Fish Are Not For Cycling!!!!

[sw65galma]

Originally Posted by angelsrock
if you read what i said then you would understand that i feel that they are of the same stature as a feeder fish. not to sound cold or anything but i use them to serve a purpose and i don't want a rotten piece or shrimp in my tank.
Ok so if you ever use Krill or any food with shrimp..freezed dried don't make a difference..make sure you get every pices of uneaten food out asap...every micro particle..Cuz ooo god forbid u have anything rot in your tank.
Maybe you should ask the fish to use the Restroom...For gods sake they are crapping and urinating everywhere!
Seriouly everything you feed your fish is gonna rot to some degree...Saying "I'm not gonna have shrimp rot in my tank is like saying" ...I'm not gonna eat anything with bacteria...

Just because it's outta sight doesn't mean it's not happening...
There is Fungus in your tank...there is bacteria already there...These things just don't form out of netrons and electrons in your tank..There are algae spores..ETC ETC.
The only difference with the rotting shrimp is you can see it...
Either way...Your argument = nothing

 

[angelsrock]

Originally Posted by sw65galma
Ok so if you ever use Krill or any food with shrimp..freezed dried don't make a difference..make sure you get every pices of uneaten food out asap...every micro particle..Cuz ooo god forbid u have anything rot in your tank.
Maybe you should ask the fish to use the Restroom...For gods sake they are crapping and urinating everywhere!
Seriouly everything you feed your fish is gonna rot to some degree...Saying "I'm not gonna have shrimp rot in my tank is like saying" ...I'm not gonna eat anything with bacteria...

Just because it's outta sight doesn't mean it's not happening...
There is Fungus in your tank...there is bacteria already there...These things just don't form out of netrons and electrons in your tank..There are algae spores..ETC ETC.
The only difference with the rotting shrimp is you can see it...
Either way...Your argument = nothing

listen i'm not here to argue, this is just how i feel. if you don't like it...tough.

i know my fish are crapping and peeing everywhere, and i also know there is bacteria in the tank(that's what keeps the fish alive). i also have inverts like peanut worms that eat poo and the urine is detoxified by my filter and live rock. i do not however have any fungus in my tank. if i did my fish wouldn't be doing as good as they are or if there is it's a very very small portion.

 

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by sw65galma
There is Fungus in your tank...there is bacteria already there...These things just don't form out of netrons and electrons in your tank..There are algae spores..ETC ETC.
The only difference with the rotting shrimp is you can see it...
I've been cycling with fish food. My husband gets really grossed out when the flakes turn fuzzy. Is this really fungus, or are these bacterial colonies? You kow, the ones that make the ammonia to begin with? I had always assumed it was a large colony of bacteria.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by angelsrock
first of all it's angelsrock not angelstock. and yeah i don't want a piece of rotten shrimp in my tank because i know that it starts to grow fungus on it and i don't want fungus of any kind in my tanks. you may but i don't. also i don't know what kind of food your feeding your fish but i do not feed my fish rotten pieces of shrimp or food that has rotten shrimp in it. i have flake that has freeze dried shrimp in it, but most foods i use are frozen. not rotten. also if you have a problem with me using damsels to cycle my tank, but no problem with them being used as a feeder then i don't know what to tell ya.
(Sorry about the name typo)
I'm not a fan of feeder fish, either, although you could certainly argue that a feeder fish lives and dies much more pleasantly than a cylcling damsel...
Now, as to the fungus issue: sink the shrimp behind a rock. Out of sight, out of mind. Any "fungus" that might break down the shrimp is hardly going to be damaging to your tank.

 

[angelsrock]

Originally Posted by DSkidmore
I've been cycling with fish food. My husband gets really grossed out when the flakes turn fuzzy. Is this really fungus, or are these bacterial colonies? You kow, the ones that make the ammonia to begin with? I had always assumed it was a large colony of bacteria.
it's really fungus.

 

[1journeyman]

Yes.. but the fungus is ALREADY in the water

(or in the air to be more precise...)
If it finds a medium to grow on it will.
This doesn't make for unhealthy fish...

