fish keeping

[dogsarebetter]

anyone here keep freshwater fish?
i have a couple of questions about cycling my FW tank. i know laura ann keep fish, but i havent seen her lately.

my question is.. i am cycling my tank WITH fish. i dont want the fish to die, but i know its possible.
every time the ammonia gets at .25 or more i will change the water.
i am wondering if i am changing it too much and prolonging the cycle. if so, then how high does the ammonia need to be before a water change.

and anyone ever heard of biosparta? we dont have it where i am from, i was wondering if anyone knows anything similar that works

[~Tucker&Me~]

Hey.
Okay, I am going to start off by saying that you can cycle withought fish, and it is much more humane then making the fish live through really bad conditions and possibly dying. I can give you some great links:

This one is about fishless cycling-
http://www.fishtanksandponds.info/se...ss_cycling.htm

This is about cycling in general-
http://www.fishtanksandponds.info/se...ng/cycling.htm

This site is like a fishkeeping bible to me and has just about everything you want to know. It has a forum as well for fish questions.

If you want to know anything else, let me know.

Perhaps you have a friend with a mature tank who can keep your fish for you while you cycle your tank?

~Tucker

[dogsarebetter]

i have cycled with fish before. i know about fishless cycling but just never considered trying it. i know its more humane, and i should give it a shot.
i am almost done with the ammonia part, and to the nitrite part so i am half done.
i dont have even know anyone with fish, muchless a mature tank.
thanks for the links and advice

[iheartsammy]

I have a goldfish I got at a fair... XD

[~Tucker&Me~]

Definately give it a try, at least next time then.

It is really hard on the fish and if we can prevent unnecassary suffering, we should!

~Tucker

[dogsarebetter]

thats true tucker.

[~Tucker&Me~]

Best of luck, and happy fishkeeping! ^_^

~Tucker

[dogsarebetter]

thanks. i love fish keeping.
i want a tank of discus someday. like... 12 discus. ooooh goodness i better invest in a huge tank.
and i want another tank with some iridescent sharks... another humongous tank

[Gempress]

You're doing a good job of cycling right now. Just be vigilant, and all should go well.

I'd say go with the fishless cycling in the future. Having used a fishless cycle a few times, I wouldn't do it any other way. It's so much easier. But remember to use pure ammonia. Almost all the ammonia-based cleaning agents you get in the store have added suds and scents. I found my ammonia at a store that supplies commercial housecleaning operations.

Fishless cycling also works best with territorial fish like cichlids, where you must add all the fish at the same time. You can throw in your full tankload of fish without crashing the nitrate cycle.

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

I have 2 goldfish in a tank with a filter, but i never did any type of cycling....what exactly is that? i read a few sentances of the link, and i'll read more later on as i've g2g for now, but is it un healthy for my fish not to have cycled it?