How to cycle a tank very quickly? Is it even possible?

[Kashif314]

I have used Seachem Stabilty in the past, IME it needed to be used at double the recommended dosage, but it worked exactly as it was advertised. I would highly recommend this product to fellow hobbyists.

Get filter medIa, add Seachem stabilty, add fish, and feed sparingly while continuing to dose with Stabilty.

An old thread on Seachem Stability.......

Seachem Stability: PUT TO THE TEST/blank slate (daily perams/pics)

I recently got hit with a horrible disease and had to treat this tank with meds so strong they killed off all of my benificial bacteria. I cannot risk spread of disease so adding cycled media from one of my other tanks is not an option. On a positive note, that means this is the perfect time to...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

This here +1

If you add the sponge with out a source of ammonia in the tank already, the B.B. will not have a food source and most likely will die off.

I just found out the other day, seachem has another product called “seed”. It is a more potent version of stability. I picked up 2 bottles for my next tank set up. Will let you know how it works in a few weeks....

I’ve never used their Aquavitro Seed product, but after reading some of the comments by Seachem reps I’m not so sure about it being more potent than Stability?

- Seachem Support Forums

In fact as I recall their Aquavitro line was developed for marine hobbyists, for marketing purposes.

Same products, same product descriptions, different labels.

Seachem - Stability

www.seachem.com

aquavitro - seed

Ive always used and had good luck with microbacter7 from Brightwells. But good used filter media is just as good. Stability is a decent product too. But I used mb7 during my salt days without issues so I still use it when needed.

There was a product, maybe 20 yrs or so ago that marine guys used, that had to be kept refrigerated. I remember people getting it shipped up here from the US in styro boxes and dry ice. (Bio-Spira?) I think that the bacteria in the bottle products have come along ways since then. I have heard good things about Tetra SafeStart, http://www.tetra-fish.com/products/water-care/safestart-plus.aspx

and Dr. Tim's line of products, the creator I believe of the original Bio Spira line.

One & Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria

Eliminate New Tank Syndrom when setting up a new tank or after cleaning water & filters. Check out One & Only Live Nitrifying Bacteria solutions today!

store.drtimsaquatics.com

Yes that’s the stuff. I haven’t even had a chance to read up on it yet. I got it for next to nothing so I figured I would give it a shot.

My best "Guess" is the dirty media will contain the bacteria that breaks food down into ammonia so putting the dirty media in initially would be bennificial.

Thanks everyone. I read about stability and read good things about it and Seachem is a very very reputable brand. I had many issues solved in my planted tanks with just a few dose of their suggest wet fertilisers which other products takes long time to correct. So now few things I want to know and not actually understand about the cycling:

1) I will try to get a lot of established filter media from the store. They have so many tanks and I can get really good amount of media from them. The question is that if I install filter media right away and start tank with fish, how would I even know if the cycle is started or not?

Maybe tank would be instantly cycled as the bb available would be enough to break down the amonia by bio load? Correct me if I am wrong.

So isn't it a good idea to start the tank without the established filter media and add some source of amonia like fish food and check when the amonia readings start to build and spike and then add the established media and see when they start to lower down? In this way I ll know that the existing bb is working fine and will be sure that tank is cycled fully when things become normal? Please advise.

2) If I do a cycle with fish what fish is suggested? I google and found out about small schooling fish but if I put them in my tank I ll later have to take them all out which would be a pain. I don't want to keep small fish in this tank. Is there any good size fish I can keep if I do a cycle with fish? An Oscar maybe as they are hardy but not sure if they are ok with high toxicity or maybe a goldfish? I want to put as lees fish as I can so when later I need to take them out I won't have trouble finding them inside a 5 feet tank. (I don't want to let them inside because don't want them to be meal for the other big fish I ll put later). Please advise what big fish I can put during cycling and how many? My tank dimensions are 60 L x 18 W × 20 H (In inches). Its about 95 gallon tank. Please advise big fish I can have and how many?

3) Seachem Prime detoxify ammonia so is it advisable to use that during cycling, for the safety of the fish?

Please reply in detail. I wanna start cycling soon. Thanks.

 

[RD.]

You can skip all of that, and just do as I previously suggested. You seem to want to make a rather simple procedure overly complicated.

