Fishless Cycle Log/Rebuild - Take II

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I know no one will agree but I would grab a goldfish or some shrimp and try it that way with pwc everyday severum mama has cycled this way before I read in another thread and I trust her I am only suggesting this because you are pretty much out of options don't get me wrong I am all for fishless cycling but I think you have exhausted it
 
I don't think you need to worry at all. I didn't see any nitrites until 40+ days. Now I've been fully cycled for a few weeks. Just keep it going.
 
ryan-peddle said:
I know no one will agree but I would grab a goldfish or some shrimp and try it that way with pwc everyday severum mama has cycled this way before I read in another thread and I trust her I am only suggesting this because you are pretty much out of options don't get me wrong I am all for fishless cycling but I think you have exhausted it
Click to expand...

I know this thread is really long, so it's easy to miss...she had Glofish for quite some time before ever trying fishless cycling. She did water changes to keep levels down...the fish died from unknown reasons, but she still never had nitrItes show up after all that time.
 
ryan-peddle said:
but glofish have a very small bio load i think a goldfish might be worth a try
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Her call. I wouldn't. Even if it did work, what's she gonna do with the goldfish? And if she did try it, she might as well use the fish she wants to keep. She also had enough Glofish that she was getting serious ammo readings, just the same problem she has now where the no2 won't show up...so I don't think bio-load was an issue.
 
hmmmm this is stumping me i wish we could figure this out before she gives up you could try to cycle with the goldfish then give it back to your lfs or find it a home at this point it might be worth it

but....... conversion seems to be the problem
 
Well I've stumped the experts so now I'm in trouble :lol:

I don't know what to do. I know it can be possible for nitrite to take a long time to show up, so maybe 3 weeks alone isn't too long. The other tank is a factor b/c I had it for 6 weeks with fish and without and never had nitrites, but it's possible something got in the tank and/or the filter was sub-par although people use them so they must cycle.

I don't want to add fish. Now that I know it can harm fish to cycle with them, I couldn't do it, even if I wanted to, which I don't. I bring bugs I find in the house outside so they won't starve, I couldn't harm a fish that way. Plus all the pwc ...ugh wouldn't do that again, no way.

So, my options as I see them:
a. wait more and see if anything changes
b. change over to spring water; given I've changed everything from last time except the water, it might be the issue
c. try buying another seeded sponge from that company
d. pack it up and give up and just be happy with my cat

I'll have to think about it.
 
libraygirl said:
Well I've stumped the experts so now I'm in trouble :lol:

I don't know what to do. I know it can be possible for nitrite to take a long time to show up, so maybe 3 weeks alone isn't too long. The other tank is a factor b/c I had it for 6 weeks with fish and without and never had nitrites, but it's possible something got in the tank and/or the filter was sub-par although people use them so they must cycle.

I don't want to add fish. Now that I know it can harm fish to cycle with them, I couldn't do it, even if I wanted to, which I don't. I bring bugs I find in the house outside so they won't starve, I couldn't harm a fish that way. Plus all the pwc ...ugh wouldn't do that again, no way.

So, my options as I see them:
a. wait more and see if anything changes
b. change over to spring water; given I've changed everything from last time except the water, it might be the issue
c. try buying another seeded sponge from that company
d. pack it up and give up and just be happy with my cat

I'll have to think about it.
Click to expand...

I would personally go with options a and b, think about c and not concern myself with d yet.
 
ryan-peddle said:
But my first tank as a kid took about 6 weeks to cycle so over 3 weeks is not uncommon
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Agreed, I wouldn't push the panic switch on this particular cycle yet. It's just that we've been down this road before and I'm getting antsy, lol. I'm sure libraygirl is on the verge of an aneurism.
 
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eco23 said:
I would personally go with options a and b, think about c and not concern myself with d yet.
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Thanks Eco. I guess I could give it a try. I'll wait out the week, that'll make it a month. If nothing changes by then I'll pick up spring water this weekend. I'll just change out most of the water at once. What brands should I get/avoid?

I'm considering the seeded filter too, not sure if I should get the sponge AND change the water or do the water first. The seeded sponge probably couldn't hurt, so maybe I'll order one of those too. I keep saying I don't want to invest more money into this pit but in for a penny and all that jazz. :rolleyes:
 
ryan-peddle said:
Try placing an add on craigslist for good seeding material
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I'd be wary of adding unknown material to my tank. What if it's diseased? lol Plus I did get some gravel and a rock from a seeded tank from a member here who lives near me, but apparently it wasn't enough to help (or my tank rejected it :ermm: )
 
libraygirl said:
Thanks Eco. I guess I could give it a try. I'll wait out the week, that'll make it a month. If nothing changes by then I'll pick up spring water this weekend. I'll just change out most of the water at once. What brands should I get/avoid?

I'm considering the seeded filter too, not sure if I should get the sponge AND change the water or do the water first. The seeded sponge probably couldn't hurt, so maybe I'll order one of those too. I keep saying I don't want to invest more money into this pit but in for a penny and all that jazz. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Avoid reverse osmosis water like Dasani and Aquafina (our company developed the equipment that makes Aquafina). RO water is totally stripped and can cause other problems.

Actual spring water like Deer Park or others will be fine. They have to list the source and how it's purified on the bottle.

Wal-mart sells water through a filter of their own that you fill yourself... but I don't the treatment method they use.
 
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