New Member

Posts: 4
From:Nashville, TN USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-03-2004 03:16 PM         

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Ok, so the "new tank cycle" takes about 4 wks. In the mean time should I simply not put any fish in the tank? Just let it run buy its self? empty? or should I buy a cheap fish and just expect it to die. What can I do to make the tank cycle faster? I just don't want to buy fish if I should be waiting till it cycles. That is a bit like murder. Any advice would be great. Thanks.
Amy

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Posts: 255
From:Courtenay, B.C, Canada!
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-03-2004 03:57 PM         

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well when i cycled my tank when it was new i had to wait a week for the chlorine to go away witch took 1 week i think and for it to heat up. untill then i just got 5 feeder fish to get the bacteria going becuse gold fish are ok in the cooler water as it was heating. buy the time it got to room temp i turned on the heaters that took about a week and then i added 2 of my cichlids they ate the feeders and in a couple of days ill add the rest the water hasnt got cloudy and the fish look great so i think i did it right lol well thats what i did and it worked i wouldn't mind hearing the proper way though hee hee :P

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Posts: 78
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-03-2004 04:10 PM         

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OK, glad you asked beforehand. Now we can preempt a bad situation and get you on the right track...

What you will want to do is called a fishless cycle. I'll place a link at the bottom of this post. It involves using household ammonia to provide a food source to allow the helpful bacteria (nitrosomas and nitrospira) to colonize your filter media. This will allow you to fully stock your tank once the process is complete and allow for a higher bio-load to be placed on the bacteria versus using a few feeders (which is cruel and unnecessary).

Read these links and come on back. We'll be happy to answer any of your questions you may have after that...
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/cycle2.shtml

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Posts: 39
From:Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 02-04-2004 03:36 AM         

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Hi,
I have been using these artificial Bio Cyclers, By which i have had success with out loosing even a single fish.

I had my fishes in the tank with in half an hour after adding BIO.

Contact your pet store and you might have success.

All the best

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Posts: 501
From:Missouri
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 08:45 AM         

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One thing about the bacteria-in-a-bottle type products. Unless it's refrigerated, chances are by the time the consumer gets it, all the bacteria are dead and the product is useless. And the only one I know of that is refrigerated is Bio Spira. I've heard it works, but I've never used it personally. But really, the absolute best way to make sure the tank is cycled is to do the fishless cycle.

-Chelle

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Posts: 78
From:
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 09:10 AM         

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I don't recommend bio-spira or any other magic cure in a bottle for one simple fact. If you already have a solid understanding of the nitrogen cycle and can take preventive action if something goes wrong - this product may be for you (as a shortcut). If however you are a new tank owner or don't understand the basics of water chemistry - the potential for disaster is very great.

If bio-spira and other similar products are not used EXACTLY in accordance with thier instructions, you will get wildly varied results. Even having followed the instructions, you may get a bad bag that wasn't refrigerated throughout it's entire trip from factory to fingers and now the bacteria or half dead.

If you feel compelled to use the product, I recommend the following simple test. Dump in the recommended dosage of Bio-Spira, add 5ppm of pure ammonia and wait 24 hours. If the tank can process that much - and your tests show 0 ammo, 0 nitrites and a significant rise in nitrates - then add your fish. This will provide you with a cushion in case something goes wrong..

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Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 09:11 AM         

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Ack, ya beat me Chelle!

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Posts: 501
From:Missouri
Registered: Feb 2004

posted 02-04-2004 09:26 AM         

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Yeah, but your anti-Bio Spira argument was more indepth than mine.

-Chelle

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