Conflicting cycling information - confused

[Aqua315]

Hi everyone! I'm currently about 2 weeks into trying to recycle my 28 gal with 3 fish in the tank. As recommended by some members on the site I've been doing daily water tests and daily 50% pwc to keep ammonia and nitrites down. I went to a lfs today I had never been to before but already I could tell it's going to be my store of choice. The place was so clean and had a huge selection that looked very healthy. I didn't see a single floater in the whole store. I remarked about the fish to an employee and she said "Oh we don't let them not be healthy! They're really spoiled. We make sure to check them all 3 times a day." She seemed very knowledgeable and I told her what I'd been doing with my tank.

She told me that my tank would never cycle that way and recommended that I buy a bottle of Tetra Safe Start and add it to my tank. Then she said to leave the tank alone and to not feed the fish and leave the lights off for 2-3 days. Then retest the water and if it looked good, wait a week before getting fish.

This advice is much different than what I've heard on the site so I was hoping for some opinions before I go ahead and add the bottle. The employee seemed very sure and guaranteed it wouldn't hurt the fish.

 

[eco23]

Many employees are well intentioned...but also not fully educated about the process of cycling a tank. The simple truth is that ammonia and nitrIte are damaging and potentially deadly to your fish if allowed to climb. The target we aim for is to keep ammonia and nitrItes under .25 at all times until the tank cycles in order to cause the least amount of stress and harm to your fish as possible.

For some reason it is repeated over and over by pet store employees that a tank will not cycle if you are doing water changes to keep parameters within safe(ish) levels...however, there are hundreds if not thousands of members on this site who have successfully cycled their tanks in this fashion while keeping their fish healthy through the process. As for the lights off suggestion...I have no idea.

The pwc's that you do to keep your fish healthy may marginally increase the time it takes for the process to complete, but that is the trade off we make in order for our fish to not suffer during the ordeal.

I am personally against bottled bacteria products...but Safe Start as well as seeded sponge filters from a company called Angels Plus are the two (if not the only) which are the most respected and potentially helpful. In my personal opinion, I believe a bucket, a bottle of water conditioner (preferably Seachem Prime) and patience are all you need to get you and your fish through the cycle

 

[bruinsbro1997]

Although the store look nice and the staff is friendly, you don't know how much they now. The best thing to do is just keep up on your pwc and you'll be fine. If you still have more questions it wouldn't hurt to check this out:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...-Guide-and-FAQ-to-Fishless-Cycling/Page1.html

 

[Aqua315]

Thanks for the advice I'm gonna have to think about what I want to do. I made the mistake of taking my mom to the store with me and she saw the german blue rams which are one the fish I was thinking about getting and she got all excited about them. I'd like to get the tank up and running with some new fish asap and the cycling I'm on now just seems to be taking forever. I just tested my water and I have:

Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrites - 0.25
Nitrates - 10

It's been like this pretty much for 2 weeks now and I can tell that my mom (and me admittedly) is getting anxious. She keeps asking when we'll be able to get more fish and the more I tell her "not yet" the more frustrated she seems to get.

 

[eco23]

Thanks for the advice I'm gonna have to think about what I want to do. I made the mistake of taking my mom to the store with me and she saw the german blue rams which are one the fish I was thinking about getting and she got all excited about them. I'd like to get the tank up and running with some new fish asap and the cycling I'm on now just seems to be taking forever. I just tested my water and I have:

Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrites - 0.25
Nitrates - 10

It's been like this pretty much for 2 weeks now and I can tell that my mom (and me admittedly) is getting anxious. She keeps asking when we'll be able to get more fish and the more I tell her "not yet" the more frustrated she seems to get.

You're doing the right thing and doing a great job . Especially with GBR's...it is important to have a stable, cycled and established tank since they can be fish which are very sensitive to water parameters. Many Blue Rams at lfs's can also tend to be weakly bred and die off quite easily (happened to mine :-( ). If possible, try and find a reputable breeder to purchase your GBR from. The classifieds section of this website is a great place to start

 

[Aqua315]

Yeah I've heard about how sensitive GBR's can be but this store seems to really know their stuff. Other members on this site have called this store pretty much the best one within 100 mile radius and a great place to get fish. Compared to other lfs I've been to, this one was so much better I can't even begin to compare them. I had so much fun walking around and looking at all the fish I almost forgot why I was there in the first place.

 

[eco23]

Yeah I've heard about how sensitive GBR's can be but this store seems to really know their stuff. Other members on this site have called this store pretty much the best one within 100 mile radius and a great place to get fish. Compared to other lfs I've been to, this one was so much better I can't even begin to compare them. I had so much fun walking around and looking at all the fish I almost forgot why I was there in the first place.

It's great if you've found a good lfs . Whether it's a GBR or any other fish though...you should hold off on adding any fish until the tank is fully cycled. any more fish in the tank will produce even more ammonia and only compound the problem. Patience is one of the most important aspects of fish keeping...and so far you're doing a great job

 

[Aqua315]

Oh yeah I'm definitely not adding GBR's for a while. Once the tank is cycled I want to add some neons first and then wait a couple weeks before getting anything else. I saw some really pretty nerite snails at the store that I want to add too.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

+1 eco23
If you're looking for good GBR I suggest getting them from a reputable breeder or HN1 or severum mama, I have heard nothing but great things about their fish.


Luckily my LFS has the hardiest rams I know, they are one of the few fishes in my tank that have survived total tank wipeputs, disease outbreaks and are very active!

 

[librarygirl]

Unfortunately the store employees work for the store first....their aim is to sell you stuff to make a profit. With some nitrites and nitrates it looks like your cycle is progressing nicely and you are doing a good job for those fish, keep it up. Cycling with fish does take longer because of the water changes but it's worth it to keep the fish alive. When the tank is cycled you'll be able to add new fish safely and enjoy your tank without having to constantly test and worry. Just keep up with what you're doing, you're fish will thank you.

 

[jetajockey]

Actually, the employees advice is sound, it's just a different method of doing things.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that they are either uneducated, ignorant or profit motivated.

If anything, I'd have to give her props for at least recommending a product that has proven results.

A lot of people have good experiences and put faith in Tetra safestart, and the directions she gave sound fairly on par with the standard instructions on using the product.

Personally, I don't completely trust any cycling product, even the ones that do have a decent track record. There are a lot of variables that can cause the cycle to fail.

So, if you do go the safestart route, I suggest keeping the tank very lightly stocked, feed extremely sparingly (once every other day, and a very meager amount at that) and periodically testing the water during the week that safestart is doing it's duty.

If the ammonia/nitrite levels get way out of wack, like over 1ppm for either, or if the fish start showing signs of distress, at that point I suggest moving the fish into another tank for the next few days, or doing a water change.

Water change is the last resort when using TSS because you want it to have plenty of time to get established into the biofilm.

Moral of the story: Fishless cycling may be the best way in some people's opinion, but it's not the only way.

 

[eco23]

Fishless cycling was not recommended once in this thread, although that is an option if you would like to consider it

My personal advice, as well as many others on this site, is to try and keep your ammonia and nitrIte as low as possible...preferably below .25 at all times until the tank cycles.