Put dead fish in to help cycle tank When can I take it out it stinks

Hi I am cycling 20 gallon I Put dead fish in to help cycle tank When can I take it out it stinks. Also do I ever do a water change during the cycling period. I want to get the cloudiness away and then start to plant the plants. I was going to drain the water about 60 % then do land landscaping then put water back in?

 

Well I have certainly never thought or heard of using a dead fish for a cycle...

If you are putting a dead fish in a tank, it is decomposing and will definitely smell BAD.

As for removing the cloudiness you could do that, and once you get your tank cycled, if it's still cloudy, make sure you keep up with regular gravel cleaning and WCs.

 

Hi I am cycling 20 gallon I Put dead fish in to help cycle tank When can I take it out it stinks. Also do I ever do a water change during the cycling period. I want to get the cloudiness away and then start to plant the plants. I was going to drain the water about 60 % then do land landscaping then put water back in?

Also when I Test the water daily do I need to test for nitrates and nitrites and ammonia? Just do not want to use up the drops if I really do not need to be testing at that time.

Well I have certainly never thought or heard of using a dead fish for a cycle...

If you are putting a dead fish in a tank, it is decomposing and will definitely smell BAD.

As for removing the cloudiness you could do that, and once you get your tank cycled, if it's still cloudy, make sure you keep up with regular gravel cleaning and WCs.

It was raw haddock I bought at the store The reading I have read told me it helps to put raw fish in tank to help cycle it? should I not have done that.

 

Also when I Test the water daily do I need to test for nitrates and nitrites and ammonia? Just do not want to use up the drops if I really do not need to be testing at that time.

Your cycle is a really important time to be testing.

It was raw haddock I bought at the store The reading I have read told me it helps to put raw fish in tank to help cycle it? should I not have done that.

Maybe not. I would've just stuck with pure ammonia from the petstore.

 

Take it out. Gross.

PLEASE READ these easy to follow, directions on how to cycle using either ammonia or fish food.

Ammonia Instructions For A Fishless Cycle | Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle Forum

 

Your cycle is a really important time to be testing.

i just thought once I start seeing sings of ammonia then I would start testing for nit and ntra. ?

 

i just thought once I start seeing sings of ammonia then I would start testing for nit and ntra. ?

Yep. But like Fisheye said, I would probably restart your cycle and just chuck the water and the dead fish. You would be in for a crazy and quite possibly unsuccessful cycle if you use the dead fish.

 

Yes I have read all about the process but there are so many different ways people do it. So confusing. I waned to use ammonia but that's hard to gets these days. Below is article I read

Starting The Nitrogen Cycle Without Fish

There are a few different ways to get this process started. To easily get an ammonia reading from your tank water try the Seachem Ammonia Alert. It sticks inside the tank and has a circle that changes color depending on the ammonia levels in the tank. It doesn't seem to have the most accurate measurement so you would need to get a good liquid ammonia test kit to get a more accurate reading of the ammonia levels in your tank.

• Option 1:
• Using Fish Food
• Drop in a few flakes every 12 hours. As the food decomposes it will release ammonia. You will have to continue to "feed" the tank throughout the process to keep it going.
• 
  
• Option 2:
• Use a small piece of raw fish or a raw shrimp
• Drop a 2 inch by 1 inch chunk of raw fish or a raw shrimp into the tank. As it decomposes it will release ammonia into the tank.

 

Your fish bits are the ammonia source (I thought "dead fish" meant you were using a dead ornamental fish to cycle. )

So you tried Option 2 and don't like the smell. So it's not the way to go for you.

But you still need to cycle your tank fully.

Not sure of when you started this process but I BEG you to read the link provided. It will take you step by step through the process with no confusion.

 

Yes I have read all about the process but there are so many different ways people do it. So confusing. I waned to use ammonia but that's hard to gets these days. Below is article I read

Starting The Nitrogen Cycle Without Fish

There are a few different ways to get this process started. To easily get an ammonia reading from your tank water try the Seachem Ammonia Alert. It sticks inside the tank and has a circle that changes color depending on the ammonia levels in the tank. It doesn't seem to have the most accurate measurement so you would need to get a good liquid ammonia test kit to get a more accurate reading of the ammonia levels in your tank.

