cycling w/ out fish?

[fish_newbie]

i found this no fish cycling method in the saltwater article area and i was wondering if this method will work for FW also

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

THANKS!

 

[Chevy_Cowboy]

I've never used either method (yet) but I asked this same question 4 or 5 days ago, so I'll pass the answer on to you

Yes the shrimp method will work for FW too, but you can do it with run of the mill ammonia from your grocery store. Here's a link that gives instructions on this method.

http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycle2.html

As soon as My box of goodies gets here from www.bigalsonline.com I'll be following the link above to cycle my new 29gal

 

[deli_conker]

Yep. It works.

It works even faster if you have media from an established tank.

If you use the bottle of ammonia trick, you'll want to make sure that it is pure ammonia. Check the label for surfactants (detergents). If you see any, then don't use it. I have heard that pure ammonia can be found at hardware stores more often than grocery stores.

 

[fish_newbie]

if i used the bottle of ammonia trick would i still need clean my tank during the cycling process?

 

[TygGer]

I think most people do another water change after cycling. About using old media, could you just squeeze the old filter into the new tank's water? Or would you actually have to use the media?

 

[deli_conker]

if i used the bottle of ammonia trick would i still need clean my tank during the cycling process?

If I am understanding your question correctly, then no, you wouldn't. The only tank cleaning that I do is gravel vaccuming and algae scraping. These are only neccessary because the fish or their byproducts are creating what I am cleaning.

On the other hand, if you didn't rinse your tank before you set it up, that's a different story altogether. Anything you put in your tank should be rinsed clean before it goes into the tank.

I think most people do another water change after cycling.

I would do water changes only after you start seeing nitrates. You don't want to wait til your tank cycles and then change the water. You could have really high nitrates even after a 50% water change. I would test ammonia, nitrItes, and nitrAtes. If ammonia and nitrItes are zero and you have visible nitrAtes then your tank is cycled. If you still see ammonia or nitrItes then it is not. If it is not cycled and you have nitrAtes over 20 ppm, then do a 25% water change.

Basically do water changes as if you had fish in there.

About using old media, could you just squeeze the old filter into the new tank's water? Or would you actually have to use the media?

Either one would work. Basically the bacteria live any where the water flows. When I cycled a tank recently, I just threw the new bio-wheel straight into the water in my 55 (it floats!). After a few days it was good to go into the new tank.

 

[TygGer]

Either one would work. Basically the bacteria live any where the water flows. When I cycled a tank recently, I just threw the new bio-wheel straight into the water in my 55 (it floats!). After a few days it was good to go into the new tank.

Cool. I'll just throw in the filter media from my Whisper HOB filter and let it float (or sink).

If you have 0 ammonia, nitrites and nitrates... does that mean that the tank is not cycled because there are no byproducts (nitrates)?

 

[deli_conker]

I'll just throw in the filter media from my Whisper HOB filter and let it float (or sink).

You'll want to make sure that it is as covered with water as much as possible. The more coverage, the better...

 

[TygGer]

Hmm, will the bacteria be OK if I just let the filter media sit in the bottom of the tank? Or do I actually need to put it into the filter?

Thanks

 

[deli_conker]

It doesn't have to be in the filter to be colonized by bacteria, but it will happen faster if it is in the filter.

 

[TygGer]

Is it normal for the water to smell funny? It's difficult to describe, but the water is no longer odorless.

Also, I did not add ammonia to the water. My old filter media had dead leaves , waste and old food stuck in the padding. Is that a decent source for natural ammonia?

 

[deli_conker]

Also, I did not add ammonia to the water. My old filter media had dead leaves , waste and old food stuck in the padding. Is that a decent source for natural ammonia?

I wouldn't do that. I would clean it first. There's no telling what may be on the filter and if you put it into a tank you're taking a risk with some form of contamination.

The best forms of fishless cycling ammonia are...

bottled ammonia (detergent free)
a piece of food that will decompose without much mess in a tank. Most people use shrimp for this, I prefer frozen bloodworms (they are easier to vac out and they don't stink either.

As far as the smell, mine doesn't smell at all. But it's cycled an running good. I think it really depends on the type of smell. Can you be more specific than "funny"? Is it rank, musty, acrid, etc? Can you smell it only when next to the water, when the hood is open, or when you enter the room?

 

[fish_newbie]

insted of putting old filter media in my tank can i just squeeze the water out of it into my tank just for a little jumpstart for cycling?

 

[deli_conker]

It really wouldn't do that much. Even though there is some bacteria floating around in the water, most of it live on all the surfaces of your tank. That's why filter media (lots of surface area) and gravel (again, lots of surface area) are usually what is used to jump start a tank. Also because they are the most portable as well.

If you use gravel, try not to move it around too much. The rubbing together of gravel pieces kills the bacteria that live there. This is why you can't go crazy with the gravel vac as well.

 

[swanandmokashi]

Here is my fishless cycling data in case you are interested :

http://www.swanandmokashi.com/HomePage/WaterParameters.htm

I was using pure Ammonia and didn not use any existing media , it was a fresh setup. 3 Gal tank

 

[TygGer]

Thanks for the chart.

As for the smell... it only smells when you open up the hood standing above the water. It smells "burnt", like burnt wood deposited into the water. ??? I need to check the water params tonight. Will post results.

 

[deli_conker]

If it's going to smell, it should smell like "wet dirt after it rains". At least that's how I heard somebody else describe it. I don't know about the burnt wood smell...