# Fishless Cycle



## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

So ive been reading about fishless cycles. From what i've read its a 1-2 flakes per day for about a month until the spiking is done. Then its safe to add the fish. Adding plants helps the cycle. Am i right so far?

Well if you already have an established tank, can you take some water from your established tank. Say 2 gallons, and drop it in my 55 to help move the process along? Would this help or would it just make a mess of things. I can wait a whole month, but i have this 5yr old helper who is super excited to add fish. 

Also do different builds effect the fishless cycle diffrently? I like the peat/sand/rock idea with out needed water changes. But I would still feel better having a filter running on it as well. So not a true beaslbob(sorry if i spelled you wrong) build. 

Any thoughts on adding water from existing tanks? *banana dance


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Adding water from an existing tank is a good idea with using some substrate even better.

FWIW with live plants thriving and preventing the ammonia spikes it simply does not make that much difference.

my .02


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Water doesn't really do anything, just add media or plants and deco from the established tank. IF the established tank is smaller, just add a couple of small fish to keep the media going, if the tank is the same size and has been running for awhile you can take most of the media out of the old filter and it shouldn't cause any problems except for maybe a small spike.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

susankat said:


> Water doesn't really do anything, just add media or plants and deco from the established tank.


I'll definitely agree with this. I tried using just water from an established tank to start a new tank and it made absolutely no difference at all. I started one tank using a filter that had been empty since the night before, and the tank was done cycling under 2 weeks (being empty means it dried out and probably killed most of the beneficial bacteria). Use some gravel/ornaments or old filter media to kick it off (the beneficial bacterial bonds to the surface of gravel/deco/filter media, it doesn't float around a lot).


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

Well adding some of the water wouldn't do you wrong but I wouldn't rely on it, substrate decorations or better yet some filter media from an established tank would be better.

For the fishless cycle putting a prawn in a bag and leaving it may be better that way you don't need to keep feeding the tank.


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

Prawn being shrimp? Just let shrimp roam the tank? With my rock and deocrations from my smaller tank?


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## verdifer (Sep 8, 2010)

Just buy a packet of frozen Shrimp (I'm in the UK so we may have a diff name for them) put in in a bag, you can get them from your LFS or just look about to see if you have 1 with small holes, I bet there is 1 in your house somewhere from a packet of onions or something like that.

Put the shrimp in the bag and put the bag in the tank, you can do it without the bag, the bag just stops the shrimp from floating about and stops bits of it floating about your tank if it starts to fall apart.

once it starts to Decay it will turn to Amonia and your cycle can start.


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## M1ster Stanl3y (Dec 10, 2010)

ooo....ok...got it now...sorry


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Do you have a water testing kit? I would highly recommend you get one, not only for the usefulness during the establishment of the nitrogen cycle, but for regular tank maintenance afterwards as well. I use the API Master Freshwater Test Kit and supplement it with API GH, KH, and Phosphate kits, as well as a SeaChem iron test kit. For starting a cycle up I would say just get the Master Kit. $35 at my local PetsMart, and it's good for at least 200 tests, and is the most accurate of the testing methods out there.

Here's what you can expect from your test results (if you choose to do them daily, which I think is a cool and fun way to watch your tank become awesome):

Week 1: As the biological media you add to your tank (raw shrimp, fish food, or straight ammonia) decomposes you will see an ammonia spike.

Week 2: As the nitrosomona bacterium colonize your tank, you will see the ammonia drop off and the nitrite spike.

Week 3: As the nitrospira bacterium occupy your tank you will see the nitrite drop off and a nitrate spike.

Week 4: You will know your tank has cycled when the ammonia and nitrite readings drop to 0 and nitrates continue to climb. You can guestimate the bio-load your tank will support and continue adding waste to add fuel to the cycle and keep the bacteria colonies thriving.

Adding things like bio balls, filter floss, and used carbon from another tank's filter to the tank, or live plants, and actually putting a tough fish in there will speed up the cycle, but I would advise against the latter (the fish) unless you're alright with poisoning a fish and taking a gamble on whether it lives or dies.

When the cycle is established do a 50% partial water change (PWC) to remove nitrates.

Now you may add your first fishes, and taper off adding waste. I would suggest adding them in 3's, dosing the tank with API Melafix (an anti-bacterial fish remedy) during additions, and adding them a week at a time to prevent shocking the cycle. The Melafix is to nip any diseases like ich or other bacterial infections the fish might have contracted at the LFS in the bud.

DO NOT dose the Melafix if you are adding or have added invertebrates like shrimp or snails. It will kill them.

Sorry that was so long. Thoughts, anyone?:fish-in-a-bag:


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> .....and actually putting a tough fish in there will speed up the cycle, but I would advise against the latter (the fish) unless you're alright with poisoning a fish and taking a gamble on whether it lives or dies.


Sorry, but this is one of the worst recommendations that I have seen on here. If this is a fishless cycle, then there are no fish involved. Most fishless cycles, can't really tell if you have experience with one or not, usually have a high level of ammonia not normally seen in tanks with fish. Therefore, throwing one in there would surely kill it in no time.

Not to mention...one single fish thrown into this entire process will not make one bit of difference. The fish is only producing small amounts of ammonia. If more ammonia is needed then add more...don't do it by adding fish.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

My bad. Long story short, using fish to cycle = BAD JUJU


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## Anna Robinson (Sep 2, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> DO NOT dose the Melafix if you are adding or have added invertebrates like shrimp or snails. It will kill them.


*Conf* Melafix is harmless to invertebrates. 

It's also worth bearing in mind that it won't kill the ich parasite, although it may help with ich-related secondary infections.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Anna Robinson said:


> *Conf* Melafix is harmless to invertebrates.
> 
> It's also worth bearing in mind that it won't kill the ich parasite, although it may help with ich-related secondary infections.


I don't mean to start a fight, but I beg to differ. I treated my 30G tank with Melafix to take care of a wounded fish and lost close to 40 RCS (almost my entire shrimp population) to the medication in 3 days. That's just my personal experience though, I don't mean to go against science or common sense or anything.


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