Cycling w/ livestock - I don't get it.

[trackfast]

Is there some reason that people still insist on cycling with livestock? There is plenty of info on this forum and others, on how to do a fishless cycle. Raw shrimp is readily available at the store.

Okay, I feel better now. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

[Bettababe1011]

Some of it may have to do with impatience or ill information. As in, "The lfs told me I could get these, but I just found out about cycling.". There could be countless reasons. Ask ten people who do it and you'll probably get ten reasons why they did what they did.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

 

[jenatron]

Because they're selfish.

 

[tjm80]

Good question, considering cycling without fish is easier and faster. No daily water changes! Just finished cycling a 75 gallon, and I've added a kole tang, 2 clowns, jawfish (moved back to the LFS), and watchman goby (MIA) with zero increase in ammonia or nitrites. And believe it or not my nitrate appears to be lowering as well, could be in part to the chaeto.

 

[thincat]

Because they're selfish.

I like that!!!! LOL

 

[melosu58]

To be honest also most of the time the LFS are the ones that are suggesting it because it`s all about a sale. How many times have we pointed out the fishless cycle and I`ll bet 90% of the time they say the LFS suggested that they do it that way. If we could get the LFS to think humane then we might put a crack into the using fish for cycling trade.

 

[austinsdad]

Sometimes I also belive its plain old impatience, in that folks want to start a tank and have fish the same day. So, they fill it up with water, sand, rocks, and fish. I've talked to folks that say, "oh heck, they're just damsels or chromis, they're cheap".

Those are the kinds of folks I'd never let my kids be around alone. No regard for life - any life IMO. Maybe that's pushing it, but I do characterize folks that way for just making a fish suffer like that. Just me being me, ya'll.

 

[carey]

I didn't know any better with my cichlid tank, I used the new "miracle" enzymes they push now. Last time I did fish(like 15 yrs ago) there weren't any shortcuts so I bought into it.

Luckily I didnt lose any fish and kept up pWC's and spent a small fortune on filter media to control the spikes. I've since moved them over to a 55 gallon which thankfully I didnt need to cycle. LOL

Alot of us DO care about the fish. After the mess with my cichlids I cycled my SW the old fashioned way- NO FISH but with ammonia.

Some misinformation is also going around on some of the threads....like to add fish to get a quicker cycle. I try to catch what I can.....

 

[Krypt]

I'd have to agree with Mike. I bet in most cases it is the LFS that leads people to using fish for cycling. Most people that start an aquarium think, "It's just fish, how hard can it be?" They go to a pet store, pick out a tank, ask the sales guy which fish to get, they end up leaving with 5 damsels or some other "starter fish", then 2-3 days later the fish are all dead. This repeats multiple times until suddenly the fish start surviving and the owner has no clue as to what's actually happening because the lfs never explained to them what cycling is.

It's a shame when a lfs takes advantage of people like that who have no experience. It's about as bad as a car mechanic trying to charge you $19.95 for changing your blinker fluid.

 

[jenatron]

I guess I interpreted the OP differently. I read it as: here on AA, even when we tell them fish-in cycling is cruel, and give them everything they need to know, why do they still hurt fish?
I understand not being educated, and I suppose that's forgivable. But when they're given the information they need, and still torture fish, that is selfishness, impatience, and ignorance IMO.

 

[ChelseaLake]

I don't get it either considering that it takes like, 6 weeks to cycle with livestock, and half that with pure ammonia.

It's probably just ignorance. People honestly not knowing any better, or being too afraid to try something new.

I don't know about you guys, but I get attached to every little fishy I ever have, and to think of - a) torturing them, and b) probably losing them - makes me sad.

 

[tjm80]

I'd have to agree with Mike. I bet in most cases it is the LFS that leads people to using fish for cycling. Most people that start an aquarium think, "It's just fish, how hard can it be?" They go to a pet store, pick out a tank, ask the sales guy which fish to get, they end up leaving with 5 damsels or some other "starter fish", then 2-3 days later the fish are all dead. This repeats multiple times until suddenly the fish start surviving and the owner has no clue as to what's actually happening because the lfs never explained to them what cycling is.

It's a shame when a lfs takes advantage of people like that who have no experience. It's about as bad as a car mechanic trying to charge you $19.95 for changing your blinker fluid.

Um, what's wrong with changing your blinker fluid? My mechanic recommends it every 2,000 miles.

 

[austinsdad]

You should stop by the house sometime then. I'll give you a great deal on changing the timing belt on your headlights and changing your rear view mirror fluid.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

It might be that they simply don't believe it does any damage. The first fish I ever bought was a Peppered Corydoras catfish. Three of them cycled a 10 gallon and I added two more in that 10 gallon within a week or so. I still have all five and there's no visible issues with them at all (that doesn't mean I don't believe there is damage, that their lifespan may be significantly shorter, etc).

Of course at the time I didn't know any better and while that's no excuse, I also had no bad experience whatsoever cycling with livestock... And there's your problem IMHO.

I think that's the main problem, people (unless a fish dies) can't see for themselves what they're being told... If every fish keeled over and died in the same way, or had visible ammonia burns on the gills, people would start to get it and that's when you'd stop being advised by stores to buy 'hardy fish' when you're buying a tank.

 

[trackfast]

I guess I interpreted the OP differently. I read it as: here on AA, even when we tell them fish-in cycling is cruel, and give them everything they need to know, why do they still hurt fish?
I understand not being educated, and I suppose that's forgivable. But when they're given the information they need, and still torture fish, that is selfishness, impatience, and ignorance IMO.

Jen, that's exactly what I was getting at ! I do understand when people get the wrong info. I just don't get it when they get the right info and do it wrong anyway. I've read posts about how this is a great forum and how the mentors give great advice. And then in someone's next post, they did exactly what they were advised against. That's what I don't get.

 

[David S]

I think its a bit of both,people go to the lfs without doing research on salt water tanks,buy all the equipment and get the advice from the lfs about using fish to cycle.I personally would have thought that telling these people not to use fish during the cycle would actually give them a sense of trust knowing the lfs will always put the livelyhood of your livestock first.