Can Someone Explain A Fishless Cycle To Me?

[andyourblueblood]

please?

 

[Colin_T]

A fishless cycle is where the filter bacteria are allowed to develop in a fish tank that does not contain any fish. Ammonia is normally used to replicate the fish's by-products.
Once the ammonia has been in the water for a few days, bacteria start to grow feeding on the ammonia in the water.
After a few weeks there is sufficient bacteria in the filter consuming all the ammonia in the water. More colonies of bacteria start to form and these feed on the by-products from the first lot of bacteria.
A few weeks later there are sufficient numbers of both colonies and the tank is considered cycled.

Anything that breaks down in water produces ammonia.
Ammonia is eaten by good bacteria and they convert it into nitrite.
Different good bacteria eat the nitrite and convert it to nitrate.
You get rid of nitrates by doing partial water changes and growing plants in the tank.

The difference between a fishless cycle, and cycling a tank with fish in, is simply the fish. One has fish and one uses liquid ammonia.

 

[andyourblueblood]

so for 1750g how much ammonia should i use and how long will it take? can i do this for saltwater too?

 

[Colin_T]

I can't tell you exaclty how much ammonia to add because it is available in different concentrations. However, you add enough to get the ammonia levels to 5ppm. Keep the levels at or near 5ppm and the tank should cycle fine. Don't let it go above 5ppm or the cycling process won't work.

The same process can be used in fresh, salt or brackish aquariums and in coldwater or tropical setups. It's exactly the same procedure.

Just add enough ammonia to the tank each day to keep the level at 5ppm. Once the ammonia goes down to 0ppm and stays there, (usually after about 2 weeks) the nitrite will start to go up.
Keep adding ammonia each day until the nitrite has gone up and then come back down to 0ppm, (usually a couple more weeks).
Then stop adding ammonia, do a massive water change using dechlorinated water that has a similar temperature and PH to the tank water, and add some fish.

 

[andyourblueblood]

awesome thanks!!! much apreciated!

 

[Colin_T]

One thing you can do for really big tanks, is to cycle the filter in a smaller tank then move it across onto the bigger tank. This way you use less ammonia and it saves you money.

 

[andyourblueblood]

good call!