Fishless Cycling a 75-Gallon

[Becca]

You guys are going to kill me. I know this is a hot topic, and I really wish someone would pin an exact how-to on this board, I think it might help everything out.

I want to make sure I'm following the directions correctly, here's what I believe the process to be:

Step 1
1) Setup tank with gravel, filters and water.
2) If available, add decorations, filter media and or gravel from an established tank. Keep items in contact with either the new tank's filter media and/or gravel to help the spread of the beneficial bacteria. (It needs to grow since it's going to eat up the bad bacteria...)
3) Carefully add ammonia (regular household ammonia cleaner is fine) to the new tank until you have approximately 5ppm. Take note of how much ammonia you added.

Step 2
1) Beginning with the second day of your fishless cycle, take a water test about an hour before you plan to add ammonia to your tank. The reading will determine how much ammonia you're to add.
2) If there are no nitrites according to your water test, add the same amount of ammonia that you added on day 1. Continue repeating step 2 on a daily basis until you see a nitrite spike.
3) If there are nitrites (they'll most likely be high...) add 1/2 of the amount of ammonia you added on day 1, and continue to step 3 on the next day.

Step 3
1) Take a water test to check for nitrite and nitrate levels.
2) If the nitrItes are 0, and you have a nitrAte spike, do a 50% water change. Continue to monitor all aspects of the water for a couple of days to ensure all readings are good. Ammonia and Nitrites should be 0.
3) If you do not have nitrites of 0 and a nitrate spike, repeat step 3 until you do.

Can someone please verify that my steps as noted here are correct? I hate to have to start the cycle over because I had one minor detail wrong.

 

[punkserb]

its mostly correct. here are some notes though i think are important (just finished my first cycle yesterday):

you don't have to use things from other tanks to get seed (stuff for establishing bacteria). live plants work great! especailly potted ones. i had one java fern in my 5 gallon and after a week of adding ammonia to 5ppm i still had no nitrites. i went and got 2 potted plants and another java fern and two days after i had a huge nitrite spike.

at end of cycle, nitrites have to be 0. but if nitrates are no more than 30ppm i see no reason to do 50% change. 10% or none i think will work fine. the only reason to do a change would be if you have 40ppm or more if nitrates.

good luck on your cycle. i hope yours goes faster than mine! it took me almost a month, but still did it!

 

[clutterydrawer]

That's how I did mine. However I saw nitrites before i had a nitrite "spike" as such - that is, I saw low nitrites which gradually increased till they were pretty high which is when I halved the ammonia dose. I had nitrites on the second day of my cycle, just not in high amounts.

 

[Becca]

Just an update on my cycle process...I added ammonia last night with a couple handfuls of gravel from my seeded tank. I just checked my water and I had about 3.0 PPM of Ammonia and no nitrites or nitrates.

Just to see if it would work, I pulled out some of the water in my 75, added a tad more ammonia and added the old tank water from a gravel vac in my 30. It may do nothing, but a friend (who happens to be what I'd consider to be a Cichlid Expert) said that it would boost my cycle along...especially if I'm doing fishless. (On a side note, he's the only LFS guy / RL fish guy who's actually HEARD of fishless cycling, and recommends. it...)

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted.

 

[Teelie]

When I did mine, it was a tank that was already set up (used) but had no gravel or water and just the filter and biowheel which was out of water for an hour or two. I just filled it up, got the filter going and added the rock and gravel gradually. When it came time to ammonia, I just grabbed a bottle of pure ammonia and poured some in. No idea how much though.

About 26 days later, the nitrites were off the scale of my test strips so I did a 20% water change and 2 days later they were at zero and it was all cycled.

Really not very accurate or "correctly" done but it worked out fine, no fish that have been put in there died from it though one did die, due more to it's own stupidity (pinned itself against the glass and a rock) and ammonia and nitrites are still zero.

In other words, it's not that exact or demanding, so long as you have some estasblished bacteria in there.

 

[Bignose]

One trick to help speed up the process overall... Crank your heater up to like 85 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit. It will speed up the life cycle of the bacteria immensly, causeing them to grow and reproduce much faster.

Just be sure to turn the heater down well before you add fish. (Like, 1-2 days before).

