Just got my 30 gallon tank set up & started on a fishless cycle. I have two Aqua Clear 30's to get me that magic 10 x filtration. I didnt add a water conditioner, but I plan on doing this to any new water before its added to tank at the end of the cycle.

I started adding a couple of cap fulls of ammonia at a time. Im up to about 7 cap fulls now. Im trying to get ammonia to 5.0 before I go to bed. Anyone got any tips or advice or notice anything im doing wrong up to this point?

Be warned-- Fishless cycling can take a very long time. To make it go much quicker, you can add some used filter media to the new filters, or add some gravel or decorations from an existing tank.

Other than that, it sounds like you're doing OK! Good luck!

7 capfulls seems like an awful lot of ammonia. I didn't even need that much to spike a 75 gallon tank. Maybe you could check to see if your tests are expired or working correctly?

flavors - Perhaps i have a smaller bottle with smaller cap?

I had to add another five capfuls quickly because it was taking to long and I was getting inpatient. Water test started showing around 8.0 ppm of ammonia. I know its alot higher then whats suggested. I dont see how it could mess anything up. What do you guys think?

Hello

There are two things that I'd like to mention.
1. You should treat the water to remove the chloramines and heavy metals in your water.
2. 8ppm of ammonia is too high. High levels of ammonia inhibit the production of the beneficial bacteria (nitrosomonas) needed to give you nitrites.

You should do a 40% - 50% water change to bring these levels down, and also add water conditioner. Do you have an established tank somewhere that you could transfer some media or gravel to the cycling tank? If not, it's okay - it'll still cycle.

I would like to add that it would be helpful to keep a log of your progress. How much ammonia you've added, and the levels you test as your cycle. This can come in handy if you should have problems and need advice. You'll have a record of everything so there's more information to go off of.

Best of luck with your cycle!!

Debbie

Im going to leave the ammonia levels where there at and see what happens. Im the type of person that needs to learn the hard way I guess. lol

My girlfriend has a established tank but its infested with flatworms. Im kinda weary of asking for some of her filter media because I dont want those worms in my tank.

I just figured out that my tank is actually 38 gallons not 30. I took back the Aquaclear 30's & got a couple Aquaclear 50's.

I purchased and added water conditioner at Fishys suggestions. The reason I didnt add any at first was because I figured it wasnt vital until I was going to add some goldies.

I also purchased some Anacharis plants. I took the water that came with them & threw it in the new filters for about 5 min before I turned them on. Im hoping the plants & water will help introduce the good bacteria a little faster.

Ammonia appears to be at 4.0 ppm today. Im assuming the Aquasafe I added yesterday brought it down.

I didn't add charcoal to the new filters I bought yesterday. I think i'll add it after I get some goldies in there. What do you guys think?

I always wondered if Bio-spare would help a fish-less tank cycle even if you add ammonia to the tank?. It has all the good bugs in it and its live stuff. Just a thought that ran through my head

I just looked at the ingredients of the ammonia im using to do a fishless cycle & wanna make sure its not the wrong kind.

Its labeled as clear ammonia , I purchased it from Walgreens.

The ingredients are

ammonia hydoxcide
perfume & dye

the perfume & dye part has me a little worried. Let me know if its the wrong kind & if you think it would cause probs to continue using it.

That would be a problem hun, "perfume & dye" can be toxic to fish:(

Please tell me I dont have to empty all the water. If I find the correct ammonia & start using it todays think I can keep using the same water ?

I would do a 100% water change. It's not worth the risk. It's more work for you, but what it comes down to, is that you want what's best for the fish.
It's a good thing that you noticed it, and that you asked. It would have been heartbreaking for you to find out the hard way.

Debbie

Just went out & purhcased the Ace Hardware brand of ammonia. There are no ingredients on the bottle. How did you guys know this was the right kind with no additives?

Just did 100 percent water change. Even emptied out the little bit that was in the filters. I didnt allow the filter media to dry out. I kept it in a big bowl of tank water. I added 1 cap of the Ace Hardware ammonia & im now sitting at 4.0 ppm. Thanks for the help guys.

