ahiggins

I am in the process of (fishless) cycling a 10 gallon tank and have already added Cycle. I am getting no reading for nitrites or nitrates after two days of testing. I am wondering if I can add Biospira to start it up, or should I start over with new water?

Also, do water conditioners expire?

Thanks.

cognizant

Have you added anything to the tank yet in order to start the cycle such as fish food or ammonia?

Shawnie

welcome to fishlore !!
congrats on cycleing fishless!
cycle isnt a good product to use as you would have to use it for the life of the tank...the bacteria cant sustain itself...I would get some pure ammonia from ace hardware or some other store that may carry it, and cycle with that..or fish food a couple times a day ...bio spira is now called safe start and that works very very well if you can find some....goodluck and keep us informed how things are going...

Christian Patti

Cycle puts the wrong kind of bacteria in the tank and is sometimes known to starve off the good bacteria. I'm not sure what you need to do to get rid of the cycle you put in the tank and if you need to re-setup or not. I'll let someone who knows more than me touch on that.

About the Safe-start (biospira is discontinued and replaced by safestart) I used to myself and it took 2 weeks and 2 bottles totaling 35 dollars. If you do want to use safe-start then I suggest doing this with no fish. Add it to a tank then steadily feed the tank ammonia each day to keep the ammonia at a steady level. When the bacteria can reduce the ammonia you add down to 0ppm in 10 hours then it is safe to add fish.

Shawnie

great advice christian patti~ but if you choose to go with safestart, you add fish at the same time....wait a week then test the water parimeters and then do your maintenance from there....I would do a complete water change with either method you choose...

Christian Patti

I wouldn't add the fish right away. I would still add add ammonia until the cycle is finished. Safe-start is not an instant cycle. It contains dormant bacteria that need to re-colonize. Your fish will see some ammonia if you add them in right away. Mine did when I used it. I would count on safe-start to boost your cycle down to 5-10 days not an instant cycle. Its great if your impatient and don't mind spending money on it. It can get expensive quick if it doesn't work on the first bottle though.

Shawnie

if its a new tank, adding fish with the safestart will not cause ammonia to rise as fast as it would to cycle it...if safestart is the new bio spira, (ive only used bio spira) and the tank isnt overstocked, there shouldnt be an issue..but again, ive only used bio spira so I cant speak for the safestart...some have had sucess and some havent...I get skeered using new things until they have been out awile LOL

Christian Patti

Yeah I had better luck with the old refrigerated bio spira to tell you the truth, I could get tanks cycled in like 2 days with it. I have used safe-start a fair number of times now and my results have been fairly the same. I can usually get a tank cycled with it in 5-10 days. I recommend just using ammonia drops with it to play it safe since their can be some ammonia present. Sometimes its not feasible because people already have the fish. I've been doing a lot of research on the safe-start and apparently the bacteria aren't even truly alive but they are dormant.

EDIT: I figured I would include this link if your not familiar with the term. :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy

ahiggins

Thanks for the replies. So I think I am going to risk not changing the water, add ammonia and find some Biospira (safe-start) and start the cycle.

Does anyone know how accurate/inaccurate the paper test strips are?

Alessa

They are not reliable. The one we recommend around here is the API liquid master test kit.

GouramiGirl1221

Trust me, the paper strips are not at all reliable. I got my liquid kit a couple of days ago and compared the strips to the liquid and they were pretty far off. And actually, if you look at it, buying the liquid kit is actually cheaper in the long run. Where I live I can get about 25 strips for $10 and a full master kit, which does about 150 tests, for $30.

ahiggins

Ok, so here is an update with more questions:

I picked up some gravel from a pet store and plan to put it in a thin sock in the tank. I have not found ammonia yet, so should I wait to add both at the same time?
Also, where can I find pure ammonia?

I noticed today that the water level in my tank in not even. It is on top on my kitchen counter which is large and attached to my wall and is kind of like a median. Should I be freaking out about this? I know my counter isn't going to collapse or anything but what does this mean?

The indicator light of my heater also keeps going off. Is it broken?
I got it TWO days ago!

Thanks for your replies!

jdhef

I assume you mean gravel from an established tank. You need to keep it wet and warm. But it also needs ammonia or the bacteria will starve to death. You can add a little fish food twice a day, since it produces ammonia as it decays.

I don't think the tank sloping a little will hurt anything.

The light on the heater usually comes on when the heater is on, and turns off when the heater is off. It has a termostat, so it is normal for the heater to turn off and on.

ahiggins

Ok, great. Thank you, I was worried about it was broken.

Is fish food ok as an ammonia source? How many flakes/day should I add?

jdhef

Fish food will work as an ammonia source. Some people use it to fishless cycle with, instead of using ammonia. From what I've read on this forum, it seems just a few flakes twice a day will do. But if I'm wrong, hopefully someone will correct me.

Allie

We never use product to cycle our tanks. Feed it a bit every other day and in a month it is usually ready. We also use used media for filters, sand and decorations.

FishnFry

I remember reading from another site that whenever somebody is using these products , he always claims "it's just a waste of money.".

Over the years of fishkeeping, I've never use this method. Instead tried to save my money to buy new fish.

Everytime I have a new set-up, I let the tank run overnight and then the next day, add 1 fish (a guppy works best for me as they are very hardy fish). With very little feeding, check the ammonia each day for 1 week then every other day after that. After a couple days and only if everything is fine, then I add another guppy maybe 2 but still feeding sparingly. With the fish in it and its poop helps cycle the tank. I've done this for lots and lots of times and never had any problems. Then again, every hobbyist has it's method of preference. And this is mine.

Goodluck on your set-up.

Fishies-for-me

it turns on and off depending on the room temp...if it is cool in there you may see it go on and off every 10 mins or so as it tries to keep things a very steady temp...if the room is hot it may not turn on at all.