Fishless Cycling For Dummies

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So if I got a reading of 5ppm the first time I added ammonia am I supposed to add again in an hour or within the first week do I keep adding ammonia? :confused:
 
Ok I am in week 4 of the fishless cycle and the ammonia level is still about 4ppm the same as when I started. The nitrites went up to 1ppm in week 3 and have not gone up since. So what is going on? I thought the ammonia levels would of gone down by now? The temp is at 84 deg and am pretty sure the water is oxygenated enough. Help please!
 
If you are looking for a place that sells ammonnia hydroxide go here and look for an ace hardware store. Its Janitorial strength ammonia hydroxide 10%. Ace Hardware Store Locator | Click Here To Find Your Local Ace Hardware Store and Services

Dose wise... for a 55gal I used a full cap full on the liter bottle - smallest they carry.

What to do with ammonia when not using it for cycling? old newspaper and mix with water and its a great window cleaner.

DO NOT MIX WITH BLEACH! It will create a gas that WILL KILL YOU.
 
Can this method be used in a planted tank or would the plants be added after the cycling is complete but before the fish?
 
you can add plants before/during/after the cycle--anytime you want :) if anything, plants will help speed your cycle up (in fact, heavily planted tanks will sometimes exhibit a "silent cycle" where you will not see a nitrite spike, just a drop in ammonia and a rise in nitrates)
 
Too much ammonia?

So..uh...yeah...I was following the methods and I didn't measure out the ammonia..kinda just guessed at it. Now my ammonia reading is at 8.0....and I believe that's only the case because that's the max my test kit will read up to! LOL!

So...uh...think I should do a PWC and re-measure and add again or....is it okay at where it's at and just wait?:devilish:
 
Are you seeing any nitrites? If so I would wait and see if the ammonia gets converted. If not, I would do a 50% WC and try to get it down closer to 4ppm. I would try to keep ammonia below 5ppm if you could - so it doesn't inhibit the bacteria's growth.
 
ok bob or whoever is reading i didnt do a fishless cycle i tried to add fish right away with a combo of nutrafin cycle and go figure fishy graveyard so what iam wondering is through this cycle how often do i test the water and would you mind if i told you my results week by week cause iam the real dummy iam surprised i figured out how to test the water lol i hope iam not in over my head cause iam in over budget thats for sure lol:crazyeyes::crazyeyes::crazyeyes:
 
I have a question about the ammonia part, the post said "Once the ammonia reaches zero, just add 1 teaspoon of ammonia each day." when am I suppose to stop doing that? Or am I suppose to do that everyday for the duration of the time I have the the tank?
 
meegosh said:
Are you seeing any nitrites? If so I would wait and see if the ammonia gets converted. If not, I would do a 50% WC and try to get it down closer to 4ppm. I would try to keep ammonia below 5ppm if you could - so it doesn't inhibit the bacteria's growth.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'm not seeing any nitrites at all. Guess I better do the 50% WC...I mean....I smell ammonia when I open the lid. Good thing there's no fishies in there. :D
 
Thank you soo much! I can't even explain how lost i was before reading this.. But now im all on track.. With a few more websites and researching. I can have my new Friends in no time :)
 
RJRofFL said:
Hey Pranicmegan.

I'm glad that you are fishless cycling, and that it's working for you.

I am a true believer in fishless cycling, and every time I read a successful post such as yours, I am reminded of that famous phrase from "It's a Wonderful Life."

"Every time a bell rings, an Angel gets his wings."

"Every time someone fishless cycles, 6 Danios get their fins!"

Thanks,

Bob
Click to expand...

I just helped 6 Danios get their fins because of y'all and AA! Cool now.I.need to research Danios as I will needfish once this cycle is completed
 
Hi guys! Everyone here has such great advice, and I more question to add. I just started my fish-less cycle a couple days ago, have my ammonia up to 4ppm, but I don't have any friends with established aquariums and none of the local store will donate material to help seed the tank. Are there any products like stress zyme I should use to get more healthy bacteria in there to help the cycle along?
 
I have the same issue. I used API stress zyme. We will see if it works. Stay in touch
 
Awesome. I just drove up the road 30 minutes to another store and found a really helpful and knowledgeable guy who gave me a terrifically bacteria filled filter that was about a 12'' square. I mean, this thing is just completely coated with bacteria from a super healthy and established tank.

He also told me the bottled bacteria helps, but to make sure it doesn't have chems that remove ammonia or it defeats the purpose.

So, I've got my ammonia up to 4ppm, tank so aerated you can barely see through the bubbles, temp up to 84, and the filter packed to the brim with the new seeding material.

I'll keep everyone updated on how it's going and even post the journal I'm keeping if it all goes to plan. Thanks!
 
Hey Eco. How is the tank cycling? I.wish that I could have gotten the hook up with that filter media. Just checking. I have a 55 gallon that started cycle the same day or about as yours. This could work as an experiment. You got the used filter media and I went with Stress Zyme only. You will cycle firrst but by how much? Mine has 4.0.ammonia and is very well oxygenated, 82 degrees and 7.5 ph consistently. I am seeing zero nitrites and nitrates. Keep in touch and help keep me on track will ya.....Wayne the Deckape
 
Hey Deckape. I'm on day 6. Everything was going flawlessly until about 30 minutes ago. In the first 5 days my ammonia was dropping daily from 4ppm to 1.5 in 24 hours and my nitrites were up to almost 2.0. I also have low nitrate readings starting to show up.

Then the disaster happened. In a moment of pure stupidity I put the wrong solution into my tank. I had my pure ammonia in an old contact lens solution bottle (seemed like a perfect solution to finding an eye dropper). As I was testing my levels in the bathroom I went to go add ammonia and for some stupid reason I grabbed the actual contact lens solution that was right next to me and dosed the tank with that instead of the ammonia in the identical bottle that was stored under my tank (yes the actual ammonia bottle was marked, so it wouldn't have gone into my eyes without me noticing... hopefully:?).

I did a 30% water change and hopefully it wont be a problem since I only added a few drops to 48 gallons of water. In the next few days I guess I'll see if it did any harm. If the ammonia isn't disappearing anymore I guess I'll know that I killed the little guys that were eating it.

Worst of all, the awesome guy I got the seed material from was working his last day when I got the filter from him. If I managed to completely ruin the perfect fishless cycle I had going, I think I might give up this short lived hobby just due to pure disgust with myself.

I posted a thread asking for help when it happened, but I'm too embarrassed to put a link to it here. :D

I'll keep you updated to how it goes.
 
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