hiddenicon
Member
does anyone know if there is any other way to start the cycle besides a shrimp?
Question that newbies will want to know
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hiddenicon
Member
would it still work with the food if the food got sucked up in a filter? or would it have to stay on the bed of the tank?
cdn_beaver
Member
I believe that live rock, and or live sand will also help cycle the tank. Please correct me if Im wrong.
hiddenicon
Member
yea your right both help speed up the process
wayway
Member
I cant remember what website it was, somthing like marinebiologist.com or somthing, n e ways, that website and a book I got from my local library said it is best to cycle with fish (damsels), because it makes the cycle go alot quicker, I have cycled all my tanks with fish and it has took all of them about 3 weeks. Also I never had a fish die. Hope this helps.
jag3365
Member
Yep damsels, shrimp, fish food, lr & ls all work. However quick it is most people think it is inhumane to cycle with live fish. Imagine you being thrown in a place where the surroundings were not conditioned to you....Putting a fish into uncycled water can cause a lot of undue stress on a fish, possibly making it more suseptible to diseases etc.
liquidskys
Member
I've always used a few pounds of LR and then some damsels
however, make sure that the LFS you buy your damsels from will take them for store credit when your done with them
some LFS wont take damsels back.. and you definatly dont wanna keep them. their garbage fish!
however, make sure that the LFS you buy your damsels from will take them for store credit when your done with them
some LFS wont take damsels back.. and you definatly dont wanna keep them. their garbage fish!
jtp18
New Member
I'm sorry liquidskys,but I disagree w/ you. I think that damsels deserve just as much care and attention as other marine fish. I used a damsel to cycle my tank and I kept him because he adds a lovely flash of color and is very active. But to say that damsels are garbage fish is a bit harsh. But that is my opinion.
hiddenicon
Member
yea i like them in my tank too, i have 2 of them. My girlfriend also has 2 blue damsels and is starting a new, bigger tank. Is it a good idea for her to put them in her new tank to make the cycle go faster? What are the chances of them dieing?
hiddenicon
Member
Bang Guy, why do you do a large water change when you hit 0.5? Can your nitrates go up after doing a large water change like that?
bang guy
Moderator
IMO maintaining diversity in your tank is one of the healthies things you can do for your reef.
If you don't do water changes during the cycle them ammonia will climb to 3ppm or higher. This will kill 90% of the critters in the rock. If you're happy with just 10% of what you could have then don't change the water.
Doing partial water changes will not slow down the cycle time. It may speed up the cycle time but not significantly IMO.
If you don't do water changes during the cycle them ammonia will climb to 3ppm or higher. This will kill 90% of the critters in the rock. If you're happy with just 10% of what you could have then don't change the water.
Doing partial water changes will not slow down the cycle time. It may speed up the cycle time but not significantly IMO.
wayway
Member
People say cycling with damsels is cruel to the fish how ever they will cycle with live rock. Is'nt it also cruel to put the animals in the live rock through the same conditions that the fish would go through. Do they think just because they cant see the animals in the lr, it means its not cruel. jmo
wayne_etc
New Member
I think some common sense should be used with the whole cruelty thing.
One could say it is cruel to use a dead and frozen cocktail shrimp "That shrimp had to die for that?, or "Those critters in the rock are dying for your tank!" or "That poor damsel just suffers through cycling tanks, then back to the LFS, and over and over again". OR we could get really tree hugging nutso and say "I can't believe you would keep fish in that little tank. They should be free in the ocean!".
Not to mention what we feed the fish!
I'll be quiet now.
w
One could say it is cruel to use a dead and frozen cocktail shrimp "That shrimp had to die for that?, or "Those critters in the rock are dying for your tank!" or "That poor damsel just suffers through cycling tanks, then back to the LFS, and over and over again". OR we could get really tree hugging nutso and say "I can't believe you would keep fish in that little tank. They should be free in the ocean!".
Not to mention what we feed the fish!
I'll be quiet now.
w
X
xoxox
Guest
You can cycle with Black Mollies if you don't wanna use Damsels. They're freshwater fish and can be put into a freshwater tank. (actually, I guess you can call them brackish water fish)
bang guy
Moderator
Originally posted by wayway
Is'nt it also cruel to put the animals in the live rock through the same conditions that the fish would go through.
That's why I do water changes when Ammomia hits 0.5ppm. I want as diverse a critter population as possible. Almost everything we do in this hobby is cruel to some crtitter. If that really is your opinion it's really hypocritical of you to have a saltwater aquarium.
Just my opinion of course, buy I could really care less about how someone treats their fish. I recommend against Damsels because most people that use them to cycle discover that they can't catch them and then they have a tank of unwanted fish.
If you want Damsels, go for it but they might not survive the cycle and their brains can be damaged forever even if they survive.
wayway
Member
First off, I was'nt even talkin to you Bang guy,
Second, I dont appreciate being called a hypocrit.
and Third, your right,it is just your opinion, so keep your smart a$$ opinions to your self unless you want one back.
Also I was just trying to say its no more cruel to one animal as it is the other. Oh one more thing, if you dont care about how n e one on here treats there fish, then you dont need to be replying to peoples post when they want to know something about them.
Second, I dont appreciate being called a hypocrit.
and Third, your right,it is just your opinion, so keep your smart a$$ opinions to your self unless you want one back.
Also I was just trying to say its no more cruel to one animal as it is the other. Oh one more thing, if you dont care about how n e one on here treats there fish, then you dont need to be replying to peoples post when they want to know something about them.
hiddenicon
Member
hate everywhere, we need to just love lol(but yea no need to get all moody to each other)