Fishless Cycle

[chubbs9]

hi there,im new to the forum and need some help please.i have read the other posts/threads but some varying answers lol.
basically all i want to know is,when i decide to fill my tank with water for the first time,i know it can take a while before its ready for fish.
when will i know its ready,what should my PH value be closer to,what should my ammonia and nitrate readings be when the cycle is finally over.
and how often do i do water changes in the fishless cycle?and when and why would i do them
and if there is anything else i should know,any help would be much appreciated.

i have bought this ---- API Liquid pH Test & Adjuster Kit pH Up & pH Down Adjusters Freshwater Aquariums
this ---- API AQUARIUM FISH TANK TAP SAFE WATER CONDITIONER D28
and this stuff ---- API TROPICAL FISH START UP PACK, WATER TREATMENTS, FOR AQUARIUM FISH TANKS NEW
it will be a 4ft tank

sorry for asking noob questions,but i just wanna get it right

thanks for any help

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

if I were you I would look through the beginners resource centre which has loads of information on how to do a fishless cycle and lots of other handy information.

Basicly though, fill up the tank run all the equipment, filter, heater etc, for a couple of days to check for leaks.

In the mean time locate some ammonia, boots and homebase stock this in the uk, I'm not sure anywhere else in the world.

Then you add the amount of ammonia needed to reach 4ppm. There is a calculator in a link in one of the threads on fishless cyclying.

I personally prefer the add and wait method. So wait until the ammonia reaches 0ppm and redose. The tank will be fully cycled once Ammonia and NitrItes reach 0ppm after 12 hours.

Welcome to the forum and you have come to the right place for information.

P.S take all the chemicals back to the shop other than the dechlorinator as it is not needed/doesn't work.

P.P.S take all the ph balancers back as well, this fish will be much healthier having wrong PH levels that are constant than fluctuating trying to get the right PH. Also with money you get back get a API Freshwater Master Test Kit.

 

[chubbs9]

ah ok thanks for the friendly welcome,and have started reading the resource part

so list of stuff i bought,i just get rid of the 3rd one in my list?as i need the ph test kit and the conditioner dont i?
also is any ammonia ok to use in my tank then?

cheers and thanks for your time

chubbs

 

[chubbs9]

ah i just looked at that kit...i have the API ph kit,API nitrate kit and the API ammonia kit seperately.
never knew bout the full kit lol.

chubbs

 

[Smells a bit fishy]

I would take it all back. TBH. Get the full master test kit ( its cheaper and includes Nitrite test kit). I personally prefer using SeaChem Prime as my water conditioner as its far cheaper than anything else on the market.

As for Ammonia. It must be pure, do the shake test. If you shake it and there are no bubbles its good to go. Because some have soap in them, which is no good for the tank, oh and the proper stuff smells rank!! Lol.

So the list of things you need are:

API Master kit
DeChlorinator
Ammonia.

Of course there are lots more but for now that's all you really need. Oh maybe a syringe to measure the amount of ammonia you need.