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Betta98

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I have a few question. I am new at fishkeeping. I have read about the nitrogen cycle, required equipment and my tank is all set up.
Okay, so my father does not trust the rotting food and shrimp cycling methods no matter what I say and soap-free ammonia is hard to find so I will have to use fish-in cycle. I know HOW to do it, but my problem is choosing a hardy fish. I heard zebra danios are the best but they are schooling fish and will not leave much room for other types of fish in my 20g according to the inch-per-fish rule. Are there non-schooling fish that is as hardy as the danios? If not, I will just go with the danios?
Any equipment required other than a testing kit? If danios are my best choice, which fish will live with them happily? What temperature should Do I start the cycle with just one or a full school of 6? (I have read conflicting info) What temperature can they thrive in in a tropical aquarium?
 
If you want to do a fish in cycle with Danios, it will be best to rehome them after as they are not suitable for a 20G, they require a tank of at least 3ft.
Another option for a hardy fish would be a Goldfish, though you would also need to rehome after.
 
I found some ammonia on Amazon, HERE it is. You were just looking in the wrong section ;)
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
IIRC, certainly in the US, suitable ammonia is available at Ace Hardware, but I don't know if that company operates north of the border as well.
 
However, if you must do a fish-in cycle, then in my opinion, your thinking is a bit skewed. Just because a fish is known as "hardy" doesn't mean it doesn't suffer. It does. If you do the cycle correctly, the fish won't die and won't suffer too much, especially if your pH is less than 7.0. Therefore, think about what kind of fish you want to keep long-term.
 
If you are going to get a shoaling species, then it is best to keep a shoal of them, that way they will be less stressed, and therefore produce less ammonia. Another tip would be to only feed them every 3 days, this again reduces the amount of ammonia they produce. Last tip is to use live plants, as they will use the ammonia produced as food, therefore limiting the amount left in the water to harm the fish.
 

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