# Best fish for Fish-In Cycling? Other than Danios.



## Dawes

First of all, I'll need to state that I am fully aware of the pros and cons of both Fishless and Fish-In Cycling a new Aquarium-Tank. However, it is my choice to try out Fish-In Cycling; to which I hope I do not offend anyone and in turn, they can equally accept my choice (Since I know how somewhat 'controversial' this subject can be).

I have decided to do a Fish-In Cycling but I do not intend to use Zebra Danios.
So the main reason I am here is to look for other suggestions of small Community fish I could possibly use to an equal benefit as the Danios are.

I've also bought some Nutrafin Cycle, amongst other things to aid Fish-In Cycling
(I highly doubt this will have any beneficial effect to my new Aquarium, but I'm going to try it out for good measure either way).

I intend to test my water thoroughly and do 25%(Or more) water changes every one or two days (only if needed of course - Which I am presuming it will be needed).

I intend to be very strict with this tank since I am doing a Fish-In Cycle and follow my pre-set instructions religiously.

- Thanks!

P.S. My new tank is the Fluval Roma 125 (125 Litres / 33 US Gallons).
I only intend to use 2-3 -small- fish to begin the cycling, so as to not overload the water with too much Ammonia from the fish waste.


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## marshallsea

platys-1 male 2 female


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## Geomancer

Dawes said:


> First of all I'll need to state that I am fully aware of the pros and cons of both Fishless and Fish-In Cycling a new Aquarium-Tank


 
I'm actually not aware of any pros to a fish-in cycle...

It's not faster, it's not 'better', it's not more stable.

Do them a favor and buy lots of fast growing stem plants, and floating plants..

Using products like Cycle will actualy make the process take longer. You can tell by reading the directions, it requies you to constantly add the product, because the bacteria does not survive and replicate on its own. Once you stop using it ... they die and you're right back to an uncycled aquarium.

Black Tetras (long fin version called Black Skirt Tetra), possibly Tiger Barbs. Larger Tetras, Rasboras ... all must be tank bred, not wild caught. Make sure you pick ones that will fit in your overall stocking plan.


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## jaysee

The best fish to use for fish in cycled are goldfish. All other fish rely on passive diffusion via the gills, to rid their bodies of ammonia. That means that the concentration of ammonia in the water and in the fish are one and the same. This is why it's important to keep the ammonia levels as low as possible. When you have 1 ppm of ammonia in the water, that means that the fish has 1 ppm in it's body, which is what poisons them. Goldfish, on the other hand, can actively excrete ammonia in the form of waste. That means that if the tank has 1 ppm of ammonia, the fish will have less. That is why goldfish are good for cycling, and that is how they survive the awful conditions they are all too often kept in.


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## thekoimaiden

Seeing as most of the fish that are hardy enough to survive a cycle and small enough to fit in your tank are small schooling fish, you'll need at least 6 of the species. Even zebra danio would need at least six. The fish that are hardy enough to survive a cycle and fit your requests are pristella tetra, cherry barb, bloodfin tetra, buenos aires tetra, and male Betta splendens (this is the only fish that should be kept singly). You can click on the shaded names to see pictures. As you have not provided us with your local water parameters (GH, KH, and pH) all of the fish I have provided are very adaptable.

Goldfish are not advisable for a fish in cycle in this tank because it will not fit in your final stocking plan. A single fancy goldfish could be kept in this tank, but no other fish could be added.


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## jaysee

No, I wouldn't suggest atually keeping a goldfish in the tank, but the OP wanted to know what was the best and that is them. They can certainly use a feeder goldfish for the purpose of cycling, rather than subject the fish they actually want to keep to the poisoning.

But I agree with geo - there are no pros.....


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## 1077

jaysee said:


> No, I wouldn't suggest atually keeping a goldfish in the tank, but the OP wanted to know what was the best and that is them. They can certainly use a feeder goldfish for the purpose of cycling, rather than subject the fish they actually want to keep to the poisoning.
> 
> But I agree with geo - there are no pros.....


