cycling mantis tank

[gharner]

just out of curiosity....has any one here cycled a tank with damsels even though it is now considered to be cruel? i have cycled my first tank with l/r and sand and was considering cycling with l/r l/s and a damsel so theres somethin to look at for a little.

 

[block head]

i'd wait it out if u can

 

[justinl]

think about it. If you do it you would be subjecting a fish (a living breathing organism) to water quality that would kill most things in the sea. with that in mind, make the choice yourself.

if the rock/sand is not enough to kick start the cycle, throw in a frozen shrimp or silverside or something

 

[gharner]

ah i was gonna go with l/r cycling any way....i just wanted some other input....when the tank is cycled im gonna add a damsel as a tank mate for the mantis (and possibly a meal) haha thanks guys

 

[MantisO_o]

how long have you cycled it so far?

 

[Guygettnby]

so how is it cruel to cycle a tank with a damsel but yet we put live things in our tank all the time just to be eaten or beaten then die? i dont get some of you people, you logical way of thinking is way out there in left field.

 

[gharner]

ah 1/2 of my rock is cycled and 1/2 is fresh plus i have l/s. its only been a few days and i have yet to test the params.
guygettnby: i kinda agree with you and understand what your talkin about...i just try to avoid getting flamed and i can see peoples point of view about "hurting" the fish through the cycle...im just tryin to stay neutral on both sides of the cycling with fish argument cause i can see some points on both sides.

 

[block head]

haven't heard a good reason to cycle using a fish. i'm bored , want something to look at doesn't seem like a good reason. damsel will also eat your pods.

 

[Scuba Dan]

I have a question about cycling. I hope you dont mind me asking here, I didnt want to start a new post with the same question. My question is, I have a 120 gallon reef tank and want to start a 24 gallon AquaPod tank for a Mantis. Would I still have to go through a cycle period even if I were to pull live rock and about 10-15 gallons of water from my reef tank? Im guessing not, but thought I would ask just in case. Dont want to spend $50.00 for a mantis just to have him die. My reef tank has been up and running for 3 years.
Thanks....

 

[Wildinside]

Scuba I think you will still need to wait for a cycle unless you are pulling the substrate from your existing tank also. Regardless you would be more than cutting the length of your cycle by half. I bet in 1-2 weeks you would be cycled.

 

[gharner]

depending if anything dies on your rocks during the move....you may cycle a tiny bit. i took rock from my 12 gallon to use in my 3 gallon deco kit. there was a slight cycle/algea bloom but after a few days everything was good.

 

[Crawling68]

At my max i had 7 tanks going. I would constantly move rock and water around, it really not that big a deal.

 

[gharner]

wow! 7 tanks is impressive haha. right now i only have 4 total....3 saltwater and one small tank with a betta and an dwarf clawed frog (it gives my grandma somethin to watch.....i wanted it to be another saltwater tank though haha)

 

[kdblove_99]

Lots of people do it. The worst part is getting those mean bastards out afterwards