Just Making Sure

[Nevergone815]

well as you can see that i have 2 10 gal tanks set up and that i will be upgrading soon, i hae a few questions about fishless cycling. my first 2 tanks did a cycling with fish and it was the worst most expensive hting in the world. $200 US in fish tnak, fish and supplies cost me another $200 US in meds ot treat the stress releted diseases from the ammonia. so when i set up my new tanks i am definately doing a fishless cycle.

i will be buying the ammonia (and i read a lot of post on which kind to get) and i have found it odd that noone gave a rough estimate of the time it would take.

if i got a 40 gal tank and introduced a whole bottle of ammonia will that be a good idea? also, i know i have to wait until all of the levels to reduce down. my question is... how long do you think it would take for this to happen

 

[bogwood]

if i got a 40 gal tank and introduced a whole bottle of ammonia will that be a good idea? also, i know i have to wait until all of the levels to reduce down. my question is... how long do you think it would take for this to happen

Don't know exactly what would happen... but I'd advise against it...

There is no 'fixed' time that a tank takes to 'cycle' in... it depends on factors such as tank size, temperature, how much ammonia was initially put in etc...

 

[clareriley]

wow I wouldnt just put a bottle of amonia in.. that could be bad.. I would find the pinned articles about the fishless cycling..

I did a fishless cycle in 3 weeks and had algea on my rocks within 4 weeks of the first water in there but thats coz i used my sisters shale from her mature tank, a little water and some plants.. and got new rocks and slate to get caves. it was only when i saw the cave getting a little algea that I put my fish in..

 

[Nevergone815]

so how much ammonia would you suggest i put in and for how long before i put more in? would i even put more in?

the tank would be tropical wit ha temp around 78F and would be a 40 gal. also the tank would probably be set up for like 3-6 months before fish are put into it. because i will be away at college and frankly i don't trust my little sister to take care of it and know how to acclimate fish properly.

 

[mark.w.jones]

I read that adding too much ammonia, above 8ppm, can inhibit bacterial growth. I think if you go overboard like that you'll end up with ammonia readings off the scale for ages and end up having to do loads of water changes to bring it down. I definitely read about someone on this forum who over did the ammonia and ended up waiting 7weeks! for their tank to cycle, it was a fairly big tank like yours if I remember rightly. My 10gal UK tank took 3 days for the ammonia to go and a further 2 weeks for the nitrite to go, but don't know if that guides you in any way.

I used the "add and wait" method from this link and it worked fine. Real easy to understand and not too much jargon.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...3861&hl=methods

Hope thats helpful