Hobbit Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 I think another reason for the rush is expectations. If you go to the fish store thinking you’re getting a fish today, and then the person tells you no, you have to wait 6+ weeks, you’re going to feel let down. Especially if you’re a kid. 6 weeks is a really long time when you’re 7 and this was supposed to be a birthday present, etc. If people know ahead of time that they should cycle their tanks first, I think we’d have a lot fewer fish keepers in a rush. In terms of plants vs no plants: I see what you mean now @Tihshho and @OnlyGenusCaps! That makes complete sense. I think I’m still in the @Zenzo in that new fish keepers benefit from the safety net and the fact that they’ll feel like they’re doing something, rather than waiting. Plus, for me at least, I tend toward @Odd Duck’s style where you don’t really test until the end. When I think the cycle might be established, I’ll add ammonia, wait a day or two, and do an ammonia test. Once it comes back clear I’ll do a nitrite test. If both are clear, then I feel good about it and add fish. So I don’t need to see the exact progression of ammonia-nitrite-nitrate. Messy cycle progression doesn’t matter if you aren’t looking! 😄 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 11:52 AM, Zenzo said: With that being said, clearly it can be confusing since there are several experienced fish keepers here that have different opinions! LOL! Clear as mud as I like to say! 😆 You’re right. In the end it’s a results oriented process with no one “right” way for experienced hobbyists. All the contradictory advice and methods can be confusing. I wish every thread on cycling came with a footnote that there’s more than one right way to do it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 1. ^ G, Patrick. (2021). "Cycling Threads: More Than One Right Way" 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideyon Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 11:56 PM, Hobbit said: I think another reason for the rush is expectations. If you go to the fish store thinking you’re getting a fish today, and then the person tells you no, you have to wait 6+ weeks, you’re going to feel let down. Especially if you’re a kid. 6 weeks is a really long time when you’re 7 and this was supposed to be a birthday present, etc. I'm willing to bet that most first time fish purchases are impulse buys. If the shop discouraged them by saying to cycle a tank, they'd lose money because the impulse has faded. Which makes the bottled bacteria a great business. But the sales people don't usually suggest it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tihshho Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 On 9/22/2021 at 2:03 PM, Gideyon said: I'm willing to bet that most first time fish purchases are impulse buys. If the shop discouraged them by saying to cycle a tank, they'd lose money because the impulse has faded. Sadly this is a lot of cases for aquarium setups. I think out of maybe 50 customers I dealt with daily, 50% of those were people with no aquariums or experience, and 75% of those people were looking for something same day or not at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Put a cocktail shrimp in the tank, and let that baby rot. It's easy and no hassle. It's how I start every tank of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tihshho Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 (edited) On 9/22/2021 at 10:19 PM, Jeff said: It's easy and no hassle. Your nose must either be stuffy when you do this or that rotting smell must not bother you. I've done this process before years ago and I can tell you it's a hassle when there others in the household. I'd say it's worse getting hassled over that smell than getting nagged why a tank is empty. Edited September 23, 2021 by Tihshho 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oreganoodle Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 11:56 PM, Hobbit said: I think another reason for the rush is expectations. If you go to the fish store thinking you’re getting a fish today, and then the person tells you no, you have to wait 6+ weeks, you’re going to feel let down. Especially if you’re a kid. 6 weeks is a really long time when you’re 7 and this was supposed to be a birthday present, etc. If people know ahead of time that they should cycle their tanks first, I think we’d have a lot fewer fish keepers in a rush. In terms of plants vs no plants: I see what you mean now @Tihshho and @OnlyGenusCaps! That makes complete sense. I think I’m still in the @Zenzo in that new fish keepers benefit from the safety net and the fact that they’ll feel like they’re doing something, rather than waiting. Plus, for me at least, I tend toward @Odd Duck’s style where you don’t really test until the end. When I think the cycle might be established, I’ll add ammonia, wait a day or two, and do an ammonia test. Once it comes back clear I’ll do a nitrite test. If both are clear, then I feel good about it and add fish. So I don’t need to see the exact progression of ammonia-nitrite-nitrate. Messy cycle progression doesn’t matter if you aren’t looking! 😄 That was precisely it. I got swept up in the surprise birthday present element and lulled into a false sense of security from my success with two other tanks - one that was almost 20 years ago and I have no idea how that made it without killing the first fish. The other was an established tank that was moved to where I was living - and in retrospect makes sense that it was ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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