I am doing a fishless cycle. I added enough ammonia to the tank to get 5ppm. I took some samples last night and the ammonia was all gone and the nitrite level was pretty high. Oh ya, I didnt put any bacteria in the tank. Is it normal for the tank to cycle so fast without seeding it first?
fishless cycle
- Thread starter gersheff
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is it a brand new tank with brand new gravel? or has it been used recently? i've heard that the bacteria can lie dormant for a short period of time.
are there any plants in it? the bacteria can be found in plant roots and potting materials
is anything else in there from another tank (decorations etc)? you'd be surprized at what else you could find bacteria on.
in other words, no, its not normal, but that doesnt mean it's impossible. also, how big is the tank? if its just a small one you dont really need as much time for the bacteria to spread, because it doesnt have as much to cover. therefore, its more likely for a small tank to go through the cycling process faster than my 55 gallon for example.
are there any plants in it? the bacteria can be found in plant roots and potting materials
is anything else in there from another tank (decorations etc)? you'd be surprized at what else you could find bacteria on.
in other words, no, its not normal, but that doesnt mean it's impossible. also, how big is the tank? if its just a small one you dont really need as much time for the bacteria to spread, because it doesnt have as much to cover. therefore, its more likely for a small tank to go through the cycling process faster than my 55 gallon for example.
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the tank hasnt been used in many many years (15 or so). The gravel in there is partially new and partially from my original aquarium. Everything else is brand new
well i have no idea WHY it's happening, but apparently it is happening.
maybe it's because of the water you used? or the conditioner you used? i dont know, but CONGRATS!
i wish mine would do that
i'm on day 11 of my 55gallon and i still have 3ppm of ammonia at the beginning of each test. fortunately the nitrite/nitrates are through the roof, so i know at least i have that spike pretty much taken care of.
the only other thing i could blame it on is some sort of ammonia remover in your filter material, cuz i know that they sell ammonia reducing filter material that looks similar to the carbon, only it's white. but i'm assuming since you're fishless cycling you're not using those, cuz that would pretty much be backfiring everything you're trying to do.
but yeah.. congrats!!
maybe it's because of the water you used? or the conditioner you used? i dont know, but CONGRATS!
i wish mine would do that
i'm on day 11 of my 55gallon and i still have 3ppm of ammonia at the beginning of each test. fortunately the nitrite/nitrates are through the roof, so i know at least i have that spike pretty much taken care of.
the only other thing i could blame it on is some sort of ammonia remover in your filter material, cuz i know that they sell ammonia reducing filter material that looks similar to the carbon, only it's white. but i'm assuming since you're fishless cycling you're not using those, cuz that would pretty much be backfiring everything you're trying to do.
but yeah.. congrats!!
One shot of ammonia?
You put in one shot of ammonia and now it is all gone?
Are you continuing to feed these bacteria? You ought to be adding half the amount that you added the first time, every day.
You put in one shot of ammonia and now it is all gone?
Are you continuing to feed these bacteria? You ought to be adding half the amount that you added the first time, every day.