Cycling with blue damsel in tank

[grovetsly]

I am a newbie at this and I went to my LFS and asked them how to cycle my tank and he suggested getting several blue damsels and put it in my tank and feed them once a day. He says that the tank will be cycled within 2 weeks. This was contrary to what i've read on here previously. My question is: What is the purpose of having damsels in the tank in the beginning? How will that help with the cycling?
Thanks!

 

[renogaw]

it won't help too much, and will extend the cycling because the waste they produce isn't going to be enough to feed the bacteria to reproduction numbers for a while.
i hope you didn't take this advise btw...

 

[m0nk]

IMO, this is a cruel, and unnecessary way to cycle a tank. The purpose is the same, with the same end result; the cycle gets completed and beneficial bacteria builds up to aid in biological filtration. The process is cruel to the fish because the ammonia buildup burns the gills of the fish, and although damsels are hearty and will likely survive, there is no way to ensure that the burned gills won't lessen their lifespan, or that lifespan isn't of lesser quality. Another piece of advice they didn't give you is to always use your own test kits and test for ammonia and nitrite during the cycle.
The better way is to use either Live Rock or a raw cocktail shrimp. If you plan on using live rock in the tank, or plan on having a reef tank as the end result, simply buy 1 - 1.5 lb of uncured live rock per gallon of water the tank can hold. The die off resulting in the "curing" process will enable your cycle. Watch your ammonia and nitrite levels closely, testing every day. If your ammonia goes above 1ppm (should be able to tell on the test kit results) do a 20% water change and keep testing. Once the ammonia has gone up, then down to 0 and the nitrite has gone up and down to 0, then test for nitrate. Do a water change and once you see the nitrate down to less than 20, your cycle is complete and you are ready for fish/inverts.
The cocktail shrimp method starts slightly differently (buy a raw shrimp from your grocery store and drop it in the tank), but the cycle process is the same. You can use a shrimp with the live rock method, but I personally don't because the live rock will be sufficient. If cycling a QT (quarantine tank), the shrimp method works great because you don't have live rock in a QT.
Hope that helps, feel free to ask as many questions as you have, we're here to help.

 

[tarball]

What is Cycling
Cycling is the process by which man-made saltwater is turned into 'seawater'. You must cultivate the right bacteria in your filter system by allowing nature to take it's course. Once your tank is fully cycled, your system will have the right biological and chemical balance for livestock.
1. Basically, a new system starts out with no bacteria.
2. Bacteria eat waste.
3. To create bacteria, we have to create waste.
4. Do this by adding uncured live rock to your aquarium. Live rock releases waste and provides a place for good bacteria to grow. (Some people will use small fish or inverts to cycle, but its highly recommend uncured live rock or a dead shrimp. Do not use damsels. Damsels are aggressive and you will limit what you can add to your tank.)
5. Ammonia is a byproduct of waste. Ammonia is deadly to livestock.
6. You will see a high ammonia spike. This is great! That means cycling has begun.
7. As the bacteria multiply in your filter system, they convert ammonia to nitrite. Nitrite is also highly toxic but not as deadly.
8. Ammonia comes down, nitrite goes up.
9. Then bacteria convert nitrite to nitrate. Nitrate is the least toxic.
10. Ammonia and nitrite comes down. Nitrate goes up.
11. To get rid of nitrate, you must do a water change - no more than 20%.
12. The end goal is ammonia=0, nitrite=0, nitrate < 30 ppm, pH between 8.1-8.4, specific gravity between 1.020-1.025 .
Once cycling is complete and live rock is cured, there should be no more die-off or smell from your live rock. Also, waste from your protein skimmer should be greatly reduced. Cycling may take 1-8 weeks.
Remember, add livestock slowly as livestock creates waste which creates ammonia. You have to allow bacteria to catch up and multiply to keep your system balanced.

 

[grovetsly]

Wow!!! That makes a lot of sense. I've read blogs here and there about raw shrimp but I never understood it before. Hey Thanks!

 

[grovetsly]

I think that my LFS isn't very good at all. They're just all about profits. They seem unhappy to see customers go into their shop. They have a frown on their faces when i talk to them.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by grovetsly
I think that my LFS isn't very good at all. They're just all about profits. They seem unhappy to see customers go into their shop. They have a frown on their faces when i talk to them.
It's certainly a shame, and that does happen some times. There is a pet store 5 minutes from my house that I got info/advice from when I started, most of which turns out wasn't very good. They were the same way about the Saltwater customers, and eventually closed down their saltwater fish section. When you find a good one, stick with them, support them, and tell others about them. The LFS I found when I realize the pet store wasn't helpful eventually got sold because not enough people went in, but that was the best place I ever went to... now, the current owner knows less than most new people on the boards here and is even less helpful.