Why Bother With Fishless Cycle ?

[shelaghfishface]

showing no nitrates or ammonia

well thats not right either ?

 

[stiffler69]

showing no nitrates or ammonia

well thats not right either ?

Nitrites spelling lol

 

[shelaghfishface]

i did wonder, i think its bedtime, it takes me 5 mins to log in here and 3 seconds to get confused at this time of night. night all xxxxxxxxxx

 

[tangokitty]

I cycled a new 3 gallon shrimp tank with filter media and water from my 50 gallon 7 year old tank. I also added A bacteria in a bottle called Microbe-Lift GFCI and a few rams horn snails. I ran the tank 3 day tested until the levels where all normal added 5 shrimps. tested the water 12 hour later, it was fine, the next day I tested it again 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and less then 5 nitrates. I added 5 more shrimps and did the same thing till by the end of the week I had added 30 shrimps and 6 endlers and everything went fine and no Spike of any kind. I tested the water every morning and evening. The Nitrates never went past 5 and Ammonia and Nitrates where never present.
So I believe it can be done if done correctly and if Filter media from a well established tank is also included.

 

[Axleuk]

As promised these are the test results i just did.

Just to quickly explain agian.

Cleaned tank out with toxic salts, added gravel, filter, heater. Filled with water added watersafe ,added 5ppm of Ammonia, ran for a few days adding 1 litre of water from brothers established tank. Added live plants.

Added Bactinette, ran for 24 hrs tested ammonia levels and they showed up as 0 ppm also tested the Nitrate and Nitrite levels (cannot recall the readings but and more than possitive they were ok, but i am not going to lie to you and say they were 0 ppm because i quite simply cannot remember but am pretty sure they were safe levels otherwise i would have waited a little longer)

So, there you go. Your thoughts welcome.

 

[JenCliBee]

i am not going to lie to you and say they were 0 ppm because i quite simply cannot remember but am pretty sure they were safe levels otherwise i would have waited a little longer)

the only safe level of nitrites is 0 there is no other safe level if it doesnt show 0 then ur fish suffer 2 a certain degree


jen

 

[Axleuk]

ising water from a established tank is basically next 2 piontless the bacteria attaches it self 2 media not stays in the water( a little mybe but not enough 2 even come close 2 mattering.

as 2 making the mistakes(and this is not getting at u) on previous posts u said uve read alot and learnt alot from this forum but still went against all these ppl's experienced and basically are doing a fish in cycle


jen

Hi Jen, thanks for your input, its very much appreciated.

To respond to your observations, i have learnt a lot from this forum, and i am constantly learning new things all the time, a lot of which from this thread alone. That said, it does not make me immune from making mistakes. I realise i may have been hasty however i feel my actions were not conducted blind, they were based on the information that was presented to me and a tried and tested product.

People may or may not agree with my methods but so far my results have not been bad, however i am taking onboard everyones advice and i will monitor the situation very closely.

This is a learning curve for me, and fingers crossed i have not caused any undue stress to my fish.

 

[Corleone]

When bio-spira or bactinettes works, it's great, no need to cycle, or a very short one at worst. However availability and reliability both leave something to be desired, personally I've had a 50% success with Bio-spira (Not statistically meaningful, mind you, that's only two data points). Worked a miracle once, but failed the second time. What you did is the best way to use the stuff: Use it as a supplement to a fishless cycle, not an alternative. You were lucky and it seems to have worked great. Adding fish straight away, you're running the risk that the bactinettes may fail and dump you headlong into a fish-in cycle with all the associated stress to yourself and your fish.

 

[backtotropical]

As promised these are the test results i just did.

Hi Axleuk,

Good to see ammonia and nitrite are both 0. You can effectively ignore nitrate for just now until you make sure the filter is properly cycled.

As i said, i believe that the type of nitrite oxidising bacteria which is contained in Bactinnettes is more suited to higher nitrite concentrations and may start to die off. Make sure you test for both ammonia and nitrite each day for at least 1 week, probably 2 weeks is better.

If they both stay at 0 consistently, you've cracked it. Instantly cycled tank!

If you find any trace of either ammonia or nitrite, post up the results here, and we will be only too glad to help you through.

Good luck!

BTT

 

[geo7x]

The ideal way is to have a friend with a mature tank and nick about a quarter of their filter media. This way fish can be added pretty much instantly, though more gradually than after a fishless cycle.

This is why you will never really hear of anyone fishless cycling who has multiple tanks already.

 

[OohFeeshy]

http/www.fishforums.net/content-page/198...nation/page/15/

Some interesting points raised by Andy about it.

 

[Axleuk]

For those interested in this (what has turned out to be an experiment).

I tested my water levels again over the past 2 days and the result has remained stable. fish seem happier than ever and tank nice and clear.

So far so good.

I was in Maidenhead Aquatics in Bridgend, South Wales a few days ago and they confessed to using Bactinettes when setting up their shop. Many people have mixed views about the advice that Fish Shops offer but i have been impressed with the conditions in which the fish are sold and looked after. If its good enough for them, then its good enough for me until the results prove otherwise. So far so good.

