Water Cycle

[bNissan]

I have been doing a fishless cycle using fish food as my source of ammonia. My paramaters are now...

• Ammonia - 0.5
• Nitrites - 0.0
• Nitrates - ~7.5

I still do have a fair amount of food at the bottom of my tank that is making ammonia. Do you lovely people think that I am cycled? From everything I have learned, low ammonia/no nitrites/some nitrates = cycle. But I am new and could be missing something.

Thanks

 

[GabeC]

In order to be cycled your readings would be 0/0/some nitrates.

 

[bNissan]

In order to be cycled your readings would be 0/0/some nitrates.

Even If I still have a bunch of rotting food at the bottom?

 

[Lonewolf9395]

Yes, even if you have food at the bottom. If you were cycled the beneficial bacteria in your filter would be able to keep up with the ammonia being produced by the food.

It is much easier to manage the ammonia dosage if you can use liquid ammonia, are you able to get some of that?

Also have you seen any reading for nitrite? A bit more information would help too, what size is your tank and how long have you been cycling for? Are you using a bacterial additive like Stability?

Here is a very good guide on how to cycle your tank.
Ammonia Instructions when Cycling with TSS+ or other Bacterial Starter

 

[bNissan]

Yes, even if you have food at the bottom. If you were cycled the beneficial bacteria in your filter would be able to keep up with the ammonia being produced by the food.

It is much easier to manage the ammonia dosage if you can use liquid ammonia, are you able to get some of that?

Also have you seen any reading for nitrite? A bit more information would help too, what size is your tank and how long have you been cycling for? Are you using a bacterial additive like Stability?

Here is a very good guide on how to cycle your tank.
Ammonia Instructions when Cycling with TSS+ or other Bacterial Starter

My bad, I copy pasted this from my other thread when nobody replied and forgot to add some info.

I figured that I would use food because I didn't want to buy more stuff (dropper and ammonia). I also couldn't find ammonia without additives at the few places I looked. I sprinkle in good pinch every day.

I have am cycling a 45 gallon long.

I started cycling on 6/2, and my first water test was on 6/13 because I figured that I would just give it some time before worrying about testing.

When I tested the water it had 0 nitrites.

 

[Justin laubenstein]

Ace hardware brand ammonia is what I use

 

[AngelTheGypsy]

I tried to cycle with fish food, no luck. I found ammonia at tractor supply (austin's ammonia is the brand, heads up its 2.5% concentration) and then worked really well. Ace hardware brand also works.
If you are not using a bacteria supplement it will take much longer that 11 days to cycle.

 

[Justin laubenstein]

Fishless cycling can take months by the way or as little as 2 weeks with seeding material

 

[Lonewolf9395]

Fishless cycling took me 6-7weeks and that was with liquid ammonia and me being able to control the ammonia concentration that I was adding. I think using fish food can take even longer. I would read the guide I linked above and get some Stability and pure ammonia.

 

[Fanatic]

Fishless cycling took me 6-7weeks and that was with liquid ammonia and me being able to control the ammonia concentration that I was adding. I think using fish food can take even longer. I would read the guide I linked above and get some Stability and pure ammonia.

That's quite some time. My 31g took me 3 weeks.

 

[Lonewolf9395]

That's quite some time. My 31g took me 3 weeks.

It took about two weeks until I got the nitrite spike, around two weeks where nitrite was spiking and not going down so many water changes, and then about two weeks of dosing ammonia, getting nitrite and waiting for it to go down. At first it would happen in about 72 hours and eventually got down to 24 hours to dose and have it all processed to nitrate in 24 hours. Personally I was prepared for it to take about 6 weeks. I was using Stability. I have seen many threads where people use TSS+ and it goes much faster but that is not available in Canada.