How NOT to cycle a tank!

[toehead11183]

yup, i had Larry from automotive get my fish with grease up to his armpits. lesson learned

 

[Bderick67]

yup, i had Larry from automotive get my fish with grease up to his armpits. lesson learned

Sad thing is this probably the truth.

 

[mike dunagan]

okay I tore apart my 120... but i saved the sand and put it in buckets with some of the water... do you think that I will have to do anything else to the the tank after removing the chlorine and letting it run for a little over a week....

I also put all the tuffa rock that was in the old tank in the new tank... about 2 five gallon buckets worth...(Full to top) a used aqua clear onto the sump as well...

 

[Fishes33]

wal mart fish keepers are nothing but out of season garden center employees. they think a large fish tank is a 55gal and a cool and aggressive fish is a oscar. they are puppy dogs compared to the fish that mfk lovers keep. want good advice look online because even pet shops tell you a lot of b/s when first getting into the hobby i was told by a pet shop that a red devil was a african river fish. i knew better and i learned not to ask for advice about fish and just do your homework before you buy .

and if you tell them the awful truth about their outdated knowledge, then they will start to get grumpy...

Oscars are the most aggressive fish most wal marts carry.

if you put any BIG fish in a small tank, they will always be aggressive ^^

 

[Superlaz]

The only time I cycled a tank was with Salt water, and thats because I didnt know as much as I do in Fresh...Ive never cycled a freshwater tank. I have and have kept a little of everything Including "delicate" fish Like Discus and Altums...no problems...I swear by frequent water changes, and when starting a brand new tank, always stick in some established filter media and aged water.

 

[Ahli1500]

Damn I thought I knew a little bit more than absolutely nothing about fish keeping but now I realize I dont know squat! What the heck is "cycling a tank". I know what water changes are but Im guessing its kinda like that but completely taking all the water and everything else out so you can start the nitrogen cycle over? Am I close? How often does this need to be done?

 

[Nabbig2]

wal mart fish keepers are nothing but out of season garden center employees. they think a large fish tank is a 55gal and a cool and aggressive fish is a oscar. they are puppy dogs compared to the fish that mfk lovers keep. want good advice look online because even pet shops tell you a lot of b/s when first getting into the hobby i was told by a pet shop that a red devil was a african river fish. i knew better and i learned not to ask for advice about fish and just do your homework before you buy .

You're right about the walmart fish keepers, but dude, oscars can get aggressive, and they are aggressive as hell when breeding.

 

[ThePBM]

Damn I thought I knew a little bit more than absolutely nothing about fish keeping but now I realize I dont know squat! What the heck is "cycling a tank". I know what water changes are but Im guessing its kinda like that but completely taking all the water and everything else out so you can start the nitrogen cycle over? Am I close? How often does this need to be done?

Not close at all. Cycling the tank is for new tanks, and needs to be done once. If you have a tank that's been running for more than 2 months without any problems, then you're in the clear.

 

[cichlid savage]

Oh yeah, and NOT to listen to Walmart for fish keeping advice! They told me to get about 5 goldfish for my 20 gallon. Yeah, didn't know any better at the time so I listened to them! OMG! Lesson learned!!

But what did you do and for how long?

 

[sabotage]

whats wrong with 5 goldfish????? it works they add ammonia and then the "CYCLE" starts...