Your Fishless Cycling Experience Please..

[Squid]

Appologies if this has already been done.

I am currently doing my first fishless cycle, and i keep having different questions like, should the lights be on?, yes or no to cycling with plants?, or about temperature. Luckily people have humoured me to answers to all of these..

However, i am interested in understanding how different people cycled their tanks (fishless that is) and the differences in their environment that might have affected the length of time it took. Below are the things i am interested in.

• Length of time it took to cycle
• Tank size (maybe tank make to help with shape)
• Filter used
• Temperature cycled at
• any bacteria seed used or not
• plants or not
• lights on for how long per day whilst cycling
• substrate

Thanks for you help..

Squid

 

[Squid]

You miserable lot

 

[moon]

You miserable lot

You unemployed squid

Length of time it took to cycle = 3-4 weeks (I didn't add fish though for a further 4 weeks - I just kept topping up with ammonia)
Tank size (maybe tank make to help with shape) = 170L Juwel Panorama (squarish)
Filter used = Ehiem 2126 external filter with heater
Temperature cycled at = 27C
any bacteria seed used or not = No
plants or not = Yes - fairly lightly planted
lights on for how long per day whilst cycling = 2pm - midnight
substrate = pool filter sand over some pond fertilzer stuff

 

[Squid]

You miserable lot

You unemployed squid

Naa.. will be if i spend more time on here though just bored ..

 

[dwarfgourami]

Tank size -- did 2 tanks simultaneously: Juwel Rekord 60 (60 ltrs/15 gals), Juwel Rekord 70 (70 ltrs/19 gals)

Length of time it took to cycle - 14 days for the 60, 10 days for the 70 (added counted no of drops every day until nitrite spiked, then half this amount)

Filter used- Juwel internal filters

Temperature cycled at- ummm c. 25C

any bacteria seed used or not- no

plants or not - yes, fairly heavily planted

lights on for how long per day whilst cycling- 12 hrs

substrate- gravel

 

[AlexAndCarmen]

I've had alot of success using a bit of gravel/substrate from well matured tank sprinkle over new gravel and i always put some in the filter. If you haven't got a matured tank ask the lfs for some out of there matured tank. I've found mature gravel to be ten times better than products like cycle, it seeds the nitrifying bacteria right where it should be. With four Mollies, lights on 4 hours a day, it took 14 days till no measurable Nitrite or Ammonia in my 50gal. Hope this helps.

 

[Durbkat]

Well I fish cycled my 10g and long 20g before I found this site and I cloned my 55g so I never really fishless cycled any of my tanks.

 

[modernhamlet]

* Length of time it took to cycle
19 days
* Tank size (maybe tank make to help with shape)
29g (standard 30x12x16)
* Filter used
Penguin 170 w/ biowheel
* Temperature cycled at
78
* any bacteria seed used or not
a few plants
* plants or not
yes, but low light
* lights on for how long per day whilst cycling
10
* substrate
Fluorite


* Length of time it took to cycle
21 days
* Tank size (maybe tank make to help with shape)
75g (48x18x20)
* Filter used
AquaVia 650 canister and Aquaclear 500
* Temperature cycled at
82
* any bacteria seed used or not
No
* plants or not
No
* lights on for how long per day whilst cycling
1-2
* substrate
pool filter sand

 

[Rooster]

Length of time it took to cycle
28 days
Tank size (maybe tank make to help with shape)
15x9x9 inch
Filter used
Internal (Fluval 3, with new sponge as sole media)
Temperature cycled at
85F
any bacteria seed used or not
Nothing
plants or not
None
lights on for how long per day whilst cycling
No light other than ambiant, which is not a lot in here !
substrate
None