Why cycle the long way round

[Ricky 1]

Why do top Aquarists insist in telling new people to do a fishless cycle? It's a laboriously long way round and very much out of date, most LFS will give a squeeze of friendly Bacteria for free these day's, I cycled my tank in 10 day's this way, and did not lose one fish,I have even read people with multiple tanks doing this, is it time to move on............

 

[knutsen1122]

I totally agree ?

 

[PB_Smith]

In over forty years I have never done a fishless cycle and have never had issues, fresh or salt.

 

[treemanone2003]

Why do top Aquarists insist in telling new people to do a fishless cycle? It's a laboriously long way round and very much out of date, most LFS will give a squeeze of friendly Bacteria for free these day's, I cycled my tank in 10 day's this way, and did not lose one fish,I have even read people with multiple tanks doing this, is it time to move on............

IMO, the reason top aquarists do so is because some folks don't have the capability of multi tasking. I think it's more so to teach the difference between the right and wrong approach and to learn the basic fundamentals. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way, just that some need to learn to walk before you can run. In my 30 years of FW, I too never did a fish less cycle but (back then) I was surrounded by individual mom and pop type stores that had more knowledge than what you find at your chain LFS nowadays.

You're very correct that most will give away some bacteria. The only issue I have with that is all of your big box places run common filtration and if there's an issue with one tank, it's gonna present in yours. Unless you know someone there that would give you the shirt off their back, it's just too risky IMO.

As far as folks with multiple tanks, it's their own water, their own routine, their own time invested. I keep extra sponges in all of my tanks and they have canisters running as well. I can pull a sponge from any tank and drop it in another, add water and BOOM, instantly ready for fish. I also have extra HOB's and filter floss laying around that I can set up, pull a tray of biomedia and place in another tank and within 24 hours feel comfortable enough with putting fish in.

Although SW is new to me now and I wish I dove into it long ago, I feel very confident I could do the same there.


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[BBradbury]

Tank Cycling

Or...

Why even wait 10 days. Buddy up to the local Mom & Pop pet store and beg half the filter media from one of their larger tanks. Drop it into yours. Instant tank cycling. Just add fish slowly and monitor the tank chemistry until your new tank is fully stocked.

Pretty easy.

B

 

[ScotJudd]

I think the advice to do fish less cycling is good if you have no seeded filter material available. Of course, using a starter loaded with a source of BB is a quick way to cycle a tank. But from this forum it seems that more people fail and lose fish when trying to cycle a tank with fish in. I also think it's better to prove a tank is cycled by adding ammonia than it is by adding fish, even if you have a started culture of BB. It's all down to personal choice though.


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[dalto]

It is because many people are either unwilling to wait to get a full fish load or unwilling to do the required water changes to keep their fish alive and healthy. I also think doing a fishless cycle and testing is a great way to learn about the hobby. A mistake in a fishless cycle doesn't kill your fish. Too many people get turned off from the hobby because they cannot keep their initial batch of fish alive.

That being said, I haven't done a fishless cycle in years.

 

[knutsen1122]

I keep a hydro sponge in every one of my tanks and when I get a new tank I just place a used one in the new tank and replace it with a new one. Always an instant cycle

 

[Rokuzachi]

It's possible to do a lot of things that are thought of as unorthodox to get results when you're an experienced fishkeeper - but these things should not be attempted by beginners because it will likely result in a bad outcome. That's one reason you see the longer, safety-guaranteed method recommended.

Another factor is all the fatalities you read of due to uncycled tanks being fully stocked by newcomers to the hobby.

 

[dragon14]

Personally I would never do it any other way. First of all, I would probably accidentally let the chemicals in the water get too high, and I would feel so horrible that I hurt a fish (accidentally). Our 10g took 20 days to cycle, so yay for that! I wouldn't be able to keep up with fish in the cycle anyway as far as water changes and meticulous testing etc. I just couldn't and I know that. It would be irresponsible of me to try to cycle a tank with fish in it for that reason.

I also feel that it is the best way to do it, I know that not everyone agrees, but, I think it is what should be done when possible There is a lovely guide that I found on here that helped me a lot.

If someone knows what they are doing, can keep up with water changes and the like, and the fish are not being hurt/suffering/exposed to high concentrations of ammonia and nitrites and nitrates... then more power to them..

That all being said, I personally feel that a fishless cycle is the way to go in general...

We didn't know any better until a friend told me about the fishless cycle and we were going to get a 20g and plop 10-15 fish in there after a few days. What a disaster that would have been... so glad my friend told me what to do!