 

[nero]

I think youve got it now becca!
When I did mine I added water from my established tank, but Ive no idea if it made any difference. If you remove it from the established tank via gravel vac, it might suck some bacteria off the gravel. If anything it forced me to clean the filters coz they got so filthy.
One more point (im sure you dont want to hear ANY more, but its important)
DO monitor your pH during the process. I had a minor pH crash towards the end. I read this is somthing to do with the large colony of bacteria and stuff (not to technical am I), but my point is, do monitor it, and if it crashes, you can do a water change to get it back closer to what your water supply pH is. So in reference to what punkserb said about no water change, I disagree. I would do one regardless of your nitrites because:
a) it will give your fishies nice fresh water, which is always a nice thing to do.
B) It restores the pH and buffering capacity of your tank (alkalinity). Or that is my understanding of it - the buffering capacity of the water is how well it will hold its pH, and fishless cycling can lower it. Thus a water change is a good idea.
in summary, a water change will never hurt, but not doing one might.
Good luck, and keep us informed! Sounds like a few people here have just finished one, so we can offer emotional support too.

 

[Becca]

Day 3

Checked the levels today, had about 3.0 PPM of Ammonia (neglected to add any yesterday) and trace amounts of Nitrate / Nitrite (from the dirty tank water I put in from my established tank).

I was thinking of a couple of other things I could add to my tank to help cycle the tank. I only added a couple of handfuls of gravel from my established tank and put them on my new sand. I wasn't sure if that was enough, so I rinsed the old filter out in the new tank water. I only wish it was the same model so I could just swap the filter sponges.

Perhaps I'll see if my LFS can donate a used Aquaclear 500 Sponge to my efforts. I'm not patient! I have fishies who look longinly at the 75-gallon from their rather small confinements!!!

Anyway, I added another 4 tsp of ammonia today, afterwards the readings come out around 4-5 ppm. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll wake up and I'll have 0 ammonia and like 5 gazillion nitrites!!!

 

[Becca]

Day 4

My ammonia levels have jumped. I've been adding ammonia as directed in the notes above - the same amount every day. I've added items (couple of handfuls of gravel, and rinsings from the filter media) from the established tank...yet my ammonia levels just keep getting bigger.

Right now, I'm looking at close to 8.0 PPM. What the HELL am I doing wrong...or is this normal? Am I going to one day wake up and all of that ammonia is going to go bye bye, or am I instead going to wake up one morning to algea all over the side of my tank. Also, should I do a water change to keep the ammonia from getting out of control, or should I just ignore it and sit patiently in front of it? (That's easier said than done!!)

It's frustrating. I was led to believe that since I have an established tank, adding items to my 75 Gallon would make my cycle whiz through (and by whiz through, I was thinking a few days...maybe a week.)

 

[kittybug]

Poor Becca. Waiting sucks. Beleive me i know. We are not sure if we are moving cross country in the next few months so i have a huge completly empty tank im staring at all the time. cant even do anything constructive like decorating and cycling.

 

[luxum]

Right now, I'm looking at close to 8.0 PPM. What the HELL am I doing wrong...or is this normal?

Absolutely normal. The plan here is to make a huge bacterial bed, so you need a huge spike. The same thing will happen to your nitrite when all that ammonia gets converted. Don't freak, just stick to the plan.

Am I going to one day wake up and all of that ammonia is going to go bye bye, or am I instead going to wake up one morning to algea all over the side of my tank.

You will probably see a brown algae bloom, but no worries, it's normal and it will go away on its own in a few weeks. The ammonia will spike off the chart for awhile and then drop to nothing basically overnight.

Also, should I do a water change to keep the ammonia from getting out of control, or should I just ignore it and sit patiently in front of it? (That's easier said than done!!)

No! Let the colony have an all-you-can-eat buffet. If looking at an empty tank is making you crazy, i suggest you work on the aquascape. Every time i see someone have trouble with the fishless cycle it is because they get impatient and start modifying the dose, or doing water changes. Just follow the plan.

It's frustrating. I was led to believe that since I have an established tank, adding items to my 75 Gallon would make my cycle whiz through (and by whiz through, I was thinking a few days...maybe a week.)

These are unrealistic expectations. Yes, it's possible to do this in about 10 days, but that is a best case scenario. Prepare yourself for a six week cycle, although it may finish faster. Be patient.

 

[canarsie11]

What temp is your tank at?

 

[Becca]

What temp is your tank at?

84

 

[gixer]

raise you temp a little more...even as far as 90. it WILLl speed it up.

a few days or a week? no chance...usually 2 weeks at least (thats a good case)

adding water from an established tank will not achieve anything..all it contains is waste...minimal bacteria..(if any)

i dont agree with whoever said only do water changes is nitrate is higher than 40. change as much as possible.. (once nitrite is zero) its harder to reduce it later.

seems to me you pretty much have it sussed out. just be patient

can i ask why you just didnt run your new filter in your existing tank for a while first..?

i think people get confused about old water etc...you need to understand all you are cycling is your biological filter...not water..or a tank...

 

[canarsie11]

What temp is your tank at?

84

gixer is correct, I cycle mine at 86f. This helps process, but 84f is good!