How do i start over & do fishless cycle?

[scarlett]

Hi, i have decided to empty my tank and start over due to the ammonia levels in my tank being off the charts and killing all my fish . So my next question is do I empty the whole tank and clean my gravel,plants and filter?? Or can I just empty half of the water? I had goldfish in there, they apparently carry yucky diseases 8O . So i am not sure? I have a master test kit and i have ammo lock, ph decreaser& increaser, water conditioner and this stuff called cycle. Does the cycle stuff help? Anyway I am really considering the fishless cycle but i have only read an article on how to do it in saltwater and not fresh water? If anyone knows where I can find a good article on how to do this fishless cycle please send it my way. As well as let me know if i should drain the whole tank? Do I wash my stiff in just hot water or boiling water? thanks

 

[fishfreek]

The ammo lock was most likly the issue with yoru ever rising ammonia. Usually products like that just bind up the ammonia in to a not so toxic form but it still registers on the lower priced test kits.

What I would do is to simply empty the tank and spread out the substrate on something flat outside to allow to dry for a few days. This should kill most anything on the rocks. On your empty tank use a 1:10 bleach solution and wash the inside of the tank real well. Then rinse till no bleach smell is left. Again let that air dry for a day or so. Then put everything back in the tank and add water and water conditioner.

If you have pure liquid ammonia (can be found in most grocery stores) you can add a few capfuls till your ammonia reads something like 2.0 and then just watch the ammonia and nitrite levels till both are zero. You can also do something simular to the saltwater method with some small bits of raw fish.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

FishFreek really summed it up well. I'm glad that you're interested in doing a fishless cycle. Since you'll be cycling without fish, the process will be shorter than with fish. No need for those pesky water changes.

Once the cycle is complete, do a 25% water change, and add fish. Good Luck!

During the cycling process, it will give you time to research and figure out what you want to put in the tank.

 

[Zagz]

I'm glad you posted this topic, I have a 5 gal I'm cycling for a QT tank. I have a 10 gal I am currently using for QT that I want to convert to a small community tank. I know the basics of fishless cycling but didn't know if you had to do pwc's or not or let the water alone. So now I know.

Another question, there are about 4 snails in the 5 gal tank, should I remove them or will they aid in the cycling and remove them later?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I wouldn't cycle with the snails in the tank. They are tough creatures, but it's not exactly healthy to cycle with them. I would remove them before cycling, then put them back afterwards, or put them in a different tank.

 

[scarlett]

Do i have to wash all my fake plants? What do i wash them in? I also have a small castle do i wash it ? Please let me know if have to bleach them or just wash in hot water like my gravel?

 

[Zagz]

I wouldn't cycle with the snails in the tank. They are tough creatures, but it's not exactly healthy to cycle with them. I would remove them before cycling, then put them back afterwards, or put them in a different tank.

Is it unhealthy for the tank or just the snails? I have been removing snails from my main tank. A friend likes them. I can't get rid of them it seems. They won't fall for the cabbage trick so I just remove them when I see them. Frustrating as hell, there are so many of them.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Are you talking about apple snails or pond snails Zagz?

Scarlett- Just wash the stuff in regular hot water. The castle can be soaked in bleach water, but I wouldn't do that unless it is covered in algae. And after you clean them with bleach, you have to rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse. The easiest way would just be to clean in hot water.

 

[Jchillin]

Regarding the PWC's, you will have to do them to keep your levels from going over the 5ppm threshold. High levels of NH3 or NO2 can stall the cycle.

 

[bzbee]

And after you clean them with bleach, you have to rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse.

If you do decide to go with bleach, I would add that you should also overdose with 4x dechlorinator when you finally fill it up. Pure bleach will eventually lose chlorine if you leave it long enough, but it pays to be a little paranoid. I've washed 4 tanks using 1 part bleach to 20 parts water, leaving it a week, rinse once and then overdosing with 4x dechlorinator. The tanks end up squeaky clean and I've had no fish deaths thus far.

 

[FMJnaX]

Sorry to go off topic a bit, but....

Being the advocate AGAINST chemicals, I just want to note that I agree that the AmmoLock probably played a major role in your current situation. I used the stuff, not knowing the potential drawbacks, in an outdoor whiskey barrel pond. As a result, I lost 1 fish and had to rescue another. The "pond" never did cycle over the 6 months it was up and running until I drained it and started again.

 

[fearlessfisch]

You should most likely just throw out the Ammo-Lock and the pH increaser and decreaser....or put them up in the closet anyway. Having a consistent pH is more important than having the "right" pH, so you are best letting it adjust on its own as the tank ages. Swings in pH caused by trying to adjust it are stressful to fish.

I think the majority of people of here (although some clearly disagree) have come to the conclusion that Cycle does little or nothing to speed up the cycle. I don't know that anyone has said it is harmful in any way, though. Personally, I never add anything to my tanks except something to remove chlorine and chloramines.

Good luck!

 

[Zagz]

Are you talking about apple snails or pond snails Zagz?

Apple snails if they are the ones in a regular FW aquarium. But if pond snails are in FW tanks, it could be them. LOL sorry I am no help. They multiply like rabbits or worse.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

They are most likely pond snails then. Is the tank planted?

 

[Zagz]

No it isn't planted, the snail hitchiked in a bag from the lfs with a fish. Of course the lfs didn't tell me the little thing would multiply!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I'd say it's a pond snail. I wouldn't worry about taking those out of the tank.

 

[Zagz]

Thanks for all your help! Much appreciated!

 

[scarlett]

so I emptied the fish tank and did all the necessary things to get the plants and castle clean. I left them all outside to dry and i just filled up the tank. I am going to use the 4x dechlorinator ....I hope that this will be ok. I have the filter and the heater going.....my thermometer broke so i will have to buy a new one :x . So do i just ammonia right away or should I wait? How much ammonia? Is there a level that i should leave the tank at? Some one said 2? I am just wondering how this works?

 

[Zagz]

I am getting a 15 gal tank for free. It comes with the light, hood and filter. I will have to purchase new gravel, silk plants etc. In regards to cycling the tank, should I first wash the tank with bleach because it is used, even though it hasn't been used in a while? I will be doing fishless cycle as I now know it is easier on the fish. Any recommendations to follow, or just let the water do it's thing and test it? I did read about the ammonia recommendation in the above post, I will try that. Also will do pwc's but when should I start doing them? When the ammonia is up around 2ppm? Sorry to be such a noob here but have never done a fishless cycle. About how long should I expect a fishless cycle to take? LOL, that's all I can think of to ask right now. I'll probably think of more later.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Sounds like a great start scarlett. Fill up the tank with dechlorinated water, and add the pure ammonia. Since you are doing a fishless cycle, you can allow the ammonia to get higher, but if the ammonia gets too high, it can stall the cycle. I'd say around 2 would be good to stay at. I'd test the water everyday and add the ammonia accordingly to keep the level at 2. No need for water changes since you don't have fish in the tank. But after the tank has cycled, then do a 30 to 40% water change (not touching the filter or gravel), then add fish slowly to the tank. I'm not sure how large your tank is, so can't give you any numbers.

should I first wash the tank with bleach because it is used, even though it hasn't been used in a while?

Sounds like a good idea.

About how long should I expect a fishless cycle to take?

Not sure since I've never actually done a fishless cycle. The first tank I did was with fish (had no idea what fishless was), and then I just put new filters for new tanks on the previous tanks and let them cycle before setting up the new tank.