Here's the deal, I am currently running a fishless cycle on a 125 gallon tank. I used pure ammonia and have gotten a nitrite spike in one day and the appearance of nitrates in two. I am going to introduce my fish when I feel it stabilized and 1ppm ammonia is eaten in 8-12 hours. I have small fish right now 4" blood parrot, 4" bala', 5" sengal, 3.5" pictus catfish, and 8 inch ropefish. I want to add 6 anostomus anostomus at the same time for they fight when kept in small groups. I was thinking that instead of adding my small amount of fish and lowering the bacteria population I created with the ammonia. I could add the group to avoid doing it after the bacteria adjusted to my small bio load. I could also put them in my 30 gallon and add one at a time while it is still running. Opinions please.
Fishless cycling, Help!
- Thread starter Samlamanna
- Start date
It took about 20 days to "Fishless Cycle my 240 completely.
Are you following this method ? http://malawicichlids.com/mw01017.htm
Are you following this method ? http://malawicichlids.com/mw01017.htm
I'm gonna wait to stabilize the tank but my cycle is going quite fast. The bio load I'm creating will be more than enough for the fish I own now. I just wanted to add the new ones before the bio load adjusted to the small amount of fish I have now. If I wait the bacteria colony will drop and anostomus anostomus fight in groups of less than 6. If I add six fish later that may cause ammonia issues.
One of the benefits of a fishless cycle is you can establish a bacteria colony to handle a "full stock"...
Feel free to do so...
Feel free to do so...
Samlamanna;3958340; said:
Adding more fish is unlikely to cause issue. Remember that the bacterial colony DOUBLES just about overnight. It will practically immediately adapt to the new bioload.
I sure did notice by doing this fishless cycle how fast it adjusts. I was shocked to have nitrates after one dose. I put a filter from an old tank inside the fx5. I also have a koralia 4 blowing at the top for an immense amount of oxygen. This has been a great experience except the accidental inhalation of a bit to much pure ammonia, did wonders for my panic attacks. Thanks guys.
I thought mine was going quite fast too.I had to delay delivery of 60 Cichids TWICE . I found that trying to rush the process was just asking for problems. Done correctly Fishless Cycling develops BB well in excess of a full stock of fish.Samlamanna;3958340;3958340 said:
The attached chart is the best graphical representation of the process I have found.
How many days have you been adding ammonia ?
Have you seen your ammonia spike and crash ?
Have you seen your Nitrites spike and crash ?
Where are you on the chart ?
My experience with my 240 followed this charts patterns pretty close. I added filter material from an established tank when I started and got to "chart day # 30" in about 20 days.
I don't think you can experience a "spike" in one day. A spike by definition is identified by comparing to a number of consecutive readings.
If you have found a way to do this in substantially less time, Please, Document the steps and amounts and share it with the group. Otherwise your tank is not fully cycled and you are headed for grief.
dawnmarie;3960737; said:I thought mine was going quite fast too.I had to delay delivery of 60 Cichids TWICE . I found that trying to rush the process was just asking for problems. Done correctly Fishless Cycling develops BB well in excess of a full stock of fish.
The attached chart is the best graphical representation of the process I have found.
How many days have you been adding ammonia ?
Have you seen your ammonia spike and crash ?
Have you seen your Nitrites spike and crash ?
Where are you on the chart ?
My experience with my 240 followed this charts patterns pretty close. I added filter material from an established tank when I started and got to "chart day # 30" in about 20 days.
I don't think you can experience a "spike" in one day. A spike by definition is identified by comparing to a number of consecutive readings.
If you have found a way to do this in substantially less time, Please, Document the steps and amounts and share it with the group. Otherwise your tank is not fully cycled and you are headed for grief.
Great data (visual taboot) Dawnmarie. Thanks! I think that one thing that both Samlamanna and myself do to cut at least 33% off the time is by doing an ammonia load to jumpstart the "fishless cycle". In the graph it shows around 13 days to achieve the Ammonia spike. I have used Ace Hardware ammonia (Detergent free...) and brought my ammonia all the way up to 5 PPM in a few seconds.
I have found that after I achieve the Nitrite spike and drop in far less time when using a lethal ammonia dosage like 5 ppm (viscious dark green color in the liquid test kit) then with lower dosages like 2 - 3 PPM.
I liken this to brewing beer! The more fermentable malt in the wort, the faster that the yeast will achieve floculation and the more violently they reproduce and pee alcohol and toot carbon dioxide.
I usually repeat the 5PPM cycle a second time. It is many many times faster flatlining the Ammonia and Nitrites the second time around. The downside is that you get Nitrate readings that are off the chart and would make roodolph the reindeer jelous of the shade of red I get from it, requiring massive % water change in numeous parts before the addition of fish!