This thing won't start!

[bzzh8c]

I started up my new aquarium and read all about the fishless approach. So I got some industrial grade ammonmia, figured out 3 capfuls for now filled 110 gallon aquarium, hooked up the eheim filters, turned everything on. Then I went and got a few gallons of aquarium water from the pet store and poured that in to "seed" the bacteria growth. My ammonia test was dark green, about a level 5 on my API test strip. That was 10 days ago.

Two days ago the ammonia was unchanged, and while I've been eagerly waiting for the nitrite test to be something other than yellow (0ppm) and maybe some pink or purple to show something positive was happening I poured some seachem prime in thinking I had chorine still in there and it was killing whatever was trying to grow.

Now I'm thinking I need to buy bacteria in a bottle, or pour something else in there to get this thing going! Am I just impatient, or am I looking at a tank of diluted ammonia and not an aquarium to be?

 

[treemanone2003]

Aquarium water will not "seed" or "jumpstart" a cycle as there is virtually no bacteria in it. The bacteria is actually located in the media in/on/around the filter. As for the test strips, most find them to be totally useless. A liquid test kit will get much better results and you will be able to provide more definitive answers to the forum if something else goes wrong that you need help with.


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[icydeath]

Oh and try to get a hand on a friends media or sand or lr if possible and clean. Make sure it doesnt have stuff you don't want in your tank.

 

[Fish king]

Take a dirty filter cartridge and shake it and let the gunk which has plenty of bacteria Settle in the gravel and get some gravel from another tank and put it in the new one


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[Sniperhank]

Take a dirty filter cartridge and shake it and let the gunk which has plenty of bacteria Settle in the gravel and get some gravel from another tank and put it in the new one


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That is an awful idea.

There two thoughts on the fishless cycle, one is the pure ammonia and the other is with a cocktail shrimp.
There is no need for any provided media or anything. Just add the ammonia source. Cycles are odd sometimes and it can take a minute to get started, but no matter what nature will take its course.
If I was in your shoes, and I have done both of these approaches to cycle a tank, once things get started off just throw a shrimp in and walk away. Prevents any chance of over dosing which can slow things down from my experience.
The real key to this process is keeping things clean. Lights out so you don't see algae growth and then making sure you don't have stuff laying around in the tank rotting when you are done. So toss that shrimp in some panty hose and just pull it out when it is time for a fish.

 

[Fish king]

Sorry I did not no that was bad I did that to set up my most of my tanks


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[Bectan01]

Just checking you are in the right place, this is the saltwater section. If so, do you have all your rocks in yet? I agree to invest in some liquid test kits, strips aren't accurate enough...


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