Cycling tank with clownfish?

[Kenn]

Hello guys, my tank is cycling now. I am using bacto start. I heard that clownfish is very hardy and may helped with ammonia for cycle and they may be able to live until the cycle is completed. Anybody tried it before?

 

[Clinton]

Just a cheap pantyhose and a dinner shrimp is what I used. Granted I adore all my little sea creatures and prefer not to put them through hell if at all possible

 

[Clinton]

I love the perfect shelving and arch you have going on there! Can't wait to see it get filled up with time and patience

 

[Westoncase]

No need to put a fish through all that stress. Just put a super tiny amount of flake food in every once in while. At least wait a few weeks for your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to get kinda stable. If you have time watch some of Rico’s aquarium, CJs aquarium and fishofhex on YouTube. They are really helpfull videos

 

[GK3]

Hello guys, my tank is cycling now. I am using bacto start. I heard that clownfish is very hardy and may helped with ammonia for cycle and they may be able to live until the cycle is completed. Anybody tried it before?

This is on par with using a damsel for the cycle. In my option this is a very out dated method. Either use a dinner shrimp as mentioned above or dose pure ammonia (only do this if you are comfortable handling chemicals and know how to do it).

But to answer your question, yea a clown fish would work as long as it isn’t too young (3/4-1” or bigger) if it’s too juvenile it’ll likely die. I’ve known people to use clown fish as they don’t want a damsel in their tank after the cycle and they are near impossible to catch. I would recommend using another method mentioned above though.

If you have fish food, you could just toss a bunch in the tank. That’ll work the same way the dinner shrimp would.

 

[Marco S]

I think people confuse the old days when you put a fish through a high Ammonia spike and then a high Nitrite spike over the course of a month or more to complete a cycle. When you are using bacteria now a days, the process is extremely quick and the directions even tell you to put a fish in from day one and I have done this several times with no ill affects and absolutely no signs of stress from the fish. With bacteria, you should not even notice an Ammonia spike, (usually within a day or two) and the Nitrite spike is not harmful, (usually happens by day two or three) and the whole process only lasts five to eight days. The fish does not go through hell and you don't have to watch an empty tank.

That being said, I have never used the bacteria you are using, but there are several out there that have been used successfully and the two I have used are Bio Spira and Fritz Turbo Start 900. Whatever you decide though, good luck.

 

[GK3]

I think people confuse the old days when you put a fish through a high Ammonia spike and then a high Nitrite spike over the course of a month or more to complete a cycle. When you are using bacteria now a days, the process is extremely quick and the directions even tell you to put a fish in from day one and I have done this several times with no ill affects and absolutely no signs of stress from the fish. With bacteria, you should not even notice an Ammonia spike, (usually within a day or two) and the Nitrite spike is not harmful, (usually happens by day two or three) and the whole process only lasts five to eight days. The fish does not go through hell and you don't have to watch an empty tank.

That being said, I have never used the bacteria you are using, but there are several out there that have been used successfully and the two I have used are Bio Spira and Fritz Turbo Start 900. Whatever you decide though, good luck.

Not sure what bacteria you are using, but I just finished cycling a new tank and it definitely was not an 8 day process. Ammonia and nitrites are food for the bacteria, so unless your tank is totally seeded already, you have to see some sort of spike with each, right? Every system is different, but I’ve never been able to cycle a tank in less than 2-3 weeks.

 

[Marco S]

Not sure what bacteria you are using, but I just finished cycling a new tank and it definitely was not an 8 day process. Ammonia and nitrites are food for the bacteria, so unless your tank is totally seeded already, you have to see some sort of spike with each, right? Every system is different, but I’ve never been able to cycle a tank in less than 2-3 weeks.

Like I said, I have used Bio Spira and Fritz Turbo Start 900. I used Bio Spira about 12 times and each time I didn't even notice an Ammonia spike and the Nitrites lasted a few days, but never went high enough to worry and the process was done by 8 days every time. I used Fritz for my DT and actually used ammonia to kick it off since all my fish were in QT and not ready to go in yet and that one did take a bit longer, but no more than two weeks.

 

[Jay Z]

I’ve cycled every tank I’ve had with triggers, clowns, or damsels.