 

[dragon14]

It's possible to do a lot of things that are thought of as unorthodox to get results when you're an experienced fishkeeper - but these things should not be attempted by beginners because it will likely result in a bad outcome. That's one reason you see the longer, safety-guaranteed method recommended.

Another factor is all the fatalities you read of due to uncycled tanks being fully stocked by newcomers to the hobby.

+1 I completely agree.

 

[jetajockey]

Fish-in cycling is easier than fishless, you don't have to stare at an empty tank for weeks, and the potential harm to inhabitants is minimized by a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle and proper practices relating to that.

In short, learning how to do a SAFE fish-in cycle is just as easy (if not easier) as learning how to do a proper fishless cycle.

The only time I would do a fishless cycle is on a SW tank, since WC's are a little more involved.

 

[gilpi]

Why do top Aquarists insist in telling new people to do a fishless cycle? It's a laboriously long way round and very much out of date, most LFS will give a squeeze of friendly Bacteria for free these day's, I cycled my tank in 10 day's this way, and did not lose one fish,I have even read people with multiple tanks doing this, is it time to move on............

Why cycle the long way round?

Because it works, always.

 

[bogart]

I did fish less for the first time in setting up my first freshwater after many years of salt water. It was easy and fairly quick, a week. I learned more about the chemistry this way vs fish in, so it was a good learning experience. I won't have to do it again as I have plenty of extra filter material in my canister. If I was starting all over again would probably do a fish less again. I learned a lot.


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[Dallascowboys16]

My tank was never cycled but just stocked slowly with a large amount of plants. Worked great with no fatalities. Some people just overthink things and I think cycling is one of them.

 

[1972ford]

i did a fish in cycle for my first tank it was a 55 gallon and did water changes daily with buckets. it wasnt till after i had a full cycle that i learned about the python now i cant imagine water changes without it. i still have my first batch of fish all of them if i was forced to do a fishless cycle id have to make the tank a planted one to make the emptyness a little more interesting

 

[44Paps44]

I did fish less for the first time in setting up my first freshwater after many years of salt water. It was easy and fairly quick, a week. I learned more about the chemistry this way vs fish in, so it was a good learning experience. I won't have to do it again as I have plenty of extra filter material in my canister. If I was starting all over again would probably do a fish less again. I learned a lot.


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Agree completely. Was such a newbie to the hobby that I didn't know what anyone meant (and was likely too embarassed to ask) by 'seeding material'. Fishless for someone brand new teaches so many things. Patience being the ultimate one. It was hard watching that empty tank for a month but worth the learning experience.

 

[BBradbury]

Tank Cycling

Fish in cycling is a highly efficient means of establishing the bacteria colony. Unlike the fishless means, you'll be guaranteed a steady source of ammonia. You use hardy fish like Danios, Rasboras or White Clouds, 3 to 4 for every 10 gallons of tank volume. Add a good, natural water filtering plant like Hornwort or Common water weed and monitor the tank water daily. Remove and replace 25 percent of the water if you have a trace of ammonia or nitrite and in a month, your water tests will show no traces of either ammonia or nitrite. Presto, the tank is cycled.

With fish, you have the benefit of enjoying activity in the tank from the start.

B

 

[Mebbid]

Why do top Aquarists insist in telling new people to do a fishless cycle? It's a laboriously long way round and very much out of date, most LFS will give a squeeze of friendly Bacteria for free these day's, I cycled my tank in 10 day's this way, and did not lose one fish,I have even read people with multiple tanks doing this, is it time to move on............

Dont forget the presence of pathogens and parasites tou could be bringing into your tank. Even with the squeeze of bacteria you still had to cycle the tank. Doing a complete cycle yourself
gives an aquarist time to get used to testing and monitoring as well.

Basically, get the basics down before you go full steam ahead.

My tank was never cycled but just stocked slowly with a large amount of plants. Worked great with no fatalities. Some people just overthink things and I think cycling is one of them.

That is cycling the tank. Just another method.

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[aqua_chem]

I think a lot of people tend to take very absolutist perspectives on this manner for whatever reason. Fish-in vs fishless should be handled on a more case-by-case basis as opposed to blanket statements of 'always do X'. As previously mentioned, there's pretty good reasons to do either.


I tend to lean towards fishless for several reasons. One, starting off your first tank can be an overwhelming process, and not everyone is as well-researched when they start as they should be (and many people are not as well-researched as they think they are). It slows down the process somewhat to allow them to acquire skills/knowledge. Additionally, not everyone has such ready access to media. It's easy to say "just get some from your LFS", but that's not sustainable; if everyone did that, no one would be able to simply because the LFS wouldn't be able to maintain the media. I'm also not sure I would like to dump LFS filter water into my tank, as not all LFS are kept to high standards.