severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Welcome to AA, southerngirl! Please excuse the not-so-polite welcome. Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on what's going on. If you need any more information, here is an article that will help you out. 
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice
No, 4 zebra danios in a 29 gallon tank are NOT going to be "tortured" as long as the OP monitors water quality and changes water as necessary- which she has already mentioned she is willing to do. Those tiny fish are not going to produce enough waste to make this fish-in cycle a massive effort. It simply doesn't work that way. Not everyone who cycles a tank with fish is doing so out of ignorance or cruelty, and it's quite rude to assume that this is the case. As jetajockey has mentioned, it is possible to cycle with a small bioload of fish safely.
Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice
No, 4 zebra danios in a 29 gallon tank are NOT going to be "tortured" as long as the OP monitors water quality and changes water as necessary- which she has already mentioned she is willing to do. Those tiny fish are not going to produce enough waste to make this fish-in cycle a massive effort. It simply doesn't work that way. Not everyone who cycles a tank with fish is doing so out of ignorance or cruelty, and it's quite rude to assume that this is the case. As jetajockey has mentioned, it is possible to cycle with a small bioload of fish safely.
