Fishless cycled within 1 week

[Duncan]

Hello everyone, this is my first message since registered few months ago, I learned a lot from here and now I would like to share my exeperience with someone who wanna know more about fishless cycle the tank.

I just upgraded my tank from 20 gal to 65 gal, in fact I can do a clone tank as a big water change to the new tank but I really want to learn a fishless cycle after the last time with the tradidtional fish cycle, I found out this method is more efficient and humanity.

Preparations:

-Household Ammonia from Walmart (the clear one with no color).
-Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate Test kit (this is a basic kit you need)
-Teaspoon for ammonia measurement.

This is my Fishless cycle log.

Keys : Ammonia = AM; Nitrite = Ni; Nitrate= Na;

May 31 - 2006 <---start the cycle

-Add 8 TSP ammonia --> AM>5 ppm
-Ni=0

June 1 - 2006

-Ni=0;
-Add 2 TSP ammonia
-AM=5 ppm
-Add some water from establish tank to speed up the cycle process
-After 12 hours Ni=0.50 pmm

June 2 - 2006

-AM=3ppm
-Ni=5.0ppm
-Add 2 TSP ammonia AM=4ppm

June 3 - 2006

-AM=0ppm
-Ni>5.0ppm
-Add 1.5 TSP ammonia AM=0.6ppm; Na=110ppm;

After 10 hours
-AM=0ppm
-Ni >5.0ppm
-Add 2 TSP ammonia

June 4 - 2006

-AM=0ppm
-Ni >5.0ppm
-Add 2 TSP ammonia AM=5.0ppm; Na=110ppm;

June 5 - 2006

-AM=0ppm
-Ni=5.0ppm
-Add 2 TSP ammonia

June 6 - 2006

-Ni=4.0 - 5.0ppm
-Add 1 TSP ammonia AM=0ppm; Na=110ppm;

June 7 - 2006

-Ni=4.0 - 5.0ppm
-AM=0ppm
-Add1 TSP ammonia

June 8 - 2006

-Ni=0.25ppm
-AM=0ppm
-Na=50ppm
-Add 1 TSP ammonia

After 8 hours
-AM=0ppm; Ni=0ppm; Na=50ppm; <--Finish the cycle.

So, basicly the tank is cycled and I did a 80% water change to bring down Na from 50ppm to 5ppm. I am so amazing this fishless cycle is a lot better than the old way...

For those don't want to do a big water change after cycle the tank, don't add too much ammonia at the beginning maybe 5-6 TSP is enough...

[Squiggy]

:D Nice! Sounds like you've hit on something there...How much water did you add from the cycled tank?

[Duncan]

:D Nice! Sounds like you've hit on something there...How much water did you add from the cycled tank?

Its a small busket from dollar shop :D around 2 gal :)

[raglanroad]

So much faster than using regular bunk bio-starter from a bottle ! ( and about as good as Biospira , without the $$$ ). Thanks Duncan.

[Duncan]

So much faster than using regular bunk bio-starter from a bottle ! ( and about as good as Biospira , without the $$$ ). Thanks Duncan.

You're welcome, it is really fast compare to the fish cycle method. In the whole process, the longest state is when Nitro bacter convert from nitrite to nitrate, it almost occupies the cycle...I already raise the highest temperture on my heater.:)

[BIGFOOT]

Hi,

Here's my opinion and you not going to like me. The whole purpose of the fishless cycle is to cycle the tank minus the disease. Adding water from the other tank my have speed up the cycle butt you risk starting out with a disease in the tank.

[Duncan]

Hi,

Here's my opinion and you not going to like me. The whole purpose of the fishless cycle is to cycle the tank minus the disease. Adding water from the other tank my have speed up the cycle butt you risk starting out with a disease in the tank.

Don't worry, I still like you :D The water has disease or not is reflect on the fish such as Hole in the head....otherwise we don't know what kind of potential disease happen, beside its my own tank at least I see all my fishes are healthy, so whether cycle or clone the tank, it makes no different....it is a risk if you obtain the water, gravel or sponge from unknow source, I wouldn't do that for sure.

[kaceyo]

Hi Duncan,
I must agree with Bigfoot. The point of doing a fishless cycle is to start with a tank that has absolutly no contamination from fish or tanks outside the new one. If you are going to add water from an established tank you might as well use some of the biomedia or a sponge fiter from that tank. Since your tank cycled so fast I have to believe you transfered quite alot of bacteria from the established tank. A fishless cycle without seeding from outside should take around 6 weeks give or take. You are off to a great start by trying different ways of doing things and learning how and why things work the way they do.
Good luck and welcome to Simply,

Kacey

[ShinShin]

On the other hand, most pathogens must attach to a host in a relatively short time, or die.

Mat

[alpine]

Duncan, you did not do a "Fishless Cycle " you pretty much just transported media to a new tank and fed with ammonia and the bacteria responded to it and let you record the rises on nitrite and ammonia.
A fishless cycle takes some time . You can not , NOT do it in a week.

roberto.

[Duncan]

Duncan, you did not do a "Fishless Cycle " you pretty much just transported media to a new tank and fed with ammonia and the bacteria responded to it and let you record the rises on nitrite and ammonia.
A fishless cycle takes some time . You can not , NOT do it in a week.

roberto.

I disagree with you this point, to cycle a tank means to establish biological filter, adding beneficial bacteria just part of the cycle process, without doing this, the cycle still takes place its just slower and longer time. I didn't use any filter media...

Below is one of the person from other site did the cycle diary from scratch without adding any beneficial bacteria, it took about 10 days.

http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlessdiary.htm

[BIGFOOT]

I would not trust a new tank after only a week cycle.

[kaceyo]

A true fishless cycle is one that doesn't include anything which has been in contact with fish that might pass on disease to the new environs. Thats the whole point of taking the time (many weeks) to do a fishless cycle. Tho as Mat said, one advantage in doing it the way Duncan did is that anything that can't live without a host for a week or more won't make it into the new tank. Unfortunetly that still leaves alot of possible diseases being transfered. Again, you may as well just have a cycled sponge filter in the doner tank to move into the new one, then feed it ammo for a week. Most people, myself included, don't want to take a month or more to cycle their tank.
Kacey