• Option 1:
• Using Fish Food
• Drop in a few flakes every 12 hours. As the food decomposes it will release ammonia. You will have to continue to "feed" the tank throughout the process to keep it going.
• 
  
• Option 2:
• Use a small piece of raw fish or a raw shrimp
• Drop a 2 inch by 1 inch chunk of raw fish or a raw shrimp into the tank. As it decomposes it will release ammonia into the tank.

using a piece of fish or shrimp is really common in the saltwater side of the hobby, used by almost everyone I knew. It will work, but yes it will stink. You can either wait it out, or take out the meat and switch to ammonia if you can get it.

 

Yep. But like Fisheye said, I would probably restart your cycle and just chuck the water and the dead fish. You would be in for a crazy and quite possibly unsuccessful cycle if you use the dead fish.

What is Fisheye? sorry I am new at this sight still trying to understand it all.

using a piece of fish or shrimp is really common in the saltwater side of the hobby, used by almost everyone I knew. It will work, but yes it will stink. You can either wait it out, or take out the meat and switch to ammonia if you can get it.

Can find ammonia right now I had the raw fish in there for about 5 days and just put the plants in should i take them out?

 

It works, except you'll probably overcycle, as in the cycle will take longer and build up more bacteria than you would need for the fish you're gonna keep and you end up wasting time. Also you risk the ammonia getting too high and stalling the cycle so you would still need to measure and do water changes.

 

I wouldn't ever use a dead fish to cycle the tank. I even disagree with putting a shrimp or fish food in there. Just use straight ammonia. It costs like $5 from Ace Hardware. If you use it to cycle multiple tanks, it will last forever. You can even use it to clean with.

Putting anything dead in the tank will lead to more than just ammonia. First of all, it creates a mess. I've also seen fungus and other weird stuff grow on decomposing organisms. You obviously don't want that in your tank. Lastly, I wouldn't trust whatever random kind of harmful bacteria that would grow in addition to nitrifiying bacteria (Beneficial bacteria).

 

It works, except you'll probably overcycle, as in the cycle will take longer and build up more bacteria than you would need for the fish you're gonna keep and you end up wasting time. Also you risk the ammonia getting too high and stalling the cycle so you would still need to measure and do water changes.

There is aquarium ammonia on line what do you recommend to use. to cycle tank

 

There is aquarium ammonia on line what do you recommend to use. to cycle tank

Just buy normal ammonia from walmart or something or do a fish-in cycle.

 

To answer your main question. To start with just run the ammonia test. No need to run the nitrite test right now. After you start getting a reading for ammonia give it a couple of weeks before running the nitrite test. If you don't see any wait a few more days and run it again. Once you are seeing both ammonia and nitrite spike and start going down then run the nitrate test.

Should you decide to remove the piece of fish and get ammonia to feed this cycle you can look into Dr. Tim's ammonium Chloride. There are other kinds of ammonia but you need to be sure it is pure ammonia with no other things added to it.

Also you risk the ammonia getting too high and stalling the cycle so you would still need to measure and do water changes.

I don't want to be seen as argumentative but I keep seeing this posted over and over. I am not sure how it got started but it seems more and more folks are reading and then repeating it. I truly do not believe it is in fact true.

I can't say I have ever seen ammonia stalling a cycle because it is too high. It may take longer to go down to zero but that is just because there is so much of it. Taking longer to go to zero doesn't mean the cycle is stalled. I can't see high levels of ammonia killing bacteria either. That just isn't the way it works. The higher the ammonia level the longer it will take to go down and the more bacteria it will grow.

 

Make sure it doesn’t have perfume or any additives. Or do a fish in with Safestart Plus and get on with you tank!

 

I don't want to be seen as argumentative but I keep seeing this posted over and over. I am not sure how it got started but it seems more and more folks are reading and then repeating it. I truly do not believe it is in fact true.

I can't say I have ever seen ammonia stalling a cycle because it is too high. It may take longer to go down to zero but that is just because there is so much of it. Taking longer to go to zero doesn't mean the cycle is stalled. I can't see high levels of ammonia killing bacteria either. That just isn't the way it works. The higher the ammonia level the longer it will take to go down and the more bacteria it will grow.

