Do you want to perform a fish-in cycling of your tank? Did you hear that if you cycle it with clownfish you could hurt them? In this article, we will discuss if we can cycle a tank with clownfish and if it’s worth it.
Can You Cycle A Tank With Clownfish? Clownfish are resilient and hardy fish. If they are adult clownfish, you can cycle a tank with them. This method is outdated.
Just because your clownfish can survive and help cycle your tank, should you do it? Is there another way? It seems that this method is not as popular anymore. Some use damsels or clownfish while others go for an easier route.
What’s Wrong With Cycling a Tank With Clownfish?
Every case is different. Some clownfish are hardier than others. Overall, clownfish are very hardy fish and used for cycling a tank.
The issue is that it could cause stress for the clownfish. If the clownfish is not large enough, it could die. Juvenile clownfish should not be used to cycle a tank.
The ammonia in the tank could harm their breathing. It could hurt or even burn their gills when they breathe in a tank that is being cycled. This is uncommon in most cases, but it’s hard to take that risk.
Why cycle a tank with clownfish when there are other methods?
What’s Another Way to Cycle A Tank Without Clownfish?
You could try clownfish flakes instead. Any fish flake will do. Place tiny amounts of fish flakes for the bacteria in the tank to feed on.
Wait for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels to stabilize and then put your clownfish back into the tank. This is less stressful for your clownfish. They are not needed, but they have been used to cycle a tank many times.
Is Cycling a Tank With Clownfish Outdated?
Yes, it seems likely that this method has been passed over by newer approaches. The bacteria and ammonia solutions are better than they were 20-30 years ago. It seems easier to cycle a tank nowadays.
The process has become more popular without adding fish until the cycle is complete. Other methods have recommended using dead shrimp or dinner shrimp instead of live clownfish.
Can I Use Pure Ammonia Instead of My Clownfish?
Handle chemicals with care. Cycling a tank with clownfish is cleaner and more natural. Using pure ammonia could be dangerous.
You must be comfortable with handling chemicals and experienced to a degree. If this is your first time, try a simpler bacterial and ammonia solution found in your local fish store.
Knowledgeable people may recommend placing a frozen piece of shrimp into the tank instead of live clownfish or damsels.
Can I Use A Bacteria Solution With My Clownfish Still Inside?
There are bottles of bacteria solution that say you could place your clownfish in the tank from the first day. There are many who claim that their clownfish did not suffer any ill effects.
The bacteria solution will not cause a harmful spike in ammonia that is unhealthy for the clownfish. This is the claim and cannot be supported as a fact in this article. It is also a claim that nitrite spikes in the tank will not be harmful to your clownfish.
This is a faster process that usually takes a week or eight days. The method is quick, but do you really want to put your clownfish through this cycle? Opinions vary, but if there are easier approaches, let’s consider keeping the clownfish out of the cycle.
My Clownfish Is Not Breathing Right During the Cycle. Should I Remove Her?
Yes. You should not take a chance to continue cycling your tank with your clownfish inside if you notice a difficulty in breathing.
Is your clownfish acting sluggish or showing signs or inactivity? The breathing process might be harmed if ammonia levels are spiking too high. It may hurt to breathe. This is not going to happen in most cases.
Remember that countless clownfish have been used to cycle a tank for decades. This doesn’t mean it’s entirely safe, but it’s a method that is still in use. It is however, considered outdated with other methods becoming more popular.
Which Fish Have been Used For Cycling?
There are too many to count or list here. Clownfish are definitely on the list, but so are these popular fish:
- minnows
- goldfish
- guppies
- barbs
- damsels
- clownfish
- danios
- mollies
The list is long and certainly contains clownfish because they are hardy. The list is also outdated because we don’t need fish to cycle a tank.
What Can I Use To Cycle A Tank Without Fish?
- Pure Ammonia
- Bacteria solution
- Live rock
- Dead shrimp
- Fish Flakes
Pure Ammonia alone could do the job, but it’s the most risky. Bacteria plus a dead shrimp is going to work for the bacteria to feed off. Monitor the ammonia levels and you should be able to add hardy fish at the end of cycle.
Live rock already has bacteria seeded on it. Adding some food for the bacteria to feed will help the tank cycle on its own. The food could be fish flakes or frozen dinner shrimp.
Conclusion
This is not an article to teach you how to cycle your tank. This article simply lets you know that although you can use clownfish to cycle your tank, there are easier methods.
Alternative approaches will prevent your clownfish from going through any stress or breathing difficulties. Thankfully, your clownfish is hardy and able to withstand the cycling of your tank.
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