cycling a fish only tank?

[ozzydan]

hi guys
how do i cycle a fish only tank, the tank is 5ft and i'm not planning on putting any live rock in there. only fish.
thanks
dan

 

[Atari]

We recommend fishless cycling for any system.

 

[Sam]

The easiest way is to use the "Cocktail Shrimp" method. This will allow your tank to go through the Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate cycle without endangering any livestock or stressing them out. You will need a good cycling test kit to check the levels of each of these so you will know when your cycle is complete. If this is an FO tank figure about 2-3 weeks to get the tank ready to go. You should remove any "leftover" shrimp once it is cycled too. If you do a search here you should find a bunch of advice on doing this. HTH 8)

 

[Atari]

No need to search, I provided the link in my reply

 

[XXFirefighter]

I used fish to cycle my tank, not EVERYONE uses the shrimp only method. As soon as my temp was stable I added my 6 Chromis. Didn't lose a one and my tank cycled in a day or so ! 55 pounds LS and 90 pounds or LR

 

[Atari]

Why encourage something so irresponsible when there's better alternatives. There's no good reason for any fish to be in a tank until it's fully cycled.

 

[indy]

For xx's tank, with the amount of live sand and rock used, the tank probably never actually cycled but had enough bacteria built up to just take off. More of an exception than a rule tho'. If I remember correctly, all his stuff was very fresh so no die-off etc.

 

[Atari]

Fair enough, but ozzydan has no intention of adding any LR so there's no way he would have such a short cycle.

 

[Sam]

I must agree with Atari. I think one of the aspects we encourage in this hobby and on this board is moral responsibility. As such, I think you will see most members encourage you to adopt strategies and approaches which minimize any possible stress or harm to the livestock and help you be a socially responsible fish keeper. For those who use the live fish to cycle their tanks, good luck to you. You make that personal decision with the risk to the fish when you know there are safer alternatives that work as well is not better. Just my thoughts. Ultimately, how you cycle your tank is between you and your conscience. Peace 8)