Fishless Cycle Starting Today

[Prime Ordeal]

Ok Prime Ordeal, you were right on two big pure dechlorinated water changes; now on pH; 7.8/ NH3; 0/NO2; 0.25 (no pink but darker than 0)/NO3; 40

dosing NH3 to 1ppm this afternoon...should be about 2ml on your 5th of full method, and will check in the morning, then add every other day.

water is well oxygenated, 30C., no lights or plants

your method should be pinned!

I'm the black sheep of the family here and I don't think anything I write will get pinned, nor am I aiming for it to be. As long as I help people that's all that matters.

I like your setup BTW, totally creepy!

 

[JDs4me]

It seems there are many ways to get the to the end-result we all want - yours seems pretty straightforward enough and makes sense to me so will follow!

Thanks re. set-up comment, just ordered some blue LED's for evening spook-factor max-out!

You do seem to have been involved in several good arguements over the last day or so on cycling issues...I'm gonna miss all this aggro once the tank is off and running! This is an excellent forum where a lot of ideas/methods are openly discussed; a steep learning curve for me as I swing back into the hobby, much the wiser and better informed thanks to the good old internet this time around.

NH3 now at 1ppm and will check in the morning and re-dose the following day if dropped

might be worth mentioning on your methodology above that when using the calculator for initial NH3 dosage, take into account you are dosing the volume of water in the tank, not the tank size! I fell for that one and did not reduce my volume estimate enough (260litre tank; I reduced my estimated volume to 250...silly in hindsight as 220 was probably closer!)

 

[Prime Ordeal]

might be worth mentioning on your methodology above that when using the calculator for initial NH3 dosage, take into account you are dosing the volume of water in the tank, not the tank size! I fell for that one and did not reduce my volume estimate enough (260litre tank; I reduced my estimated volume to 250...silly in hindsight as 220 was probably closer!)

Yes, good point. I've been doing this so long I take some things for granted and forget that they're not at all obvious when you're just setting out. I'll do it now, thanks.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

I was just having a chuckle to myself thinking what fish you could eventually stock with.

How about:

Black Ghost Knifefish
Ghost Catfish
Vampire Tetra
Parrot Fish (well it's a man made monstrosity - Frankensteinish!)
Black Widow Tetra (it sounds sort of creepy)

There's probably loads of others.

 

[pdludbrooke]

I was just having a chuckle to myself thinking what fish you could eventually stock with.

How about:

Black Ghost Knifefish
Ghost Catfish
Vampire Tetra
Parrot Fish (well it's a man made monstrosity - Frankensteinish!)
Black Widow Tetra (it sounds sort of creepy)

There's probably loads of others.

Hi I was doing a normal fishless cycle, I saw your method for 21 days and am now trying it, I have had to do 2 90 % water changes to get my nitrite down, I hope it works, thanks

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Hi I was doing a normal fishless cycle, I saw your method for 21 days and am now trying it, I have had to do 2 90 % water changes to get my nitrite down, I hope it works, thanks

OK, but bear in mind that the method only works if you do everything I mention from day one. So don't expect miracles in this case where, up to now, you've been dosing high with no water changes.

The reduction of nitrite will definitely help though so it should speed things up somewhat.

 

[JDs4me]

I was just having a chuckle to myself thinking what fish you could eventually stock with.

How about:

Black Ghost Knifefish
Ghost Catfish
Vampire Tetra
Parrot Fish (well it's a man made monstrosity - Frankensteinish!)
Black Widow Tetra (it sounds sort of creepy)

There's probably loads of others.

you aren't the first to suggest some aptly named residents...I'm going to resist, and stock with a couple of Raphaels, a couple of Rift Valley cats and a Dempsey or two...might slip a Vampire Plec in there; the Black Marble Angels will have to wait!

I plan a bigger tank for the Dempseys to grow into, possibly for breeding, and at that time I am tempted to match the fish to the decor..Going to have to check the parameters for the Ghost Catfish though as he sounds a very tempting addition if the water suits him!

I was just having a chuckle to myself thinking what fish you could eventually stock with.

How about:

Black Ghost Knifefish
Ghost Catfish
Vampire Tetra
Parrot Fish (well it's a man made monstrosity - Frankensteinish!)
Black Widow Tetra (it sounds sort of creepy)

There's probably loads of others.

Hi I was doing a normal fishless cycle, I saw your method for 21 days and am now trying it, I have had to do 2 90 % water changes to get my nitrite down, I hope it works, thanks

good luck!