 
Feeder goldfish are often disease infested and as such,,is good way to introduce parasites disease.


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## 1077

thekoimaiden said:


> Seeing as most of the fish that are hardy enough to survive a cycle and small enough to fit in your tank are small schooling fish, you'll need at least 6 of the species. Even zebra danio would need at least six. The fish that are hardy enough to survive a cycle and fit your requests are pristella tetra, cherry barb, bloodfin tetra, buenos aires tetra, and male Betta splendens (this is the only fish that should be kept singly). You can click on the shaded names to see pictures. As you have not provided us with your local water parameters (GH, KH, and pH) all of the fish I have provided are very adaptable.
> 
> Goldfish are not advisable for a fish in cycle in this tank because it will not fit in your final stocking plan. A single fancy goldfish could be kept in this tank, but no other fish could be added.


Would not recommend six of any species in 30 gal uncycled tank, for it will only increase the rate of ammonia being produced.
Three platy's would be about right and with sparse feeding',careful water monitoring,,the ammonia level's may not become harmful .
Have set up lot's of classroom tank's using very few,small fish for cycling process where small children were not inclined to sit and wait for empty tank to mature.
Lot's of floating plant's such as Pennywort be extremely helpful.


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## jaysee

You're right, by feeder I meant cheap. A fish is a fish. 

IMO all fish should be treated for parasites.


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## thekoimaiden

1077 said:


> Would not recommend six of any species in 30 gal uncycled tank, for it will only increase the rate of ammonia being produced.
> Three platy's would be about right and with sparse feeding',careful water monitoring,,the ammonia level's may not become harmful .


The stress from a cycle combined with the stress of incorrect living conditions would make the fish very susceptible to disease and would simply complicate the situation. With enough live plants, it would not be a problem to add six schooling fish. But if the OP doesn't want to, then male platy or swordtail would be a better idea. Adding males and females will result in babies and contribute to the ammonia levels.


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## 1077

thekoimaiden said:


> The stress from a cycle combined with the stress of incorrect living conditions would make the fish very susceptible to disease and would simply complicate the situation. With enough live plants, it would not be a problem to add six schooling fish. But if the OP doesn't want to, then male platy or swordtail would be a better idea. Adding males and females will result in babies and contribute to the ammonia levels.


 
Two or three small fish in 30 or 33 gallons, with careful every other day feeding's (tiny amount) would not produce ammonia level's at stressful or toxic level's unless the fish are over fed, or too many are added at once.(done it many many times)
Add two or three small tetra's such as those you mentioned (good choices), or platy's, and after ten to fourteen day's ,one can add another two or three small fish, and so on with ten day's between new fish and not too many at once.
On second thought,,the Pristella tetra's would be better choice than the platy's unless the water is hard alkaline in which case the platy's would be fine.
Even if they were to produce young,the tiny fry would not create much ammonia but often encourages people to over feed.
Is a shame the OP expressed no interest in plant's but they aren't mandatory.


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## Dawes

I'll be adding plants (And anything else that generically adds to the water conditions and fishes comfort), and probably 3 Cherry Barbs, as they were some of the fish I intended to keep to begin with.

Some time ago I came across something called a 'Water Cleaner' - it is supposed to reduce the ammonia and Nitrite levels (I'm going to presume that this came mess up the cycling process and probably doesn't work to begin with,) - anyone ever used this before? - I doubt I will, but I am still somewhat curious. (Hate adding any unneeded chemicals)


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## FluffyWolf2

Dawes said:


> I'll be adding plants (And anything else that generically adds to the water conditions and fishes comfort), and probably 3 Cherry Barbs, as they were some of the fish I intended to keep to begin with.
> 
> Some time ago I came across something called a 'Water Cleaner' - it is supposed to reduce the ammonia and Nitrite levels (I'm going to presume that this came mess up the cycling process and probably doesn't work to begin with,) - anyone ever used this before? - I doubt I will, but I am still somewhat curious. (Hate adding any unneeded chemicals)


I will add my experience here, though the fish I will say I used is not suggested in the profiles here for in-fish cycling.

