severum mama
Aquarium Advice Addict
Before we get this discussion started, I just want to throw out a gentle reminder to be respectful. 
Just about everyone has read the myriad of fishless cycling discussions here. Fishless cycling is a great option for a lot of folks, there is no doubt about that. But lately I have been seeing a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about the process. I just wanted to throw out a few scenarios that I rarely see mentioned at all.
Seeding a new tank is easy, if you already have a cycled tank. Starting with a small bioload and some filter media from an established tank is one of the easiest and most foolproof ways to cycle quickly IME. All you need to do is pull some media from your existing tank and put it into the new one. Putting it into the filter is a good idea, although if it doesn't fit in there you can simply drop it into the tank. Add a small bioload (ask questions if you aren't sure what constitutes a small bioload) immediately. This will feed the existing bacteria without overwhelming it. Test often for a week or so. Any ammonia or nitrite spike you see can easily be addressed with an extra water change or two until the bacteria you introduced plays catch-up. The bacteria that make up our tanks' biological filtration capacity are much more hardy and resilient that what they get credit for IME, and any catching up will occur in a matter of a couple days to a week if you've added a proper bioload. If you really want to, you can add the media and then dose ammonia to build up the bacteria colony... but it is not necessary to do so and quite honestly, I don't see the point. I have seen comments in other threads much to the effect of "if your tank can't convert 4 PPM ammonia in 24 hours, you can't add fish". This is absolutely not the case.
If you are starting from scratch and do not have access to established filter media, the absolute easiest way to cycle your tank without fish is to get a raw shrimp from the grocery store and toss it into the tank (use a piece of the shrimp for smaller tanks). It releases ammonia as it decomposes and you don't have to go through the trouble of dosing anything. In the overwhelming majority of cases this is a set it and forget it method. Monitor with a test kit just as you would if you were dosing ammonia. If you want to cut down on the mess, just put the shrimp into a filter bag or pantyhose and pull it out when you're done. Again, there is no magic number to shoot for with ammonia conversion that constitutes a threshold between cycled and not cycled. I'm of the opinion that you should always start with a small bioload anyway, so shooting for a specific value of ammonia conversion is not relevant to the way I stock a newly-cycled tank.
If you have enough plants, you can silent cycle. This refers to the use of fast-growing stem plants to remove toxins from the water, as plants use the toxins quite readily for growth. In order for this to work, you need to start with a small bioload and a lot of plants. Anubias, java fern, java moss, etc. won't cut it. You need fast-growing stem plants such as anacharis or hornwort, and you need to start with a lot of them. Monitor with your test kit just as you would for any other method of cycling.
I have used all of these methods many times to cycle tanks over the past 8 years and none have failed me yet. I just wanted to throw out some alternatives to dosing ammonia that I don't even see mentioned anymore. Weigh your options and decide on a method that works best for you.
Just about everyone has read the myriad of fishless cycling discussions here. Fishless cycling is a great option for a lot of folks, there is no doubt about that. But lately I have been seeing a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about the process. I just wanted to throw out a few scenarios that I rarely see mentioned at all.
Seeding a new tank is easy, if you already have a cycled tank. Starting with a small bioload and some filter media from an established tank is one of the easiest and most foolproof ways to cycle quickly IME. All you need to do is pull some media from your existing tank and put it into the new one. Putting it into the filter is a good idea, although if it doesn't fit in there you can simply drop it into the tank. Add a small bioload (ask questions if you aren't sure what constitutes a small bioload) immediately. This will feed the existing bacteria without overwhelming it. Test often for a week or so. Any ammonia or nitrite spike you see can easily be addressed with an extra water change or two until the bacteria you introduced plays catch-up. The bacteria that make up our tanks' biological filtration capacity are much more hardy and resilient that what they get credit for IME, and any catching up will occur in a matter of a couple days to a week if you've added a proper bioload. If you really want to, you can add the media and then dose ammonia to build up the bacteria colony... but it is not necessary to do so and quite honestly, I don't see the point. I have seen comments in other threads much to the effect of "if your tank can't convert 4 PPM ammonia in 24 hours, you can't add fish". This is absolutely not the case.
If you are starting from scratch and do not have access to established filter media, the absolute easiest way to cycle your tank without fish is to get a raw shrimp from the grocery store and toss it into the tank (use a piece of the shrimp for smaller tanks). It releases ammonia as it decomposes and you don't have to go through the trouble of dosing anything. In the overwhelming majority of cases this is a set it and forget it method. Monitor with a test kit just as you would if you were dosing ammonia. If you want to cut down on the mess, just put the shrimp into a filter bag or pantyhose and pull it out when you're done. Again, there is no magic number to shoot for with ammonia conversion that constitutes a threshold between cycled and not cycled. I'm of the opinion that you should always start with a small bioload anyway, so shooting for a specific value of ammonia conversion is not relevant to the way I stock a newly-cycled tank.
If you have enough plants, you can silent cycle. This refers to the use of fast-growing stem plants to remove toxins from the water, as plants use the toxins quite readily for growth. In order for this to work, you need to start with a small bioload and a lot of plants. Anubias, java fern, java moss, etc. won't cut it. You need fast-growing stem plants such as anacharis or hornwort, and you need to start with a lot of them. Monitor with your test kit just as you would for any other method of cycling.
I have used all of these methods many times to cycle tanks over the past 8 years and none have failed me yet. I just wanted to throw out some alternatives to dosing ammonia that I don't even see mentioned anymore. Weigh your options and decide on a method that works best for you.
