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I need help. Since I joind this forum I have learnd that keeping fish safe is our number one. What you tell me here I try to help other's in another forum I am in there young and need help. Well here is the prublem there is one person that say's it don't mater what fish you cycle with and you should add fish right the start of cycling I am saying no but he asked that I get some one to back me up on why not to. Well SO_VERY SNEAKY you told me in no nice way now I need all the help I can get. What is said here I will be copying in to the other forum help set him strieght
Thank you all

edith

Perhaps the person in another forum needs to understand exactly what happens to fish during the cycle.

Fish constantly excrete ammonia through urine and through their gills. Ammonia is highly toxic and, in high concentrations, highly caustic. As the amount of ammonia in the tank increases, the gills of the fish will begin to become very irritated and, in high enough concentrations, will actually suffer chemical burns, resulting in death.

The next major compound of the cycle, nitrite, reduces the ability of the blood of the fish to carry oxygen. To put it into a human analogy, it's like breathing into a plastic bag until you pass out.

The end of the cycle, indicated by rising nitrates, marks when fish are truly safe to add. Ammonia and nitrite are quite nasty substances, and any detectable amount of these in the tank will stress the fish. In fact, with more sensitive species, any detectable ammonia and nitrite can be fatal almost immediately. Nitrates are less harmful, but should still be monitored and controlled with water changes.

Joe Potato

Thank you very much joe I am going to post this right now so that just may be I can stop this

edith

Hi,
To get an idea what ammonia does to the gills of a fish,
think of a babies bottom after sitting in a urine soaked
diaper. The skin is reddened, burned, and can even blister.

In a fish, the gills are what exchanges oxygen for the
fish to live. Burn those and the fish will die as Joe
says.

During the cycling of a tank, the ammonia can climb to as
much as 6, before it drops off and the nitrite can climb
to 10 before it drops off and the nitrate puts in an
appearance. You can cycle a tank with fish, but they must
be very hardy to handle that kind of abuse, and in most
cases, the fish that you cycle with are nothing like the
colorful fish that you want in the tank once the tank
cycles. So, what do you do with those "work horses?"
You can only hope that your LFS will take them back for
credit toward the fish you really wanted in the first
place. Most won't take them back.

IMO, it is far faster, and easier, to cycle a tank without
fish, and then once the tank is cycled, go get the fish
you really want. This allows you to say "no fish were
injured during this process."

To answer your question directly, the tank is cycled
when the ammonia is 0, and the nitrite reading is 0.


Frank



-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Thank you frank the person in the other forum was forced to say yes he was wrong for saying add fish to cycle it isn't cruel. So thank you Joe after I posted what you said he retracted right away

edith