Cycling An Aquarium...?

I have a few questions about Cycling an aquarium. For example, I have heard you can do fish in cycle or no fish cycle. How long does it actually take because some sources say 1-2 weeks other say a month+. Basically, I have heard a lot of contradicting stuff from many people, websites, and other sources. So, I actually have no idea.

 

Usually takes 6-8 weeks but can be quicker or slower. Using some kind of bottled bacteria (like tetra safe start) or adding some cycled media will speed it up.

I'd definitely recommend a fishless cycle over a fish in cycle.

 

First off... I would recommend a fishless cycle but I have done both and both can be done safely if done correctly...

Fishless- you need to add an ammonia source... I personally use dr tim’s Ammonium chloride (pretty cheap) otherwise you can use any ammonia that’s NOT scented and has to be pure ammonia... (another reason why I use the dr tim’s Because then you are certain you get the right stuff)
You can also use some food as your ammonia source like a piece of shrimp or something similar.... then what will happen is you will need a test kit (don’t bother with strips, invest in a API liquid kit).... then you start testing for ammonia... test like once a day and you will soon see a spike.... you want it usually around 2-4ppm.... depending on what you are going to stock afterwards (how big of a bioload the fish will have).... you do NOT need to feed the ammonia source everyday... once it drops down to zero or very close to it... re dose your ammonia source again.... at this point you need to start testing for nitrites (with an I NOT an A)
They will sky rocket but try and keep them from going over 5ppm as this can cause a longer cycle period or stall it...
Then you should start to test and see nitrAtes (with an A).... these will get sky high and can only be removed by water changes or some products you can use (but as long as your tap water has no nitrAtes then water changes will be fine...

once your ammonia and your nitrites are dropping to zero within 24 hours and your showing high nitrAtes then do a water change to bring your nitrAtes down... after you can go about 2-3 days showing 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and around 10-20ppm nitrAtes you are cycled...
This can take anywhere from a couple weeks to months...
People (myself included) add bacteria starters like dr tim’s One and only or tetra safe start... by using these products it can help speed up the cycle... if you know anyone with a well established tank you can also steal some of their biological materials... from foam pads to some of their substrate and “seed” your tank with it... this will also speed it up....

Now fish in cycling- this can be done safely if done right... the way I do it is choose a COUPLE small to medium sized fish... use hardy fish that will be able to with stand a little ammonia and a little nitrite... what you do is add a bottle of tetra safe start or dr tim’s One and only and add the fish right away.... now the next part is crucial:
Do NOT feed your fish everyday... feed them every second or third day and only a small amount... DO NOT change the water or touch anything in the tank at all.... you will see a small rise in ammonia (sometimes not even) and a small rise in nitrites (and again sometimes it’s so quick you don’t even see it)
Once you have went the 2 weeks and your ammonia and nitrites are at 0 for consistently 3-4 days (just to be safe) you can add a COUPLE more fish and again feed sparingly and do the same as you did above... it’s now safe to do smaller water changes if your nitrAtes are getting higher then 20-30ppm...
And that’s basically it.... you are getting conflicting info because every cycle is so different.. many many factors play into it
The only other thing I would occasionally measure is your PH if it gets too low it can stall your cycle (under 6)
This will probably confuse you more lol the best is to decide which way you want to do it: fishless or fish in and then more precise explanations can be done...
Most people will tell you that fish in cycling is in humane but if done right it is perfectly safe...the key is adding small amounts of fish at a time and DO NOT over feed... and you also must select hardy enough fish...

Do you have an idea of what you want to put in your tank? And what size is it?

 

Whether you do a fish in or fishless cycle is entirely up to your preference. Both work, both have their own advantages and disadvantages and challenges.

Personally, I prefer a fish in cycle with tetra safestart plus or using fluval biomax filter media from a larger tank.

Full disclosure - I prefer tss because I didnt cycle my tank properly before adding 4 mollies and a bn pleco, very dirty fish, and I crashed my tank horribly. Then doing research, I found a thread on here with a letter from tetra explaining exactly how to use tss. I followed it and my tank was cycled in one week and I didnt lose any fish.

I keep two bags of fluval biomax in my filter to make sure my bacteria colony is mainly there and protected when I clean my tank.

I instantly cycled a 5 gallon by taking one of my biomax bags out of my 20 gallon's filter and putting it in my 5 gallon's filter. I put a new biomax bag in my 20 gallon and, sometime this week, I'll be using one of the bags in my 20 gallon to cycle a 10 gallon for a friend.

The link for the post on tss is:

Q & A With Tetra about Tetra SafeStart

 

I 100% agree with the above post... as long as you follow their instructions like they said (to a T) your fish will not suffer any harm what so ever