best way to cycle tank

[philc21]

were going to be starting a 120g tank this week and i would like to know what you guys opinions on the best way to cycle it being wether its fishless if so how or with a certain type of fish if so what type do you think is best n e response is welcome

 

[Bearfan]

Check this out:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=101&highlight=

 

[philc21]

will that work with a freshwater tank or will it not work as well because of the lack of salt i would also like to get the ammonia to peak as high as i can get it to so that the level of bacteria would be greater so it can control the ammonia and nitrite better because im hoping to put a ray into the tank and they are very picky with water quality

 

[mgkaelen]

pretty sure it will work on FW too =]

 

[Gunnie]

There has been a lot of enthusiasm for the fishless cycling because your fish don't get stressed, and it's a cheap way to go. The last 3 times I've started up a new tank, I have used bio spira with great results. I had some kind of poisoning in my 20 gal. long and lost almost all my fish. I started over with new gravel and disinfected all the decorations and plants this evening and put the remaining survivors back in the tank with some bio spira I had left, eventhough I currently won't have a full bio load in the tank. That's one of the good things about bio spira and fishless cycling - you add a full load of fish when the tank is ready for fish.

 

[TankGirl]

I would personally go fishless with a tank that size, since the Bio-Spira would be expensive. You keep your ammonia at 5ppm until you get it cycled. You still have to add your fish gradually that way, but pure ammonia is cheap, and you just have to wait for the cycle. If you can afford it, Bio-Spira added with your full load of fish, and off you go. You need to add your FULL load with it, otherwise you are wasting the bacteria, because it will die off without the fish waste to feed it.

 

[cindywindy]

Phil,

Certainly, the shrimp method does indeed work in FW setups as well as SW ones. This is a little-known, but very effective way to fishless cycle. In essence, anything that decays and breaks down into ammonia will work just fine, but it is the ammonia that you need to start the cycle. Just beware using the shrimp method ... while effective, anyone who has ever smelled decaying seafood can tell you that the smell can get straight up rank.

Here is an interesting thread where this very matter was recently discussed on Tropical Resources :

http://tropicalresources.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2979&start=0

My dear friend and mentor, WetmanNY has written a very informative article and set of instructions for fishless cycling - he was one of the original fishless cycling pioneers and is one of the hobby's foremost experts on the subject. Feel free to check out his easy-to-understand article, written in beginner terminology.

http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/startover/fishless.shtml

 

[Enki]

I highly recommend fishless cycling. I did it with my recent re-entry into fish-keeping and it worked out great, I added 14 1"-2" Malawi cichlids all on the same day, and everybody is happy and healthy, never any sort of spike after fish were introduced. The Bushynose Pleco I added that same day did die, 'sniff', but I am sure it was a separate issue with him.

I recommend 2 things with fishless cycling;

1 - Read as many articles as you can about fishless cycling and the nitrogen cycle so you really understand what is going on and what you are trying to accomplish. Understanding what is happening, or supposed to be happening, can really help if you hit a snag. It is also knowledge that will help you as long as you are keeping fish.

2 - Re-inoculate as soon as your ammonia levels start to drop to a reasonable level. The nitrite eaters have a good probability of dying off during the time it takes for the ammonia eaters to kick in and start producing nitrites. The second inoculation brings in a fresh batch of nitrite eaters and they will get right to work converting the nitrites waiting for them. Getting stuck at the nitrite spike is the most common complaint I have seen about the fishless method. I was stuck for over a week and the re-inoculation had things going in 48 hours.

Good luck!!