 

[RD.]

I will try to get a lot of established filter media from the store. They have so many tanks and I can get really good amount of media from them.

As already mentioned, while using established media is best, and can cycle a tank immediately, I would personally never risk using media from a LFS.


Good luck

 

[Kashif314]

You can skip all of that, and just do as I previously suggested. You seem to want to make a rather simple procedure overly complicated.

As already mentioned, while using established media is best, and can cycle a tank immediately, I would personally never risk using media from a LFS.


Good luck

Thanks again. So with what kind of fish? Is there a reasonable size fish that can tolerate if something went wrong? Or shall I proceed with the fish I want if I have exizting filter media installed?

 

[RD.]

Correct me if I am wrong - but this tank was for a flowerhorn that you had your eye on, yes? If you feel that the LFS media is safe, and that's what you are going to use, then that's all you need. Established media = instant cycle. I have lost count how many tanks I have set up using established media from another tank. To be on the safe side, I would still add something along the lines of Seachem Stability for the first little while, and I would feed very sparingly for the first few weeks to keep ammonia levels low.

Don't overthink this, I'm starting to feel like we're being punked. lol

 

[Kashif314]

Correct me if I am wrong - but this tank was for a flowerhorn that you had your eye on, yes? If you feel that the LFS media is safe, and that's what you are going to use, then that's all you need. Established media = instant cycle. I have lost count how many tanks I have set up using established media from another tank. To be on the safe side, I would still add something along the lines of Seachem Stability for the first little while, and I would feed very sparingly for the first few weeks to keep ammonia levels low.

Don't overthink this, I'm starting to feel like we're being punked. lol

No no trust me I am not doing this punk thing. I had to google this word. I am just overly cautious about things in general. When I was in university I use to do 2+2 on a calculator during my statistics exam to be sure. Its just how I am. Very sorry for giving you guys wrong impression.

I will now start the tank by adding existing filter media and fish (not sure about getting a FH) and will dose stability for few days along with prime if I find levels go high.

Thanks a lot and again sorry for being repetitive. Kind of language barrier and kind of my craziness.

 

[esoxlucius]

No no trust me I am not doing this punk thing. I had to google this word. I am just overly cautious about things in general. When I was in university I use to do 2+2 on a calculator during my statistics exam to be sure. Its just how I am. Very sorry for giving you guys wrong impression.

I will now start the tank by adding existing filter media and fish (not sure about getting a FH) and will dose stability for few days along with prime if I find levels go high.

Thanks a lot and again sorry for being repetitive. Kind of language barrier and kind of my craziness.

I wish I'd have had questions like that in my statistics exams at school! I might have got a bit further in life.

 

[Oughtsix]

Thanks everyone. I read about stability and read good things about it and Seachem is a very very reputable brand. I had many issues solved in my planted tanks with just a few dose of their suggest wet fertilisers which other products takes long time to correct. So now few things I want to know and not actually understand about the cycling:

1) I will try to get a lot of established filter media from the store. They have so many tanks and I can get really good amount of media from them. The question is that if I install filter media right away and start tank with fish, how would I even know if the cycle is started or not?

Maybe tank would be instantly cycled as the bb available would be enough to break down the amonia by bio load? Correct me if I am wrong.

So isn't it a good idea to start the tank without the established filter media and add some source of amonia like fish food and check when the amonia readings start to build and spike and then add the established media and see when they start to lower down? In this way I ll know that the existing bb is working fine and will be sure that tank is cycled fully when things become normal? Please advise.

2) If I do a cycle with fish what fish is suggested? I google and found out about small schooling fish but if I put them in my tank I ll later have to take them all out which would be a pain. I don't want to keep small fish in this tank. Is there any good size fish I can keep if I do a cycle with fish? An Oscar maybe as they are hardy but not sure if they are ok with high toxicity or maybe a goldfish? I want to put as lees fish as I can so when later I need to take them out I won't have trouble finding them inside a 5 feet tank. (I don't want to let them inside because don't want them to be meal for the other big fish I ll put later). Please advise what big fish I can put during cycling and how many? My tank dimensions are 60 L x 18 W × 20 H (In inches). Its about 95 gallon tank. Please advise big fish I can have and how many?

3) Seachem Prime detoxify ammonia so is it advisable to use that during cycling, for the safety of the fish?

