Wow-fishless cycle

[jttt3]

My new 10gallon that I was going to plant and see if I can manage plants cycled in 4 days.... Can't believe that actually works, hella cool.

All I did was drop the old filter from my 30gallon HOB filter into the tank and let it chill out.

[gm72]

...but if you didn't add any ammonia then you can't possibly be cycled since the bacteria in your filter would have died over 4 days without "food." So you were adding ammonia, too?

[zackish]

IF you did plant it with ammonia and it cycled that is good. Just make sure you keep an eye on it over the next few weeks.

[gm72]

He said he was going to plant it, so I don't think he had plants in there to start, but there's still no way it cycled in 4 days with no source of ammonia, sorry to say, jtt3.

[Lady Hobbs]

Right on. You gotta have some source of ammonia, either fish, shrimp shells, ammonia from a bottle........something.

[zackish]

It's too late!!! He's already adding fish!!

[jttt3]

I did fail to mention, that I added chunk of food on day 1 before it started the cycling. I figured it decaying would be enough with the bacteria already in the tank, and for a 10 gallon, it looks as though I was correct. I do not like adding ammonia directly to a tank because I do not trust labels any longer. I've been burned by addatives in the past in may circumstances that were not listed on the label.

LOL, yeah, they are doing fine. I dropped in a few danios and they did fine, I dropped in the plants, and they are doing fine. I have brown algae already, and have all 8 danios in there and they are doing great.

I was cycling water from the 29 gallon into the 10 gallon during the 4 days and playing around with water, etc.

They are all doing wonderful, and the ammonia is still at zero, nitrites at zero, and nitrates floating near zero with 8 fish in there.

[RobbieG]

Good job - congratulations on a successful cycle!