# Interesting Tank Cycling Theory???



## Razorlips (Jan 12, 2003)

I stopped into a lfs today and over heard the owner talking about ten rbp and cycling a tank. The customer was asking if he was going to add ten .5" P's to a brand new 100 gallon tank, if it had to be cycled first. The owner said if you add fish of that size that have a growth rate of the RBP, you don't have to cycle the tank first.

He said as the fish grows so will the amount of bacteria needed and that this amounts to a very slow and unnoticed cycling of the tank. My thoughts are that at some point, it has to peak. Right?

I told him that I always cycle the tank before adding P's and he said there's no need to if they are that small. This guy is usually very knowledgeable about aquatics but this just doesn't sound right to me.

Any thoughts on this?


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## luva40 (Jan 5, 2003)

He may be right. But IMO I would at least cycle for 3-5 days and add some kind of beneficial bacteria to the tank. I would think that at that tender age they would be more affected by water conditions. Just my opinion, but I wouldn't risk it.

-Kevin-


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

everybody has there own knacks in doing things.if it ain't broke don't fixs.so stay with what works with you.


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## Razorlips (Jan 12, 2003)

Yeah, that's the way I feel about it too. I caught the customer outside the store and gave my opinion on it(imagine that) and he thought my idea was a safer route.

Maybe the store owner was right but I'm not taking the risk of losing any of my fish by doing it that way.

I'm about to buy some baby reds from Pedro and there's no way I would through them into an uncycled tank.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

yeah, am with you on that one.cool, you buying from pedro.cool guy ,i bought the 10 for 40,they are great and growing super fast.you will be very pleased.


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## CHUD (Jan 4, 2003)

that guy at the fish store is an idiot. you have to feed those baby reds everyday. well you don't have to, but it's better for young P's to eat more frequently. all that damn food if not the reds themselves will spike the ammonia to deadly levels. I'm glad you didn't listen to that guy :rasp:


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

I had the impression ammonia peaks and drops down once it produces nitrite and then the nitrite peaks before producing nitrate. no mater how small the fish are it still has to hit unsafe levels before going back down.

maybe he dosen't cycle the tank, but maybe he is still doing water changes, and the fish are to small to produce enough ammonia in the water between changes to hurt them.


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## Razorlips (Jan 12, 2003)

That was my argument with the store owner. If it doesn't peak, it doesn't cycle. Now, I know this but the guy he was telling this to looked like he was new to aquaria so it's probably a good thing I caught him and explained this to him. I also told him there was a ton of info on the internet and also made him aware of P-fury.

Hopefully he will visit this site before he kills his fish.


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## jabster (Jan 18, 2003)

I cycled a tank once with small Ps....worked out fine. They are hardy @ss fish for sure. But, I also had the idea of p!ssing in a tank to get it cycling







have not tried that one yet oo:


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

> I also had the idea of p!ssing in a tank to get it cycling


 :laughlong: Yeah probably not the best idea.

My take on this is that it is all a function of risk. I know people that have just thrown their P's into tanks that have only been running for a day or two. To be exact I know 2. One persons P's went on to become really big and successfull. The other person's P's were all dead within a week.









So the question is. You can cut corners, think you know what you are doing, and try it the easy way, but the risk of you losing a fish (and some money) is a lot greater if you dont take the necessary precautions that practically everyone agrees to.

This is not a "sugar in the tank" idea. EVERYONE agrees that you should cycle the tank. A fifth grader could even tell me the chemical transformations that take place in the tank to make it healthy for fish.

Take the 2 weeks or a month to cycle the tank. I am sure, for 50% of you (by my own scientific statistical evaluation :rockin: ) that it will save you some money and frustration.

-Xe


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## readingbabelfish (Jan 16, 2003)

hey guys,
I got my 55g two mondays ago , put my 3 baby piranha in it two tuesdays ago. They seem to be fine. I am doing 20 percent water changes once a week. I also have been useing bacteria starter. These fish seem to be loving their tank. I have got some rosie reds in there for them to nip at, even still they nip at each other sometimes, and i feed combination of brine shrimp enriched with spriunula and blood worms twice a day. I do the vacum when I do water changes on saturday. I have been testing amonia and nitrate levels and yet have to register any. I am under the assumption that with weekly water changes and a ffg gallon tank, and with only three baby p's, about 1.5 inch, that any ammonia or nitrates will be soooo diluted. But I still hope my tank cyles alright, I am going on three weeks now....
Jason


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

I have had my tank cycleing for 3 weeks now, and I still cant get any ammonia readings yet.

maybe 13 goldfish in a 90 gallon is not enough?


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

I have never seen dead fish due to cycling tanks, not that I cycle tanks that much!
I would guess that livebearers, anglefish and plecos would be a bad choice - these seem to die really easely!
but piranhas and goldfish are really hard to kill, they can take cycling, and probably much worse!
My take on this is I wouldn't reccomend cycling with fish at all, but if you are going to do it, get the type of fish that is most likely to handle it, e.g. goldfish or piranhas/silver dollers/tetras.


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Moved to equipment questions.


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