Are Glofish hardy enough for a fish-in cycle?

[firteen888]

Hey all,

I've been fishless cycling my 29 gallon tank for close to 2 months now and haven't seen a SINGLE change in ANY of my levels (ammonia 3-4ppm, no nitrites, no nitrates). I even have established filter media in the filter. I've come to the conclusion that while fishless cycling works for some, it just doesn't work for everybody. So I've decided to give up. I thank all of you who tried to help, but continuing with this fishless cycle is futile. So.....

I will be putting fish into the tank on Friday. My question is, are Glofish hardy fish? I know people recommend zebra danios, which if I'm not mistaken, Glofish are simply genetically engineered Zebra Danios. Is 6 enough to cycle the tank? Should I put other fish in as well?



Thanks,

 

[eco23]

Hey all,

I've been fishless cycling my 29 gallon tank for close to 2 months now and haven't seen a SINGLE change in ANY of my levels (ammonia 3-4ppm, no nitrites, no nitrates). I even have established filter media in the filter. I've come to the conclusion that while fishless cycling works for some, it just doesn't work for everybody. So I've decided to give up. I thank all of you who tried to help, but continuing with this fishless cycle is futile. So.....

I will be putting fish into the tank on Friday. My question is, are Glofish hardy fish? I know people recommend zebra danios, which if I'm not mistaken, Glofish are simply genetically engineered Zebra Danios. Is 6 enough to cycle the tank? Should I put other fish in as well?

Thanks,

This is an advice forum...so nobody can tell you what to do, but adding fish does not change how your tank will cycle, it only replaces the ammonia source with a living one. If your fishless cycle is taking a long time, imagine how long cycling with fish would take and how many buckets of water you will need to carry with daily pwc's to keep your Glofish alive.

I assume you've seen it, but if not please check out the link in my signature. All fishless cycles can be successful, some just test our patience more than others. There has to be something we're missing.

I ask you to look the guide over again closely for me one more time. I'll be more than happy to work with you 1 on 1 either here, the guide thread or PM's to make sure we get your cycle finished.

 

[jetajockey]

As to what fish is hardy enough to fish-in cycle, it can be accomplished with any fish, but the key is to keep the toxin levels bound or low enough to where the fish don't experience any poisoning because of it.

I definitely agree that you should just continue the fishless cycle since you are already in it for so long.

Since it seems to have possibly stalled, why not try a big water change to see if things get moving again?

If you are insistent on going fish-in at this point, I suggest lightly stocking. 3-4 small fish in a 29g would be a good amount to go with. The lighter you stock, the easier it will be to stay on top of water quality.

 

[firteen888]

Thanks eco, you've helped me alot already and I've followed your guide step by step.

- 29 gallon tank
- dosed tank with the correct ammonia. been at 3-4ppm for 2 months now
- temp of water around 86 degrees
- Airtsone on full blast, water level low to create more movement up top
- put an established sponge in my filter, also have a mesh (removed the carbon) and ceramic media as per your recommendation.
- numerous PWC's to make sure the process didn't stall.

There's nothing I'm missing.

I've done everything I could possibly do but the cycle simply will not work. I bought an aquean syphon to vaccum/fill the tank to make PWC's easier, so no buckets will be necessary. I understand that a fish-in cycle will take just as long, but at least there will be fish in the tank. I've been staring at an empty tank for 2 months and it's getting me nowhere. I'm highly doubting now after so long that all fishless cycles can be succesful.

I appreciate all your help, but it has come time to put fish in the tank and let nature take its course the way it is meant to happen. I just need to know if Glofish are a good fish to do this with.

Thanks,

 

[mommytron]

before you add fish to your tank, just double check everything and make sure there was no toxins introduced to your tank. make sure your ammonia was not scented or have any added surfactants, be positive that no chemicals or soaps contaminated the tank. i know that my first fishless cycle went the same way, and come to find out i had been using scented ammonia. i understand your frustration, but you want to make sure that your tank is safe for your new fish. i would be worried since apparently bacteria can't even survive in there.

 

[eco23]

Thanks eco, you've helped me alot already and I've followed your guide step by step.

- 29 gallon tank
- dosed tank with the correct ammonia. been at 3-4ppm for 2 months now
- temp of water around 86 degrees
- Airtsone on full blast, water level low to create more movement up top
- put an established sponge in my filter, also have a mesh (removed the carbon) and ceramic media as per your recommendation.

