Lady Hobbs
04-22-2007, 06:35 AM
Fishless Cycling
Once you start to cycle (all methods) do no cleaning. Messing with your tank removes the bacteria and starts your cycle over again. This can not be stressed enough. Do not change the gravel, mess with the filter and play around with pH adjusters, etc. If you do, you will delay the cycling process.
Bacteria grows faster in warmer temperatures with lots of oxygen so turn your heater up to 82 and add an air stone or bubbler.
Unless you have well water, you must always use a de-chlorinator. The chlorine in your water supply will kill bacteria immediately. Many water municipals also use chloramines as a means of sterilization so get a product that removes chlorine and chloramines. Nearly all the de-chlorinators do both. Storing water does not remove chloramines!
There is more than one way to do a “fishless cycle”. You can feed the tank fish flakes or use a piece of “raw” shrimp or fish in a nylon stocking and anchor it to the bottom of the tank. (Must be underwater and may get stinky.) Many are now using PURE ammonia to get the level up instantly rather than waiting for shrimp or flakes to rot.
In this article, we will only talk of fishless cycling using the ammonia method.
HOW MUCH AMMONIA TO ADD: This is determined by the size of your tank. You are growing enough bacteria to support the fish that will go in the tank. You need not add as much ammonia to a 5 or 10 gallon tank as you do a 55 gallon. Tanks of perhaps 40 gallons up would cycle nicely on 4-5 ppm's of ammonia. Little tanks far less, like perhaps 1 ppm. A little tank has a small filter and will house just a few small fish. GO EASY ON THAT AMMONIA!
(Yes, a test kit is needed and is important but it is also important for all means of cycling so get one.) If you are in doubt about the ammonia to purchase, give it a good shake. If it foams, do not buy it. If it forms a few bubbles at the top that quickly break up, then it is OK to purchase. Read the label. If scents or detergents are added do not buy it.
Add ammonia to your tank. Then what? NOTHING! Leave it alone.
After a few days, began to test for ammonia levels. The ammonia level may not move at all for several days but will then began to decline as the ammonia eating bacteria ( Nitrosomona) grows. As the ammonia level decreases you will began to start testing for Ammonia and Nitrite levels daily.
When you see Nitrites rise, decrease the amount of ammonia to ˝ of what you had been dosing and only dose one time each day.
Ammonia levels too high can actually inhibit growth of nitrites and the cycle can appear to "stall out" in the nitrite stage if levels of ammonia are not reduced.
Your nitrite eating bacteria (Nitrobacter and/or Nitropira) is a slower growing bacteria and this is when your patience will be tried. Your nitrites may remain almost the same without moving for a week to 10 days…..and in some situations, even longer. But do not despair because one day you will see your nitrites are also dropping. Until that happens, continue to add at least some ammonia each day to keep the bacteria you have grown alive. Think of this ammonia as food for your bacteria.
When your tank has finished cycling you will see 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and a large amount of Nitrates. Do a large water change to bring that Nitrate level down to below 20 and you are ready for your fish. Make sure you reduce the settings on your heater and try to add your fish within one day. If you will be delayed in the purchase of fish, keep feeding that tank a bit of ammonia each day to keep your bacteria living.
A faster cycle is achieved by adding used filter media from another fish tank. If you have a friend that has a tank, steal some of his filter media. If you can not do that, have him vacuum his gravel and give you the nasty stuff he pulls up. (Mulm)
Bacterium does not live in the water so transferring of water will not help with a faster cycle.
Bacteria Boosters , if you elect to use them, are used to cycle WITH fish and not with the Fishless Cycling method. Do not use them in a fishless cycle and do not worry about the pH or trying to adjust it. pH is never stable in uncycled tanks.
There are several reasons that a fishless cycle may fail.
1/ Not using a de-chlorinator
2/ Not reducing the amount of ammonia
3/ Changing your filter media or cleaning the gravel
4/ Not having the patience to wait until the nitrite levels to drop.
5/ The addition of products that skew with test results.
Cycling is very easy and requires no work on your part other than testing the water and adding some ammonia when needed. No water changes are necessary but patience is. Leave your tank alone and let that bacteria grow!
The only part that's hard about cycling is that people make it hard by not following a few easy steps.
You should be able to achieve a fishless cycle in 3 weeks or less. Not everyone has the same results in cycling. Water temperature, oxygen, hardness and softness of each persons water makes cycling all a bit different for each of us. Do not get frustrated or think you have done something wrong if your cycle does not go exactly as another persons cycle went for them.
