# Tank Cycling?



## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

well i know that your not really supposed to add fish for the first few weeks while the tank goes through the nitrogen cycle but alls i do is add stress coat wait about 2-4 hours add my fish and there fine never once had a problem no cloudy water at all though all ive ever added was a clawed frog and a pleco


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## Price (Dec 11, 2010)

im still fairly new to the whole aquarium business, but i think that it sounds like your cycling with fish? because if you dont add fish for the first few weeks and your cycling you have to be adding some source of ammonia, so if your not adding the ammonia by some other method then a fish will add it for you, it can be stressful for them but some hardy ones will survive fine, i dont know about the frog or the pleco on how hardy they are but if they make it past a week or so i would say then they are doing okay, 

Are you testing your water parameters? how long has your tank been set up?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

+1 Price

You are indeed poisoning your fish, but only slightly. Stress Coat contains a bacteria supplement for tanks and used properly can help get your nitrogen cycle get going fairly easily. However, eventually you will want to wean your tank off of Stress Coat, solely because eventually you will not need it and at that point all you will be doing is wasting your money. A tank should achieve an equilibrium between the bio-load (the amount of ammonia generated) and the population of nitrifying bacteria that consume the ammonia and generate nitrite, then consume nitrite and generate nitrate. After a certain point, the addition of Stress Coat only makes this nitrifying bacteria population swell and die off, with no effect on the tank at all. At that point, you're better off capping the bottle and storing it to be used as a supplement for when/if you need to dose medications.

With that being said, I swear by using Stress Coat as a complement to dosing any sort of anti-bacterial or anti-fungal or anti-parasitic medication for two reasons. First off, heavy medications will strip a fish's natural mucus coat, which is rejuvenated by Stress Coat. Secondly, medications kill off nitrifying bacteria, which Stress Coat can help replenish. The only downside, in my opinion, is that Stress Coat depletes the oxygen concentrations in the water, which on top of the O2 depletion caused by heavy meds can cause some serious anoxia dangers. However, I also swear by sticking an air stone in a medication tank and aerating it to counter this oxygen depletion. I keep an air pump, gang valve, check valve, and tubing as an emergency back-up and it has saved my bum several times.

Sorry, that was a ramble. Long story short, I love Stress Coat, but I don't think it's needed to keep a tank running. Only as an emergency measure.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

plecosrawesome said:


> well i know that your not really supposed to add fish for the first few weeks while the tank goes through the nitrogen cycle but alls i do is add stress coat wait about 2-4 hours add my fish and there fine never once had a problem no cloudy water at all though all ive ever added was a clawed frog and a pleco


If you mean once you've added the initial fish, I agree. The nitrogen cycle _*cannot*_ start without fish though. It is the presence of ammonia that starts the cycle. Cycling does not mean setting the tank up and just letting it run.

I wouldn't be surprised if you never saw any cloudiness with just those two inhabitants. What do your water tests show? The cloudy water just means something is happening in the tank and in my tanks never lasted for more than a day or two. The cycle will go for 4-8wks if you do it with fish.


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

yes i test them Price but there ok the only problem in my water is hard my ph levels are good but i also have slightly a bit of salt is that bad?


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

and [email protected] the only time i use stress coat (so far) was for water changes


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## Price (Dec 11, 2010)

Did u ever see an ammonia spike after adding the fish?


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

plecosrawesome said:


> and [email protected] the only time i use stress coat (so far) was for water changes


That is what I am talking about. Ideally, you shouldn't be using it at all.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Stress coat plus is a water conditioner to be used to remove chlorine/chlorimines that also has the normal use of stress coat built in. Is what you have regular stress coat or stress coat plus?


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

jr man83 i just use stress coat and [email protected] if i dont use it wont my fish die of the chlorine in the water???


and Price no not really


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

plecosrawesome said:


> [email protected] if i dont use it wont my fish die of the chlorine in the water???


I'm an idiot, I thought you were using Stress Coat AND a tap water conditioner. My bad.

Continue doing what you're doing, don't mind my idiocy


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## retiredsemi (Feb 8, 2011)

question about tank cycling??????? I have just been given a 35 gal tank that has been active for the last two years and includes one silver dollar fish when I bring it home I would like to cean it and add a sustrate for plants. will I have to recycle this tank before adding fish to it? thanks


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

retiredsemi said:


> question about tank cycling??????? I have just been given a 35 gal tank that has been active for the last two years and includes one silver dollar fish when I bring it home I would like to cean it and add a sustrate for plants. will I have to recycle this tank before adding fish to it? thanks


In a word, yes. However, the amount of live plants, dirty filter media from the old tank, and any old substrate and/or structures will help speed up this cycle.


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## plecosrawesome (Mar 1, 2011)

haha no problem [email protected]


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## retiredsemi (Feb 8, 2011)

ok thanks for the comeback on recycling now what is the best substrate material.. I was thinking of moss and a vermiculite with gravel would this be any good


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

If you want to go more natural substrate, look for the beaslbob build threads. Another way for planted is using gravel-type substrate specifically made for plants, like eco-complete. Eco is the easiest to deal with IMO, but it cost a little more.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

retiredsemi said:


> ok thanks for the comeback on recycling now what is the best substrate material.. I was thinking of moss and a vermiculite with gravel would this be any good


Moss and vermiculite would be great, and I would echo jr and say that Eco Complete should be used instead of regular gravel. It's more expensive, but it is both plant- and aquarium-specific. I used sphagnum peat moss as the bottom layer on my 29 gallon as advised by members on this site, layered with a bit of Laterite, and so far the only advice in that department I could give is to soak your moss before adding it or it will try and float.


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## retiredsemi (Feb 8, 2011)

thanks a bunch guys for all the imput on a substrate for my tank am on the way out the door now to spend the $ for it will try to get pics of the construct as I go*old dude


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