There's nothing I'm missing.

I've done everything I could possibly do but the cycle simply will not work. I bought an aquean syphon to vaccum/fill the tank to make PWC's easier, so no buckets will be necessary. I understand that a fish-in cycle will take just as long, but at least there will be fish in the tank. I've been staring at an empty tank for 2 months and it's getting me nowhere. I'm highly doubting now after so long that all fishless cycles can be succesful.

I appreciate all your help, but it has come time to put fish in the tank and let nature take its course the way it is meant to happen. I just need to know if Glofish are a good fish to do this with.

Thanks,

You'll need to drain the water out of the tank to remove the ammo, and triple check the ammonia was pure because if there were additives which were preventing the cycle from starting, any residue will be bad for the fish. I can't bring myself to comment on the type of fish :-(, but you need to stock VERY slowly and keep an eye on ammonia and no2 every single day and make sure you do constant pwc's anytime the ammonia or no2 creeps above .25. Make sure you have a quality test kit.

I'm sorry you're going this route...but it's your call. The guide has had over 16,000 views in the last month and a half, and you are the first I've heard of who has not had success with it...that's why I believe something is off.

Here's your new guide :-(
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[firteen888]

before you add fish to your tank, just double check everything and make sure there was no toxins introduced to your tank. make sure your ammonia was not scented or have any added surfactants, be positive that no chemicals or soaps contaminated the tank. i know that my first fishless cycle went the same way, and come to find out i had been using scented ammonia. i understand your frustration, but you want to make sure that your tank is safe for your new fish. i would be worried since apparently bacteria can't even survive in there.

I am using the correct ammonia. Pure ammonia from Ace hardware.

 

[firteen888]

I'm sorry you're going this route...but it's your call. The guide has had over 16,000 views in the last month and a half, and you are the first I've heard of who has not had success with it...that's why I believe something is off.

Trust me I don't want to go this route, but I'm certainly not the only one who hasn't had success with the fishless cycle. there are countless threads on this site with people in the same boat as me. people who have done everything correctly, but just have no luck cycling without fish. Unfortunately I believe fishless cycles just doesn't work for everyone. Maybe new tanks need something that pure ammonia alone just can't provide.

 

[eco23]

Trust me I don't want to go this route, but I'm certainly not the only one who hasn't had success with the fishless cycle. there are countless threads on this site with people in the same boat as me. people who have done everything correctly, but just have no luck cycling without fish. Unfortunately I believe fishless cycles just don't work for everyone. Maybe new tanks need something that pure ammonia alone just can't provide.

If you follow the countless threads long enough...you'll see success stories at the end. Usually after we find what was off or missing. You're more than welcome to make this decision...I simply ask you don't go to other threads and promote cycling with fish as you just did in another. Unfortunately something is not going right with yours, but promoting others to throw living animals into an uncycled tank is not a very kind or humane thing to do.

 

[eco23]

One last recommendation I'll give (if you're willing to accept) will help with or without fish. Get some plants...as many as you like, the more the better. Buy them from the lfs and stick them right in the tank. They'll bring in beneficial bacteria to help the cycle, and give you something to keep you entertained. If you do make the decision to add fish they'll also help absorb the ammonia the fish are putting off. Get some fast growing, easy maintenance plants like a bunch of Anacharis and it'll help you on either path you choose.

 

[firteen888]

simply ask you don't go to other threads and promote cycling with fish as you just did in another.

Deal, I'm not here to stop anyone from trying to do a fishless cycle, I can only recommend on my own experiences, but I will no longer do this. I hope you can at least understand my position. I've been trying everyday for the past 2 months to get my fishless cycle to at least start, and I've had zero luck. people think I'm crazy for having an empty tank so long. It's gotten to the point where I either put fish in the tank or throw it out, and I'm not about to do that after spending hundreds of dollars. I mean, what else can I do? I've tried it all at this point . Ammonia should start dropping after a week or two, and mine hasn't budged in 2 months.

 

[eco23]

Deal, I'm not here to stop anyone from trying to do a fishless cycle, I can only recommend on my own experiences, but I will no longer do this. I hope you can at least understand my position. I've been trying everyday for the past 2 months to get my fishless cycle to at least start, and I've had zero luck. people think I'm crazy for having an empty tank so long. It's gotten to the point where I either put fish in the tank or throw it out, and I'm not about to do that after spending hundreds of dollars. I mean, what else can I do? I've tried it all at this point . Ammonia should start dropping after a week or two, and mine hasn't budged in 2 months.