 

[OldMan47]

PO has stated that our method cited on TFF is wrong. There are literally thousands of people who have used that method and succeeded. I admit that refinements may be needed but please do not throw out the baby with the bath water. If PO or his cohorts can provide actual evidence, we are very ready to improve any method shown here on TFF. It is not that we have not seen other methods presented but rather that we have not seen other methods presented that had as good results. If we had, I personally would have refined our threads. I have no inherent interest in preserving our present posts but I fully support anything that helps our members move forward at maximum speed with no adverse responses. Thus far I have yet to receive evidence, other than simple statements that we are wrong, from PO or any others. I do not accept statements of "authority" for anything at all, it is my nature. I want real evidence before changing anything that has worked for us for many years. I am absolutely certain that some things may prove better than what we have espoused here but I want to see that evidence, not someone's opinion of our current method.

 

[JDs4me]

PO has stated that our method cited on TFF is wrong. There are literally thousands of people who have used that method and succeeded. I admit that refinements may be needed but please do not throw out the baby with the bath water. If PO or his cohorts can provide actual evidence, we are very ready to improve any method shown here on TFF. It is not that we have not seen other methods presented but rather that we have not seen other methods presented that had as good results. If we had, I personally would have refined our threads. I have no inherent interest in preserving our present posts but I fully support anything that helps our members move forward at maximum speed with no adverse responses. Thus far I have yet to receive evidence, other than simple statements that we are wrong, from PO or any others. I do not accept statements of "authority" for anything at all, it is my nature. I want real evidence before changing anything that has worked for us for many years. I am absolutely certain that some things may prove better than what we have espoused here but I want to see that evidence, not someone's opinion of our current method.

With you 100%...it seems to me that there are several methods on the forum that lead to the required outcome - to my mind there is no right or wrong; if it works, great! How about having a thread on different cycling methods; us newbies can then clearly see the way to go, choosing the one that suits us best? Perhaps then, once cycled, feedback can be left on the thread, hence providing evidence that that particular method worked for them, and can then be followed with more confidence?

Some folks are defending their system of cycling quite rigorously - there's nothing wrong with that if it works! I am seeing a lot of confusion on posts from us new folk on how to go about fishless cycling - a thread describing different ways to reach our goal would surely clarify things; you experts can then just refer to the thread rather than have to continuously explain the way to go!

 

[JDs4me]

7am - NH3; 0/ NO2; back in the pink, 1-2 as far as I can judge (really looking forward to the Salifert test)/ NO3; 40

it seems that the NH3 > NO2 bacs are working then...will add NH3 to 1ppm tomorrow morning

 

[ian]

That's the problem though JD, because it's worked in one system, doesn't make it the right thing to do. There are a few scientific brains that worked on tffs fishless cycle and it's been good for near on 10 years now. Its not good to confuse newbs in to the way of cycling. The masses we have helped cycle their tanks is tremendous, intact I'd love to see the number. Evidence (preferably scientific) is needed IMO and ime before we go changing our articles, and anyone if free to write and provide said evidence.

Just don't believe the hype.

 

[JDs4me]

I'm not suggesting any article is changed...I'm suggesting that if there are other methods that work (such evidence required then given by feedback from those following them), then surely that is evidence enough in itself? The newbs are confused at the moment because there are other methods out there, and well-meaning advice is given by people who are following different ones! Hence a description of each method would clarify things, and enable one to follow that one method to its conclusion? If it doesn't work and is seen to be unreliable then feedback would highlight that...its almost like an ebay thing; you always feel confident with a seller who has 100% feedback, but not one with 50%!

It was just a thought...

As to the masses you have helped...the forum is an eye-opener to me, with so many of you giving of your experience (and freely!)...I am very pleased to have stumbled across you lot!

 

[ian]

I silent cycle my tanks. I shouldn't even be in this section lol

 

[JDs4me]

I silent cycle my tanks. I shouldn't even be in this section lol

OMG not another method!

 

[Prime Ordeal]

That's the problem though JD, because it's worked in one system, doesn't make it the right thing to do. There are a few scientific brains that worked on tffs fishless cycle and it's been good for near on 10 years now. Its not good to confuse newbs in to the way of cycling. The masses we have helped cycle their tanks is tremendous, intact I'd love to see the number. Evidence (preferably scientific) is needed IMO and ime before we go changing our articles, and anyone if free to write and provide said evidence.

Just don't believe the hype.

So the thirty five or so tanks I've cycled or supervised the cycling of is hype is it? And yet you haven't even tried my method.

And, of course, you roundly trash the bacterial additive method of cycling and,yes, you haven't tried a single one yourself.

And then you admit that you only do silent cycles!

Do you see a pattern building here Ian?

There are those that do and there are those that talk.