Fishless cycle

[Shiggknight]

I hit 3 weeks of my fishless cycle Saturday of last week. First time doing a fishless cycle and I have a purple tang in quarantine ide like to put in when it’s safe. 90g tank. I used nitro cycle from algaebarn as my ammonia additive. No lights on, filter sock filtration with algae scrubber.

Should I wait longer? What’s your opinions?

PH- 8.2
ALK- DKH 7.5/ Mep/L - 2.68
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- pic provided

 

[Webslinger]

throw a black freshwater molly in there and see how he does.

 

[Shiggknight]

So I’ve never done that before what’s the theory behind that? Give me a little tutorial.

 

[User]

So I’ve never done that before what’s the theory behind that? Give me a little tutorial.

Dont do that.

If you don't saltwater acclimate it first- it'll die.

Also- if you do acclimate it properly (takes about 7-10 days) what's it going to show? Your biolfilter can support a mollie? Big deal.

Throw more ammonia in there to 2ppm. Test every day until it hits 0 ammonia, zero nitrite

At this point- Don't test nitrate- pointless since nitrite interferes.

Repeat ammonia dosing at 2ppm until your biofilter converts it all to nitrate within 24 hours.

Do one last ammonia dose, confirm ammonia zero nitrite zero at plus 24 hours.

Test nitrate- big water change if it's up in the 50's or more.

If you plan to add corals- water change until it's down to 5-10ppm nitrate. You can do a big 90% change- you won't lose your biofilter since it's in the rocks not the water

Done

Add fish. Don't go too fast with adding more, let the biofilter catch up to your bioload


If you haven't added bottles bacteria product it's going to take a few more weeks. If you dumped some bottled bacteria in there 3 weeks ago, it'll happen much sooner. But you meed 3-4 cycles of ammonia dosing to 2ppm being converted to zero in order for the biofilter to grow and be developed enough to support livestock

 

[Webslinger]

So I’ve never done that before what’s the theory behind that? Give me a little tutorial.

They are cheap, algae eating beasts and easy to catch when done with them . Just acclimate it like any fish. I have yet to have one die (7 days come on now...more like 7 minutes)... I use them with all my new builds.

Neil doesn't know the KISS.

 

[User]

They are cheap, algae eating beasts and easy to catch when don with them . Just acclimate it like any fish do it with all my new builds.

So cheap= disposable if his cycle isn't done?

What's the point of adding a fish to a fish less cycle when he can do it all the way through using ammonia and test kits and actually getting a feel for it?

 

[Webslinger]

So cheap= disposable if his cycle isn't done?

What's the point of adding a fish to a fish less cycle when he can do it all the way through using ammonia and test kits and actually getting a feel for it?

EASY...KISS!

 

[brandon429]

it does no good to have a fish in qt and then input it into a non fallow system.

 

[User]

EASY...KISS!

Dudes asking about a fishless cycle and you recommend putting a fish in there

That's all

Not debating

 

[User]

They are cheap, algae eating beasts and easy to catch when done with them . Just acclimate it like any fish. I have yet to have one die (7 days come on now...more like 7 minutes)... I use them with all my new builds.

Neil doesn't know the KISS.

I dont like it when people change text in an edit. Makes it hard to keep track.

 

[lapin]

I dont understand the logic behind thinking that you need to throw a non qt fish in a tank to see if its ready for a QT fish.

 

[User]

I dont understand the logic behind thinking that you need to throw a non qt fish in a tank to see if its ready for a QT fish.

ITS ok!!!

He does it all the time!! Every new build.

To be fair to him- a freshwater Molly's adapted to a SW tank won't have any saltwater diseases, so it'll be fine.

It will in all likelihood have intestinal parasites that can survive saltwater, so mister PT will likely need to come back out for treatment anyway if he goes this route.

Every black mollie I've bought has had worms. I've done 18 at this point in 3 batches of 6.

I acclimate over a 12 day period and feed with food soaked in focus and general cure, with selcon. Normal poop by the time they are acclimated.

 

[Shiggknight]

Dont do that.

If you don't saltwater acclimate it first- it'll die.

Also- if you do acclimate it properly (takes about 7-10 days) what's it going to show? Your biolfilter can support a mollie? Big deal.

Throw more ammonia in there to 2ppm. Test every day until it hits 0 ammonia, zero nitrite

At this point- Don't test nitrate- pointless since nitrite interferes.

Repeat ammonia dosing at 2ppm until your biofilter converts it all to nitrate within 24 hours.

Do one last ammonia dose, confirm ammonia zero nitrite zero at plus 24 hours.

Test nitrate- big water change if it's up in the 50's or more.

If you plan to add corals- water change until it's down to 5-10ppm nitrate. You can do a big 90% change- you won't lose your biofilter since it's in the rocks not the water

Done

Add fish. Don't go too fast with adding more, let the biofilter catch up to your bioload


If you haven't added bottles bacteria product it's going to take a few more weeks. If you dumped some bottled bacteria in there 3 weeks ago, it'll happen much sooner. But you meed 3-4 cycles of ammonia dosing to 2ppm being converted to zero in order for the biofilter to grow and be developed enough to support livestock

I added dr.Tims one and only enough for about 120g tank in my 90g.

Thanks for the schooling I needed haha

 

[User]

I added dr.Tims one and only enough for about 120g tank in my 90g.

Thanks for the schooling I needed haha

Noce

I used a mix of dr tims, biospira and turbo and I cycled my 180 fishless. In my build thread- but don't know where. It'll be around October 2018

I did a similar thing a few years ago and fully cycled a 180 in 19 days. 4 dosing and testing cycles.

 

[Shiggknight]

I dont understand the logic behind thinking that you need to throw a non qt fish in a tank to see if its ready for a QT fish.

That’s true cause I could bring a disease into my clean display tank!!!!

 

[User]

That’s true cause I could bring a disease into my clean display tank!!!!

Ich, velvet, uronmema etc Unlikely with a freshwater fish adapted to salt, since the parasite doesn't live in freshwater

But they do carry an intestinal parasite that survives saltwater so they could spread that.

 

[Webslinger]

Spike the curve! who needs quarantine?

 

[lapin]

Spike the curve! who needs quarantine?

And there you have it, spoken like a true medical professional