20 gallon community tank

[Splinter492]

if i were you i would just get a few minnows, you know the ones they sell for like 13 cents as live food and cycle your tank with those. after its cycles you can put your little fishy friends in there. good luck! =)

[faewind1]

thank you that advice sounds good. Makes sense

[1fish2fish]

Originally Posted by Splinter492

if i were you i would just get a few minnows, you know the ones they sell for like 13 cents as live food and cycle your tank with those. after its cycles you can put your little fishy friends in there. good luck! =)

wait.. put minnows in there while it cycles? Why is it ok to expose them to high levels of ammonia and possibly death and not the fish intended to go in the tank?

Unless I'm wrong the op already said she doesn't have the time to do a small water change everyday to keep the levels from becoming dangerous. Really the only safe option is a fishless cycle.

[Splinter492]

its just an option i mean these minnows were intended to be eaten by other fish and some fish are very expensive and delicate and require a cycled tank to survive. i know its wrong to potentially kill a little minnow but its an option and not to look at it morbidly or in a business perspective but minnows are very in expensive and are readily avaliable in almost all places.

[1fish2fish]

it would be even cheaper just to do a fishless cycle with ammonia. Plus theres a difference between feeding a minnow or using it as bait and forcing it to suffer painful ammonia burns and be slowly poisoned to death. Plus what if the minnows survive? just throw them down the toilet? I don't know anyone who keeps minnows as pets.

[Splinter492]

you know i don't really feel like arguing about minnow right and feelings if its cheaper and easier to do a fish less cycle then she can do it im just giving her a very available and very easy to do option. and if the minnows do survive its your choice what to do with them. you have your opinions on how to cycle a tank as do I and I would greatly appreciate if you were to leave me to my opinions. im sorry if they offend you but there are many things in this world that probably will.

[faewind1]

While you both give sound advice and i appreciate it I'm actually going to start by setting up the filter in the tank and run it with no fish for a while and every time i change the water in my bettas tank I'll add it to the larger tank and let the bacterial build that way.

As for adding straight ammonia i will not put ammonia in my house we try to keep things as natural as possible especially for my son.

what i meant by "hardy" was as he explained fish that are less sensitive to ammonia. For example mold is harmful in large quantities or in any amount for an extended period of time to all people but certain people (like myself) can't be within 5 feet of any quantity with out immedietly feeling the effects while my husband could be sitting in it and not know. Fish are like that with ammonia and certain fish are less tolerant (such as a betta) and for certain others it would take more ammonia before it starts hurting them as per the information given to me from an aquarium vet. The price can sometimes be an indicator of this as the more delicate and harder to keep fish will be pricier then easier to keep and breed fish.
Hardy can also mean how tolarant they are of water hardness and alkalinity.

So i'm pretty sure i'm going to try 3 cory cats and 4 cherry barbs along with 2 African dwarf frogs in the tank and add my betta

[Jupiter]

I think barbs are very nippy fish, not 100% sure though. You originally posted about White Clouds-those are peaceful community fish and will probably get along with your betta. Mostly it depends on your betta's personality, though. Cory cats and ADFs are also good tank mates.

Cycling with fish can be done. You just need to keep up with measuring the ammonia levels and the water changes. But it's okay if you can't do it.

Along with adding your betta's water to the bigger tank, I suggest dropping a bit of fish food in there, as well. It's easy to do, and it's a method of building up ammonia to help your tank cycle.