Maybe stupid cycle question

[Cikeawork]

But I seem to remember someone, somewhere posting that could cycle a SW tank with mollies because they are brackish(sp) fish can you do this or not?


Getting tired of empty tank I want something to move damit (would take even a fire worm) :mrgreen: :twisted:

 

[mr_X]

you could cycle a tank with any fish you want. the problem is, you are at the very least, torturing the fish, maybe to death.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, mollies can be acclimated to full strength salt water. It takes about 24 hrs of drip acclimation to do so. But you really don't need any fish at all to cycle a tank and most people frown on the practice as unnecessary.

It all hinges on ammonia. If you are doing a marine tank and using live rock simply adding a cocktail shrimp and letting it rot will kick start the cycle nicely. See the library here for some articles. If the tank isn't going to have liverock, then you can follow the details outlined in any one of the thousands of articles found online for adding regular household (non sudsy) ammonia. Do a google search using the terms "fishless cycle" and you'll see what I mean.

mr_X,

I do understand how strongly you feel about these things, but really think you should try and be constructive rather than condesending as it is overall detremental to this board. You were a beginner once who made mistakes , need I point that out?

 

[mr_X]

you could cycle a tank with any fish you want. the problem is, you are at the very least, torturing the fish, maybe to death.

if someone said this to me in the beginning, i would never have used fish to start a tank cycle.

 

[Anonymous]

you could cycle a tank with any fish you want. the problem is, you are at the very least, torturing the fish, maybe to death.

if someone said this to me in the beginning, i would never have used fish to start a tank cycle.

Or, you could have done it anyway and never asked for advice again due to someone giving a flaming answer. There are polite ways of making a point.

 

[mr_X]

i would say that you are mistaken. that my post is not negative or aggressive, but raises a valid point, some tend to overlook...me included.

 

[Kasey]

I'm gonna have to side with X in that he wasn't being condescending.

I cycled my tank with 4 Damsels and only wish I didn't because I can't catch them to bring them back to my LFS!!

 

[Cikeawork]

thank you I thought I rembered you could but wanted to make sure

8O just did not meen to start the mob with forks and torches after me :?


I should have added that this is ~85-90gal tank with 50# of dead rock and 30# of sand and just wanted to add like 3-4 fish to get it started still going take months to years to add every thing no budget

Just added today one 2# live rock, all the budget could stand it had some small white dusters and took a bucket to pick up too keep in water, so I hope it doesn’t really have any die off.

 

[Anonymous]

As I posted before, you really don't need fish at all to start things off. You are better off doing the ammonia thing, and spending the money you'd spend on fish on a lb or two of good quality liverock per week. Adding the rock slow will help get the bacteria cooking, and cut down on the pesky algae-covering-everything-in-the-tank phase.

Also, next time you do go to the LFS ask for a scoop of sand/detrious from one of the tanks. That also will help things along.

 

[Cikeawork]

not to many good stores here is ether big box with no SW or small store with really bad looking SW(i've wached there SW tanks melt down more than once) and they will not sell/give sand and there rock is $$$ a pound cost me 30$ for 2 #'s of rock

I cant keep spending 15$ a pound for live rock looks like might have order but that is nother landmine.

I work nights so cant have a box siting out all night or in the APT office =/

 

[IslandCrow]

I don't think anyone's coming at you with pitchforks and torches, Cikeawork. As a matter of fact, what I believe Mr. X was trying to point out with his second post is that he's made the exact same mistake, so none of us are calling you stupid. We're just suggesting a better way for the sake of the fish.

By the way, if you really don't have anything in the tank to die off and kick off the nitrogen cycle with some nice ammonia, try throwing in a cocktail shrimp or two. You can't hurt them, because they're already dead.

I certainly see why you wouldn't want to spend $15/lb on rock. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably use very little live rock, and the rest base rock. It takes longer, but the cost savings are significant. I think you're on the right path, just no need to use live fish to start the cycle.

 

[mr_X]

yes, a raw shrimp from the supermarket. easy, and affordable. where are you located Cikeawork?