# fishless cycling



## dangmatic (May 12, 2007)

can someone post a step by step manual for fishless cycling or maybe link me to a good website where i can learn how to do it?


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

1 - set up tank
2 - fill with water
3 - add pollution (pure ammonia will be sufficiant)
3 - test the water every few days - your looking for the ammonia to turn to nitrite then in turn to nitrate, so when you read 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrite and have a level of nitrate then your tank is cycled.
4 - add fish

alternatively....

run your filter in someones established tank


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## dangmatic (May 12, 2007)

ok thnx a lot and is this test kit good enough?

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...est+kit&N=2

or can you mabye reccoment one?


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## Innes (Jan 13, 2003)

dip test sticks are often inaccurate, but it should be better than nothing.

personally i usually use kits from tetra or nutrafin for freshwater.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

dangmatic said:


> can someone post a step by step manual for fishless cycling or maybe link me to a good website where i can learn how to do it?


Here you go simplified:
Once you have your tank setup with deco, filters, heater/s make sure if you have city water that you use a conditioner that treats for chlorine and chloramines and keep the temp at 80 degrees.
1) Use pure clear ammonia, shake the bottle, if it suds up its no good. 
2) With a baby dropper add 1 drop of pure clear ammonia for every gallon of water till nitrite spike each day
3) Cut dosage in half each day till ammonia is zero, nitrites are zero, nitrates are high.
4) Perform large water change with added conditioner
5) Acclimate your fish to new tank.
Done.

Some people like to use approximately 6-8 drops for every 10 gallons initially. I like to use 1 drop for each gallon because different ammonia bottles will contain different concentrations. Plus with 1 drop for each gallon initially you will be prepared for a higher load of fish if you wish right from the get go when your cycle is complete.

Another side note is if your cycle is complete and your fish have not arrived you still need to dose daily to feed your nitrifying bacteria that has established in your filter.

As filters go I would stay away from cartridges and don't get a cheap ass heater.

Happy Cycling


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2007)

Dr.Giggles covered it all i think. When I cut the ammonia I cut it to 2-3 drops of ammonia and i used 6-8 drops per 10 gallons as stated be Dr.Giggles. Just make sure you don't add too much ammonia because it will prolong the cycle.


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## dangmatic (May 12, 2007)

ok thnx dr giggles i have some questions though
1. how much heating does my 135 gal need
2. approximately how long will the cycling take
thnx


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## Guest (Jul 22, 2007)

1. The amount of watts depends on where your tank is placed, but the calculator says 405 to 675. So I would get 2-250 watt Visi-Therm Stealth heaters or if your short on dough get 2-300 watt Visi-Therm Deluxe Aquarium Heaters. I have one ony my 93 gallon and it works great.
2.The cycle time of an aquarium depends on many things. If your water is at a higher temp say 80-82, the ph is 7.0-7.8, alot of surface agitation, and a good bactera seeding (old filter media, gravle, decore) should make the cycle faster. I have heard of people finishing a cycle in 2 weeks or less. The "normal" time is 3-6 weeks, if you add too much ammonia it will slow down the cycle so be careful and test your water frequently.


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## dangmatic (May 12, 2007)

wuts the fastest way to cycle a tank?


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2007)

I think fishless since you dont have to wait for ammonia to apear, then with a bacteria seeding wich another way I forgot is with bio-spira once you get 2ppm ammonia.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

very good info dr.giggles


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## dangmatic (May 12, 2007)

where can i get some pure ammonia?


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2007)

dangmatic said:


> where can i get some pure ammonia?


Go to your super market in the cleaning section i believe, i got mine for $0.99 for a gallon. Make sure it dosn;t have any purfumes or weird additives. Just shake it before you buy it and if it foams don't get it.


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## LGHT (Nov 9, 2005)

Keep in mind fishless cycling will probably take 4-6 *weeks *to complete, where if you cycle with bio-spira your tank will be ready for live fish in 4-6 *days*!

If you have a lot of time and patience go for a fishless, but if you want to enjoy your tank now just get some bio-spira and follow the instructions.


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## dangmatic (May 12, 2007)

where can u get bio spira


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

dangmatic said:


> ok thnx dr giggles i have some questions though
> 1. how much heating does my 135 gal need
> 2. approximately how long will the cycling take
> thnx


I had a 500W heater on my 125G until it failed. I am currently running 350W with no problem. The cycle will last anywhere from 12-21 days if done correctly. If you add to much ammonia on any given day it will throw it off for a while.


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## plantbrain (Jul 3, 2007)

Why do you need to add NH3 to the tank ever?

Just add NH3 to a bucket and run your filter in there.
No need to bomb the entire tank etc. Add aeration to the bucket for added O2 to help the bateria grow.
If you have an existing tank, vac the gravel or squeeze the filter sponge to seed the new filter. That adds precisely what is missing from the old established cycled tank, fresh, live bacteria with a good organic food source for them to grow on.

If you simply add NH3 to a bucket, say a couple of capfuls to a 5 gal and wait for a few days, add 2 more capfuls etc keep doing that every 2-4 days, after 2-3 weeks, the filter will be primed to handle most any high bioload. Adding some seed bacteria will enhance the process.

No test kit needed.
If you use a plant filter and floating plants etc, there's no cycle at all since the plants remove the NH4 directly from the water. This works extremely well, but you need to have enough plant biomass to match the rate of NH4 and plant need light and other nutrients also.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

plantbrain said:


> Why do you need to add NH3 to the tank ever?
> 
> *To perform a fishless cycle
> *
> ...


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