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To start a 150g Tanganyika tank, which should I use to cycle the tank, Bio Spira or Ammonia? If you pick one, please explain why and how I would use it, since I am new to each one.

How would I add the fish into the tank if I took this choice?

ammonia, cause you can actually monitor it and the cycle.

Nick,

Here is a link for a "fishless" cycle for your aquarium - http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article14.html.

I understand that it works well but it would drive me crazy! After all, I just spent all that money on a tank and I won't see a fish for weeks! I think I prefer to float some cycle fish just to have the movement...

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Never having used either I can only report what I've read here on the site...it might still be around if you care to dig long enough

Bob's right with ammonia you have to wait till the cycle completely finishes ... which means no fish for a few weeks >.<

As for BioSpira...I'm fairly sure that it was cory_di that made a post months ago detailing her experiences doing an almost overnight cycle with it in her goldfish tank. Granted goldfish are much hardier than most fish. If you were to use biospira treat it just like any other tank that is cycling and stock the hardiest fish first and increase the stock slowly.

Another option is to use the filter media and or substrate from an established tank. This would work very well combined with using biospira or cycle. Just be sure that whichever tank you take from hasn't been ill and that you don't deplete the bacterial colonies from the established tank.

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