# Unorthodox cycling theory



## ezlife (Jan 25, 2003)

I just wanted to get an idea about cycling. BTW, I am new to this board and enjoy it. I saw the mouse video, cool.

Anyway, this is my method of cycling:

1) set up your aquarium and add water to top of tank.
2) add an additive, I use stress coat, it removes chlorine, makes tap water safe, additive for fish health, etc.
3) toss in a few goldfish and wait 6 hrs and see how they are doing. 
4) if the goldfish live, then it should be safe for other fish, so toss them in. IF you goldfish die, then do some further investigating, but so far I never had any goldfish die.

So far using this method I have NEVER lost a fish, not even the goldfishes. I have done it on 10, 55, 150, etc. gallon tanks.

I also NEVER use PH testing kits, NEVER check the amonia, nitrates, etc. I just do partial water changes every 3 days or so and the aquarium has crystal clear water.

With this being said, has anybody has similar results to me or use this method? and why is it so important to check the PH, nitrates, etc.? I went to a few aquarium boards and this always comes up, personally i think cycling/constant checking of ammonia etc. is overrated.

BTW, this has worked for oscars, piranhas, arowanas, etc.


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## Show_Me_The_Teeth (Dec 4, 2002)

I totally disagree with you and heres why.

ezlife:
1) set up your aquarium and add water to top of tank.
SMMT:
So is this a bare bottom tank? If so you can get away from cycling the tank as long as a gravel one.
ezlife:
2) add an additive, I use stress coat, it removes chlorine, makes tap water safe, additive for fish health, etc.
SMTT:
Prime Conditioner is absolutely the best one for this. But this still doesn't explain how this benefits the tank as far as the cycling process is concerned.
ezlife:
3) toss in a few goldfish and wait 6 hrs and see how they are doing. 
SMTT:
This has no bearing on anything. You threw them in clean water thats why they are doing fine, not to mention goldfish are probably the most strongest fish out there.
ezlife:
4) if the goldfish live, then it should be safe for other fish, so toss them in. IF you goldfish die, then do some further investigating, but so far I never had any goldfish die.
SMTT:
Like I said this has no bearing on anything. 6 hours isn't long enough for anything to happen.

ezlife:
So far using this method I have NEVER lost a fish, not even the goldfishes. I have done it on 10, 55, 150, etc. gallon tanks.

I also NEVER use PH testing kits, NEVER check the amonia, nitrates, etc. I just do partial water changes every 3 days or so and the aquarium has crystal clear water.

SMTT:
Water changes every 3 days is a bit much. Your practices are flawed. Never using test kits or checking out the water parameters is a joke. If you want healthy fish these are the things you have to do. When I say healthy I mean healthy not healthy enough to live.

ezlife:
With this being said, has anybody has similar results to me or use this method? and why is it so important to check the PH, nitrates, etc.? I went to a few aquarium boards and this always comes up, personally i think cycling/constant checking of ammonia etc. is overrated.

BTW, this has worked for oscars, piranhas, arowanas, etc.

SMTT:
Its important to check your ph because fish may require a different level of ph than your tank. For example if the ph is to low, the water acidic and may eat away at African cichlids skin because they like high ph alkaline water.
Cycling is not overrated when you have expensive fish. All the fish you stated above are hardy fish. Why don't you do that with a freshwater ray and see what happens. Never mind I don't want the ray to die. Just because you don't see the importance doesn't mean its overrated. Just because you can survive in a cell with no bathroom and you piss and poop everywhere doesn't mean its a good living condition. Same for your fish they need a cycle process to clean their waste. Cycling occurs when bacteria start breaking down the waste of the fish. The first bacteria to eat waste is Nitrite. Then the bacteria that eats nitrite is Nitrate. So in order to remove levels of nitrate you must do a water change.

Theres so much more to explain so I suggest you go find a book on freshwater aquaria.

SMTT


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## CHUD (Jan 4, 2003)

SMTT is right.

Ok, I've been successful in doing what ezlife mentioned, but I realize that it is just a temporary arrangement. In order to make it work frequent partial or full water changes have to be executed. But in all actuality, as soon as you experience a very high nutrient breakdown or fail to do your frequent water change, you're screwed :laughlong:

If you care anything about the longevity and health of the fish, go ahead and cycle your tank properly.


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

ezlife said:


> Anyway, this is my method of cycling:
> 
> 1) set up your aquarium and add water to top of tank.
> 2) add an additive, I use stress coat, it removes chlorine, makes tap water safe, additive for fish health, etc.
> ...


your method of cycleing is not to cycle at all. I have had a tank cycleing for 3 weeks now, thats a lot longer than your 6 hour setup, but with expencive fish you need to do things right. theres no way im throwing a $250 black piranha in the tank unless its perfect.

if you want help doing it the right way just let us know, we would love to help.

nitro


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

is this a joke thread?
how do you expect the conditions to change in 6 hours?
why not add the expensive fish from the start if this is your theory?
and no test kits?
have you ever had a fish for more than 2 years?
or over 10 years?
I doubt it!
your idea is great if you want to keep goldfish - they will hardly ever die during cycling, but not with more delecate fish.
Do you really think all fishkeepers go through the cycling process for fun?