Once you start to cycle (all methods) do no cleaning. Messing with your tank removes the bacteria and starts your cycle over again. This can not be stressed enough. Do not change the gravel, mess with the filter and play around with pH adjusters, etc. If you do, you will delay the cycling process.
Bacteria grows faster in warmer temperatures with lots of oxygen so turn your heater up to 82 and add an air stone or bubbler.
Unless you have well water, you must always use a de-chlorinator. The chlorine in your water supply will kill bacteria immediately. Many water municipals also use chloramines as a means of sterilization so get a product that removes chlorine and chloramines. Nearly all the de-chlorinators do both. Storing water does not remove chloramines!
There is more than one way to do a “fishless cycle”. You can feed the tank fish flakes or use a piece of “raw” shrimp or fish in a nylon stocking and anchor it to the bottom of the tank. (Must be underwater and may get stinky.) Many are now using PURE ammonia to get the level up instantly rather than waiting for shrimp or flakes to rot.
In this article, we will only talk of fishless cycling using the ammonia method.
HOW MUCH AMMONIA TO ADD: This is determined by the size of your tank. You are growing enough bacteria to support the fish that will go in the tank. You need not add as much ammonia to a 5 or 10 gallon tank as you do a 55 gallon. Tanks of perhaps 40 gallons up would cycle nicely on 4-5 ppm's of ammonia. Little tanks far less, like perhaps 1 ppm. A little tank has a small filter and will house just a few small fish. GO EASY ON THAT AMMONIA!
(Yes, a test kit is needed and is important but it is also important for all means of cycling so get one.) If you are in doubt about the ammonia to purchase, give it a good shake. If it foams, do not buy it. If it forms a few bubbles at the top that quickly break up, then it is OK to purchase. Read the label. If scents or detergents are added do not buy it.
Add ammonia to your tank. Then what? NOTHING! Leave it alone.
After a few days, began to test for ammonia levels. The ammonia level may not move at all for several days but will then began to decline as the ammonia eating bacteria ( Nitrosomona) grows. As the ammonia level decreases you will began to start testing for Ammonia and Nitrite levels daily.
When you see Nitrites rise, decrease the amount of ammonia to ˝ of what you had been dosing and only dose one time each day.
Ammonia levels too high can actually inhibit growth of nitrites and the cycle can appear to "stall out" in the nitrite stage if levels of ammonia are not reduced.
Your nitrite eating bacteria (Nitrobacter and/or Nitropira) is a slower growing bacteria and this is when your patience will be tried. Your nitrites may remain almost the same without moving for a week to 10 days…..and in some situations, even longer. But do not despair because one day you will see your nitrites are also dropping. Until that happens, continue to add at least some ammonia each day to keep the bacteria you have grown alive. Think of this ammonia as food for your bacteria.
When your tank has finished cycling you will see 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and a large amount of Nitrates. Do a large water change to bring that Nitrate level down to below 20 and you are ready for your fish. Make sure you reduce the settings on your heater and try to add your fish within one day. If you will be delayed in the purchase of fish, keep feeding that tank a bit of ammonia each day to keep your bacteria living.
A faster cycle is achieved by adding used filter media from another fish tank. If you have a friend that has a tank, steal some of his filter media. If you can not do that, have him vacuum his gravel and give you the nasty stuff he pulls up. (Mulm)
Bacterium does not live in the water so transferring of water will not help with a faster cycle.
Bacteria Boosters , if you elect to use them, are used to cycle WITH fish and not with the Fishless Cycling method. Do not use them in a fishless cycle and do not worry about the pH or trying to adjust it. pH is never stable in uncycled tanks.
There are several reasons that a fishless cycle may fail.
1/ Not using a de-chlorinator
2/ Not reducing the amount of ammonia
3/ Changing your filter media or cleaning the gravel
4/ Not having the patience to wait until the nitrite levels to drop.
5/ The addition of products that skew with test results.
Cycling is very easy and requires no work on your part other than testing the water and adding some ammonia when needed. No water changes are necessary but patience is. Leave your tank alone and let that bacteria grow!
The only part that's hard about cycling is that people make it hard by not following a few easy steps.
You should be able to achieve a fishless cycle in 3 weeks or less. Not everyone has the same results in cycling. Water temperature, oxygen, hardness and softness of each persons water makes cycling all a bit different for each of us. Do not get frustrated or think you have done something wrong if your cycle does not go exactly as another persons cycle went for them.