Trying to Cycle my new tank but.....

[smallfin]

Hello

I have been trying to cycle in my new tank and new external canister filter over the last few weeks and have been trying to do a ‘fishless cycle’ I haven’t been able to track down any ammonia product so I have been using an aquarium product called Cycle which claims to have high levels of good bacteria etc in it. I have been putting it in each week like the instructions say and then testing after a week and getting results of 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrate and 0 Nitrite.
I became suspicious that this was even doing anything so basically tested an almost full strength tube of ‘Cycle’ to find it read 0 also. My conclusion is that the reading I am getting from the tank are not going to tell me when it is ready.

The ph is high. High range of 7.8 but comes out of the tap around 7.4 (should I use product to modify ph or will that just cause issues with water changes etc. I was at a LFS on the weekend and thought I would get a couple of little sucker / catfish to help clean the tank a little and also test if the water was suitable yet or not. They have now both died within 3 days. It has been 3weeks of cycling so far and I’m wondering if I Keep going for another 3 weeks if it will make a difference.

Can anyone suggest what might be wrong or what I should do from here?

Another question I had was that I was thinking about adding an simple sponge filter in there too in addition to the canister. More so to get fish used to it being in there if they end up breeding and also to be able to assist in my next tank cycle. Should I put the sponge in now with the rest of the cycle or should I wait until it is basically ready for fish?

Also If I was thinking about putting in a plant either in a pot or on a piece of driftwood should I put that in now too or is that just going to cause more issues?

Thanks in advance for you help :?

[Merrilyn]

Hi smallfin and welcome to the forum.

There's a couple of ways you can do a fishless cycle. One is to go to the supermarket and buy a fresh (green) prawn or two, and toss them into the tank. As they rot down, the ammonia produced will encourage the growth of the necessary bacteria to produce a cycle.

It's a fairly stinky way of doing things, but it's cheap and it does work if you can cope with the smell. After two weeks test your water, you should be seeing a rise in ammonia as well as nitrite, and maybe even a beginning reading of nitrate. This method takes around 3 weeks before you get a good nitrate reading and zero ammonia and nitrite. Once you're happy with the readings, do a complete water change, removing the remains of the dead prawn, and refill with clean, dechlorinated water.

Your good bacteria will be happily living safely in your filter, and your tank is now fully cycled and ready for you to add a full load of fish.

This is a very simplified description of a fishless cycle. Google "fishless cycle" if you'd like a more comprehensive explanation.

One of our members, TW has kindly posted information about a site she found where they are selling ammonia in powder form, suitable for a fishless cycle, and a less smelly option to the dead prawn. Check here for further information http://www.ammonchlor.com/main_index.html

[mistakes r crucial]

I just did a 6ft tank with 2 x 18 inch bait mullet and stinky is not the word but if you put them in an ice cream container and weight them to the bottom of the tank then away goes the smell...... until you get either the wife or kids to take it out 6 weeks later!!! Now that's fun.

Gearing up for a few Discus again next year Mel.
Cheers
MAC

[Merrilyn]

Glad to hear the discus bug is still biting hard Mac :)

What do you think of that new powdered ammonia? Have you heard of anyone using it?

Thought I might get some and try it for myself.

[smallfin]

Thanks Guys

I'm pretty sure my wife would put an end to my Discus hobby before it even started if I was to stink the house out like that. I'm thinking of going with some small fish that are more ammonia tollerant and use them as a source of ammonia. Will see how I go.

Thanks for your advice.
Anyone else got other Ideas or know where to find amonia, let me know.

[ILLUSN]

cycle will only work if you have ammonia in the tank, bacteria need food to multiply, the prefered food source of the bacteria in cycle is ammonia.

dead prawn works VERY well you only need 1 or 2 and they wont stink too much

[mistakes r crucial]

No I haven't Mel, sounds like a good idea though.
Cheers
MAC

[TW]

I have used it and it worked well for me. Mine came with an information sheet on how to use it.

[smallfin]

I just ordered some of the powder ammonia. I had read some others having good results so hopfully works well.
Oh the hours spent searching for ammonia.
ps I have some pink window cleaner now if anyone needs any. LOL

[Hassles]

I use Cloudy Ammonia to feed my bacteria farm. Providing the cloudy ammonia does not contain any detergents (or other stuff) this will work well. If unsure, shake the bottle, if detergent has been added foam with be generated and settle at the top of the liquid. I place a cap-full in every 4 to 5 days to maintain the bacteria colony. Obviously if cycling a new tank the addition of cloudy ammonia would be less and less frequent.

The bacteria farm is a standard 2 foot tank with undergravel filter system, 4 inches of gravel and old stockings full of bio media such as ceramic noodles, small glass marbles etc etc and on occasion, sponge filter sponges. This way I can set-up a cycled tank in the space on an hour or so :wink:

I have a couple of dozen tanks and only cycled a tank one time and I did that purely for the exercise, the rest were established with pre-seeded media & substrate - from the bacteria farm.

I reckon cloudy ammonia is better than a dead creature. Its cheap and readily available and won't smell like a dead prawn. You just have to monitor your water frequently so you know whats happening. All you need is the presence of ammonia in the water to set-off the establishment of your bacteria colony.

Personally I am quite interested in the Powered Ammonia product mentioned above.

HTH

take care & survive the oncomming silly season