Minnows for cycling?

[Paul1792]

There is the magic words... you used a seeded filter which is why your tank cycled so quickly. Had you not used seeded media then the way you cycled would not have worked.

OP personally if your adding a lot of seeded media I would get a small amount of the fish you intend on keeping and add them in straight away. Just watch your levels ammonia/nitrites/nitrates and do a WC if the ammonia or nitrite goes above .25ppm. BUT if you have added enough seeded media you shouldn't have any issues at all. I would not add or use minnows simply because as already stated they can carry diseases our aquarium fish could be very susceptible to.

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Yes of course you are correct. If you have one tank ........... the second is a "piece of cake" if you do proper "seeding of filters."

But for the 99% of the population getting a first time tank ......... who would wait 4 to 6 weeks? OK ........ so you give your 4 year old grandson an empty tank and say ............. it will be a month or two for the nitrogen cycle to complete?

The "Fish in" cycle is the best for NORMAL people ..... not aqua enthusiasts. Do the nitrogen cycle with goldfish for a few days. When water becomes cloudy . then clear ...... it's time to return the goldfish and get guppies. And then add from that.

 

[HN1]

**************
Yes of course you are correct. If you have one tank ........... the second is a "piece of cake" if you do proper "seeding of filters."

But for the 99% of the population getting a first time tank ......... who would wait 4 to 6 weeks? OK ........ so you give your 4 year old grandson an empty tank and say ............. it will be a month or two for the nitrogen cycle to complete?

The "Fish in" cycle is the best for NORMAL people ..... not aqua enthusiasts. Do the nitrogen cycle with goldfish for a few days. When water becomes cloudy . then clear ...... it's time to return the goldfish and get guppies. And then add from that.

As previously stated, a fish in cycle can be done 100% responsibly. Goldfish do not need to be and shouldn't be involved in the process (unless that is the planned permanent stocking) and a "few days" isn't nearly enough time to establish a bio-filter.

Fish-in Cycling: Step over into the dark side - Aquarium Advice

 

[ashleynicole]

I do fish in cycles with seeded media directly from one filter to the next. Occasionally get a slight spike of ammonia or nitrites if I stock to quickly... because your kind of gruessing at the initial stock and what your seeded material will handle. But water changes, daily monitoring, and prime help prevent the fish from being stessed. Ammonia and nitrite will poison the fish and lead to disease outbreaks (fungus, ich, etc).

When I started a new tank and didn't have seeded media, I ordered a seeded sponge from angels plus and it was an instant cycle.

 

[Rivercats]

**************
Yes of course you are correct. If you have one tank ........... the second is a "piece of cake" if you do proper "seeding of filters."

But for the 99% of the population getting a first time tank ......... who would wait 4 to 6 weeks? OK ........ so you give your 4 year old grandson an empty tank and say ............. it will be a month or two for the nitrogen cycle to complete?

The "Fish in" cycle is the best for NORMAL people ..... not aqua enthusiasts. Do the nitrogen cycle with goldfish for a few days. When water becomes cloudy . then clear ...... it's time to return the goldfish and get guppies. And then add from that.

Even tho you don't want to believe it the bacterial bloom forming and clearing has nothing to do with the actual cycling of the tank. Just because the bacterial bloom clears doesn't mean your nitrogen cycle has run it's course.

All your doing is a fish in cycle but your not monitoring your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate which is and can be very harmful to fish. If that's how you do it fine BUT advising others, especially new comers to the hobby that this is the "proper" way to cycle a tank just is not good advice.

As already stated doing a fish in cycle "properly" by monitoring levels and doing WC's as needed to keep ammonia and nitrites at .25ppm or below is a perfectly safe and acceptable way of cycling a tank but this is not what your doing. Your basically adding fish and making them live through the spikes of ammonia and nitrite while the tank cycles, not a good thing at all for the fish which can die or suffer long term effects from ammonia and or nitrite poisoning.

I'm not picking on you and I hope you understand that but new comers to the hobby need to learn the correct ways to cycle their tanks.