Fishless Water Cycling Fishy Fun & Fast

Nitrogen Cycle

The Classic Approach When setting up an aquarium, buy some cheap hardy fish and get the cycle started. These fish have been given names like "Starter Fish". "Suicide Fish", "Disposables" and so on. The purpose of these fish is to provide ammonia through respiration, fish waste, and decaying food. The ammonia allows the first set of nitrifying bacteria to colonize and to initiate the cycling of the tank. During this time of cycling, ammonia and later nitrites will spike up to dangerous levels for the little creatures. Some of them survive the harsh welcome but will not live out their full potential. Of course a few exceptions are tolerated within this rule. The cycle is complete as soon as ammonia and nitrite levels are nolonger measurable by test kits. This classical form of cycling takes anywhere from 3-4 weeks

Seeding Feed the tank with fish food. The decaying food will release ammonia and the tank starts the cycling process. To further speed up this process the tank can be seeded with gravel from an existing tank, filter cartridges from established filters, filter media of any kind, biowheels, drift wood, rocks, all taken from established tanks

frame of this method does not vary much with the time needed using the classical form of cycling. There is significant risk to create by-products such as phosphates, which occurs by decaying food. The ammonia produced might also be insufficient to create enough bacteria colonies to hold the fish when they are introduced. This will trigger another growth of bacteria with the spikes in ammonia and nitrites.

spikes however will be much shorter and less intense compared to the initial ones experienced during the primary cycle. Consequences for the fish are minimal, making this at least fish-friendlier. Both forms of cycling have one thing in common - Ammonia. Remember that a tank has cycled if ammonia and nitrites are back at 0 ppm. At this time you can stock the tank with fish. If no fish are introduced, the bacteria will need to be fed by continuing with the addition of fish food or pure ammonia

Pure Ammonia to Cycle Instead of using fish food for ammonia production, we can also introduce pure ammonia to the tank. After the tank has been set up add 5 drops of ammonia per 10 Gallons into the water Seeding the tank can significantly enhance this process. 7 days for a complete cycle are not unheard of

Combining both seeding and the addition of pure ammonia gives your new aquatic habitat the bacteria needed for biological filtration and the nutrient materials needed to sustain them. The bacteria colonies, using this method, are certainly large enough to handle a well-stocked aquarium

Some aspects to consider The tank has to be well oxygenated as the bacteria require oxygen The ammonia used should be free of any perfumes and additives Do not treat the water with conditioners that remove ammonia Water changes are only necessary if the ammonia and nitrite levels are far off level, which should only occur if more than 5 drops is used per 10 Gallons of water

After stocking your tank with fish, general maintenance of the aquarium is all that is required. The bacteria will adjust to the fish load and if you plan to add new fish the bacteria will have to adjust again Keep in mind to feed your tank with ammonia until you introduce fish. The waste generated by your fish will then provide the tank with all that is needed to balance the environment With this method, all aquarium types can be cycled in a very short period of time.  Professionals use the ammonia drop method to keep live sand and rock alive, which they sell in their stores