) how then do you calculate the amount of ammonia to add over what period, to ensure the tank is cycled for all your fish right away? or is it simply that if you cycle a tank in the fishless manner, the tank is automatically cycled for its full inch of fish complement?

 

[PlecMama]

Do fish pee? I wouldn't have imagined they do but hey I never asked one.

 

[5teady_2012]

Do fish pee? I wouldn't have imagined they do but hey I never asked one.

I suggest reading the first post on the thread lol..

The question was, is it true, some people use to pee in thier to tank to start the cycle because pee contains ammonia

 

[rdd1952]

rdd1952
Actually, one of the great advantages of a fishless cycle is that you can fully stock the tank immediately. You will have plenty of bacteria to handle the waste load of a full stock of fish.

fair enough , so you add all the fish you wish to keep in the tank up, and work out their total ammonia output, (how exactly would you do that, and where would you find the information?) how then do you calculate the amount of ammonia to add over what period, to ensure the tank is cycled for all your fish right away? or is it simply that if you cycle a tank in the fishless manner, the tank is automatically cycled for its full inch of fish complement?

It's mainly a matter of the ammonia we are adding, usually up to 4ppm, is more than the fish will produce on their own. I full stock of community fish for instance, won't produce 4 ppm of ammonia per day, probably not even 1 ppm. It may not hold for messy fish such as oscars or plecos but does for community. Actually, you could test it by simply taking an uncycled tank, stocking it and then testing daily to see how quickly the levels rise. Of course with our test equipment, it would be difficult to do since ours only measure so high. After a few days, the levels would be too high to differentiate.

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

I still stick with the fish cycle;
I have quite a few tanks running now so I just clone them, really I haven't had to cycle for any of my tanks except for one.
Most of you make fish cycling sound like a genocide....
Keep in mind we are talking about fish here, not people. Do not buy your desired fish for the cycle, buy ones that are "disposable". I know some of you may take that statement as offensive, but it is simply a difference in opinion. I believe the death of a $3 goldfish as a result from inducing the nitrogen cycle is not a crime against nature.