# When cycling a tank



## Caesar3283 (Jun 18, 2003)

Hey everyone,

When you cycle your tank with gold fish (Rosy Reds) can they introduce disease to the tank. I bought 11 Rosies from Petsmart and 3 were dead in the bag.....4 seemed like they were near death and ended up dying the next day..I now have 4 that appear to be healthy, but I was wondering if the dead ones may have introduced a disease to my tank which is waiting for my Reds. I really don't want to put my Reds in their new home only to have them become sick and possibly die. Anyone have an answer for this. Thanks.

Petsmart feeders


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

Yes they _can_ introduce diseases. I have had feeders die on the way home many times. They aren't all that strong and the rest of the feeders didn't seem to have any diseases. They might not have died because of any diseases tho. It could have just been stress.

The good thing about this tho, is you can treat them for parasites because you got a few weeks before your tank will be cycled if you do find out the living ones have diseases. Depending on what you use, you'll probably have to take your carbon out tho.

After the tank is cycled, always quarantine feeders or any fish for a week or two before adding them to your show tank.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

Maybe DonH can tell us something more about it... (um, please do...














)

*_Moved to Parasites and Diseases Forum_*


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## Caesar3283 (Jun 18, 2003)

Since the 4 I have left in the tank look healthy and active....does this mean they are ok or could they have a disease that wouldn't affect their behaviour? Also, if they were diseased, wouldn't they die soon? I do have a spare 30g tank I could put the feeders in instead of letting my P's eat them....would this lesson the chance of my P's getting sick? (I don't even know if there is anything wrong with the feeders) Any advice or personal experience with this would help. Thanks.


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

> Since the 4 I have left in the tank look healthy and active....does this mean they are ok or could they have a disease that wouldn't affect their behaviour?


They could have internal parasites. But the other fish that died, might not have had a disease either tho. It could have just been the way they were treated at the lfs and the stress of transportation affected an already weakened immune system and overtook them.

If it were me, I wouldn't worry about it, But it's hard for me to say that on a forum and then have someones fish die on them as I would feel it was my fault.

edited for spelling.


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Introducing ANY fish to a tank without proper quaratine can introduce disease to your tank. However, if you are using these fish to cycle your tank, you will have about a month to observe these fish for obvious signs of disease (that's the length of time it usually takes to properly cycle a tank). During this time, monitor them for symptoms like flashing against objects, spots on their body, flared gills, tattered fins and treat them if necessary. Keep in mind that treating fish during the cycling process will significantly prolong the cycling time and can be potentially deadly to your fish (even feeders).

BTW, how large is your tank and what are you planning on putting in there as soon as it cycle? I don't think 4 rosy reds will create enough bioload for your filter to handle your permanent fish once the tank is cycled. It's better to do a "fishless" cycle. Do a search on it. That way, it speeds up the cycling time, you don't have to worry about the introduction of disease, and it will create enough nitrifiers to handle whatever fish you put in there (within reason).


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## Caesar3283 (Jun 18, 2003)

Yeh DonH, I definitely didn't think 4 rosies was enough so I added 10 more. Before I put the rosies in I also added some of the gravel from my cycled tank and also some water from that tank as well. The new tank is a 75g BTW and I'm putting my (3) 2" Red Belly P's in there. The water is a lil cloudy now, but I believe that's from the bacteria spreading correct?


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## DonH (Jan 25, 2003)

Caesar3283 said:


> The water is a lil cloudy now, but I believe that's from the bacteria spreading correct?


 Yes, the cloudy water is a bacteria bloom that accompanies the cycling process. It's due to the excess nutrients in the water while the tank establishes itself.


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