# cycling with fish or no fish? will ph change? How long to cycle?



## keziahamber (Jul 18, 2010)

Some people recommend adding a couple fish to start the cycling process. My ph right now is 7.7 (just started yesterday, as posted in another thread) Do you recommend adding a small amount of fish? If so, what kind, and how many. Right now I have no fish and several large plants, and a few medium sized plants. I have a 35 gallon freshwater tank. I added Tetra Aqua Aquasafe that makes tap water safe for fish w/ bioextract. Also, will my ph change? Petsmart recommended cycling for 7 days with no fish. How long would you cycle?


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

The only cycling thing that actually helps that I've used is Seachem's Stability.

I cycled with fish but there are a few problems with it:
1. Water changes - So fish don't die
2. Rehoming the fish after your done
2a. If you don't rehome them and want to keep them, they have a tendency to be very sensitive

You don't need to use fish just go buy some fish flakes, or any other fish food, put it in your tank and make sure ammonia doesn't go above 5.5, I'd leave it at around 4.0. Do a few water changes before you actually get fish so they don't get poisoned by the massive amounts of nitrate in the end.

For conditioner (what your Tetra Aqua Aquasafe is), I'd recommend using Seachem Prime or Stresscoat after you finish that bottle. Prime is highly concentrated and therefore lasts a long time. Stresscoat has aloe vera in it so if you have fish with long fins like bettas or guppies it helps it grow and also helps them develop a natural resistance (their slimy coat) against parasites and other things.

If you do choose to use fish, 8-10 zebra danios will be fine as they are very hardy, they cost like $1 at PetSmart. If you have a turtle or something and you want to feed them to your turtle after, it's very difficult because they swim quite fast. You could also ask about leopard danios, Big Al's usually stocks them and I think they look a bit nicer than zebra danios.

Your pH will change throughout the cycling process, but if you have zebra danios it shouldn't affect them at all.


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

Forgot to add:

Cycling generally takes a month without established filter media. I finished mine in 21 days without the filter media from an established tank, it could be a month and a half without it.


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