I believe you have me guilty of reading and repeating there, it's become ingrained into my brain from having dozens of people tell me that on here. I don't have an electron microscope so I wouldn't know, however a possible explanation would be that leaving an ammonia source in there that keeps producing increasing amounts of ammonia (like a big dead fish) could potentially not give the BB time to catch up for a while, making it seem like the cycle has stopped with maxed ammonia readings.

 

Just buy normal ammonia from walmart or something or do a fish-in cycle.

Regular ammonia is hard to fins right now do they have a product that i

I wouldn't ever use a dead fish to cycle the tank. I even disagree with putting a shrimp or fish food in there. Just use straight ammonia. It costs like $5 from Ace Hardware. If you use it to cycle multiple tanks, it will last forever. You can even use it to clean with.

Putting anything dead in the tank will lead to more than just ammonia. First of all, it creates a mess. I've also seen fungus and other weird stuff grow on decomposing organisms. You obviously don't want that in your tank. Lastly, I wouldn't trust whatever random kind of harmful bacteria that would grow in addition to nitrifiying bacteria (Beneficial bacteria).

Thanks for info. But ammonia right now is difficult to find. So is there a product that is labeled for fish that is ammonia I can get online or at petco.( BTW I used raw fish from my frighted. Thanks

 

I believe you have me guilty of reading and repeating there, it's become ingrained into my brain from having dozens of people tell me that on here. I don't have an electron microscope so I wouldn't know, however a possible explanation would be that leaving an ammonia source in there that keeps producing increasing amounts of ammonia (like a big dead fish) could potentially not give the BB time to catch up for a while, making it seem like the cycle has stopped with maxed ammonia readings.

Something said often enough tends to eventually be seen as truth when in fact it isn't. In my humble opinion this is one of those things.

 

Regular ammonia is hard to fins right now do they have a product that i

Thanks for info. But ammonia right now is difficult to find. So is there a product that is labeled for fish that is ammonia I can get online or at petco.( BTW I used raw fish from my frighted. Thanks

If you can get Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride you can use that, but a dead fish/shrimp will still do the job it just smells bad.

 

If you can get Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride you can use that, but a dead fish/shrimp will still do the job it just smells bad.

That is good to hear about the dead fish because I felt when I asked the equation people were appalled. I did take out the fish and did a 50 % water change. But before I did I test the water and Ammonia was .5 and nitrate was 5.0. Wasn't that a start? A friend found some commercial grade ammonia for me so I was planning on starting that today. Do you think I can start using it now with the water that is in it? or should I completely 100% change out the water and start over? with using the ammonia. Thanks for your patience.

 

There is aquarium ammonia on line what do you recommend to use. to cycle tank

As others have stated, pure ammonia might be hard to find right now given the pandemic.... I didn't even think of that.

If you can find it, go to Ace Hardware and get their ammonia. It's labeled at 10% ammonium hydroxide. It's just ammonia mixed with water.

If you can't find that due to the virus buying, go ahead and get Dr Tims. That stuff works the same, it's just more expensive.

 

If you can't source aquarium safe ammonia, go ahead and use fish food.

 

Yes I have read all about the process but there are so many different ways people do it. So confusing.

There are so many ways because they all work. Pick one and follow it consistently.

Many of the procedures I have read advise not to let ammonia go over 4 ppm. However, I do not know. I am just repeating what I have read as mattgirl describes. Still, I do not see any reason to let the ammonia go over that amount.

I am also a believe in keeping nitrites and nitrates reasonable during cycling by doing water changes when their levels increase. Many say that is unnecessary. Perhaps it is, but it makes sense to me that you will develop a more stable cycle if you keep things reasonable. What is reasonable? Who knows. I like keeping nitrites below 2 ppm and nitrates below 40 ppm.

I also like using bottled ammonia. It seems easier to me, but I have never used any other method. I have used Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride. Many have reported using hardware store ammonia. Just make sure it as nothing in it but ammonia. And make sure you understand the concentration so you can dose properly. I like the ammonia for aquiariums since the instructions make if very easy to know how much to use.

mattgirl has a lot of experience coaching people through cycles. I would give her guidance the most weight.

 

That is good to hear about the dead fish because I felt when I asked the equation people were appalled. I did take out the fish and did a 50 % water change. But before I did I test the water and Ammonia was .5 and nitrate was 5.0. Wasn't that a start? A friend found some commercial grade ammonia for me so I was planning on starting that today. Do you think I can start using it now with the water that is in it? or should I completely 100% change out the water and start over? with using the ammonia. Thanks for your patience.

