[lionpasa]

What fish should I use to cycle my tank…And how many should I use for a 210g tank……I just want the fish for cycling…I want to make it an all male hap/peacock of about 30 fish…thanks

 

[remarkosmoc]

I just use goldfish and don't turn the heater on. When I'm ready to stock for real I toss em in the neighbors pond.

 

[BillD]

Why not fishless cycle? Beats trying to get rid of fish you don't want.

 

[Paulbearer]

I use either Black Tetras or Tiger Barbs most of the time. Either keep them in the tank or take them back to the LFS, they are easier to get the store to take back and less likely to have disease like the feeder guppies and comets.

 

[prov356]

Go with fishless cycling. Any amount of ammonia could damage a fish's gills. See this. It may survive initially, but die of that damage soon after you've taken it back to the lfs and it's been sold to some other hobbyist.

Another benefit is that after fishless cycling you'll be able to fully stock the tank. A plus when stocking with cichlids.

 

[VT4Me]

Absolutely go fishless. Even though certain fish can tolerate ammonia and nitrite, there is no doubt it can be stressful and damaging to them. I used to cycle with fish, but did my last tank fishless. I just decided that my own desire to get the tank stocked quickly didn't outweigh animal welfare. Besides, with products like Biospira (read in product reviews) the process can be accelerated so much anyway.

 

[Malawidolphin]

Fishless is the only way to go. :thumb: It is easy, and clean. It might sound intimidating but it's simple if you read over the Nitrgen cycle. After my first fishless cycle 8 years ago, I won't do it any other way. If you need any help with getting a fishless cyle going this is the place to ask. Plus you can get feedback along the way to be re-assured that what your tank is going through is normal.
good luck!

 

[Cardiff]

Hi, am new here but have recently started kleeping malawi and fishless cycled my tank and its the best way. Better for the fish and less chance of loosing them!

 

[edouthirt]

Puress Ammonialis

It's a new species... very cheap... and available at Ace Hardware!!!

 

[Hoggy Boss]

I like zebra danios becuase you can just put them in and wait. The fishless cycle is good if your in a hurry. Everytime I browse the forum I see plenty fishless cycling questions and mistakes. It's hard to mess up when you use fish in my opinion.

 

[kingdave]

I would do a fishless cycle if I were you. It's actually very hard to mess it up and all of us on the forum would be happy to help you through the process by answering any questions you may have.

 

[prov356]

The fishless cycle is good if your in a hurry.

Fishless cycling doesn't speed up the process at all. It takes around the same amount of time either way. Benefits of it are mostly to the fish, but also can allow for full stocking instead of incremental.

I agree that there are many here to help. I've never seen anyone left stranded in the middle of it. If anyone is considering it and has questions, feel free to PM me.

 

[Hoggy Boss]

So why all the questions about speeding up the cycling process? Is that in relation to the bioload or the overall cycle?

 

[edouthirt]

bio-spira has nothing to do with fishless cycling... it does speed up the process significantly regardless if you do fishless or not.

 

[prov356]

Bio-spira can speed up the cycle. Although bio-spira can be used when fishless cycling, it can also be used with fish. Fishless cycling just means adding an ammonia source that doesn't come from the fish itself. Bio-spira is a bottle of beneficial bacteria.

 

[Hoggy Boss]

Some form of bacteria is still necessary right?

 

[prov356]

Some form of bacteria is always necessary and always present regardless of cycling method.

 

[Hoggy Boss]

Thanks for the clarification

 

[VT4Me]

I used Bio-Spira for a kick-start and did fishless. Most people seem to use it to immediately add fish though.

I was fully fishless cycled in 3 weeks.