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## ezlife (Jan 25, 2003)

SMTT, chud, and nitro thanks for info.

Innes, this is NOT a joke thread and FYI, I have never lost a fish in my life, so yes over +10 years and not only goldfish either. I am sorry I only like "cheap fish" as you put it. But you have to understand not everyone like rays or whatever you own. Just like how somepeople dont like piranhas at all and think its cruel, mean or whatever (I am not one of those otherwise i wouldnt own piranhas or be on a piranha board). But anyway, I only like freshwater and of the freshwater I am only interested in piranhas and arowanas mainly.

SMTT: when you said gravel, yes I do use gravel and I get them from a creek/river so maybe there is already bacteria present? I use all natural and all real stuff. So no plastic plants or plastic driftwood. I just like real stuff, so its my personal preference, no offense to plastic product users at all.

Nitro: Thanks for the offer to help me on cycling, so what do you recomend I do? This has been how things been for a few years now, and I never had ick or any fish problems, should I use the "dont fix it if it ant broke rule"? or make adjustments?

Chud: thanks for advice on your past expereince with this method  any recomends for what next?

Oh also I been playing around with setting up an ecosystem. I have snails that clean the glass, crabs that play the scavenger role eating up junk, golfish as food, and piranhas as top of foodchain. What else can I do as far as this (that wont be eaten most likely i mean, lol)? Thanks...


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

you never lost a fish in 10+ years - Bolloks!


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## readingbabelfish (Jan 16, 2003)

I have had my tank for more than two weeks. I do partial water changes every saturday and vacuum the gravel. I have a 55g. I check ammonia and nitrate levels twice a week. I have three 1.5 inch p's in the tank and they seem to love it. I also have a penguin 330 and a bubbler. I don't know anything about cyling, I guess it will do it on its own? Anyway, I don't have problems at all right now.


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

readingbabelfish said:


> I have had my tank for more than two weeks. I do partial water changes every saturday and vacuum the gravel. I have a 55g. I check ammonia and nitrate levels twice a week. I have three 1.5 inch p's in the tank and they seem to love it. I also have a penguin 330 and a bubbler. I don't know anything about cyling, I guess it will do it on its own? Anyway, I don't have problems at all right now.


you shouldn't clean the tank for the first couple of weeks after setting it up.


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## Show_Me_The_Teeth (Dec 4, 2002)

ezlife said:


> SMTT: when you said gravel, yes I do use gravel and I get them from a creek/river so maybe there is already bacteria present? I use all natural and all real stuff. So no plastic plants or plastic driftwood. I just like real stuff, so its my personal preference, no offense to plastic product users at all.


Theres your secert. The tank is pratically already cycled but you will be adding parasites and other diaseses. I do the same when I start new tanks. I grab gravel from one tanks in the store to speed up the cycling process to with a week or so. But using old filter media does the trick too. Just not as fast.

SMTT


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

see my post in piranha discusion on cycleing a new tank


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## ezlife (Jan 25, 2003)

SMTT: its funny you mention using the old filters becasue that is what I also do (this is probably why i had sucess in the past). This is what I do:

After adding gravel and water, the water is NOT cloudy yet its NOT crystal clear, I dont know how to describe its looks(possibly called new tank syndrome), i guess its sediments still floating around. So what I have always done is take the "hang on the back filters" from my other tanks and put all of them in the new tank. This way I have about 3 hang on the back filters working at the same time. In a few hours time, the sediments will float to the bottom of the tank and/or get sucked by one of the filters. If the water looks clear and the goldfish are living, then i will take out the old filters and put plants in, rocks, then the real fish i wanted to add.

I have a friend who has a 250 gallon aquarium and he told me it took him 2 months, yes 8 weeks to cycle his tank, does this sound right? I dont know what he was doing but to me that just sounds too long? Thanks.


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

Moved to equipment questions.


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## Show_Me_The_Teeth (Dec 4, 2002)

ezlife said:


> SMTT: its funny you mention using the old filters becasue that is what I also do (this is probably why i had sucess in the past). This is what I do:
> 
> After adding gravel and water, the water is NOT cloudy yet its NOT crystal clear, I dont know how to describe its looks(possibly called new tank syndrome), i guess its sediments still floating around. So what I have always done is take the "hang on the back filters" from my other tanks and put all of them in the new tank. This way I have about 3 hang on the back filters working at the same time. In a few hours time, the sediments will float to the bottom of the tank and/or get sucked by one of the filters. If the water looks clear and the goldfish are living, then i will take out the old filters and put plants in, rocks, then the real fish i wanted to add.
> 
> I have a friend who has a 250 gallon aquarium and he told me it took him 2 months, yes 8 weeks to cycle his tank, does this sound right? I dont know what he was doing but to me that just sounds too long? Thanks.


Old filters, sure helps out allot.

8 weeks sounds right for a 250g.


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