Why you never ever, ever, ever use a fish to cycle...

Sk8r · 11/03/2020, 09:59 AM

1. it's very cruel. A piece of dead shrimp or a few flakes of fish food daily will do the job just as well. Ammonia either kills or does lifelong organ damage to a live fish, to NO better result. If a fish store tries to tell you otherwise, regard advice from that store as stuck somewhere in the 1960's.
2. if that fish should have a parasite like ich, which lives in infested fish and tank sandbeds, you may just have imported a parasite which may survive to cause you trouble. Set up to quarantine your first single fish for a number of weeks in a small tank with clean saltwater and no rock or sand.

Michael Hoaster · 11/04/2020, 02:05 PM

A recent post here on RC recounted how a new hobbyist added 3 dead shrimp and weeks later, no ammonia spike. One way to guarantee you start with enough ammonia to start a cycle is to USE AMMONIA - right from the grocery store. Here's the basics:

Using Pure Ammonia to Cycle the Aquarium

After the tank has been set up, add five drops of ammonia per ten gallons into the water on a daily basis. Ammonia will rise to five ppm and higher. As soon as nitrites are measurable, reduce the ammonia input to three drops per day. Once Nitrite drops and Nitrate starts rising, you're done!

Sk8r · 11/04/2020, 02:09 PM

And be very, very sure you use pure ammonia.

pmaloy · 11/05/2020, 01:52 PM

Or this is what I use - powdered ammonium chloride:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

11/03/2020, 09:59 AM	#1
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Why you never ever, ever, ever use a fish to cycle... 1. it's very cruel. A piece of dead shrimp or a few flakes of fish food daily will do the job just as well. Ammonia either kills or does lifelong organ damage to a live fish, to NO better result. If a fish store tries to tell you otherwise, regard advice from that store as stuck somewhere in the 1960's. 2. if that fish should have a parasite like ich, which lives in infested fish and tank sandbeds, you may just have imported a parasite which may survive to cause you trouble. Set up to quarantine your first single fish for a number of weeks in a small tank with clean saltwater and no rock or sand. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/04/2020, 02:05 PM	#2
Michael Hoaster Registered Seaweedist Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 5,807	A recent post here on RC recounted how a new hobbyist added 3 dead shrimp and weeks later, no ammonia spike. One way to guarantee you start with enough ammonia to start a cycle is to USE AMMONIA - right from the grocery store. Here's the basics: Using Pure Ammonia to Cycle the Aquarium After the tank has been set up, add five drops of ammonia per ten gallons into the water on a daily basis. Ammonia will rise to five ppm and higher. As soon as nitrites are measurable, reduce the ammonia input to three drops per day. Once Nitrite drops and Nitrate starts rising, you're done! __________________ As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018

11/04/2020, 02:09 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	And be very, very sure you use pure ammonia. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/05/2020, 01:52 PM	#4
pmaloy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Greensboro, NC Posts: 24	Or this is what I use - powdered ammonium chloride: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 __________________ DT: 225 gal, 1 pin cushion urchin, 1 pistol shrimp, 1 orange spotted goby, 4 blue/green chromis, 2 cleaner shrimp, 2 nassasius snails, 2 trochus snails. QT: 29 gal, empty Current Tank Info: 225 Gallon, Currently have 1 pin cushion urchin (named Henry), 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 pistol shrimp (named Pistol"), 1 orange spotted goby, 4 blue/green chromis, nassarius snails, and trochus snails