How much fishfood for cycling?
- Thread starter saradomin
- Start date
I wouldn't cycle a tank with fish food. You'll end up with a foul-smelling mess.
It would be a lot easier to cycle the tank with pure ammonia, which you can find at an Ace Hardware store. The main thing is to get ammonia that doesn't contain any surfactants or other cleaning solutions, dyes, etc. (checking for surfactants is easy -- shake the bottle and look for suds or soap bubbles; but for other ingredients, you'll need to check the label).
Here is a good guide for fishless cycling.
http://www.cpp.edu/~jskoga/Aquariums/Ammonia.html
It would be a lot easier to cycle the tank with pure ammonia, which you can find at an Ace Hardware store. The main thing is to get ammonia that doesn't contain any surfactants or other cleaning solutions, dyes, etc. (checking for surfactants is easy -- shake the bottle and look for suds or soap bubbles; but for other ingredients, you'll need to check the label).
Here is a good guide for fishless cycling.
http://www.cpp.edu/~jskoga/Aquariums/Ammonia.html
I used this stuff for a fish less cycle. Same reason--I started with food, and it got smelly and nasty.
http://store.drtimsaquatics.com/Ammonium-Chloride-Solution-for-Fishless-Cycling_p_190.html
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
http://store.drtimsaquatics.com/Ammonium-Chloride-Solution-for-Fishless-Cycling_p_190.html
Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Yes the ammonia will increase as the food breaks down.
***60 gallon with 1 Flowerhorn, 10 Mollies and 1 Musk Turtle, 4 Angelfish temporarily with my mom***
***60 gallon with 1 Flowerhorn, 10 Mollies and 1 Musk Turtle, 4 Angelfish temporarily with my mom***
I've used both fish food and ammonia. For fish food, I used an amount that was equivalent to the size and quantity of fish I planned to put into the tank--at the time they were going in (not when they were full grown. Small fish = small food.) Ammonia is more accurate, but if it's food, just don't "over feed." For ammonia, there is a sticky on how much to use (although when I was doing it, there wasn't information, so I just dropped a cap full in each day.)
I don't recall it smelling bad from food or ammonia, but I like the way a tank smells even after feeding, so I guess my opinion isn't going to help much.
You don't have to add a lot of stuff since the bacteria population will grow as your fish grow. You just have to have enough bacteria to match the size of the fish at the time you put them in the tank and then when you get the fish be careful to slowly increase the amount food you feed.
I don't recall it smelling bad from food or ammonia, but I like the way a tank smells even after feeding, so I guess my opinion isn't going to help much.
You don't have to add a lot of stuff since the bacteria population will grow as your fish grow. You just have to have enough bacteria to match the size of the fish at the time you put them in the tank and then when you get the fish be careful to slowly increase the amount food you feed.
ammonia is the best cycling method, but i also tried a huge shrimp for cycling and it also worked well, i bought a coup[le of pounds of shrimp took 2 pieces and placed them in womans stockings hung it in the tank and cooked the rest for dinner