I incorrectly understood the cycling process, got 2 Mollies (Male/Female) and placed them in the tank. I then also got another molly due to aggression and chasing. I have three mollies in the tank. The water parameters have slowly climbed with the ammonia. Although the fish are still doing just fine, I felt guilty enough after watching my black molly gills silver a bit. The conditions though I would argue are not too terrible as the one is giving birth (Granted I do not know if fish can feel ammonia AND adjust whether they feel they should give birth).

Needless to say I have moved them all to a secondary tank (Again not cycled) but in hopes that my cycle process should be done soon and they can return to their initial home. Things that are helping them are live plants, and some ammonia diffusion products, though these may be also why my tank has yet to cycle now after 8 weeks , but something you may wish to consider in your tank if you choose to cycle with fish.

This is with regular water changes for the fish, and some relatively frequently checking of levels (Gotta see if the tank is cycling obviously! )

Not saying a pro/con, and just filling you in on some information to help with your decision =), on that note, how long should an in-fish or non-in-fish cycle take?


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## 1077

Dawes said:


> I'll be adding plants (And anything else that generically adds to the water conditions and fishes comfort), and probably 3 Cherry Barbs, as they were some of the fish I intended to keep to begin with.
> 
> Some time ago I came across something called a 'Water Cleaner' - it is supposed to reduce the ammonia and Nitrite levels (I'm going to presume that this came mess up the cycling process and probably doesn't work to begin with,) - anyone ever used this before? - I doubt I will, but I am still somewhat curious. (Hate adding any unneeded chemicals)


Live plant's would be your best bet.(Pennywort,watersprite,anacharis)
They, (plant's) consume ammonia at a rate suggested to be ten times faster than the conversion of ammonia to nitrites,to nitrates.(Tank will still cycle)
Cherry barb's would be good choice but no more than cthree to begin with as mentioned above.
Feed the fishes tiny amount as mentioned ,once every other day and you should have no problem's.
Weekly 35 to 50 percent water change should be the norm for duration of tank's life.
Water conditioner such as PRIME would be good choice.
Do not replace filter material or clean it for the next four to five week's unless water flow becomes restricted which would indicate overfeeding.(only clean filter material in old aquarium water, or dechlorinated water).
As to chemical's ,bacterial supplement's,etc, mileage vary's with these product's and they don't work well for everybody.
Thing's will be much easier with just plant's,water conditioner,and tapwater.


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## ashley9333

how do u do that i just set my tank up theres no fish yet but what cycling


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## marshallsea

ashley9333 said:


> how do u do that i just set my tank up theres no fish yet but what cycling


You should read one of the top threads in Freshwater Aquariums called Cycling a tank, or something with the word cycling in it.Not sure what its called.


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## Eddie1KRR

1077 said:


> Two or three small fish in 30 or 33 gallons, with careful every other day feeding's (tiny amount) would not produce ammonia level's at stressful or toxic level's unless the fish are over fed, or too many are added at once.(done it many many times)
> Add two or three small tetra's such as those you mentioned (good choices), or platy's, and after ten to fourteen day's ,one can add another two or three small fish, and so on with ten day's between new fish and not too many at once.
> On second thought,,the Pristella tetra's would be better choice than the platy's.


From what I observed so far, I agree with this. The Pristella Tetra Has been a real sturdy lil fish for me. And as much as I love plattys, They don't seem to be near as resilient. (maybe it's my water, so results may be different) I suspect bloodfins (which I also have) are at equally as sturdy...But I am more partial to the Pristellas I have to admit. And the above method also worked for me in a partially cycled tank when I added them.