Thank you for being reasonable. I do understand your feelings...but I still have to believe something is not right. Just remember that cycling with fish is no different than fishless cycling other than having animals in your tank. They are simply a living ammonia source instead of a bottled one. They do not add any type of additional nutrients that help the tank cycle. The things the bacteria need are in your water, or as I stated in the guide a pinch of fish food will supplement all the nutrients to help them grow.

What type of lighting do you have? Even you have normal hood lights, there are still plenty of plants that you can put into the tank. Some more planted tank experts can chime in, but I know the Anacharis is a fast growing and good ammonia absorbing plant. Along with all the pwc's, the Anacharis will help absorb the ammonia and keep the fish safe. In fact, if you have enough plants you can do what's called a "silent cycle". You just have to heavily plant the tank (50% of substrate covered) and add fish very slowly.

If you're going this route, please keep a very close eye on the parameters and use the cycling with fish guide I linked before. Good luck.

 

[firteen888]

Eco, I sent you a PM

 

[eco23]

Eco, I sent you a PM

I got it, sent one back... and I'm happy you did

 

[Big-j]

I'm not at all condoning fishless cycling but I did exactly that starting out, I knew nothing and had three glofish in a 1.5 gallon tank and did 2 50% changes every other day, they are all still alive (and in a much bigger tank now ) so yeah they can handle it, but it's still not good for em

 

[librarygirl]

I started with Glofish, but just because I didn't know any better (PetSmart said to just "run" The tank for a week which I did and then they sold me a few Glofish for a 5 gal tank which I found out later was too small and that the fish should be in larger schools and I was only sold 3). I quickly found out about cycling so I bought the API test kit and changed water 1-2 x per day. After 2 weeks I upgraded to a larger tank. Three weeks of daily testing, constant worrying, fish going through periods of acting weird, changing water 1-2x per day...I couldn't enjoy the fish at all b/c of the constant pwc, testing and worrying. After three weeks they all inexplicably died after a large pwc. So now i'm going fishless. I'm not sure if this answers your question. Every tanks is different I guess and from what I'm learning a fish-in cycle can take the same amount of time if not longer to cycle b/c of all the water changes you have to do to keep levels safer for the fish (3+ weeks of fish in the tank I never saw nitrates or nitrites and made sure to keep my ammo under 0.25). Just be prepared to lose the fish and do a LOT of work and worrying if you go this route, I wouldn't do it again knowing what I know now.Good luck.

 

[jetajockey]

@firteen888- Since you are going the fish-in route, consider heavily stocking plants to ease the toxin load in the tank. That combined with very light initial stocking makes fish-in cycling a snap without any casualties involved.

Ideally I'd get something like anacharis or hornwort, the more the merrier. Water sprite and wisteria work also, as does ludwigia repens. I'm not talking 4 or 5 stems of each, but 15 or 20 stems would be better.
All of these species can be left floating, so you don't even have to plant them if you don't want to.

Your lighting is going to dictate a lot of what you can/can't do, but even a small light upgrade to daylight spectrum (if necessary) will make a difference, both in plant growth and in aesthetics.

Finding that amount at a reasonable price is probably the hardest part, but it definitely makes a significant difference.

 

[mommytron]

i've been reading through your threads a bit. i really feel like there is something else going on. i would be very wary about adding fish until you figure it out. do you use dechlorinator when you do PWCs?

adding plants is a good suggestion, too, whether fish or fishless. fishless cycling is definitely doable, it just takes a lot more work and worry to keep the fish alive. also, with not even being able to keep bacteria alive i would worry about keeping anything else alive in there. not even having a budge in the parameters definitely worries me that there is something going on there.

 

[eco23]

We've been chatting through PM's since this thread. She's made a smart decision and we're going to attempt a silent / fishless cycle combo. I'm also leaning towards something less than desirable in the water column, so the first step is going to be a fast drain and refill with well conditioned water.

 

[firteen888]

do you use dechlorinator when you do PWCs?

yes...prime

not even having a budge in the parameters definitely worries me that there is something going on there.

me too. Wish I could figure it out