Add&wait V Add Daily Fishless Cycle

[orandas]

ADD&WAIT v ADD DAILY

1st fishless cycle eva

hi all,

i'm embarking on the 2nd method "add daily" - planning on keeping fancy goldfish(messy poopers), to max stock, so according to rdd's thread, the 2nd method is ideal for me. However its the least popular, so not much info on it.

my queries;

1. in the add&wait method, the aimed for total accumulation of ammonia at any one time is 4-5ppm(2-3ppm at 2nd phase), yet in the add daily method, the accumulation of adding a daily 4ppm, is way high eg by day 7 = 4ppm x 7=28ppm. Yet i read that >8ppm ammonia and the wrong kind of bacteria will be building up - is that correct? Isn't that bad?

2. so according to the 2nd method;
a) add daily 4ppm, til nitrite spike/max on api test,
b) then only, continue 2ppm, til ammonia api test reading is zero,
c) then, up ammonia back to 4ppm,
d) til double zeros at 24hr, 12hr,5-7day etc

3 has anyone succesfully completed the 2nd method? experiences? any availeable logs?

i'm nervous doing the 2nd method since all the info is on the 1st method, yet the 2nd method suits my eventual needs. Would appreciate ure experienced inputs,thx all.

 

[Miles_hot]

I don't see that either method will end up with a stronger filter at the end as the criteria is the same (5ppm in 12 hours). The add and wait seems sooooo much easier which is why I followed that!

Miles

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I don't see that either method will end up with a stronger filter at the end as the criteria is the same (5ppm in 12 hours). The add and wait seems sooooo much easier which is why I followed that!

Miles

The add daily method will result in filter that can handle the bio load of large messy fish or a heavy overstocked tank far better then the add and wait method, but is not nessary for normal community tanks

 

[Miles_hot]

Interesting - how does that work? Do you end up with a far higher density of bacteria or just only the really fit ones?

Miles

 

[CezzaXV]

My guess is that with the add daily method, because you're adding more ammonia every day regardless of whether the last batch has been processed, you end up with a bacterial colony that can handle more ppm of ammonia than in the add and wait method.

However, the add and wait method is fine if you plan to build your stock up gradually as the bacteria will catch up with the amount of ammonia being produced as they need to. With the add daily method, because they can already process more ammonia than they need to, it's okay to go ahead and fully stock your tank the second it's done cycling.

 

[Aqua Tom]

At the end of the cycle both the add daily & add & wait can be fully stocked.

5ppm of ammonia is a huge concentration & if your filter can handle that in 12 hours then once stocked, your fish's, no matter what they are, will be hard pressed to produce 5ppm ammonia every 24 hours. Also remember that your goldfish will be juvinile when bought so as they grow they will produce more waste & your filter bacteria will grow with it.

That said - Go with the method you feel happiest with.

Tom

 

[CezzaXV]

Oh wow, really? May have to rethink my stocking schedule then. Not gonna add all my fish at once but may add more initially than I was going to.

If that's the case, what are the benefits of the add daily method? The nitrite phase of my add and wait method was annoying as my test kit only goes up so high. I know it's coming down but can't measure it to be sure. I can't imagine a cycle where everything was off the scale all the time!

 

[Aqua Tom]

Oh wow, really? May have to rethink my stocking schedule then. Not gonna add all my fish at once but may add more initially than I was going to.

If that's the case, what are the benefits of the add daily method? The nitrite phase of my add and wait method was annoying as my test kit only goes up so high. I know it's coming down but can't measure it to be sure. I can't imagine a cycle where everything was off the scale all the time!

When I finished my add & wait cycle, I 90% stocked the tank over the weekend. Then tested each day for another week, then fully stocked it the following weekend.
I have not seen a trace of ammonia or nitrite in my tank since.

I have only ever done the add & wait method so I will bow to our more experienced members about the add daily advantages/disadvantages.


Tom.

 

[ctsv510]

The "add daily" method is supposed to build a larger colony of bacteria, but it is also supposed to take longer. It's more or less uncontrolled and apparently presents the opportunity for the growth of the wrong kind of bacteria. I think that the add daily method should include a schedule for water changes in certain increments and in certain amounts to control the toxin levels and help prevent cycle stalls.

If the "add daily" method builds you a larger colony of bacteria, what ppm of Am is it capable of processing in 12 hours at the end of the cycle?

What if you were to instead do the add and wait method and continue past the 5 ppm per 12 hour mark? Couldn't you get the same result, perhaps even faster, building on an already cycled tank?

 

[orandas]

Continued thx to all the contributors.......its mind-boggleing trying to understand....without the scientific background....

- its my first eva fishless cycle, so choosing either method, with much trepidation. Reading the info on here, i've kinda got the jist of how to do the add & wait method, and yet the add daily is suppose to suit my fishes needs....so i'm torn between the two

- theres not much practical experience/info on the add daily method...which makes me wonder why??

- i also don't want to be creating bad bacteria, due to the accumulation of excess ammonia

- but then once the good bacteria gets established, maybe they end up "kicking" the built-up bad bacteria - wishful/hopeful? thought?

@ ctsv510 - valid good points. Really wished rdd had expanded on the add daily method or not added it at all(sorry), so then theres no confusing option.