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Just Getting Ready to add Water and Begin Cycling, NOW WHAT?

I have every thing almost ready and will be adding the water to the system this week end

I have 2 main questions

during the cycling should i leave the system empty or just plants, or fish,  ????

 

 

I have 2 possible sources of water for the system

source one Florida well water (with the wonderful sulfur (egg) smell, or

source two a small stream draining ditch that is filled with small fish

                         (guppies, Minows, even 24in gars as well as crawfish and small shrimp)

                       as well as duckweed growing on the top

 

           i'm currently leaning toward the stream water as i see that it supports live very well ?

 

please let me know your thoughts

thanks       

 

 

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steam water risks bringing in unknown stuff but your well water doesn't sound great either.  Can you collect some well water and bubble it for a day and then check it's pH?

I recommend you read up on fishless cycling.

Yuo can stock fish immediately... and cycle with them.... but it involves mcuh more attention and monitoring... perhaps more knowledge...

 

Fishless cycling is basically easy.. and foolproof... all that fishless cycling really requires... is patience...

 

Regardless... plant your system from day one...

Has anyone ever placed some comet goldfish in a tank and if they die, just let them decompose in the system to get the cycle going?

Bryan,

    It would probably work but if those fish die of or were carrying any fish diseases you might make a really ripe place to grow more of said diseases that might not be really good for future fish.  That said, I'm sure many people have done something similar by placing a few prawns or other frozen seafood into the tank to decompose and get things going.

Personally, I prefer to dispose of any dead fish ASAP since they tend to stink and my chickens would be angry if I didn't give them a chance at any dead fish or fish parts small enough for them to eat (bigger dead fish go into the compost to keep the place from smelling.)

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