Using Fish To Cycle

[vancouver]

About 1/2 an ice cream bucket of bacteria from another filter.. I rinsed the filter pads in aquarium water, and dumped the water into both filters pads..

I'm going to do it again tomorrow, probably another 1/2 ice cream bucket.

I will have to look up fishless cycling.. It just sounded like something I could easily screw up, and I've had so many problems with this tank recently, I just want to be sure I'm going to get it running without problems.

 

[soritan]

Look into cloning, too. That's especially easy if you have an established tank.

Simplest way possible: Run two filters on your established tank for about 2 weeks, setup your new aquarium, move one filter over. Easy kick in the pants for cycling.


*edit:

Also, cycling fishless isn't all that difficult, it just takes patience and frequent testing. Same thing fish cycling requires, really... and the entire hobby in the end. Sometimes I think I should have gotten into lemon trees.

 

[SamUK]

About 1/2 an ice cream bucket of bacteria from another filter.. I rinsed the filter pads in aquarium water, and dumped the water into both filters pads..

I'm going to do it again tomorrow, probably another 1/2 ice cream bucket.

i dont think thats actually seeding (not pickin at you now jus trying to help).

if you have the mature filter media from another tank then jus put some of that in the new filter.

simply pouring the water over the new pads wont let the new bacteria establish.


and anyway, if you do have mature media then this whole thread has been completely pointless cos as soritan has jus sed, you can jus clone any new tank you get and be running a cycled tank in under an hour.


ive jus done the same and i even managed it with filter pads from a different filter to my new one.

i jus cut the established pad from my old filter in half. that way i left some in the old filter and had some for my new filter.

 

[vancouver]

Ahh.. I totally could have done that, as I have 2 filters in the 75g right now. I guess I could always move one of them into an established tank for a week, then move it back to the 75g.

Or what if I switch filter pads?

My 48g has the same aquaclear the 75g does. Could I take the filter pad from the 48g and swap it with the one in the 75g?

Or would that mess the 48g tank up?



edit: so I could do that then I guess..

I don't think of this topic as a waste.. I wouldn't have found any of this stuff out if I didn't post the original topic and go through all this fun!!

 

[SamUK]

sorry i meant the debate was pointless. i used the wrong words.


basically all the good bacteria you need is on the filter media so if you can transfer some over thats matured in an already cycled tank then youve got all the bacteria you need already.


you have to be careful not to take too much out tho because you dont want to leave the established tank without enough bacteria to cope with its fish.

does that make sense?


so yea you could take some out of the 48g and put it in the 75G.


theres also some bacteria in the substrate if the tank has been running a while and another tip is to use an old stocking or cut up some tights and put the substrate from the established tank in them and put that inside the tank.

you dont need to do that if youve used the same substrate in your new tank cos it doesnt matter if it mixes but its a handy thing to kno if you changed gravel or even to sand.

 

[vancouver]

I've got carbon, and a sponge thing in the aquaclears in both tanks filters.

Will bacteria be attatched to the carbon packet, or just the sponge? I guess if bacteria is attatched to the carbon packet, I could swap those..

I also have a whole bunch of filter floss someone gave me.. Maybe I should stick some of that in a bunch of my established filters for a few days, then move the floss to the 75g filter.

I could move gravel.. would I just put the gravel into a stocking, then into the filter? or just straight into the tank?
Could I just grab a bunch of gravel from the established tank and put it on top of the gravel of the 75g?

 

[Lynden]

I agree with doing the "cloning" method, I have done that alongside fish cycling and its basically flawless. Take anything you can spare (rocks, filter media, gravel, ect.) from the old tank and place it in to the new tank. In theory, this will instantly cycle the new tank. Be careful though, dont throw a bunch of pipefish and discus in the next day. Whatever cycling method you use, you should still go slow.

-Lynden

 

[vancouver]

I switched the filter pads.. but I'm having problems with the ph.. it's dropping drastically and I don't know why.. I'm not sure if driftwood can drop the ph a full 2 points in a few days.

tap water ph is 7.0

I filled the tank up 4 days ago.. tested tank water because 1 danio died.. ammonia 0 .. nitrites 0 ... ph = 5... I don't know how the ph can sink to 5 in a few days time.

I've been doing about 30% water changes everyday since I cleaned it 4 days ago.. I have no clue whats happening

 

[Lynden]

pH can lower rapidly during cycling. If its at 5, thats deadly to danios. Try anything to bring it back up.

 

[vancouver]

OOH I didn't know that ph could lower during cycling..

1 danio died, all the others are ok.. a few went wonky when I did a 50% water change.. I'm guessing from the ph drastically changing.

I put them in a bucket and theyre floating in another tank.. will have to get them used to the neutral ph very slowly.

I put a bunch of ph up into the main tank, and will check it again tomorrow..

 

[OohFeeshy]

Oh, so one has died and the others aren't going to well, and it's completely harmless, eh? Aside from the point that you're keeping fish in a tank full of posion, and did that volunterily, fishless cycling is much quicker, and when it's finished you can add a large amount of your bioload at once without any consequences. When cycling with fish, you have to add them very gradually, meaning schooling fish aren't in schools, etc.

 

[Kombat]

I setup my first tank 4 1/2 months ago. I knew about fishless cycling from my research, but I wanted fish right away so I cycled with fish. And I wish I had done fishless. 4 1/2 months and I am still not at the stocking level I want to be at. Where with a fishless cycle, in just a few weeks I could have added everything at once.

Karl

 

[vancouver]

Did I ever say it was harmless? didn't think so.

So before you jump to attacking me, get your facts straight.

THANKS!!

 

[newfishaddict]

True, however the fish are under stress anytime there is a rise in ammonia or nitrite which there is a rise of both in a cycle. It is unnecessary to put them under this stress and possibly put them to death when you can do it another way just as easy. In fact you could call that dumb to say the least

Quoted for truth. Fishless cycling all the way Ammonia poisoning is apparently very unpleasant for fish.

I agree, I use old filter media to cycle a new tank with very few fish in it but if you dont have mature filter media I would do a fishless cycle.

The fish can survive the cycle but the stress and damage to kidneys and liver will reduce their life span for certain.

 

[vancouver]

I put in the filter sponge from an established tank into the tank in question.. but for some reason, the ph still dropped to almost 5.0, and 1 fish died. I did buy the fish from wal mart.. maybe that was a mistake.

If someone could give me a good link to fishless cycling I would appreciate it.. lots of people are telling me about fishless cycling, but nobody offered any advice on how to do it, or offered any links. So if someone would like to help me with fishless cycling, feel free!

edit : just checked on the fish, they're all looking alright in a different tank. 1 of the danios has a little white tuft on it, I think from being bitten. I'm going to do some water changes over the next few days. I don't want to medicate them as they are probably already feeling pretty weak. And they're in 1/2 a 55g, and on the other side is a pair of severums. I could move them to a smaller tank, but I don't think moving them would do any good, would probably stress them more.

The 75g ph is at 7.0, but I'm weary to add fish again. I think I will add the driftwood, wait 2 days, and see what the ph is like. I'm also looking into fishless cycling, so I can finish the cycle without fish.