mcdonald.kk

I set up my tank over a week ago and added Cycle. It has been 7 days and I have not seen any change in any of the readings. I know it can take 4-6 weeks or more for a tank to cycle but I was hoping to see at least a small change in the water chemistry to indicate that things were starting to happen. After reading some more on this site I learned that the only reliable product is Bio-spira. No one sells it in my area and there is a $20 shipping fee if I order it online. So....I've ordered an API master test kit and have borrowed a plastic plant from my neighbor's aquarium. Later this week they are changing the filter and will give me a piece to put in my filter. My question is, do I need to add ammonia to my tank to feed the bacteria on the plastic plant and to help a colony get established in my tank? And how often should I be testing my tank water as it is going through the cycle? My pH is a little low (6.8) because of some driftwood (I plan on adding fish from blackwater environments) Any help is great! p.s. I am doing a fish-less cycle.

SereneReyn

i'm 'feeding' my empty tank fish food daily, so that the deteriorating food will turn to ammonia and begin the cycle. you can test as often as you like, but it's really not necessary more than once every few days, i would think.

i hate waiting for fish. i'm not a patient person... /sigh... g'luck to you and your new tank!

Blub

FishPerson

Ah, Cycle. The annoying product that has snared so many new aquarists (including me.)

I, as stated above, Also tried using cycle to cycle my tank. I also found that it failed miserably. What I did after the first while that i saw cycle not working, was I just dumped the product and did what the knowledgable people here told me to. I was cycled in just over 3 weeks (after 4 weeks of using cycle). My water is now nice and healthy and I will be adding new fish within a week! Good luck with your tank!

Faye Rod

As frustrating as it is to wait for the cycle to happen without fish....DO NOT ADD FISH! You have so many more options to let the ammonia and nitrite spike when you don't have fish. I don't see the end of daily or twice daily water changes - nitrite goes up every day and I don't want to see the fish that are already in the tank suffer with nitrite poisoning. So far the fish seem to be healthy, active and eating....but it's a lot of work and worry.

I was not able to find biospira in our area either.....and didn't want to spend more money after getting all of the products recommended by the LFS before I found Fishlore. The same amount of money could have been spent on the Bio Spira - and now I have full containers of freshwater aquarium salt, pH products and chemicals to "regulate" the cycle. Oh if only I had known.....

mcdonald.kk

I'm not using fish food and I am definitely NOT going to add any fish until I am 100% sure that my tank is cycled and safe for them =) The only things I have in my tank are live plants and driftwood. I just added a plastic plant from my neighbors' aquarium. What should I do to get the nitrogen cycle started and to keep it from stalling? Thats why I was wondering if I should be adding drops of ammonia...?

angelfish220

Yes a couple drops of ammonia will get your tank started. you could also get a little hunk of raw salmon to put in it.

mcdonald.kk

cool. I'm off to the store for ammonia =)

sirdarksol

Make sure you get ammonia without any scents or other additives. Other chemicals can be bad for your tank.