Fishless Cycle

[aqua786]

Hi, I have been reading a few threads on the fish-less cycle and various ways that people prefer to do it, I have only ever done it one way and that is by starting up the tank and just feeding invisible fish every other day for two weeks,and to tell you the truth I have never had a problem,the next step is to add the plants after two weeks and then a week after that in go the occupants,so is it really important to have a fish-less cycle? a lot of my friends have thought of keeping tanks but after reading up on the initial requirements they deem it really complicated, I think a lot of people just think that you buy a tank,light, filter, heater,add water and then straight in with the fish,sadly this is not the case people,a little bit of patience also required!! So has anyone of you guys and girls done the bacteria cycle the way I have or am I the only person to do it this way ???

 

[Miles_hot]

Sort of a new method - but is is also very close to the use of fish food as the source of Ammonia (through decomposition) in a fishless cycle. The primary difference is the lack of water chemistry testing and the fixed timescale.

 

[aqua786]

Sort of a new method - but is is also very close to the use of fish food as the source of Ammonia (through decomposition) in a fishless cycle. The primary difference is the lack of water chemistry testing and the fixed timescale.

Hi,i agree on the lack of testing chemistry,i have always done it this way and stocked up really slowly,i suppose after a while many people can get a natural gist of whats going on just by the behaviour of the fish,being a fish keeper over time,just by looking at my tank from a distance i can tell if something isnt right.I think i might buy a test kit,the way im doing things is probably a bit old school as i took a lot of my tips from my dad,who always had a tank or two going from as long as i can remember,sadly he has passed away so instead of phoning him for advise i found you guys!!!! and to tell you the truth this forum is amazing,didnt know there were so many people into the hobby.I will be starting a small tank next weekend so I think I might just do this fishless cycle thing !!!!thanks for the reply.

 

[HayzH]

Sort of a new method - but is is also very close to the use of fish food as the source of Ammonia (through decomposition) in a fishless cycle. The primary difference is the lack of water chemistry testing and the fixed timescale.

Hi,i agree on the lack of testing chemistry,i have always done it this way and stocked up really slowly,i suppose after a while many people can get a natural gist of whats going on just by the behaviour of the fish,being a fish keeper over time,just by looking at my tank from a distance i can tell if something isnt right.I think i might buy a test kit,the way im doing things is probably a bit old school as i took a lot of my tips from my dad,who always had a tank or two going from as long as i can remember,sadly he has passed away so instead of phoning him for advise i found you guys!!!! and to tell you the truth this forum is amazing,didnt know there were so many people into the hobby.I will be starting a small tank next weekend so I think I might just do this fishless cycle thing !!!!thanks for the reply.

welcome Aqua ..i'm new to all this...so i am a bit overwhelmed about all that goes into it??? BUT..i'm no quitter so i will get there in the end!

 

[aqua786]

Sort of a new method - but is is also very close to the use of fish food as the source of Ammonia (through decomposition) in a fishless cycle. The primary difference is the lack of water chemistry testing and the fixed timescale.

Hi,i agree on the lack of testing chemistry,i have always done it this way and stocked up really slowly,i suppose after a while many people can get a natural gist of whats going on just by the behaviour of the fish,being a fish keeper over time,just by looking at my tank from a distance i can tell if something isnt right.I think i might buy a test kit,the way im doing things is probably a bit old school as i took a lot of my tips from my dad,who always had a tank or two going from as long as i can remember,sadly he has passed away so instead of phoning him for advise i found you guys!!!! and to tell you the truth this forum is amazing,didnt know there were so many people into the hobby.I will be starting a small tank next weekend so I think I might just do this fishless cycle thing !!!!thanks for the reply.

welcome Aqua ..i'm new to all this...so i am a bit overwhelmed about all that goes into it??? BUT..i'm no quitter so i will get there in the end!

Good luck,hope you enjoy the hobby,!!

 

[Aqua Tom]

Sort of a new method - but is is also very close to the use of fish food as the source of Ammonia (through decomposition) in a fishless cycle. The primary difference is the lack of water chemistry testing and the fixed timescale.

Hi,i agree on the lack of testing chemistry,i have always done it this way and stocked up really slowly,i suppose after a while many people can get a natural gist of whats going on just by the behaviour of the fish,being a fish keeper over time,just by looking at my tank from a distance i can tell if something isnt right.I think i might buy a test kit,the way im doing things is probably a bit old school as i took a lot of my tips from my dad,who always had a tank or two going from as long as i can remember,sadly he has passed away so instead of phoning him for advise i found you guys!!!! and to tell you the truth this forum is amazing,didnt know there were so many people into the hobby.I will be starting a small tank next weekend so I think I might just do this fishless cycle thing !!!!thanks for the reply.

If you are stocking realy slowly then that is a fish-in cycle. The main benifit of a fishless cycle is you can stock your whole tank in one go.
One other thing, without the use of a test kit you have no idea of your tanks stats. The fish may appear fine but could have lasting ammonia damage.

Tom

 

[Miles_hot]

You'll be using media from your writing tank so it'll be quick.

 

[Rickzayne]

Silent cycle is the way forward.

