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Post by Rainbowlightning on Nov 19, 2004 21:02:55 GMT -5
Ok, here's my question...
For those of you who have had to cycle a fishless tank, how long has it took and how many gallons??
I have a 5g tank, I'm on my 7th week cycling and am still suffering Nitrate/nitrite spike.
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Post by amanichen on Nov 21, 2004 20:21:25 GMT -5
You've been doing water changes, right?
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Post by Rainbowlightning on Nov 21, 2004 21:21:29 GMT -5
Correct, I had been doing water changes up until you recommended me to stop... but that was because Mr Fish lived in there up until a week ago.
I haven't done one since I was advised to stop.
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Post by amanichen on Nov 21, 2004 21:54:12 GMT -5
No more water changes = cycling faster
=)
If there's no fish, you could let the ammonia get very high, thus making things go more quickly.
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Post by Rainbowlightning on Nov 22, 2004 0:11:37 GMT -5
Ahh... well sounds good.
If my Fish would eat and poop, then I could scoop it up and put it into my cycling tank... but seeing as at this moment in time he's not...I'm just feeding the tank 3-4 pellets twice a day. Should I maybe increase the ammount?
Is it true that one day (overnight) the nitrite will suddenly just drop?
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Post by amanichen on Nov 22, 2004 13:13:21 GMT -5
So you're just putting food in an empty tank then?
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Post by Rainbowlightning on Nov 22, 2004 13:16:03 GMT -5
If you mean empty as in no fish... yes.
The tank it's self is fully set up with Filter, etc.
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Post by amanichen on Nov 22, 2004 13:54:34 GMT -5
While fishless cycling is a good idea, it's best done with household ammonia.
Other than fish, there are other organisms which produce ammonia in a tank. They are called heterotrophic bacteria, and they are the types mainly responsible for diseases in fish. So, I'd be wary of doing it with decaying organic matter...rather I'd use household ammonia (with no additives I might add...) to do it.
If you use food, you run into problems with harmful bacteria being plentiful by the time the fish goes in.
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Post by Rainbowlightning on Nov 22, 2004 15:06:44 GMT -5
Ohh jeesh, here we go...lol I've just been using food and now that Mr fish is pooping again, I've been adding that. What recommendations would have for the fishless cycling? Household ammonia...meaning??? I have plenty cat poo and pee I could use (LMAO, ok sorry, that was just a joke!  ) |
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Post by amanichen on Nov 22, 2004 15:10:10 GMT -5
Household ammonia...meaning??? Go to a grocery store, buy a bottle of ammonia. Make sure it says ingredients "Ammonia and water" or "ammonium hydroixde." Make sure it's free of perfumes, dyes, surfactants, etc. Basically, make sure it has no additives in it. |
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Post by Rainbowlightning on Nov 22, 2004 15:26:37 GMT -5
Ok.
I mean I know what household ammonia is, as I have many cleaning products based with ammonia, but was sure you couldn't possibly mean that.
So I go to lgs and get ammonia (with no additives). What kind of dosis should I use? how often? And should I stop with the fish food and poop?
And how bad would it be if too much ammonia was added.... what should be done then?
Ohhhh and another question that just occurred to me. Maybe the fact that I haven't got a heater in my cycling tank has also got something to do with the slow cycling process. I only have one heater and it's in the hospital tank. Do you think this could be a cause?
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