I think the 50% water change was good, you don't want to risk shocking the bacteria somehow by changing too much.

 

If you can't source aquarium safe ammonia, go ahead and use fish food.

You can use fish food, but beware, I have heard of people's cycles crashing because they used.

 

Dont take it out until your tank is done with the nitrogen cycle and you start adding fish. You need the ammonia the raw fish is creating to cycle the tank, and keep it cycled until fish are added

 

you have to keep it ur tank until the cycle is finished or you just replace it with another ammonia source that doesnt stink.

if u cant find any pure ammonia and ur country doesnt sell dr tims or u simply dont want to pay that much then get some pure ammoniumchloride (ur probably gonna have to order online). its a powder and u just dissolve a little bit of it into water.

 

He/she said they're switching over to commercial ammonia, which is perfectly fine.

 

kymob simply put the dead fish in a ladies stocking or similar. Use a plastic bag to store it in the refrigerator on the days that it is not needed in the tank as an ammonia source.

 

kymob, are you ok with everything?

Maybe think of this process like following a recipe. Even though there are variations in approach, there are certain steps that universally have be taken to take to ultimately get to the end result.

You can do this!!

 

Thank you all so much for helping I really appreciate. Im gonna start doing the ammonia thing my friend just found some at the store. Now I will go learn all about cyclin a tank with ammonia. Thank goodness I have all this time only hands. Stay healthy all.

 

I am sure the last thing you need at this point is another set of cycling instructions, but..... here is one anyway:

A Quick Guide to Fishless Cycling - DrTim's Aquatics

 

Is this ammonia ok to use to cycle tank?

 

Is this ammonia ok to use to cycle tank?

Read the ingredient list. It should only be ammonia and water. Shake the bottle well. If it foams up and the bubble don't almost instantly dissipate it contains something other than just ammonia and water. If that is the case don't use it. If the bubbles go away quickly it is just what you need.

 

Nothing wrong with using dead things to cycle a tank aside from smell. That has been answered. I will point out that you want to add the plants to the tank while it is cycling as it will help the cycle along on top of ensuring your ammonia levels don't get out of hand. Plants prefer ammonia over nitrates or nitrites as a food source, so you're doing them a favor by hqving higher amounts in the water while they try to re establish their roots and adjust to the new water parameters. The only possible downside is you might have to adjust your ammonia dosings if it drops too low. I myself prefer the dead things method as it is basically a drop it in and forget method for a month.

 

Is this ammonia ok to use to cycle tank?

Yup! That's the stuff I used. 10% ammonium hydroxide.

That stuff is potent by the way! A tiny bit will easlily get your tank to 2 ppm of ammonia. Just keep checking your ammonia every day. After a week, you'll notice it starts to drop. Then add a tiny bit more to bring it back to 2 to 3 ppm. Then start checking nitrite.

The only hard part is that your bacteria will start consuming ammonia a lot faster than nitrite. So it's no unhead of to get to 0 ammonia but have a backlog of nitrite. I've heard that nitrite that is too high can stall the cycle. I honestly have no idea if that's true. But when my nitrite got too high, I did water changes to bring to nitrite back down to reasonable levels anyways. Just to be safe.

Once your filter can bring 2 to 3 ppm ammonia and nitrite down to 0 within 24 hours, your tank is fully cycled. Do a 100% water change to remove all nitrate, get the temperature how you want it, then fully stock your tank!

 

I cycled my tank with aquarium plants, they had a bit of dead leaves on them that polluted the tank but I left them in there a few weeks to help it cycle. to be fair though I did get some water from my goldfish tank but only like a quarter. i only added 4 guppies to the 60 litres so I knew it wouldn’t spike much anyway

 

I've heard that nitrite that is too high can stall the cycle. I honestly have no idea if that's true. But when my nitrite got too high, I did water changes to bring to nitrite back down to reasonable levels anyways. Just to be safe.

I believe high nitrite can stall a cycle. Dr Tim advocates keeping nitrites below 5 ppm. With the API Master Test Kit I have a hard time telling the difference between 2 ppm and 5 ppm so I like to keep nitrites below 2 ppm.