Fishless cycle?

[Hobbit]

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! 😄 

[Patrick_G]

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. 

[Streetwise]

1. ^ G, Patrick. (2021). "Cycling Threads: More Than One Right Way"

 

[Gideyon]

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. 

[Tihshho]

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. 

[Jeff]

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. 

[Tihshho]

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

[Oreganoodle]

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.