View Full Version : fishless cycling... how much ammonia?
Dahlia
09-06-2003, 11:22 PM
How much ammonia would I use to do a fishless cycle in a 30 gallon tank? How many days does it usually take on a fishless cycle? Do I only need to add the ammonia one time or do I need to add some daily to keep the ammonia eating bacteria going?
New tank! Woo!
http://www.aquamaniacs.net/cyclingsafelyfishless.html
this is the thread i plan on following starting next week to try the fishless cycle. lots of info here
Good article, easy to follow. Thanks, rich.
demon_surfer
09-07-2003, 12:12 PM
here is another just for comparrison -
fishless cycling (http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm)
Also a good article - I didn't know Chris had done that update. Thanks for that ref also (especially as it refs me :rolleyes: )
Neither of the articles stresses the largest danger in fishless explicitly, although the first reference states that the pH must be held in a biologically safe and active range for the bacteria. The issue is high-dose cycling in low-KH water. Nitrification burns up alkalinity, and there have been many threads on arrested cycles or indefinitely extended cycles which frequently boiled down to too low alkalinity and pH crashes.
anonapersona
09-07-2003, 6:46 PM
I see that you have several tanks already, Dahlia.
Why don't you just move some bacteria from the existing tanks to the new tank? No need to start from scratch!
Dahlia
09-08-2003, 9:35 AM
I did move some bacteria but that doesn't cause a new filter to have a bacterial colony right away. The amount of bacteria present is directly in relation to the amount of "food" (ammonia/nitrites) they are supplied. I'd rather go ahead and have a fully functioning bacterial colony in my filter so I never have to stress my fish.
Thanks for the articles everyone!
anonapersona
09-08-2003, 12:57 PM
I added filter squeezings to the 10 gallon Q tank as I added one 1 1/2"fish, and then added a lot of filter squeezings again as I added 8 more. I've never measured any ammonia or nitrite on this tank in the first week. It does also have a couple of smallish swords in it.
Of course, your milage may vary.