 

[Efren]

I was all prepared to do a fishless cycle when i set up my tank. I knew it was the right thing to do, however the thought of having to wait potentially weeks was frustrating to say the least I WANT MY DAMN FISHIES NOW!!!

However, i saw Bactinette in the LFS and they claim that you can add fish to your water right away.

Hmmmm... thats some claim. £5 per 100 litre dose and i can add my fishies right away, sounds ideal. So....lets put it to the test.

I added Ammonia to my tank as per the fishless cycle guidlines, Ammonia reading was showing its presense so i added the Bactinette to my filter and 24 hrs later the Ammonia test was showing a reading of 0. Wow !! this stuff actually works....Water temp 26º tank nice and clear and new fishies are having a wail of a time.

So why bother with a long winded fishless cycles, when you can get hold of these Live Bacteria, Bactinettes and have your tank up and running in no time at all?

People may say that they cannot get hold of Bactinettes which is a European product only i believe, but there is a US alternative out there thats has equally as good results, and with the internet being very resourceful, people should never have problems getting hold of this stuff.

Highly recommended.

the title of this discussion hits me---
that is what i heard from the lfs this morning at kilburn london (paul's aquatics)
exaclty the same- every word of it - - -
but instead of offerin me Bactinette - she gave me Tetra Sure Start instead
she told me 10ml/liter is enough to mature my filter for a week
7 days! sounds great - - i didn't go for it though - - £9.50 fro 100ml

and looks like i'm not ready to take the risk - -
i'm still gettin' hold of ammonia and still lookin forward for fishless cycling
not unless if i find Bactinette first a BIG MaYBE - -

but Axleuk's test is CONVINCING - - so we'll see

 

[Axleuk]

I was all prepared to do a fishless cycle when i set up my tank. I knew it was the right thing to do, however the thought of having to wait potentially weeks was frustrating to say the least I WANT MY DAMN FISHIES NOW!!!

However, i saw Bactinette in the LFS and they claim that you can add fish to your water right away.

Hmmmm... thats some claim. £5 per 100 litre dose and i can add my fishies right away, sounds ideal. So....lets put it to the test.

I added Ammonia to my tank as per the fishless cycle guidlines, Ammonia reading was showing its presense so i added the Bactinette to my filter and 24 hrs later the Ammonia test was showing a reading of 0. Wow !! this stuff actually works....Water temp 26º tank nice and clear and new fishies are having a wail of a time.

So why bother with a long winded fishless cycles, when you can get hold of these Live Bacteria, Bactinettes and have your tank up and running in no time at all?

People may say that they cannot get hold of Bactinettes which is a European product only i believe, but there is a US alternative out there thats has equally as good results, and with the internet being very resourceful, people should never have problems getting hold of this stuff.

Highly recommended.

the title of this discussion hits me---
that is what i heard from the lfs this morning at kilburn london (paul's aquatics)
exaclty the same- every word of it - - -
but instead of offerin me Bactinette - she gave me Tetra Sure Start instead
she told me 10ml/liter is enough to mature my filter for a week
7 days! sounds great - - i didn't go for it though - - £9.50 fro 100ml

and looks like i'm not ready to take the risk - -
i'm still gettin' hold of ammonia and still lookin forward for fishless cycling
not unless if i find Bactinette first a BIG MaYBE - -

but Axleuk's test is CONVINCING - - so we'll see

You can get Bactinette from any brach of Maidenhead Aquatics. And for the record, i have no association with them, although i do like their stores. Bactinette is normally stored in a fridge by the counter.

London Branches

Enfield
Tel: 0208 3646617
Wyevale Garden Centre, Cattlegate Road, Enfield, Middlesex, EN2 9DX

Hillingdon
Tel: 01895 810050
Wyevale Garden Centre, Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3NP

Mill Hill
Tel: 020 8201 1999
Wyevale Country Gardens, Daws Lane, Mill Hill, London, NW7 4SL

Morden
Tel: 0208 646 1066
Morden Hall Garden Centre, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5JG

Osterley
Tel: 020 8568 0030
Wyevale Country Gardens, Windmill Lane, Osterley, Middx, TW7 5PR

Shepperton
Tel: 01932 781500
Thompsons Plant and Garden Centre, Nutty Lane, Shepperton, Middlesex, TW17 0RQ

St. Albans
Tel: 01727 825815
North Orbital Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 1DL

Syon Park
Tel: 0208 5687776
Syon Park Garden Centre, Syon Park, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 8JG

Wembley
Tel: 0208 2003545
The Greenhouse, Chilcot Nursery, Birchen Grove, London, NW9 8RY

Weybridge
Tel: 01932 821199
Crockford Bridge Farm, New Haw Road, Addlestone, Surry KT15 2BU

Its personal preference but should you choose this route i am sure you will be as pleased as i have been so far.

 

[Efren]

tempting...

enfield is the nearest in my place - but stil a 40mins drive - 17miles in all
but if it really does the job then why not - - - my kids buggin me every
minute - - about the fish - - -

and worse even my wife if being impatient about it - -
i'll give them a call tomorrow if they have it in stock..

thanks for the infos...