Questions on cycling with fish

[platycrazy19]

So I have been attempting to do an in fish cycle for a while now. I've seen two tips that seem odd to me. One is don't use a gravel vac when doing water changes. I thought this was fine since the bacteria should be on the gravel not in it. Also I have read that I should not feed my fish at all during this time. Is that really necessary or should I just keep it to very little feeding?

 

[steez]

you have to feed your fish or they will starve, just don't OVER feed. the bacteria grows all throughout the gravel, so leaving it during cycling just helps it grow. sometimes I like to just go down and rake it with my hands so it picks up lots of debris for my filters to grab, filters build most of the BB.


edit: don't replace your filter either, just wash it with aquarium water from your tank when it gets clogged up, don't use tap water. use a good testing kit to monitor your levels so your fish don't get sick, water change as needed ( it was daily during my fish-in cycle)

 

[platycrazy19]

Thanks for the advice. I have been doing water changes about twice a day lately trying to keep the ammonia level down. I do have a cheap test kit and need to get a better one but can not afford the $30 API master kit at the moment that everyone recommends.

 

[roundar]

I'd feed the fish every three days or so, and gravel vac'ing should be fine. Don't stress over the test kit if you're changing water twice a day. Some breeders never use them(because testing the water doesn't change the parameters).

 

[platycrazy19]

Thanks I will reduce feeding to every couple of days and keep up with the water changes. Hopefully things will work out soon.