Any way to avoid the cycling thing?

[missileman]

I use a siphon style vacuum (I use a Python but the regular gravity feed works) I lightly vacuum up loose poo and throroughly vacuum about 1/4 of the gravel. Do a different 1/4 each time you do a partial water change.
I bet if you look on U-tube you will find a video of someone doing a water change and gravel vac.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

By cleaning the gravel in tap water it killed the bacteria. Gravel vacing is fine.

 

[kribensis12]

Tropical fish are not more fragile than goldies. a heater may run you about $10 so if you want to move on to tropicals, it'll only cost an additional $10 to $15. You can go fishless, with seeded bacteria from the established tank, or purchase Bio Spira. Near instant cycle in a bottle.

Bottle Cycling products do not work.

The bacteria need air, ammonia, and nitrite to live. Now, in a bottle, there is no air. There is no ammonia( if there is, how long will the bacteria live on the shelf?), and no nitrite( same reasoning as ammonia).
Just take the filter pad out of your original tank, and a bunch of gravel and put it in the new tank. IMPORTANT: If you don't have fish in the new tank when adding the bacteria, they will die within 24 hours.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Bio Spira does work. I have used it successfully and so have many members.

 

[musicman]

What about Seachem Stability or Stress Zyme? Do these products work?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

In my experience, no. They neither one require refrigeration to keep the bacteria alive.

 

[kora_the_lone_koi]

Hm...Well I don't really know what biospira contains, but assuming it contains bacteria(like you said ), do you think I could just take some gravel or filter stuff from an already cycled tank to get more bacteria? ^^

I have two baby koi the bigger one is about 3 1/2 inches long and the other is only about two. I'm not a fish expert and only came to this site for advice and sad to say I won them at the fair. The bigger one is from two years ago and the other from last year. They are both pure white and the only difference is eye color and size. They share the tank with what I think are two sarpas and a black mystery snail.

 

[kora_the_lone_koi]

I is sorry FreezeKourga I didn't mean to quote you I is a noob sorry.

 

[missileman]

I is sorry FreezeKourga I didn't mean to quote you I is a noob sorry.

You can edit the post and delete the quote.

 

[Freezekougra]

lol

i won some fish from a fair when I was little, they survived around 5 years in a plastic, extremely overcrowded, filter-less, uncycled, gravel-less for a few years tank