Please reply in detail. I wanna start cycling soon. Thanks.

I have not cycled a tank using food for an ammonia source... so my best guess is:
1) Fill the tank.
2) Add the food that will be used to provide ammonia and the seeded filter media immediately.
3) Do an initial test then test every 3 days of so.
4) You will most likely see the ammonia level register considerable sooner than if you did not initially add the seeded filter media. A cycled aquarium is filled with a plethora of different bacteria species. Nitrosomonas bacteria for breaking down ammonia into Nitrite and Nitrobacter bacteria for breaking nitrite down to nitrate get all the attention because together they process toxic ammonia down to much less toxic nitrates. But there are MANY other species of bacteria present in a healthy aquarium. One or many of these species of bacteria breaks food and other organic substances down into ammonia. By adding the seeded filter media initially you are seeding the bacteria that breaks down food as well as the nitrifying bacteria as well as many other species of beneficial bacteria.
5) After the ammonia registers on you water test Nitrites should start to register after a couple weeks.
6) A few weeks later Nitrates should start to register and eventually the nitrite level should start to decline... etc... as posted previously.

I have never used Seachem prime, charcoal, zeolite or any of the other ammonia neutralizers while cycling a tank. I am not comfortable with this approach and I have never tried this shortcut. I have used zeolite previously when I have added way too many fish too quick to squelch a mini cycle (a lot more ammonia being produced by adding a lot of fish and the nitrifying bacterial colonies not being able to keep up until they grow enough to handle the new ammonia load) but it is not an ongoing media in my long term filtration strategy.

 

[RD.]

Seachem Prime simply converts the free ammonia (NH3) into a fish safe form, that your bio filters will still be able to utilize while you are cycling a tank. Seachem reps have explained this as the free ammonia being converted into the Schiff base of an aldehyde (R2C=NH), which is non-toxic to fish.

 

[Kashif314]

I wish I'd have had questions like that in my statistics exams at school! I might have got a bit further in life.

It wasn't just 2+2 lol. I mean when I had such easy additions or multiplications I still used calculators.

I have not cycled a tank using food for an ammonia source... so my best guess is:
1) Fill the tank.
2) Add the food that will be used to provide ammonia and the seeded filter media immediately.
3) Do an initial test then test every 3 days of so.
4) You will most likely see the ammonia level register considerable sooner than if you did not initially add the seeded filter media. A cycled aquarium is filled with a plethora of different bacteria species. Nitrosomonas bacteria for breaking down ammonia into Nitrite and Nitrobacter bacteria for breaking nitrite down to nitrate get all the attention because together they process toxic ammonia down to much less toxic nitrates. But there are MANY other species of bacteria present in a healthy aquarium. One or many of these species of bacteria breaks food and other organic substances down into ammonia. By adding the seeded filter media initially you are seeding the bacteria that breaks down food as well as the nitrifying bacteria as well as many other species of beneficial bacteria.
5) After the ammonia registers on you water test Nitrites should start to register after a couple weeks.
6) A few weeks later Nitrates should start to register and eventually the nitrite level should start to decline... etc... as posted previously.

I have never used Seachem prime, charcoal, zeolite or any of the other ammonia neutralizers while cycling a tank. I am not comfortable with this approach and I have never tried this shortcut. I have used zeolite previously when I have added way too many fish too quick to squelch a mini cycle (a lot more ammonia being produced by adding a lot of fish and the nitrifying bacterial colonies not being able to keep up until they grow enough to handle the new ammonia load) but it is not an ongoing media in my long term filtration strategy.

Thanks dear. Yes, I ll use existing established filter media to have an instant cycle. I will keep check on my water parameters. If something went wrong while fish inside I ll have Seachem prime to detoxify. But as you all suggested it will be an instant cycle so I am hopeful nothing wrong will happen. I will feed cautiously.

Seachem Prime simply converts the free ammonia (NH3) into a fish safe form, that your bio filters will still be able to utilize while you are cycling a tank. Seachem reps have explained this as the free ammonia being converted into the Schiff base of an aldehyde (R2C=NH), which is non-toxic to fish.

Thanks. Well, its an amazing product then. I have only used it to prime my tap water but wasn't aware it has so much importance.