Good luck, now that you're on the right track!

I found out from the store manager. The bottle says ammonium hydrochloride 10% - I believe...? The manager at the Ace Hardware store looked it up in a book of every product in the store - and it's ingredients. He said that by law, if there was something in the bottle, it HAD to be listed in that book.... and there was nothing but the ammonium hydrochoride - which is ammonia mixed with water, basically.

You're got great stuff there, that's what I used. Keep us posted on your progress! We're all behind you - wishing you the best, and happy to answer any questions you may have as you go along.

Debbie

Hey guys just wanted to keep you guys updated on how my cycle went & had a quick question.

I thought my tank had fully cycled because it got to the point where i would raise amonia between 4.0 & 8.0, within 12 hours it would be down to 0. Same with the Nitrites. I did a water change over 50 percent & went to buy some fish. I got a albino brislenose pleco & a black Ranchu (thinking about naming him Nemo). After having them in the tank for about 3 days & feeding them 3 times. I decided to check the water params. Ammonia is still 0 but I was suprised to find that my nitrites are now hovering around 5.0. I did a water change of over 50 percent and treated the new water with AquaSafe and noticed that the nitrites are not going down. They almost appeared to be higher then before. Im about to do another 50 percent water change if the nitrites are still high in another hour. Im also going to add some salt to help. Can anyone tell me why my nitrites are spiking all of a sudden?

Your cycle is probably at a plateau... meaning you really REALLY need to keep up the water changes to keep the water parameters safe for the fish. Soon you'll probably be getting readings of nitrAtes, which is the final step to the cycle.

Ideally, you want the water parameters to be Ammonia=0, NitrItes=0, and NitrAtes less than 20. That would be the fully cycled tank you're aiming for.

I would say a huge water change is in order, because nitrItes of 5 are very high and can be extremely toxic to fish.

Nitrates where in the 40 - 80 range when everything else was at zero. I thought it was good to go.

I did a 90 percent water change & got nitrites down to .25. After I fed the little buggers I tested water later that evening & saw it was almost .50. Guess im going to have to stay on top of the water changes until things smooth out. I really wanted to avoid this & is the reason I went the fishless cycle route.

Added about 3 tablespoons of aquarium salt. Instructions say to add a tablespoon per 5 gallons. I have a 38 gallon tank but didnt want to add to much. I would rather keep an eye on my params rather then add to much that kills my plants or causes probs for the fish.

I read another post about someones pleco dying because there was no algae in his new tank & it starved to death. I cant see any algae in my tank. Should i be worried, or will he be fine for the time being feeding on scraps that make it to the floor from feeding my Ranchu?

That would indicate that your tank was fully cycled at that point, but nitrAtes of 40-80 are awfully high for fish to live in. Sometimes when you add fish, it will shock the cycle a bit, and it takes a little while for the bacteria to keep up with the new waste load.



Yes, water changes are the best plan of action at this point. Make sure to keep a close eye on the parameters, so things don't get out of hand.



I would try to poke some extra food down to the pleco. I don't thinks scraps alone would be enough. I think plecos also enjoy broccoli and peas. As long as you feed him, he'll make it without algae.

"That would indicate that your tank was fully cycled at that point, but nitrAtes of 40-80 are awfully high for fish to live in."

Nitrates where at 40-80 range at end of cycle & everything else at 0. I then did a 50-60 percent water change. Nitrates came down around 5.0 prior to introducing the fish to their new home. Sorry for the confusion.

P.s. thanks for the replys Petperson04

"That would indicate that your tank was fully cycled at that point, but nitrAtes of 40-80 are awfully high for fish to live in."

Nitrates where at 40-80 range at end of cycle & everything else at 0. I then did a 50-60 percent water change. Nitrates came down around 5.0 prior to introducing the fish to their new home. Sorry for the confusion.

P.s. thanks for the replys Petperson04