 

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by angelsrock
it's really fungus.
Interesting!

 

[jon logan]

Using damels to cycle a tank won't hurt them at all. They are very tuff fish. I did this with mine and nothing happened to him and I got the tank cycled in about a week. A guy I know when he was setting his up used 6 damels in his 200 gallon and his heater malfunctioned and the temperature went up to over 100 degrees and it didn't hurt any of them.

 

[ophiura]

Whether they survive versus whether they are hurt are two VERY different issues. I could SURVIVE having my arm cut off, or burned over a good deal of my body....but it would HURT a whole lot and there would be lasting issues.

 

[carshark]

ophi, i hate to say this but its almost a political phenomenon, that will always have two sides, as well as narrow minded opinions, at this point after starting this thread i realize now how much this topic is so indifferent between people, sad thing is there will never be enough information out there to anyone on the real harm of doing this practice, i havent replied to this thread in a long time, for the reason of its an ongoing debate that will never be solved, nor there isnt enough compassion for the fish in this hobby, most people want a pretty sight, not concerned with ill-effects towards the fish...its hard to gauge the actual real response of people who dont know any better or who just dont care, because simply most people that post in this board have a genuine love for the hobby beyond just the glamour of a good looking sight in their living rooms....sad though, this is such a fantastic hobby, if more people would research and have a general passion for it!

 

[beth]

IMO, there is no point to using live animals to cycle when a few pieces of LR, or even lr rubble will work so much better, and even add to the overall benefit of the tank. Even if you are setting up a FO, save the fish from cycle and add just a couple of pieces of LR, then feed the LR. The results will work wonders. The price would be pretty much the same either way.

 

[treybomb]

yeah for cycling my tank i just went to my jewel and asked for one 1 raw shrimp and i got it for free.. not 5 dollars that oculd be used for something wirth it in my tank

 

[shooter]

There Is A Very Easy, Cheap, And Practical Way To Cycle Your Tank.....i Have Cycled Two Tanks---a 55 Gal. And A 45 Gal......go To Your Local Fish Store And Buy About 4-5 Black Mollys For .99 Cents....they Survive Fine And I Have Actually Kept A Couple In My Tanks Once I've Added Saltwater Fish Because They Are Actually Great Bottom Feeders And Rock Feeders....the Other Ones I Took Back To The Pet Store

[hr]
they Were Fine....

 

[carshark]

you dug this thread up to put in info about mollies? whats the difference between using them over damsels? and actually it isnt really healthy to put brackish water fish in your salt tanks......

 

[shooter]

Simple

[hr]
mollies Cost .99 Cents

[hr]
damsels Are 4-5 $$$$ Once The Tank Is Cycled, You Can Keep 1-2 In There Without A Problem , If Not---bring Them Back To The Fish Store ......i Would Rather Spend 4.00 Than 15-20 Dollars To Get The Same Result.......

 

[viper_930]

Cost is not the issue here.

 

[celacanthr]

anyone who got into this hobby probably shouldn't be that worried ofer an 8$ difference, and besides this is about morals, i do believe.

 

[dskidmore]

That cost comparison isn't even valid, when the primary argument on this thread is you should spend 50 cents on a dead shrimp at the grocery store instead of $20 on damsels.

 

[treybomb]

i got my shrimp for free cuz it didnt weigh enough! i thought this thread was dead ! : )

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by jon logan
Using damels to cycle a tank won't hurt them at all. They are very tuff fish. I did this with mine and nothing happened to him and I got the tank cycled in about a week. .. .

That is false.
1. Did you microscopically examine the internal organs of your fish? (gills?) If not, you can't say it doesn't hurt them. How does ammonia kill other fish but not hurt damsels????? Damsels are very tough fish, but just because they survive doesn't mean that they aren't hurt...
2. Cycling with fish is not any faster than cycling any other way. It's just an old, outdated method that's propagated by pet stores to make easy sells to uneducated buyers.