 

[waterdrop]

In my opinion, standard fishless cycles (around since 1980 or so), fishless cycles with mature media, fish-in cycles and fish-in silent cycles are all perfectly fine ways to go about preparing a new tank for fish. In all these cases it makes a huge difference for a beginner to have experienced oversight and of course, by definition, the fish-in techniques endanger the fish (in the case of beginner mistakes) whereas there are no fish to be endangered with the fishless techniques.

Typically, the standard fishless cycle need only be used once, when one has no source of mature media (mature media from one's own filter being available thereafter.) It is also fairly typical that the fish-in cycle is more work, but by matching a small bioload to the water volume, this need not be the case. Many very experienced aquarists with practice doing both techniques end up choosing the fishless technique to simply take away even the small toxin exposures to their fish and because the technique is so easy once it becomes familiar.

The fish-in silent cycle is delightfully natural, but is unfortunately rather risky for beginners. The very same large mass of plants that does such a good job clearing the water of ammonia can backfire on you if the plants begin to die, which is often the case if the beginner is also a beginner with plants. In the hands of a seasoned planted tank expert however (who is doing the silent cycle or able to give a beginner hands-on help perhaps) the fish-in silent cycle is quite nice.

Here in beginners section many of us have found the nice long closely guided first fishless cycle (the standard type with household ammonia) is much more than just a way to get a first tank up and running, it is a way for beginners to get an incomparable first lesson in biofilters that sticks with them for years to come and helps them more quickly get up to speed on that same "sense of your fish" that the OP describes. It is like school compared to reading a new topic. A little bit of trial and error and having to think about it. A little bit of having to ask questions and discuss it with other hobbyists. The beginner who carries out this task of lots of measuring, lots of learning "why" is just going to be left with a much deeper understanding of the way we create and maintain really, really good fresh water in the hobby.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[aqua786]

Sort of a new method - but is is also very close to the use of fish food as the source of Ammonia (through decomposition) in a fishless cycle. The primary difference is the lack of water chemistry testing and the fixed timescale.

Hi,i agree on the lack of testing chemistry,i have always done it this way and stocked up really slowly,i suppose after a while many people can get a natural gist of whats going on just by the behaviour of the fish,being a fish keeper over time,just by looking at my tank from a distance i can tell if something isnt right.I think i might buy a test kit,the way im doing things is probably a bit old school as i took a lot of my tips from my dad,who always had a tank or two going from as long as i can remember,sadly he has passed away so instead of phoning him for advise i found you guys!!!! and to tell you the truth this forum is amazing,didnt know there were so many people into the hobby.I will be starting a small tank next weekend so I think I might just do this fishless cycle thing !!!!thanks for the reply.

If you are stocking realy slowly then that is a fish-in cycle. The main benifit of a fishless cycle is you can stock your whole tank in one go.
One other thing, without the use of a test kit you have no idea of your tanks stats. The fish may appear fine but could have lasting ammonia damage.

Tom

Hi,i agree the use of test kits is paramount,being preety stuck in my ways as far as these kits are concerned mainly due to me thinking theres something really complicated about them,but have done some research into thie kits and have realised it is basic stuff,saying that i assure you i have never had a problem with the way i do my cycle and have never had a death due to it,and have always had healthy fish that live for their standered lifespans.I definatly will be investing in a test kit once i get round to this new tank,Thanks for the advice,appreciated.

 

[aqua786]

In my opinion, standard fishless cycles (around since 1980 or so), fishless cycles with mature media, fish-in cycles and fish-in silent cycles are all perfectly fine ways to go about preparing a new tank for fish. In all these cases it makes a huge difference for a beginner to have experienced oversight and of course, by definition, the fish-in techniques endanger the fish (in the case of beginner mistakes) whereas there are no fish to be endangered with the fishless techniques.

Typically, the standard fishless cycle need only be used once, when one has no source of mature media (mature media from one's own filter being available thereafter.) It is also fairly typical that the fish-in cycle is more work, but by matching a small bioload to the water volume, this need not be the case. Many very experienced aquarists with practice doing both techniques end up choosing the fishless technique to simply take away even the small toxin exposures to their fish and because the technique is so easy once it becomes familiar.

The fish-in silent cycle is delightfully natural, but is unfortunately rather risky for beginners. The very same large mass of plants that does such a good job clearing the water of ammonia can backfire on you if the plants begin to die, which is often the case if the beginner is also a beginner with plants. In the hands of a seasoned planted tank expert however (who is doing the silent cycle or able to give a beginner hands-on help perhaps) the fish-in silent cycle is quite nice.

Here in beginners section many of us have found the nice long closely guided first fishless cycle (the standard type with household ammonia) is much more than just a way to get a first tank up and running, it is a way for beginners to get an incomparable first lesson in biofilters that sticks with them for years to come and helps them more quickly get up to speed on that same "sense of your fish" that the OP describes. It is like school compared to reading a new topic. A little bit of trial and error and having to think about it. A little bit of having to ask questions and discuss it with other hobbyists. The beginner who carries out this task of lots of measuring, lots of learning "why" is just going to be left with a much deeper understanding of the way we create and maintain really, really good fresh water in the hobby.

~~waterdrop~~

Hi,thanks for your reply,i am definatly going to do a fishless cycle on this next project,wil be reading up on how exactly it is done as i havent tried before,it sounds like this is by far the best way to go,so wish me luck,i look forward to going through the motions and learn more as i go.Thanks for the info,appretiated.kind regards-rebaka