# What was your fishless cycling timeframe?



## ro laren (May 3, 2012)

So I'm on Day 4 of my fishless cycle and nitrites tested 5ppm today. Is that normal? Am I on track? I feel like I need a little hand-holding here, I'm so anxious to do this right.

What I've done so far:
1. Filled tank with water, then conditioned water, then let it sit for a couple of days with the filter running so I could get a stabilized ph reading;
2. Added ammonia to 4ppm (10% pure no surfactants from Ace hardware), got the air stone going to oxygenate things, kept the lights off, and turned the temp up to 84F.
3. I then let it be for 3 days; tested ammonia yesterday and it was still 4ppm, so I didn't test for nitrites.
4. Yesterday while in town for groceries i answered the siren call of the LFS and saw Stress Zyme on sale. I've never considered myself a chump; I know the bacteria need oxygen, so how could they be alive and active in a bottle? I know what's in the bottle isn't anything more than the bacteria already floating in the air around us. But I thought, what's the harm in adding those inactive spores directly to the water? Save them the trip? Anyways, that's not the main point. The main point is...
5. I Tested ammonia today and it looked lighter green, closer to 2ppm. So i decided to check nitrites too, and it tested 5ppm.
Here's a pic:








Is this quick? Or is that normal?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I have heard some go as fast as 10 days. Adding and waiting is deceiving. Not sure why people do it that way. Maybe it will work out for you. Put ammonia in any container with water, aerate it, and it will go down on its own.


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## ro laren (May 3, 2012)

> Adding and waiting is deceiving. Not sure why people do it that way.


Not sure what the alternative to waiting would be– dosing ammonia again above 4-5ppm? 
I thought the waiting was to allow the bacteria to grow. I mean, why waste testing solution when your ammonia levels will be the same or close to it and no nitrites have likely been produced yet?
Or is that not what you meant?


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

The method that I read about had you dose to 4ppm, record the amount it took to get there, and dose it everyday. After the initial dose I never tested for ammonia again. About 1wk later I started testing for nitrites. Once they were detected, my daily dose was cut in half and switched to every few days and kept that rotuine until the end. When it was over I was able to dose the 4ppm of ammonia and have it gone, 0/0 on ammonia and nitrites, in just about 30hrs.


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

The method Jrman just gave you will result in a VERY solidly cycled tank.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I just use plants and after a week add a single fish and not add food for a week.

Before adding macro algae to my marine tank I would see a nitrIte spike that pegged the kit (5ppm). My first tank that spike lasted over a month until I stopped adding food. then it dropped down a week later. So on later tanks I would add a fish and not feed for a week. NitrItes would spike up to 5ppm for a day then drop right down.

When I finally got curious and measured planted starts I got ammonia spikes up to .25ppm a day later then back down. And nitrIte spikes up to 1ppm or so then back down. With an initial nitrate spike of 20ppm or so that dropped down 3 weeks later.

You do have plants as I remember so I feel that if you stop adding ammonia the spikes will drop rapidily. Then I would just add one fish and not add food for a week and see how it goes.

my .02


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

It makes no sense to start out fishless and then change and go to a fish in. Just keep doing what you're doing.


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## ro laren (May 3, 2012)

This point just became moot for the time being. Disaster happened last night–*starting a thread about it.


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## Ranger (May 20, 2011)

I find it easier just to put some dead Prawn or Shrimp as the US call them in the tank, leave them to rot for a while then when Amonia and Nitrites hit Zero then I'm ready to go.


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