More Cycling Questions

[Liz05]

I'm cycling my first tank. I have others but when I got them, I didn't know about the whole cycling thing. I set it up last night. I took my used filter cartridge from my other established tank, and used a piece of pantyhose to put it into the new tank. Should I add some gravel from it too? I've been feeding it fish food a couple times a day. I haven't tested anything yet (Don't want to waste test strips) And I don't have any pure ammonia. How long will it be before I start seeing some results, and is there anything else I can do to speed the process? I definitely want to make sure that its thoroughly cycled because I bought the tank for molly fry. I'd just like to get them into it as soon as possible. I read some articles on fishless cycling, but they're not very clear, as in step by step how to get the ball rolling.

 

[Feline]

Yeah bacteria likes to stay on gravels, so the tank wil cycle faster if u put in gravels from the established tank.

 

[platypus]

Human wee has ammonia in it if you want to speed up the process a bit more but I think it requires a bit of an iron stomach!

If not, adding fish food every day will get you there, just a bit more slowly that's all.

 

[Liz05]

Human wee...

 

[Eelzor]

Human wee has ammonia in it if you want to speed up the process a bit more but I think it requires a bit of an iron stomach!

Human wee...

don't! please dont! That really is not neccesary! . It just sounds really not right! use anthing else like the dissolved fish food method thing.

 

[platypus]

don't! please dont! That really is not neccesary! . It just sounds really not right! use anthing else like the dissolved fish food method thing.

ARF! I would like to know if ANYONE out there has used the wee method... anyone? C'mon, own up!!

 

[Eelzor]

ARF! I would like to know if ANYONE out there has used the wee method... anyone? C'mon, own up!!

but seriously! please! Did you do it? In fact, for that matter, yes I second that. has anyone done it?

 

[Alien Anna]

Human wee...

don't! please dont! That really is not neccesary! . It just sounds really not right! use anthing else like the dissolved fish food method thing.

Old fishkeepers have been using human wee for centuries (at least according to one old fishkeeper I know) to start their ponds off. There is also a tradition among gardeners for compost heaps and potato beds.

Before modern times and modern toilets, human urine was used for all sorts of purposes, including sterilising things! In fact, I'm told an old commando trick for cleaning cooking utensils is to pee in them

Healthy urine is completely sterile and harmless. It's just that our cultures consider it dirty and taboo. It's a bit silly when you think about it - but then I'm sure other cultures thing we do things that are dirty and horrible that we think are just fine.

 

[Eelzor]

Yes, I suppose at first thought you straight away don't want to do it, but I suppose its harmless once its fully cycled and gone. *Shudders as talks*

 

[Liz05]

I really don't think that human wee is an option, at least for me. For now, I'm sticking with the fish food method and using some old gravel. When should I start to see some ammonia?

 

[Eelzor]

Well, the dissolved fish food is ammonia (I'm just thinking obviously). So probably straight away or soon. Then the ammonia wil slowly turn into nitrite then nitrate! over 1 month maybe (Just my newb thoughts)

 

[Liz05]

*Sigh*
This makes me impatient.

 

[Alien Anna]

*Sigh*
This makes me impatient.

If its any consolation, I cycled a tank with fish food in 2 weeks. Melt the fish food in some warm water from the kettle for half a day before adding to the tank.

On the marine section, someone was talking about adding some defrosted prawn or shrimp to the tank. I think that would work well since prawns totally whiff after a very short time in the warm. Anything that decomposes fast and contains protein would be a good starter, actually, but you don't want anything from land animals because the bacteria are all wrong.

 

[Liz05]

What about tubifex worms? That's about all I've got, and some waterfleas in gel.

 

[Alien Anna]

What about tubifex worms? That's about all I've got, and some waterfleas in gel.

Great! Good source of protein for your beneficial bacteria.