I'm very impatient (fishless cycling)

[extremebunny]

As you can tell from the title, I am the type of person who cannot wait for things to happen. I am fishless cycling a tank, and confused on how to speed up the process. The nitrites are high right now and it will probably be done by next weekend (but of course that's too long for me too wait with my adhd brain), so I was wondering if I did a 50% or more water change and put water from a healthy tank with fish in it would that stop the cycle all together or speed it up?

 

[Fresh2o]

Couple of choices. Be patient or add media from an established filter*.
Adding water from an established will not affect the cycle. It will most likely increase the amount of nitrates though.
* I ran a new filter in an old tank (some of the new and media swapped) for 9 days, dropped it into a new tank, dosed the ammonia to around 4.0 ppm and by day 5-6 it was converting ammonia and nitrite to zero in 24 hours.

 

[extremebunny]

so the good stuff that helps it cycle isn't in the water but in the filter? Doesn't the stuff that's in the filter get into the water? sorry, I just don't quite understand how it works. I know what the result is of all these steps, just not how it gets there. Maybe I'm just being stupid, but if the bacteria grows in the filter and on surfaces, then if I got rid of most of the water that has the nitrites in it the bacteria would still be there but the nitrites would go down and add more nitrates from the other tank, right? Shortcuts don't usually work anyway, but I'm interested why it would help or not. I'll probably just wait because I can't get fish until next weekend anyway.

 

[LiQuiD]

so the good stuff that helps it cycle isn't in the water but in the filter? Doesn't the stuff that's in the filter get into the water? sorry, I just don't quite understand how it works. I know what the result is of all these steps, just not how it gets there. Maybe I'm just being stupid, but if the bacteria grows in the filter and on surfaces, then if I got rid of most of the water that has the nitrites in it the bacteria would still be there but the nitrites would go down and add more nitrates from the other tank, right? Shortcuts don't usually work anyway, but I'm interested why it would help or not. I'll probably just wait because I can't get fish until next weekend anyway.

What Fresh is saying is add "media" from the filtet of the other tank. Those porous white rings or plastic balls found inside a filter are considered filter media. You could also add any rocks, wood, decore, etc as well to help. The BB attaches itself to everything in the tank so anything you add from an established tank will help. It is also developing inside your filter and the gravel mostly.

How long has your tank been cycling? How big is your tank? Have you bought bacteria at a store to add? You can also add fish food daily and let it sit inside for a week or so to help jump start it. Water changes arent terribly necessary at this time as you want the nitrogen cycle to be undisturbed. Constantly doing water changes can slow it down.

If you are that terribly impatient, then you need to buy some of the instant add bacteria or quick start and will have to add it daily with the fish you put in. I would say limit yourself to 3 small fish like neons or zebra danios and you will need to test the water daily. Very lightly feed, and hope for the best. Just know that the cycle is extremely hard on some fish and can easily kill them. It's honestly alot easier to do a fishless cycle.

 

[Mcfly]

That's the problem with today's "on demand" society.... Not meant as an insult by any means. Keeping an aquarium is all about patience. I understand being anxious to get a tank up and running, but keep in mind that trying to accelerate the 'Cycle' has also been known to stall, or even stop it.

I say be patient.... I know you can do it. Let nature take its course. The nitrites might drop tomorrow. Don't fix it if it ain't broke....

Good luck!!

 

[extremebunny]

I am using Fluval cycle bacteria, I have not put fish food directly in the tank because I don't want the water getting too dirty, but I have put in water from my other tank which may have had some food bits in it. There are 2 fake plants from the other tank in it, not much surface area on those, though so I don't know how much bacteria it transferred. It is a 5g tank that has been going since jan. 1, I know not a very long time for a cycle but a. the product says it works in 3 days, b. The last time I cycled a tank it only took a week (though I did use possibly inaccurate strips to measure, fish seemed fine so levels couldn't have been too bad).

Not to be rude, but I do know that an aquarium takes time as I have many pets that require patience and attention. The reason I want to speed it up is partly because I am generally someone who wants things to be done quickly (I do really have adhd, diagnosed by a doctor) and I can really only get to pet stores on Saturday and sometimes sunday, leaving a small window for when it should be done without waiting a whole week before going to the store when I have a tank that has no fish.

I do believe in doing things the right way, although we can all agree that if the shortcut works equally effectively as the long way, the short way is usually preferable. I have not done anything drastic to try to speed things up, a lot of my question is pure curiosity on what works and what doesn't. I am not an expert on bacteria, so I am just asking to see how it works and why.

 

[extremebunny]

On my 10g tank that is already going, the filter is bigger than the one on the 5g so the stuff from the filter won't fit in it.

 

[lewis.r]

I wouldn't at all cycle with fish in. And it takes longer than a week to cycle. You have to get a more accurate test kit such as the API test kits (liquid). Doing the fish in cycle will harm the fish and have you will be paranoid all the time about the parameters.
Get some ammonia which you can find on amazon and keep testing until 0 on nitrites and ammonia. Then put your fish in, trust me it's. it worth getting the fish to watch them suffer

 

[extremebunny]

I do have the liquid kit, I have been testing nitrites every day. I've been using Fluval cycle and there are no fish in the tank being currently cycled, and there were no fish before when I cycled my 10g until the tests read 0, which is all the information I can go off of for that. There is no complete way to tell whether or not the strips were accurate, but with high levels of nitrites like I have now, I think the fish would have probably died if the strips had been that far off.

 

[lewis.r]

lol I agree they would be struggling! My nitrates went really high too but literally one do you will test and it will be 0. Strange how it works mind I think it won't be too much longer for you!