My last 45 I set up cycled in days with bottles bacteria and 110lbs of live rock.

Don’t over feed, keep a eye on your parameters and do water changes if needed.

 

[Bape47]

This is on par with using a damsel for the cycle. In my option this is a very out dated method. Either use a dinner shrimp as mentioned above or dose pure ammonia (only do this if you are comfortable handling chemicals and know how to do it).

But to answer your question, yea a clown fish would work as long as it isn’t too young (3/4-1” or bigger) if it’s too juvenile it’ll likely die. I’ve known people to use clown fish as they don’t want a damsel in their tank after the cycle and they are near impossible to catch. I would recommend using another method mentioned above though.

If you have fish food, you could just toss a bunch in the tank. That’ll work the same way the dinner shrimp would.

The shrimp is cook? Or the frozen shrimp? Can i leave the whole shrimp in there? How long i can leave in the tank?

 

[Clinton]

The shrimp is cook? Or the frozen shrimp? Can i leave the whole shrimp in there? How long i can leave in the tank?

Use just a raw frozen shrimp. Put it in a pantyhose or mesh to more easily pull it out after it's done its job

 

[Clinton]

When you see a spike of ammonia they have done there job. Maybe throw in 2 or 3. When you see 0s across the board you're ready for your first fish

 

[wonroc]

With the fritz youll be fine

 

[monicalooze]

This is something i've been wondering about. I'm a beginner, but the BRS 5 minute guide suggested putting the clown in alongside the Dr. Tim's. But this doesn't seem to be a well-accepted method on other forums, however even Dr. Tim's website says there's no reason to wait to add a fish. I'm on day 3, and I've noticed a very TINY ammonia spike - like .1ppm on the Red Sea test. And now I'm worried that I did this wrong??

 

[brandon429]

here is the updated rule set:

bottled bacteria nowadays allows for the instant start along with tank dilution. a couple fish isn't much, and its easy to control. that's why all the fish-in cycles show fish acting normally vs not feeding and dying, ammonia is controlled.

before you do this, see the fish disease forum first. what used to be a risk of ammonia is now not, its all about that brook and that velvet and that crypto. quick killers, by adding fish without fallow or quarantine. the risk is in the disease within 6 mos, not free ammonia. brs is safe in advising that, for the specific nature of ammonia control.

it does not comply with today's disease models, but cycling is not about fish disease control

 

[monicalooze]

I quarantined for 45 days. The reason my other tank wasn't cycled is an incredibly long story that involved a sales person lying to me and furniture that wouldn't support the weight. Had to get a new tank etc. It doesn't matter - My point is that I QTed (that tank was also a bottle of bacteria and a fish which made me nervous) and now added to my DT. The fish seem fine? There wasn't much of an ammonia spike either....

 

[MohrReefs]

Hello guys, my tank is cycling now. I am using bacto start. I heard that clownfish is very hardy and may helped with ammonia for cycle and they may be able to live until the cycle is completed. Anybody tried it before?

I did clown with bacteria, 0 casualties.

 

[monicalooze]

Why is there so much controversy about this if Dr. Tim himself says you can add a fish pretty much immediately?

 

[brandon429]

here is why:

people assume that fish are harmed when they're acting normal.

for decades it was 'bad' to do things quickly

and then they started making reef conventions, where 500 reefs show up ready, skip cycled, then they skip cycle back home and nothing dies. the rules have changed, but forums are slow gatekeepers. this also provides a needed checks and balances on crazy claims. there's a benefit to traditional snails pace cycling.

one very handy way to consider ammonia control/noncontrol in reefing is to consider the function of kidneys in dog/cat/vet science.

animals of that type will not live two days with no kidney function. the organism is not adapted to vary much at all regarding nh3

a reef tank dies cloudy and all fish breathe heavily, indicating issues well before the death, clues/ no test kit is needed to see nh3 fail

the fact these fish are going into large dilution helps a lot, but the bottle bac are simply concentrated enough to kick in before any dilution is overcame.

when nh3 is not controlled continually, not just one bump up but constant, these fish will dart/roll, rub, not feed/hover/act abnormal just like when a dog or cat loses kidney function, it will 100% stop eating very quickly when this happens. and it wont make 48 hours/

 

[wonroc]

dont worry bout it