Is is okay to add cylcing bacteria (e.g. Cylce or Bio-Spira) which the goldfish already in the tank?
If no, should I just keep up with the water changes and let the fish ride it out or are there other options? I thought the tank would have cycled more more quickly by using the water and filter media from an exiting cycled tank, but I was wrong and the ammonia is running high and the water is cloudy.
Yesterday I did a 30% water change and added some "live gravel' from an exisiting tank. The fish seem to be doing fine, eating, swimming and pooping, but I'm worried.
Any suggestions?
Full Version: Cycling Question.
i'm no expert so can't offer any suggestions, but i have cycle and have used it with my fish in the tank and it says on the bottle you can use it for weekly maintence and i think it says it doesn't harm fish.
Yes, you can add those with the fish in the tank. If I were to reccommend one, I'd go with the Bio-Spira. It's more expensive than Cycle, but it works MUCH MUCH MUCH faster because it's actually the live nitrifying bacteria. Perfectly safe for fish too. I've used it in all my tanks, and it works wonders. 
Excellent advice from Erika! 
If you have the old tank still going and it has been running for more than a couple months, here's what you can do:
Take the filter cartridge/s out of the filter and swish them around in a bucket of tankwater from the other tank. Swish off as much of the brown goop as you can. Once you have a nice brown slurry going in the water, take a cup and scoop out the water from the bucket and pour it slowly into the body of the filter/s of the new tank, right behind the cartridge so that the brown slurry is caught by the new filter cartridges.
This brown slurry is not harmful to your fish. in fact, the brown slurry is exactly what will cycle the new tank, if you use enough of it. Test and waterchange, if need be, for a few days and the new tank should cycle rather quickly.
If you have the money, go ahead and get bio-spira. It will do the same thing, although rather expensive. There is no other product available that works as well as bio-spira, they have the process and production rights to do so.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
Paul
If you have the old tank still going and it has been running for more than a couple months, here's what you can do:
Take the filter cartridge/s out of the filter and swish them around in a bucket of tankwater from the other tank. Swish off as much of the brown goop as you can. Once you have a nice brown slurry going in the water, take a cup and scoop out the water from the bucket and pour it slowly into the body of the filter/s of the new tank, right behind the cartridge so that the brown slurry is caught by the new filter cartridges.
This brown slurry is not harmful to your fish. in fact, the brown slurry is exactly what will cycle the new tank, if you use enough of it. Test and waterchange, if need be, for a few days and the new tank should cycle rather quickly.
If you have the money, go ahead and get bio-spira. It will do the same thing, although rather expensive. There is no other product available that works as well as bio-spira, they have the process and production rights to do so.
Good luck and I hope this helps!
Paul
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