I'm not in a rush to cycle my new tank (still have to paint it etc) so here's an early question. I am thinking of doing a fishless cycle. I already have a cycled tank btw. I understand I have to put Ammonia til 2ppm and wait for nitrites etc. Instead of buying Ammonia however, does it make any sense if I were to collect fish poo from my cycled tank (I don't mind...) and put it in for cycling? Is that ammonia? Lots of thanks in advance!

YOu could take the ornaments Filter gravel etc...from your old tank and that would also help the cycle

Iam not sure if the Poo will helpp maybe someone else will answer that

well, lol collecting poo i guess would work..

but you could also put in a teaspoon of fish food into the tank everyday for a few days.. the solid waste that decomposes will create ammonia, too

-Toot

that's rite, feeding an empty tank sound more practical.. Poo is not that great idea.. as poo afterall is dirty stuff, so are you gonna put your fish into a dirty tank? food wise, dun overfeed the empty tank.. jus leave that bit of food cycling around and DUN wash the filter during this period..

the plants or sands or display items from existing would be a better choice since you already have an established tank..

by the way, dun use/add any industrial ammonia or tank cycling additive from aquarium.. best is to breed the bacteria naturally..

cheers

Thanks for the tips I think fish food sounds more convenient/safe for now You're right that poo is dirty - I don't know where my goldies (this particular pig one) gets it meals from...it has different coloured poo all the time even before mealtime

imagine a pool with poo and a pool with food..
which would you prefer to be in?? lol..

back to the color of the poo.. do you have plants in your tank?? if so, that might be the source or algae..

Yep I do have plants in my tank Hmm...my pig goldie has much thicker poo than the other...but I'm sure there's no bullying, one just really eat/snacks a lot. One day I saw her ate a whole (glasslike) plant leaf...kind of like a python...swallowing the entire leaf bit by bit...chomp...chomp...chomp Looked like my fishie was smoking grass waaaa! Anyway, the poo came out like semi-processed leaf after that. Yesterday she has a nice thick gray poo...now what can that be! Oh well...my little piggie

back in the past, in China, how they determine the health of the emperor is by smelling and looking at his poo daily.. from there, the poo examiner or maybe a doctor will order what should the emperor be eating more of and what to avoid for that day...

so from the poo of your fish, a healthy sign is short, sinking poo.. a bubble once a while is fine, but not a whole strand filled with bubbles.. at such sign, PEAS time..

sometime greyish is becuz the poo got stuck at the rear of the fish and dissolve while the fish swims around.. or perhaps could have broken off from the rear of the fish and dissolve as it was swept around in the tank... therefore, whatever color is the poo, so long it is not a long white silky strand or poo with too much bubbles that cuases it to float or a normal color poo that stretches so long at the rear of fish that can set a record, it is fine..

thickness is dependent on the size of the fish.. thick, short, sinking is best.. if suddenly it becomes a very fine strand, with bubbles, you have to keep an eye on it.. well, there is no proof on what I am gonna say now.. but I am quoting what I have read and base on my knowledge.. long silky strands are sign of infestion.. usually it is sign of SBP (swim bladder problem) and this usually starts from the day it was born.. where the fish was infected with bacteria that degrade its stomach as it grows.. but with care, and frequent bladder clearance, it shld be fine.. thus, feed peas (raw or boiled, I prefer raw) with skin remove and slightly crushed to your goldfish weekly.. and I fast the fishes the next day after eating peas... if suspect bladder problem, peas can be used to treat them.. fast them for 2 days and if it doesn't help much, you have to pray for miracle for it is pretty hard for the fish to take it from here..

oh, not forgetting.. to prevent spoiling your fish stomach, make it a habit to feed presoaked food too..

cheers

I also take ornaments/biowheels/etc. from other established tanks to start up others. In addition, I take the "waste" water from a water change and use it in the cycling tank. The water is already established, full of fertilizer, and contains the beneficial bacteria that you are actively trying to cultivate.

One last stupid question for this thread...related to the cycling stuff some of you have mentioned Should I rinse the ornaments/gravel etc with (tap) water before using them to seed my filter? At the moment I have not...(opps)...but then again if I rinse those things off I think I'll be killing the good bacteria anyway won't I? Thanks

rinsing using tap water - yes, bacteria dies...

rinse with tank water - no problem..

solved.. case close..