Best Fishless cycle article I've ever read

[Omega]

The reason we use dechlorinator is to remove the chlorine from the water before it sterilizes the good bacteria in the tank and filters.

I know.

 

[mvigor]

I wasn't aware untreated tapwater could sterilize a tank.

Oh, I thought you weren't aware of that. :look:

 

[Reddog80p]

That's the beuaty of a forum. Everyone is entitled an opionion. I'd perfer to get help or try and help people rather than critize, but whatever floats your boat.

Reddog80p

 

[mvigor]

This is a good article on fishless cycling.

 

[Omega]

Oh, I thought you weren't aware of that. :look:

The chlorine can kill off your benefitical bacteria but we're not talking about that. We're talking about when you're first adding the water to the tank before you cycle, like there's harmful bacteria already on the glass and gravel that the tapwater kills or something.

 

[Toirtis]

The chlorine can kill off your benefitical bacteria but we're not talking about that. We're talking about when you're first adding the water to the tank before you cycle, like there's harmful bacteria already on the glass and gravel that the tapwater kills or something.

Well, if there were, and the chlorine/chloramine levels were high enough, it could.

 

[Omega]

Well, if there were, and the chlorine/chloramine levels were high enough, it could.

That would have to be pretty darn high. Half the time it can't even kill all the bacteria in the water itself.

 

[Omega]

I take back what I said about the article.

I never actually read it until now. It's fine.

Nevermind me.

 

[Ichthyophile]

It is one of the better articles I've read, but there's one point which different sources debate or overlook entirely:

Normally when I see it get below 1 I dose 3-4ppm back in. Never let it go to zero (until the cycle is finished) or you risk killing off your ammonia to nitrIte bacteria!

Conflicting advice is found here, for example:

It is important to keep adding ammonia (half the dose used during the beginning of the cycle) every two days during this phase to make sure that you don't starve the ammonia eating bacteria.

Which is correct - never let ammonia drop to zero until the cycle is finished, or add ammonia every two days? :huh:

The most common suggestion I've seen falls between the two: add ammonia to the tank every 24 hours, enough to bring the level to 1-2 ppm (during the nitrite spike).

When the ammonia phase is finished, IME, it takes 8-12 hours to drop from 2 ppm to zero. In order to keep ammonia constantly above zero while waiting for the nitrite level to drop, I'd have to add ammonia to the tank more than once every 24 hours.

 

[Shelby_Tempo_GT]

The chlorine can kill off your benefitical bacteria but we're not talking about that. We're talking about when you're first adding the water to the tank before you cycle, like there's harmful bacteria already on the glass and gravel that the tapwater kills or something.

Yes. There would be.

You have a BM and don't wash your hands beofre touching the inside of the tank. Environmental bacteria is everywhere. Sitting in chlorinated tapwater doesnt necessrily kill it, but it does prevent its growth until it completes its' lifecycle (thereby killing it)