so tired

Question
QUESTION: Alright here goes, I am so tired of all the fish stores leading me in wrong directions.  i have blown a hundred dollars at least in faulty cures and fish.  i actually have to go to 4 fish stores in my area, ask the same question and see what the majority answer is to see what i should do.  i know there is no such thing as a fast cycle, i know all about the bacteria needing to be colonized and what not.  i was trying to find a way just to speed up the process so what i tried to do was use sand with bacteria already established also i used a product called stability which claims a 1 week cycle(lol).  Those were both recommended by different stores. well what happened is what i thought would happen, neither worked.  i have only been doing freshwater fish for a  little over a month but i do allot of research. my question being can i trust anyone honestly cause none seem to be right. also do you know of a speedy way to cycle a tank or is it just impossible.  i figure i will get the best answer from someone not trying to sell me something. also i ended up buying this product thats supposed to detoxify nitrites have you ever heard of something like that. the name is prime made by same people that make seachem.

ANSWER: Hi Stephen,
I know exactly what you mean by petstores not giving the right advice. They never seem to know what they're doing exactly. It's best to -not- trust their advice entirely unless you can confirm it by means of a fishkeeping book or fishkeeping magazine or internet. It's best to stick to books, magazines, and reliable internet websites. The best forum I've found to ask questions on fishkeeping is-
Tropicalresources.net
Now where else will you find more helpful and nice people.

Fishchannel.com also has some good information on it also. Lots of helpful articles and such.

It is possible to "Instantly" cycle an aquarium. However, you need 1-2 large sponge filters and a couple of weeks beforehand. What you do is take the sponge filters and place them in a well-established aquarium that is healthy and preferably has a high bioload such as a cichlid tank. Bacteria will start colonizing the sponge. And with the sponge providing a huge amount of room for the bacteria to adhere and get established when a few weeks has passed. You can go and get half your fish and the sponge filters and put them in the tank at the same time. The sponge filters will be loaded with bacteria beforehand and they should be able to handle a lot of fish right away. But just in case, be sure to stock your tank gradually. And testing your water is also very helpful.
If by the next day or so you find no traces of ammonia after adding your first batch of fish then you can add several more fish to the current group. But remember to test your water the day after adding the new fish.

Using the sponge filter methods for instantly cycled is a "For-real" method that is used over and over again by major fish breeders/enthusiasts. I've used it before also.

Those bacterial additives are reportedly to be great for cycling your tank. But you have to make sure to have a food source ready for them. If you just add them to the aquarium with no fish present the bacteria will eventually just starve. There is lots of debate on if the bacteria additives are really as great as everyone claims they are. I've never trusted them 100% ever. A much better method is if you could do the sponge filters method and what is good also is to take some gravel from another established and healthy aquarium and put it in your new tank (with a food source).
Putting some old filter media in the new tank will also provide the same benefits.

Fishless cycling is a faster method of cycling. You can either use pure ammonia (must not have any additives!) or some people just use a pinch of fish flakes every day. This way tends to be a little faster then regular cycling plus no fish are harmed by ammonia.

Prime also is a good water conditioner that can save fish from the dangerous effects of ammonia and nitrite. It detoxifies it and makes dangerous water safe for fish. I prefer to rely on water changes more for dealing with bad water conditions than using a chemical. The pollutants may not be toxic anymore but they are still in the tank and water changes are like opening a big window in a stuffy room.

I hope this helps! As always, feel free to write with anymore concerns!
Karen~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you Karen i also had another question. i have made allot of beginner mistakes but i am getting better. my other mistake is i accidentally overstocked my tank.  i talked to a few people and they said overstocking just equals more work as in more water changes and cleaning is this a myth or is that the only harm? i have checked my ammonia and nitrites and there still stable and fine. also how do i stop territory issues my black shark and rainbow shark harass everything in the tank that gets near them including each other and especially the tri--- colored sharks how can i help that?  and lastly my tri--- colored shark doesn't look so well he bobs up and down its very weird but my other tri--- colors did it to is this normal for that shark he is also very neurotic and doesn't stop swimming?  if you could answer those 3 questions it would be so helpful so i can stop worrying all the time.

Answer
Hi!
The problems of overstocking include severe pollution problems, stunted fish, and aggression issues. The first two problems can be helped with plenty of massive water changes done on a regular basis unless the tank is so severely overstocked that before the day is over the nitrates shoot sky-high. But the tank would have to have some severe polluters like very large fish to be that bad.

Just try to do water changes as often as you can manage them. They do wonders for fish health. The frequency tends to rely on how high your nitrates are. You want them as low as possible, but 20 or less is acceptable.

I don't think there is much you can do about the territorial issues with your Black Shark and Rainbow shark. Rainbow sharks are very territorial and will chase other fish that come into their territory and they are especially aggressive towards other sharks. As a rule they should be kept as the sole shark in any tank. So you may have to remove one of the sharks until there is just 1 shark left.
The only thing you could -try- and know that I just mean "try" is to provide territory boundaries for each shark by places pieces of driftwood and stones around the tank and providing lots of hiding caves for the sharks. That MIGHT help but many fish are just plain intolerant or if the tank is just too small and overcrowded no amount of hiding places would help.

I'm not entirely sure about the Tri-colored shark bobbing up and down. It could be a stress response to all the fighting in the tank and I would suspect that mroe than anything else.Just keep a close eye on him in case he develops a illness. I can bet that it's a stress-related issue due to the aggression in the tank.

I really hope this helps!
Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~