A question on starting my fishless cycle???

G

ghart999

AC Members
Nov 28, 2006
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HI all. Tank is up and running and I am ready to start my fishless cycle with ammonia. My question is, I have both an Eheim 2026 and an AQ 110 for filtration. I lost a part on my Eheim so it is not running at the moment. I will probably get the part in 3-4 days. Can I start my cycle with just the AQ 110 running and then just add the Eheim in when the part arrives? Or should I wait until I have both filters going? I wasn't sure if adding one filter first and another in 3-4 days would cause any issues.

Another question. All instructions I have read say to add enough amonia to get 5 ppm. How long after I add x amount of ammonia before taking a reading such that the ammonia had time to circulate through the tank? Also how much ammonia should I start with for 65 gallons? A few drops? An ounce? More?

Thank you all.

Gregg
 
I copy and pasted this from this site:


http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/Fishlesscycle.htm


While the original recipe works quite well (4-5 drops NH3 / 10 gal / day until nitrite peaks, then reduce to 2-3 drops / 10 gal / day), it does NOT take into account varying concentrations of ammonia that are available. ACS grade ammonia, which I was using, is ~28% NH3, while most household cleaner grades vary from 4-10%, a fairly wide variation in concentration. Bottles that have been left open for long periods of time will be lower in concentration, as the NH3 gas escapes back into the atmosphere. With that in mind, I'd like to propose a different recipe, which was suggested by D_Man and others (thanks!): Add ammonia to the tank initially to obtain a reading on your ammonia kit of ~5 ppm. Record the amount of ammonia that this took, then add that amount daily until the nitrite spikes. Once the nitrite is visible, cut back the daily dose of ammonia to ½ the original volume. One advantage of this method is that the ammonia spike occurs immediately... when adding 4-5 drops/10 gal/day, it could take 4-5 days before the ammonia reaches the same levels. This should result in an acceleration of the entire process, though by how much (on average) remains to be seen.

This is good to know because I'm about to start the same thing on my 60G.
 
Good info above. Thanks.
 
No problem with the filters. Go ahead and start with just the Aqua Clear.

I would dose 4-5tsp of ammonia and test after a few hours. Adjust your dosing based on your measured results.

6tsp with a 75 gallon tank was right...using Sams Club ammonia from Wally World.

See this thread:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89586
 
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