need help.

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Jkessler623

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 27, 2010
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Ohio
i started cycling my tank on sunday, the 24th, two days later i purchased 5 rosy red minnows to cycle my tank.i also got a bamboo shrimp and a pleco because they were on sale and i couldnt pass on the offer.everyone in the tank is healthy,no ich and normal behavior except for the pleco who wont eat. ive been reading peoples threads and it seems like having feeders to cycle your tank is a horrible idea. should i remove the rosy reds and let the tank keep cycling for another week or two? or should i do a partial water change? im just getting kind of nervous because of all that i read but i still have hope that everything is ok because ive only had it going a couple of days.please help,thanks
 
Depending on what you plan on stocking the tank with will determine what fish to use to cycle the tank. Use minnows or goldfish if you are going to keep a gold fish tank. They release toxins into the water that freshwater fish don't tolerate. I use mollies for freshwater tanks and damsels for saltwater.

What type of fish do you want to keep in the future?
 
i dont want goldfish thats for sure.since im just starting out i was thinking of going with fancy guppies or something tropical and cheap so i can get my feet wet.in the future id like to get something a little more expensive but for now im just goin the cheap route
 
There's no way to tell what's going on with your cycle if you don't have a test kit. Since you've already got the rosies, I would just continue using them. Just do partial water changes to keep your levels in check.
 
You should be doing them now, since your tank isn't cycled, to keep your ammonia and nitrite under control until the cycle is complete. But like I said, you can't really tell when to do that for sure without a test kit.
 
Jkessler623;3832929; said:
i also got a bamboo shrimp and a pleco because they were on sale and i couldnt pass on the offer.
Click to expand...

Although keeping fish is considered by some to be a casual hobby, it's actually a serious endeavor. You want (and need) to do what's best for the fish. You want happy, healthy fish. You want to give them the environment they are best suited for and provide them the nutrients they need to ensure a high quality of life while in your care.

Please try not to fall for the "it was on sale" thing. There will always be more bamboo shrimp and plecos available on sale.

When you're just entering this lifestyle, as I believe you are (correct me if I'm wrong), you want to do so slowly.

You're doing a great thing by becoming involved in a forum like this, asking lots of questions and hopefully learning a lot. I commend you for that. That alone will most likely save you from losing lots of fish at the beginning.

Good luck..... and remember, there's no rush. Take it slow and you'll be amply rewarded. :)
 
It's hard to say. Any amount I tell you will just be a guess, since your actual levels of ammonia and nitrite are unknown. Do you have any dechlorinator? You should use it with every water change. If you do a water change with water containing chlorine/chloramine, you run the risk of damaging the developing biofilter in your already uncycled tank.

If it were my tank, and someone said..."hey cycle this tank with these fish without using a test kit", I would change 25% per day, or more if the fish show any signs of distress. But like I said, that's just a guess.
 
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