Betta scoop ?

[914joe]

Thanks FishyFishy89 ,50 % water changes sounds good to me ,i hope to get there with my tank .

[OrangeAugust]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy89

I've currently just established my 5.5 gallon. And I started it's cycle back in February.

5 months to establish your tank?! I'm going to start cycling my 5 gallon next week... I might not be able to put my fish and snail in it until January?
Can I cycle a tank with a snail in it? Will that speed it up? Is a fishless cycle slower? Snails are pretty hardy, right? Will it kill a snail if the water chemistry is unstable, or will the snail help the process along?

[FishyFishy89]

Originally Posted by OrangeAugust

5 months to establish your tank?! I'm going to start cycling my 5 gallon next week... I might not be able to put my fish and snail in it until January?
Can I cycle a tank with a snail in it? Will that speed it up? Is a fishless cycle slower? Snails are pretty hardy, right? Will it kill a snail if the water chemistry is unstable, or will the snail help the process along?

I had just Spike in my 5.5 gallon for a while. So the cycling process took alot longer than I would of liked.

I'm not sure why you would use a snail over any other fish :/
They all work the same to help cycle a tank not to mention a snail has the right to be just as loved as your betta.

[OrangeAugust]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy89

not to mention a snail has the right to be just as loved as your betta.

You're totally right. I just didn't know if snails would be less affected by higher ammonia. I have a concept, which I guess is wrong, that snails are more hardy than betta fish.
So then a fishless (and snailless) cycle would probably not take as long as would keeping my fish and snail in while I cycled?

[FishyFishy89]

Originally Posted by OrangeAugust

You're totally right. I just didn't know if snails would be less affected by higher ammonia. I have a concept, which I guess is wrong, that snails are more hardy than betta fish.
So then a fishless (and snailless) cycle would probably not take as long as would keeping my fish and snail in while I cycled?

I don't know. I've never tried it. I'm too impatient to go fishless.

[aokashi]

ramshorns mts and pond snails are pretty resilient to ammonia. but IMO thats just as boring as going fishless. OFL usually says its ok to have a fish in cycle sincle the bioload of a single betta isn't very much at all.

[Hallyx]

Originally Posted by OrangeAugust

5 months to establish your tank?! I'm going to start cycling my 5 gallon next week... I might not be able to put my fish and snail in it until January?

The speed of a cycle is mostly determined by how soon the nitrifying bacteria fall out of the air into your tank. Sounds silly, but it's true.*

Once you have some bacteria, a fishless cycle is faster because you can power-feed the bacteria with >4.0ppm ammonia.

The justification for a fish-in cycle is that you can have your stock in rhe show tank while it's cycling. The downside is your fish lives longer in a weak ammonia solution. And it takes a lot longer.

You can get the advantages of each by populating your show tank (with lots of water changes) and cycling your filter separately in a spare tank or bucket. Once your filter is cycled, any tank you put it in is effectively cycled.

Including a snail will speed up the cycle a little, once you have bacteria in the tank. They are hardier than most fish and can (in my experience) handle horrific amounts of ammonia.

*For a fast cycle, the most important thing is getting some nitrifying bacteria to kickstart your cycle. Gravel or filter media from an established/cycled tank (just an 1/8 cup of gravel or half a filter sponge) will do it. With this, cycle time can be under two weeks.

Some members are trying Tetra Safestart or Dr Tim's One-and-Only. These are two that I can remember offhand, that have the actual bacteria you need. If you go this route, please get back to me with your results.