Considering switching from fishless to fish in....

[Nimo]

Right, that is where I was getting confused on what you were saying before. I would not ever attempt to put any fish in with high levels. If I can get the levels to zero then it should be kind of like doing a fish in cycle with a (partially) seeded filter, correct?

Yes you are correct but be prepared to do daily water changes and sometimes more.
What type of water conditioner do you plan on using?
Just curious, I always recommend Prime it is the only chemical you need other than meds when they might be needed. Prime takes care of chlorine, chloramine heavy metals and it detoxifies ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. And also provides slime coat for the fish. You don't have to use much at all a compared to the others out there.

 

[pugmom]

Yup, been using prime since I started....glad I got the big bottle

Thanks for the input everyone!

 

[Autumnsky]

Jetajockey had an article for fish in cycle. Just noticed the article link was given previously)edit* I have done all mine fish in and seeded fish in so I am happy to say it can be done but with added work!!!

Please just remember to not clean (only with old tank water/treated water) the filter media at the same time/week you vacuum / pwc the tank. Don't change filter pads till they are falling apart. This should save you from little bouts of mini cycles, and crashes because you keep your beneficial bacteria happy and plentiful.

What kinds of plants did you try? Did you keep them in with daily light?

I am newer to planted tanks but one of the tricks is to give the lighted period 8-10 hours usually, with a one hour rest period in the middle. I read it throws off the algae life/growth cycle. Still allows the low light plants light they need (with stock/regular hood light). You should probably address more specific questions in planted tanks about that. But we can help you here.

The types of plants you pick depends on the lighting for the most part and some for the water temp which can play a part in your cycle and plant growth.

Plants will help the tank too if they aren't the kinds that "melt", shed and die easily causing Nitrite/Nitrate spikes in your tank levels. You could have had some of your spikes from decaying plant matter. I have had melting experiences with Anacharis/Elodea, Hornwort, Star Grass/ Heteranthera zosterifolia. Some did great or fine and half melted. Had this happen and I didn't know it was dying/dead and it ended up killing a fish.

Don't buy unhealthy looking plants to start, can be BIG mistake. Choose awesome, healthy ones, don't settle!!!

I am adding a disclaimer, that I am not an expert, just my personal experience.

Just go very slow in adding fish.

 

[pugmom]

thanks autumn sky! I had a ton of java fern from a relative. Had light on a lot, but only an led fixture, so it may not have been enough.....

Figure I will try to figure that out in the fall, once I get the fish figured out

thanks for the cleaning tips! I have carbon in my filter that I probably should toss, but I am scared of losing any BB at this point!!!

 

[Nimo]

Yup, been using prime since I started....glad I got the big bottle

Thanks for the input everyone!

Good deal. I always recommend it. When I first got started I wasted allot of money on multiple chemicals then I found Prime and this forum ,lol, I have learned allot and still learn more every day. My fish are allot happier and I have allot of them breeding now because I have learned here how to properly care for them.

 

[Nimo]

thanks autumn sky! I had a ton of java fern from a relative. Had light on a lot, but only an led fixture, so it may not have been enough.....

Figure I will try to figure that out in the fall, once I get the fish figured out

thanks for the cleaning tips! I have carbon in my filter that I probably should toss, but I am scared of losing any BB at this point!!!

If you want to remove the carbon with out loosing your media entirely you can take a razor and split the top of the media open hold it under used tank water and dump the carbon out in the water, I did that to remove the carbon from mine and saved the media with all my BB.works like a charm

 

[fort384]

Jetajockey's article is an excellent resource. There is nothing wrong with doing a fish in cycle, and if done properly will result in no stress or additional discomfort for fish. It sounds like you have a good plan and have a good understanding of the nitrogen cycle, so you will be just fine.

I have never done a completely fishless cycle on a FW tank either (SW, different story). I always do a combination of a fish in and silent cycle on new FW tanks, and haven't lost any fish using this method.

Fishless cycling is a great way to cycle a tank for ease of maintenance, and it is often recommended by more experienced fish keepers to those new to the hobby as it encourages thought and understanding of the nitrogen cycle, and also encourages research and understanding of keeping an aquarium, prior to adding inhabitants. The old adage "Nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium" definitely holds true here... Unfortunately, that often gets translated into "your fish are going to die" by some folks who haven't really deeply explored the other options.

 

[Autumnsky]

You can leave it for now. It is no big deal to leave it and looses its "active" usefulness as cleaner (speaking of the carbon chunks if that is what you are referring to).

Just take it out after all is well in the tank for a while, but don't mess with the filter media that time, wait a week, then rinse filter media. You can piggyback a filter cartridge even the kind with a little carbon in it and add media surface area for more BB. I slide an extra one behind it. Then rinse the dirtiest one and then alternate the cleaning one month then the rinse the next a few weeks later or when necessary. This gives me more seeded filter material when i want to start a new tank up. LOL

thanks autumn sky! I had a ton of java fern from a relative. Had light on a lot, but only an led fixture, so it may not have been enough.....

Figure I will try to figure that out in the fall, once I get the fish figured out

thanks for the cleaning tips! I have carbon in my filter that I probably should toss, but I am scared of losing any BB at this point!!!

 

[pugmom]

It looks like the BB must have been doing some reading of this thread....lol.

I saw a little bit of a drop in nitrites this am after almost a month. I will stick it out with the fishless cycle a few more days

Fishless cycling is a great way to cycle a tank for ease of maintenance, and it is often recommended by more experienced fish keepers to those new to the hobby as it encourages thought and understanding of the nitrogen cycle, and also encourages research and understanding of keeping an aquarium, prior to adding inhabitants. The old adage "Nothing good happens quickly in an aquarium" definitely holds true here... Unfortunately, that often gets translated into "your fish are going to die" by some folks who haven't really deeply explored the other options.

Thanks for this. I am happy I started with the fishless cycle and this really hits on it. I have spend so much time thinking about what is going on that I feel like I have a good understanding of the cycle!