# Question regarding Cycling



## jamezgt (Jun 24, 2008)

I'm reading threads all over the forums and I'm not quite understanding the concept of cycling. Here's what I'm doing during a weekly basis, correct me if I'm wrong.

15-20% water change (water from RO unit)
vacuum the gravel
cleaning decorations
cleaning the filter with tap water once every two weeks

Now I see people saying their tanks aren't fully "cycled" - can someone please explain that or direct me to a thread about that? I thought by cleaning your filter your removing excess waste, and removing bad bacteria, but I'm seeing people saying that washing your filter will remove beneficial bacteria that helps reduce nitrate levels? If so, please guide me because I've been doing huge water changes on the weekends, and my nitrate levels are HIGH (according to API test strips).


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## Tensa (Jul 28, 2008)

you can fill your tank with tap water just use a dechlorinator no need for RO. also cleaning your filter with tap water is a waste because it likely contains chlorine which will kill the beneficial bacteria on the filter. just use the tank water and squeeze the filter pad lightly in the water and thats all you need doesnt need to be spotless. when cycling the tank you dont even need to change the water just wait for it to cycle then start doing regular water changes. get a good water test kit and then you will know when the tank is cycled post your water parameters here and we can better help you. im heading to bed thats why i am brief but hopefully someone else answers your questions if not ill be on tomorrow.


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## ju5tin95 (Nov 25, 2008)

I copied and pasted from doctorvtec , hope this helps,

After typing this up I notcied in the FAQ's that my good buddy Jerry has done a FAQ on this. Our method is pretty much identical. Since it's not posted in the Water Chemistry section, and my writeup goes into a tad more detail, here is my submission.

Ok my fellow piranha enthusiasts there has been a good bit of questions asked within the past weeks about "fishless cycling". Since I have experience with this as I have done it a few times myself and for others, I thought I would make up a little how-to that the moderators can pin up if the deem it worthy.

First off, let's explain what fishless cycling is. Well, obviously it's cycling without fish using pure ammonia and bacteria seeded from another tank, or the infamous Bio Spira. It is an excellent alternative to using live feeders because it will go faster because you do not need to wait for an ammonia spike, and you do not have to worry about the diseases and parasites that the normal method can introduce.

Ok, now that you have an idea of what it is, let's look at what you need.

(1) Pure Ammonia - This can be acquired at any supermarket. We are looking for PURE ammonia that contains no additives. A good brand and the brand that I use is Top Crystal. An easy way to tell that you have pure ammonia is to shake the bottle. If it gets foamy at the top, put it down because it is not pure.

(2) Bacteria - "Technically" this can be optional, BUT the lack of a good bacteria seeding will result in a slower cycle. You can get bacteria in many methods:

- If you have a current tank setup and cycled you can use media from that, this is our best option.

- Bio Spira is a good alternative to established media. When used as directed it is very effective

- Lastly you can always get gravel from an established tank and put it in media bags and add it to your filter. This will result in less bacteria because there is just not as much bacteria in your gravel then in actual media, but is better then nothing at all

(3) Testing Kits - You should already have this, but I thought I would add them just to be sure. We need to test Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate

(4) Eyedropper - This makes dosing the Ammonia a breeze

Ok, so now you have everything listed above, your tanks are filled with fresh dechlorinated water where applicable, your filters are setup and you are ready to go! Here's what you want to do.

(1) You want to get your Ammonia reading in your tank to around 1.5 ppm. A good rule of thumb is 6-8 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of water. This will provide the building block for your bacteria colony. You may not see the spike the first day, but continue with step two, and you will be fine.

(2) This is where some people have differing opinions on what works. I am going to use what has worked for me. You want to keep your ammonia in the 1 - 2 ppm area until your Nitrite spikes. What you want to do is add 6-8 drops per 10 gallons yet again everyday, until you see the Nitrites spike up.

(3) Ok, so you've been following this guide and you have added your daily ammonia, and finally you have seen a Nitrite spike. GREAT, you are almost there. You should cut your daily Ammonia dosage to 3 drop per 10 gallons of water a day.

(4) At this point you want to do your daily ammonia dosage of 3 drops per 10 gallons of water, and test for Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates every other day. When you get a reading for Nitrates you know you are almost done!

(5) Ok, so how do you know when you are finished? Well, one day you will get a reading of 0 for Ammonia, 0 for Nitrites, and your Nitrates reading will be high. At this point, you know that you are cycled! Congratulations, you did it!

(6) *OPTIONAL* What I like to do a lot of times when I know the bio-load will be high, or I just want to be sure all is well, I will add another 2-3 drops per 10 gallons and let it cycle through that. It doesn't take much longer and it helps you build up the bacteria colony a little larger, and just gives you total assurance that you are ready. BUT again, this part is optional.

(7) For our last step, we want to do LARGE water change to get out all of the Nitrates since we spiked them up so high. Minimum is 50% and will be suitable for pretty much everyone. I personally do 75%, but that is my preference. So for this guide I am going to recommend a 50% change. Do not forget to treat the water with a good dechloronator, and to have it near then temperature of your current tank water. I would hate to see you lose all your precious bacteria.

So how long does this take? Honestly it depends. I like to give you a 2-4 week window period, but I personally have done it in 10 days with a good bacteria seeding. My first time when I had NO CLUE it took me two months because I spike my ammonia way higher then I should have. I learned my lesson and this recipe is what works for me.

I hope this helps you all out, and that you enjoy this little guide as much as I enjoyed writing it. Good luck and happy fishkeeping!

doctorvtec


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## jdstooge (Nov 30, 2008)

you cant get a better discription than that. that is the way i cycle my tanks and it works like a charm.

good job on you discription


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

good description justin


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

You don't wanna use strictly RO water... fish cannot survive in pure RO water.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

jamezgt said:


> I'm reading threads all over the forums and I'm not quite understanding the concept of cycling. Here's what I'm doing during a weekly basis, correct me if I'm wrong.
> 
> 15-20% water change (water from RO unit)
> vacuum the gravel
> ...


Answers in bold. Hope this helps you understand. In the meantime, stop rinsing filter under sink and get yourself some TetraSafeStart


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