# Best fish to cycle an aquarium with,



## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

So I have heard mixed thoughts about this from different people and wondering if anyone had suggestions. I was told never to do it with goldfish? I would love to use something that I plan on stocking the tank with so I don't have to move it to a separate tank after.


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## BEARitone (Oct 1, 2010)

It is going to depend the size of your tank and what you ultimately want to keep in it.


Goldfish are not good for a number of reasons, mainly being that you have to find a home for them once the tank is cycled. They are also very very sensitive to water parameters and susceptible to diseases. Also they enjoy a temperature(under 70) that makes for slow bacteria growth(much faster at 80 or above). They are just not a hardy fish.


Zebra Danios are one of the most popular. My Platties are doing really well, they have a healthy apatite, they are energetic, and they have no behavior that suggests they are feeling stress or sickness(lethargy, rapid respiration, inflamed gills, ect).

I would also suggest getting some live plants and seachem prime to help with ammonia and nitrite levels. Check parameters often!


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## Spooki (Oct 6, 2010)

I've heard lamp eye/ red eye tetras (_Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae_) are good to cycle with.


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## burnsbabe (Jul 15, 2010)

It is worth noting that you don't have to cycle with fish. A simple search of this forum for "fishless cycle" ought to bring you up to speed on that method.

I've cycled with White Cloud Mountain Minnows and Pristella Tetras, both of which are pretty hardy.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

Its gong to be a 30 gallon tank and the inhabitants are going to be:
Pair of German Blue Ram's M/F
School of 10 neon Tetras
School of 6 marbled hatchets
school of 8 fire tetras
school of 8 lemon tetras
school of 5 panda corys

Read more: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...g-another-30-gallon-tank-52224/#ixzz12YqnP9aX

I have had it up and running for about 2 weeks and the parameters are pretty much what I would expect. As for live plants I have a few java ferns and a bit of java moss. I will be moving some dwarf sag and Cabomba into the tank once I have time to harvest some of it. The only reason I ask is because I plan on getting alot of my fish/plants at my cities fish auction (Oktoberfish as they call it) and hope that it will be okay to stock by next sunday
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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

I would put as many plants in it as you can that will help with the cycle and make it alot less stressful on the fish. Hopefully you can put lots of plants and that will make it kind of automatically cycle in a way because it will have enough plants to control the ammonia and stuff.


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## Redknee (Feb 21, 2010)

I'd say zebra danios but i'd also like to say that your tank is to small for all the fish you intend to put inside of it.
Your water will be always dirty, fish will be stressed and you will not enjoy your tank.
But you can also ignore what i just said.
Also you will have problems keeping all fish happy as some like higher temps while others like lower temps.
27-30 for the rams and the neon tetras like 20-25 (in celsius).
There is no way you can keep both happy.(Same goes for the other fish).


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

I will definitly take your suggestions into consideration, for the overstocking i use aqadvisor it is wonderful and is very effective at telling stocking levels. I also am using a filter with 600gph and do weekly 40-50% water changes on all of my tanks so it shouldn't be to much more work. This tank will also end up being heavily planted once all of the plants grow in. I will look into the compatibility of the fish again i thought they were all good at a happy medium of 75-77


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

I have to agree with redknee that is to many fish. I know on the other thread I said it sounded good but now that I really look at the list I relize how many fish it is. And I hope you are not planning on trying to add all of them at once that would be a very bad idea because it would be way to much of a bioload at once. The rams are very delicate when it come to water parimeters. I would definatly wait on them and I would seriously consider possiably leaveing out one of the tetras. If your plants were full grown I would be more willing to add more than one type of fish at a time but with them still being on the small side I would only add one kind at a time.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

Yes they will be quarantined and added slowly so I don't overload it.


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

Oh ok I was worried there for a minute. LOL


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

The tank will be stocked over a time of about a month so I'm not to worried, I have a few different cycle QT tanks ready for fish just incase I get more then I was planning. I might consider a different "centerpiece" for the tank instead of the rams but I was really looking forward to them. I have kept them with the tetras before and they were more then happy. (had to give them away when I moved, as far as I know they are still alive and kicking.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

Did a little more research, if I keep my tank at these parameters (see below) it should satisfy the needs of all of the species I have listed.
Recommended temperature range: 78.8 - 80.6 F.
Recommended pH range: 5.5 - 7.
Recommended hardness range: 5 - 12 dH.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

Also it is a 30 gallon breeder so it ends up being closer to the 35 gallon mark


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

eatmysox said:


> I will definitly take your suggestions into consideration, for the overstocking i use aqadvisor it is wonderful and is very effective at telling stocking levels. I also am using a filter with 600gph and do weekly 40-50% water changes on all of my tanks so it shouldn't be to much more work. This tank will also end up being heavily planted once all of the plants grow in. I will look into the compatibility of the fish again i thought they were all good at a happy medium of 75-77


 
If you have other tanks that are Cycled, then you could borrow filter material from one of those tanks and place it in the filter of the thirty gallon and this would allow you to stock four or five small fish such as the tetra's with a week in between new addition of another four or five.
Otherwise your tank will need four to six weeks to cycle.
If your pH is much below 6.5 the tank could take even longer to cycle for the needed bacteria is very slow at developing at pH levels under 7.0
Adjusting the pH with chemicals or powder's is not a good idea unless you have a knowledge of how these chemicals /powders work. Depending on what your p/H and hardness is from the tap or water you will be using for water changes is ,the effects of altering the pH could cause significant shifts in the water chemisrty that will be strressful for the fish perhaps..fatal.
If your water is naturally soft and acidic with no adjustments necessary, then it should suit the fishes you listed.
Agree with others,the temp for German Blue rams to thrive(80 to 84 degrees F) in would not suit the tetra's in the long term.
If it is the Bolivian Ram,, they are a bit more forgiving and would do well with the cooler temps that the tetra's prefer.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

Ya I have other cycled tanks, ones that aren't even in use, I will pull some of the filter media out of them thanks 1077


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## Redknee (Feb 21, 2010)

eatmysox said:


> Ya I have other cycled tanks, ones that aren't even in use, I will pull some of the filter media out of them thanks 1077


If a tank is not in use chances are it is also not cycled no more.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

they had snails and plants in most of them and seeme okay with my tests. Either way I just managed to get some of the lemon tetras my pet shop had them on sale for 3 for 1.99 so of course i had to get them i couldn't pass up such a good deal


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## Calmwaters (Sep 2, 2009)

Wow that was a great deal! Can't wait to see them swimming in the tank. If you had snails and plants your tanks are fine.


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## eatmysox (Sep 1, 2010)

figured as much, they currently are now living with my girlfriends platys and one of her female bettas


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## VTonic (Oct 20, 2010)

eatmysox said:


> Its gong to be a 30 gallon tank and the inhabitants are going to be:
> Pair of German Blue Ram's M/F
> School of 10 neon Tetras
> School of 6 marbled hatchets
> ...


 Ive allways used neon tetras, they dont produce that much waste, are very hardy, and should help "ease" you through the cycle instead of jumping through it and risking losing your fish. You could also use the fishless cycle but I personally never have.


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## buzzbee (Oct 8, 2010)

I used a red eye tetra as my ammonia source by the time the cycle was done it looked like a bluegill


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