First fishless cycle
- Thread starter Ashley.
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Pretty much the exact same process as cycling with fish, but using pure ammonia to dose per day. Crushed fish flakes will work fine as well though, if you won't bother purchasing ammonia.
Main thing to remember is to keep the aquarium lights off the entire cycle to prevent a huge algae bloom. Algae are plants, so need nutrients and lights to grow. If you don't give them light, there won't be much algae.
In the end, same as cycling with fish, do a 40~50% water change per day for 2 days. Don't perform 100% water changes at this time, because it may kill a portion of the newly cultured bacteria.
And I'm sure you know this already, but thought I'd mention, to test with the API master test kit and not test strips.
Good luck-
Main thing to remember is to keep the aquarium lights off the entire cycle to prevent a huge algae bloom. Algae are plants, so need nutrients and lights to grow. If you don't give them light, there won't be much algae.
In the end, same as cycling with fish, do a 40~50% water change per day for 2 days. Don't perform 100% water changes at this time, because it may kill a portion of the newly cultured bacteria.
And I'm sure you know this already, but thought I'd mention, to test with the API master test kit and not test strips.
Good luck-
FishyBusiness
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Use an API master kit and pure ammonia works the best. Ammonia is cheap at the grocery store. Make sure there's no additives in it and shake the bottle at the store. If it bubbles don't get it! It should not "foam" up more than just a few bubbles. Dose your ammonia up to 5ppm daily. Like stated before keep lights off and keep checking ammonia daily. When it gets down to appx 1ppm dose it back up to 5. Continue to do this until u see nitrites. Keep dosing ammonia after nitrites go up your ammonia will drop faster daily and you should start to see nitrates. This process takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks or less with seeded media. One day you'll get up and you'll have no ammo or trites. Dose again to be sure and if it's still 0 in 24 hours your good! At this time you'll have large amounts of nitrates so do a HUGE water change (almost all water) and your good to add fish! I know this is a lot to take in but it is very easy! Keep a journal. A medicine dropper is good to use to measure ammonia. Any questions just ask! Good luck! 
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