# cycling while RBP in tank



## animaniac10 (Jun 7, 2005)

today i am going to buy a test kit and some water chemicals can i do all this cycling with the RBP in the tank?


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## CTREDBELLY (Apr 8, 2005)

not recomended since u can kill the fish. if u can get 4 or 5 feeders put it in the tank wait a week fo ran ammoniareading then add bio-spira


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## smithgrind_who (Mar 26, 2004)

Hey animaniac10, ammonia is very toxic to fish and can lead to a shorter life span if they survive the cycling process. After an ammonia spike, there will be nitrItes that are toxic also. IMO the fishless cycle is a good way to cycle an aquarium since you won't introduce unwanted fish to cause future headaches. I would not cycle any tank with piranhas or any fish for that matter. Bottled ammonia is available at most stores and works very well to start the cycling process in growing nitrifying bacteria.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Do you already have the tank and fish?
If so, there's not much you can do about it except hoping your fish will make it through the process without too much damage being done.
A few other things may help a bit, but living in an uncycled tank will always be bad for the fish. If the fish are already in the tank, do a daily 10-15% water change to dilute the amount of ammonia and nitrItes, and add a teaspoon of salt to avoid nitrIte poisoning. Add a new teaspoon after every 8th water change, to avoid remving all the salt with the water changes.


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## animaniac10 (Jun 7, 2005)

so will my P die in this tank since it is uncycled


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

animaniac10 said:


> so will my P die in this tank since it is uncycled
> [snapback]1061373[/snapback]​


yes


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## animaniac10 (Jun 7, 2005)

like will be die very soon


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## Elongatus cockus (May 28, 2005)

animanica,

Please use bio spira

Have it rush delivered if you need to -- it will probably be less expensive than having to pay for new Ps

Good luck


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## Elongatus cockus (May 28, 2005)

henry 79 said:


> animaniac10 said:
> 
> 
> > so will my P die in this tank since it is uncycled
> ...


come on Henry, you can give better advice than that


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## Susp3nc3 (Jan 27, 2005)

back when i knew nothing about p's.. my tank was uncycled when i put em in. None of them died. Recently i was also dealing with a re cycle and none died but i used bio spira. Also just get some aquarium salt, ammo lock and stress zyme..that will help your fish out.


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## animaniac10 (Jun 7, 2005)

where can i buy it i live in canada


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## shutter13 (Jun 23, 2004)

P's are tough and hardy fish... but leaving them in a cycle is just mean









get him out of there... bring him back to the petstore for a few weeks if possible


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## Elongatus cockus (May 28, 2005)

shutter13 said:


> P's are tough and hardy fish... but leaving them in a cycle is just mean
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, or if you have a friend that has an established tank, you may want to have him take care of them or take some of his bio-media.

Otherwise, a bio spira cycle with low bio load with produce relatively low ammonia/nitrite spikes, which reduces chances of death/stress


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## James Blake (May 18, 2005)

you cannot buy biospira in canada since it is "live bacteria" it cannot be imported across the border.... read this immediatly http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.php?showtopic=87344


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## animaniac10 (Jun 7, 2005)

if i give it time and get the gravel from the store and do what the post says with my tank cycle itself wiht the p in it


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## smithgrind_who (Mar 26, 2004)

Given time, any tank will cycle with ammonia present in the water. Your piranha will create a bio-load but the fish is going to suffer from exposure to toxic chemicals. If the piranha is already in the tank then get some established gravel and some Ammo-Lock from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. The link from James Blake is a good guide to follow. If you still have a choice don't cycle an aquarium with fish, would you want to live in your own filth for weeks.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

animaniac10 said:


> so will my P die in this tank since it is uncycled
> [snapback]1061373[/snapback]​


No, most likely not, but it won't be a pleasant experience for your fish: both high ammonia and nitrItes are very toxic, so may affect your fish's health.
Unless you can temporarily house your fish in a cycled tank (pet store, friend), add a tablespoon of predissolved salt to your tank (against nitrIte poisoning), and do daily small water changes (10-15%, to dilute the amounts of ammonia). Add a new tablespoon of salt every 5th or 6th water change to keep the salt levels up.

It will take a while before your tank is fully cycled (probably some 3-5 weeks, depending on how far the cycle has progressed already, and wheter you can use gravel, decor or even filters from an already established tank, which will all reduce the time needed to complete the cycle), so monitor your fish closely during the process - if anything seems out of the ordinary, post it here, so we can help you









One last thing: buy a test kit, so you can monitor the amounts of ammonia, nitrItes and nitrAtes in your tank. Once the ammonia and nitrItes are at zero (after having spiked previously) and you have detectable amounts of nitrAtes, the cyclde is complete.
Without a test kit, you won't be able to closely follow the progress - and wild guesses certainly won't benefit your fish.

Good luck


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## Relik (Apr 29, 2005)

lol i didnt even cycly my tank i filled it up and put the 2 reds and pleco in the next day and they are doing great its been about 3 months i guess i got lucky


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Relik said:


> lol i didnt even cycly my tank i filled it up and put the 2 reds and pleco in the next day and they are doing great its been about 3 months i guess i got lucky
> [snapback]1068346[/snapback]​


My first batch of Reds lived through the cycle as well (I didn't know any better back then) - all but one died of cannibalism, and the sole survivor died at the age of around 30 months - cause unknown, I might add.

Surviving the cycle is one thing, but the damage it causes is often not visible on the outside - if you put your fish in an uncycled tank, you may have cut their life expectancy in half, or made them more vulnerable to diseases or parasites. Remember: there's more than just what you see...


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