But wouldn't you rather have an empty tank instead of a tank containing a sick and/or suffering fish? :evil_lol:
If you do go the fish route, just be prepared to buy the necessary test kits, test your water daily, and do large water changes every day or twice daily to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25. Any higher, and your fish suffer gill damage and other health issues that shorten their lives in the long term and cause them physical discomfort in the short term.
It is very time consuming to do a fish-in cycle if you intend to keep the fish healthy. I see you are a student, and this is a busy time of the semester, so just keep the time issues in mind. I once found myself cycling a tank with fish in it, right around exams. The cycling process was, to say the least, much more difficult, time-consuming, and stressful than I had expected.
The other options people here have mentioned are not only kinder to the fish, but quicker and easier for you, too!If you can get some established media, then you can have an instant or near-instant cycle. If you can go the ammonia route, then you won't have to do major water changes every day.
What are your plans for the final stocking of the tank?
As everyone else it telling you - a fishy cycle is not the way to go. As far as using established media goes this is not an instant cycle but is "seeding" of the tank that will help speed up the process. Even with the seeding of the tank, cycling is still required.
Tank cycling is when the water column is able to sustain the beneficial bacteria present on it's own. Simply adding bacteria does not do this as it needs to be "fed". It does greatly reduce the time required for the bacteria to develop on it's own. You are still likely to have an ammonia spike but of a shorter duration and perhaps not as severe. You still risk killing any fish added before completion of the cycle.
Even with a cycled tank you must add fish slowly to allow the beneficial bacteria a chance to catch up to the bio-load.
Lol
