FishPerson

I am going to ask this questions so that less people, including myself, will not have to ask as often. What is the deal with this cycle stuff? if you have used it for a bit, what fish would you be able to put in until the cycle was finished? if cycle does start "mini-cycles" does it stop after one mini-cycle, or keep going until after you stop adding cycle to your water? also, can you any more unasked questions i may be missing? thanx.

lilsoccakid

cycle is just bacteria that will all die of after 2 weeks, so its really just a waste of money. i have some sitting on my desk that im about to throw out. it didnt help me cycle at all. the only product that actully works is called "bio spira"

susitna-flower

The KEY is to get the tank cycled......The only way you can tell if this has happened is to TEST your tank water.

If you have used cycle (the product) and want to stop. Buy some PRIME, and just stop using cycle. Test your water and if ammonia or nitrite start coming up use prime. Do water changes to help and in time your cycle WILL be complete and safe from the fluxuations. OR you can stop with the cycle product and use BIO-SPIRA and be done with it.....

Do you have an API Master test kit? If not you need to get one and start testing your water. It will give you peace of mind.

lilsoccakid

fishperson, you dont have fish in ur tank do you?

if not, then dont do water changes, you can just let it cycle

if u do hav fish, then do buy PRIME and water changes, as susitna-flower had said

good luck!

calinb

After using Bio-Spira, I got an immediate nitrite spike, but the NOBs never really got going and nitrites remained high. I'd been doing daily 50% water changes since setting up with Bio-Spira and susitna-flower thinks that may have kept Bio-Spira from completely cycling. Anyway, I tried Cycle after the month and used it as as directed but, a week later, there was NO change in my readings.

Now I've changed out nearly all the water and re-treated with Bio-Spira. 20 hours later I see 0.05-0.10ppm ammonia, 1ppm nitrite, and 5ppm nitrate so I think it's working. I'm using Prime and not changing water this time.

Sanders_BALR

I used Cycle. I used it heavy though. Like a setup dose every other day for like 2.5 weeks. Not once every 7 days like the bottle says.....anyway. It worked for me.(with fish)

Now, Bio-spira. Ive heard once you add it, youve got to be patient and not "freak out" when you get screwy test results, as it will throw weird numbers until the bacteria colonize/form correctly. Ive been told you just have to add it, trust it, and wait.

I recently setup a new tank and I seeded it off my established 29g with a used filter and a few plants......It cycled in 2.5 days (fishless) feeding the tank with pure ammonia. DEF the way to go.

King_Snuggles

yeah i used an off brand name stuff but it worked just fine. "Bacteria from petco" because no one around me sells bio-spara. It worked and my water has been stable. I cycled it with a betta fish and did not test or change the water for 8 days. After that it was fine.

susitna-flower

I am SO glad it is working for you this time. Sounds like things are going well. Do you have fish in? I forget....

FishPerson

well i dont have fish in my tank at the moment, so should i just wait it out, not doing water changes? about how long til it will be safe to add fish?

susitna-flower

I am so confused......WHAT are you cycling your tank with?

I guess I just assumed since you were adding cycle, and were asking what fish to put in to help your tank cycle, that you did have fish.

This changes some of my advice. IF there are no fish in the tank, don't do water changes, as this just slows down the cycle.

The only reason to do the changes is to keep your fish healthy. Without fish your ammonia and nitrite can spike without any fear of it hurting the fish.

If you aren't using fish, what are you putting in the tank to create the ammonia to feed the bacteria?

FishPerson

well i HAD some fish, however, there was a huge outbreak (probably because i added the fishstore's water to my tank. stupid me) so that is what started my cycle. do i still add water to compensate for evaporated water?

sgould

Yes, you can top off evaporation. Huge outbreak of what? To Susitna-flower's point...you have to have something in the tank producing ammonia or you will never cycle. The "something" can be fish, fish food (added daily), pure ammonia (added daily), or a piece of raw shrimp or fish. If you HAD fish in the tank, but do not anymore, then you will be starting your cycle from scratch again now...UNLESS you have been adding food or ammonia ever since the fish left the tank.

Read this page carefully...http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

FishPerson

darn. So what would you say is the best way to get the cycle going?

FishPerson

My water IS cloudy...dosn't that mean that the cycle is going?

Also, could i put some guppies in the tank to speed it up?

sgould

Cloudy water can mean any one of several things. But I promise you that with no ammonia source in the water your tank is NOT cycling. Put a hunk of raw shrimp in the tank and wait it out. Don't add fish until the cycle is done. Even if they survive it, which they might not, their life spans would likely be shortened. Get a liquid test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. You will get a spike of ammonia, then it will drop back to 0. On the downward slope of that ammonia spike, you will get a spike of nitrite, which will also eventually drop back to 0. When both ammonia and nitrite are back to 0 following their spike, your tank will be cycled and you can add fish. Monitor nitrate regularly and do not let it get above 20ppm. Unlike the ammonia and nitrite, nitrate will not come back down on its own. You have to monitor it weekly and keep it controlled by changing out part of the tank's water. I do about 20% each week.

FishPerson

thanks. if i DO use fish, what suggestions would you make? do i still do water changes, or is that only after the tank is cycled?

calinb

If you don't use fish, you might want to try ammonia. I'm using the "alternative recipe" here:

http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm

and it seems to be working quickly to finish cycling a Bio-Spira tank that stopped cycling after I added Prime. The tank contains no fish now and it only took 24 hours for some nitrates to show up after adding ammonia.

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/aq...bio-spira.html


-Cal