# Cycle with fish + old sponge?



## ScurvyGoat (Dec 1, 2011)

I'm getting close to being done with my 55 gallon tank. Should I pop the old sponge from my 10 (GloFish, Glowlight Rasboras which are moving to the tank, and Cory Cats which will move too) or my 20 (African Clawed Frogs and feeder gups) in there first? Will I have to deal with a full cycle then? If after a few days I add the 6 fish in will that be okay? I don't want to lose them, but want the cycle to work. It's 3 cory cats and 3 rasboras. Or is that not enough with the sponge? Advice appreciated! I'm not doing anything until my heater comes.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

I would let the tank cycle on its own as the sponge isn't going to give you enough bacteria to cycle the tank.


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## ScurvyGoat (Dec 1, 2011)

How exactly should I go about doing that? I find a billion different answers when I tried looking it up. Wouldn't the bacteria multiply? I'm used to much smaller tanks so I'm nervous about doing this wrong. I found a thread about fishless cycling but not with fish. I'm real nervous about screwing up the fishless cycle.


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## jaguayo (Oct 26, 2011)

It's not that hard. I just finished my first fishless cycle. Follow the instruction on the post on Fishless Cycle. Because you are using the sponge my guess is that it will take you a shorter time to complete the cycle. I have a 29G tank and it took me 5 weeks to cycle using pure ammonia.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

A sponge from a 10 gal won't cycle a 55 much faster than fishless. The instructions on the fishless cycle here is pretty easy to follow.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

FWIW if you start a heavily planted tank even if you have no aerobic bacteria you will get low or no ammonia and nitrIte spikes. Because the plants will consume the ammonia being generated. then as bacteria build up the plants are forced to get their nitrogen from the resulting nitrates.

but then I don't know how planted tanks do with frogs.

my .02


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## ScurvyGoat (Dec 1, 2011)

I can't use live plants. Except for Marimo balls and one bamboo stalk I kill every plant I look at. >< what I'm nervous about is using the pure ammonia. I have a horrible feeling about it I can't explain. I don't want to hurt my fish though and I am very iffy about cycle directions I have found on google. I do have a product called SafeStart I got in a combo pack with ph and tap water dechlorinator. Just curious, what do you think of using the SafeStart, filter sponge, and putting gravel from my 10 in a container or cloth bag in there? I have read about using fish food or shimp. I have shrimp pellets and sun dried tiny shrimp as well. Honest opinions. If you think the pure ammonia would be best I will go that route though. I'm not doing a fish in cycle however I go after reading more on it.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The beauty of a fishless cycle is you can't screw it up. Nothing is hurt if you do something wrong.


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## ScurvyGoat (Dec 1, 2011)

I was worried about ruining my decorations, sand, or filter if I put too much ammonia in or I managed to send everything crashing in some strange unheard of way. It's more than twice as big as the largest tank I've ever done. We've spent A LOT on supplies and my parents would kill me if I ruined anything. Things like this are the reasons I find books half-helpfull. Would it be better to wait through the cycling before decorating? I'm sorry for the billion questions. I'm not trying to be stubborn, I just like to be sure about things before I take on biiiiiig projects. Measure twice, cut once.


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## jaguayo (Oct 26, 2011)

The good thing about using amonia is that the dosing is more controlable. Keep in mind that you need amnia that has no other ingredients. If you are still nervous about using it you could always get a piece of shrimp, put it in a piece of nylon stocking or burry it in your substrate. The good thing about going fishless is that you can't screw up too bad. Worst case scenario, you could stall your cycle and make it last longer.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you dose ammonia, you'll dose, test, dose, test, etc until you reach the desired amount and then remember that amount and dose everyday. Slight change once you start getting nitrites, but not much.


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## ScurvyGoat (Dec 1, 2011)

Mum finally found pure Ammonia! Had to go to Dollar Tree. Stop & Shop's had surfacants or whatever it was added. Will start tonight most likely! Thank you all so much <3


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