Cycling a New Tank - Art or Science?

[Ron]

The very first tank aside, is cycling a new tank an art or a science?


I'd been thinking about this, maybe too much, but between the two options, here's my impression:
Science would imply that there's a particular set of rules which sets a protocol to be followed and only upon verification of cycle completion would you stock fish.

Art strikes me as personal judgement of the execution cycling a new tank and when fish should be added based on prior experience.

When I do it, I use factual knowledge of the factors involved, theory of the process, and execute without ever using measurement or testing kits to validate just what the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are. Thus, I believe my implementation is more of a science.

Upon further consideration of those who do use test kits, I also suspect that the argument still exists that it's an art, because you've got to place match-maker when staring at those color charts trying to decide which is the best fit and it strikes me as imprecise none the less.

[four_by_ken]

people make way too big of a deal out of cycling a tankwhere is the neither option?

I have never done anything special other than add fishslowly, and sometimes not all that slow. Never had an issue.

way too big of a deal is made out of cycling a tank.

[Cat(fish)lady]

I don't cycle anymore. I use seeded sponges in dirty filters and toss fish in, same day!

[Ron]

people make way too big of a deal out of cycling a tankwhere is the neither option?

I have never done anything special other than add fishslowly, and sometimes not all that slow. Never had an issue.

way too big of a deal is made out of cycling a tank.

Added. And because it's the internet, it's not intended as an insult, but simply, if it's neither, it's really done with no consideration to anything at all.

I don't cycle anymore. I use seeded sponges in dirty filters and toss fish in, same day!

That's how I feel about it. Bacteria are present on surfaces. Move those extensive surfaces (AKA biomedia) from an old tank to a new tank - done! I got my tank running last Sunday. Threw in an old sponge and a liter of fluval biomax which had been in an existing tank for a month right behind the mechanical filtration (ahead of the other new biomedia), and added a fish. He looked good 24 hours later and presumably the ammonia converting bacteria had quadrupled, the nitrite converting bacteria had doubled. Added another sponge and another liter of biomedia, another 7 fish and 2 days later, even more bacteria, I'm adding some more existing media and some more fish.

Its definitely not a science for me. I'm holding off on adding some of the more potentially sensitive fish (clowns and cats) until it's been a few weeks. By then the entire wet/dry should be rocking!

[Cat(fish)lady]

I have catfish in all of my tanks. I filled a 20L the day before I left for OCA, popped on a dirty filter and left.

Came home with new catfish, they lived happily for 18 hours in a bag and are loving the tank here!
Most cats are pretty hardy tbh!

[jcunningham0295]

I don't cycle anymore. I use seeded sponges in dirty filters and toss fish in, same day!

I do the same.  I have extra sponges in my fry tanks for this purpose.

[Arturtle]

I voted art

I generally under stock tanks, but if a tank gets cloudy you know something is wrong. On the same note, it's easier to start a new tank with an old filter

[Ron]

I have catfish in all of my tanks. I filled a 20L the day before I left for OCA, popped on a dirty filter and left.

Came home with new catfish, they lived happily for 18 hours in a bag and are loving the tank here!
Most cats are pretty hardy tbh!

Good to know. 

[Bremmon]

If you have an existing tank take your existing media RUB it all over your new media, squeeze it out into a bucket and rinse the new media in the water rub it some more.. Start it up and go... i add prime  and do daily water changes for a week or so... Never ever had a spike or lost a fish doing it that way.

[pyro]

I don't cycle anymore. I use seeded sponges in dirty filters and toss fish in, same day!

Ditto, I haven't cycled a tank in years!

[Steve]

In my opinion there are two very different subjects going on here in this topic. Cycling a new tank, and seeding a new tank. Two very different things if you ask me.

Seeding a new tank with already established bio media is a safe way to get a tank up and running right away with no harm to the fish. Setting up a brand new tank and not having/adding any already established media is completely different, and in that case it does need to be cycled properly or you will end up with having to do water changes every couple days for the first few weeks, or you will have dead fish because of the nitrite spike which is much more dangerous than the ammonia spike.