And I don't care for Danios either, so I understand the op wanting to do something else


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## Byron

Dawes said:


> I'll be adding plants (And anything else that generically adds to the water conditions and fishes comfort), and probably 3 Cherry Barbs, as they were some of the fish I intended to keep to begin with.
> 
> Some time ago I came across something called a 'Water Cleaner' - it is supposed to reduce the ammonia and Nitrite levels (I'm going to presume that this came mess up the cycling process and probably doesn't work to begin with,) - anyone ever used this before? - I doubt I will, but I am still somewhat curious. (Hate adding any unneeded chemicals)


I won't bog this down with more on the fish-in cycling issue as you seem to be going with live plants now. But i will just say that no matter what fish you have in a new tank, any ammonia or nitrite above zero will affect the fish's physiology to some degree. Now, it may only be stress that dissipates, such as when the water volume is sufficient to dilute the ammonia considerably. But internal damage can be permanent from ammonia or nitrite, and while the fish may appear to survive, the damage has been done. A shorter lifespan always results from this, but additional health issues and even sooner demise may occur.

Put live plants in at the beginning, and make sure some are fast-growing such as stem plants or better yet floating plants. A few fish with these will be fine. You will not detect a cycle as such, meaning that ammonia and nitrite tests will be zero; the plants use the ammonia, and while some will still get grabbed by the establishing bacteria the test kits we use are not sophisticated enough to detect such low levels, and the toxins are in the water only as long as it takes for the plants or the bacteria to grab them.

Now to this chemical water cleaner substance. If you can post the actual brand name i may be able to offer more, but assuming this is basically similar to products that allegedly "remove organics" and thus eliminate ammonia, or "replace water changes" and such nonsense, they are not good. Anything that interferes with natural bacteria should be avoided. The fewer substances going into a fish tank, the healthier will be the tank and thus the fish.

Byron


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## Fishfriend48

marshallsea said:


> platys-1 male 2 female


And there ya go. 2nd commenter already disregarding your request for mutual respect. SMH. I found this post wanting the same answer. I need to move my adf to a new tank due to my 29 gallon being too high with too fast currents for them to swim for air and new red platys gobble up all their food. ( Bloodworms) I have used water, rocks, and filter media from their tank as well as adding instant beneficial bacterial supplement to the new 29 gallon long and have waited a week. I don't want to wait 5 more weeks and they have done well before being moved to their current tank, I just prefer not to stress them out again too much. I already have 6 zebra danios ( which I adore with their clownish Antics) so I prefer another small fish to live with my 4 frogs that (1) are Hardy, (2) hopefully pretty, (3) enjoy calm waters/currents. That is the most important. My current tank has fish like danios that enjoy fast moving waters. I need new friends for my adf's that prefer the same calm parameters. I plan on keeping these fish, so I am not " using" them to cycle my tank, as I gathered you are not either, so the comments that are unnecessary and crude show their inability to be a mature, respectful person. I would buy 39 cent feeder fish if I did not plan on keeping or CARING for these fish. Just wanted to see if you had any success and what fish were fine in their new environment. Thank you


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## Fishfriend48

marshallsea said:


> platys-1 male 2 female





marshallsea said:


> platys-1 male 2 female


And there ya go. 2nd commenter already disregarding your request for mutual respect. SMH. I found this post wanting the same answer. I need to move my adf to a new tank due to my 29 gallon being too high with too fast currents for them to swim for air and new red platys gobble up all their food. ( Bloodworms) I have used water, rocks, and filter media from their tank as well as adding instant beneficial bacterial supplement to the new 29 gallon long and have waited a week. I don't want to wait 5 more weeks and they have done well before being moved to their current tank, I just prefer not to stress them out again too much. I already have 6 zebra danios ( which I adore with their clownish Antics) so I prefer another small fish to live with my 4 frogs that (1) are Hardy, (2) hopefully pretty, (3) enjoy calm waters/currents. That is the most important. My current tank has fish like danios that enjoy fast moving waters. I need new friends for my adf's that prefer the same calm parameters. I plan on keeping these fish, so I am not " using" them to cycle my tank, as I gathered you are not either, so the comments that are unnecessary and crude show their inability to be a mature, respectful person. I would buy 39 cent feeder fish if I did not plan on keeping or CARING for these fish. Just wanted to see if you had any success and what fish were fine in their new environment. Thank you


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## beaslbob

8 years ago.


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