Cycling my 45

[JoeeStacks]

Alright so. I am restarting up my 45 gallon tank for freshwater but I don't know what cycling method to use. I cannot use the media method cause I do not have a seeder tank. I am stuck with the fish cycle and the fishless cycle. Where would I get the ammonia to put into my tank? I could add food into the tank instead of cycling correct?

 

[geewiz916]

that's way too much work and dosing ammonia is just a pain and sometimes doesn't even work. Get three danios or mollies and cycle the tank with fish in. Couple weeks later u will be finished. Those fish are super inexpensive and hardy. Ive used them personally and i still have them today. Shoot if anything call ur LFS that u trust and see if they will give u an old filter sponge or something to use. No sense of doing ammonia dosing in my opinion. Way to much work for something that Is easily accomplished another way.


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[JoeeStacks]

Sounds good. What if I just throw in a babys handful of fish food and just let it settle there?

 

[geewiz916]

Then sometime ammonia rises too fast and nitrate and nitrites have a hard time breaking it down, just leading to a prolonged cycle. I'm telling you, 3 of those fish, minimal amount of feeding, and in a couple weeks u will be done. Get a liquid test kit to test and watch your cycle. I've been cycling tanks like this for years.

And like I said ur best bet is LFS media. I have trustworthy LFS in my area, so I didn't have a problem getting their media. But it also helps when they know you on a first name basis lol


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[JoeeStacks]

Would guppies be a good cycler? I have a guy selling them for a cheap price so it seems cool. I'll try my best to reconnect with my LFS. LOL. Its been a while. And should I wait for my sand cloud to go away before I add the fish?

 

[Rbishop]

I have never seen ammonia cycling fail....as for cycling with fish, you will only develop a BB equal to their load. In ammonia style fishless you can full load all at once. I also prefer not to get media from an LFS...you may get their bacteria...plus any disease along with it.

If the fish you use aren't for long term, you have the added issue of getting rid of them, as well as possibly suffering a shorter life span due to the cycling, in some cases.

No matter what method you chose, have a good liquid test kit available to monitor things.

 

[Jannika]

I've cycled both ways and found ammonia dosing a heck of lot easier. With fish I was constantly water changing and worrying. Then after all that I was stuck with some fish I didn't really want.

 

[JoeeStacks]

For the people who did ammonia. Where did you get your ammonia?

 

[mrsdorothy]

I got ammonia at Walmart. Make sure it's pure clear. If you shake the bottle and it foams, don't buy it. You can also get it at Ace Hardware.

 

[the wizard]

+1 on ammonia for fishless cycling. It doesn't matter if fish are expensive or not, they breathe through their gills drawing oxygen from the water. Ammonia, even a trace, is toxic. Ammonia gas can damage a persons lungs and cause permanent respiratory problems. Ammonia burns a fishes gills and likewise can cause permanent respiratory problems.