FISHLESS CYCLING

[tstenback]

Not so. Your ammonia is being consumed by bacteria which should produce the nitrites that you are waiting for and as luxum said this sometimes takes a while. Just be patient a while longer and you should see the nitrites. You have no seeding so it will take longer than most cycles that you have read about on this but it will happen. I would only be concerned if the ammonia level was still going up daily. I find that if you measure every other day instead of every day it makes it a little less frustrating. Hang in there, panther1505

 

[DrFreudjr]

This may seem like a simple idea, but are you sure that your water is free of chlorine? That's a non-starter for bacteria...

 

[punkserb]

i had the same problem. about 2 weeks with high but steady ammonia and no nitrites.

i then went and got 2 potted plants and 2 java ferns, all in my little 5 gallon! needless to say, after only 2 days my nitrites went through the roof. btw, is this too much vegetation for a 5 gallon? i plan to keep a betta, 2 ottos for cleaning, and maybe an african dwarf frog or two in there.

 

[paulioo]

Also a note about chlorine...

If you are using a de-chlorinator make sure it only gets rid of chlorine and chloramines and not ammonia.

Some de-chlorinators remove or "tie up" ammonia. Just check the bottle to see what one you have.

hopefully this might solve your problem

paul.

 

[vmong]

hi all i already have a tank but intend to upgrade then tank, i have never done this cycling and want to know what i should do, does teh bacteria naturally occur??? i have gravel in the tank i am using. i am beginning to fill the new 104 litre tank to test for leaks as i sealed it myself and i just added some gravel. the fish i already have seem to be fine and teh only problem that i can see is taht my RTBS sometimes dont look entirely jet black i ahve never used chemicals for my tank and when i do water changes i just leave it out for a day and areate it with an airstone then i add the water in.

my RTBS was fine untiel i made teh water change but when i did i left it in the sun tehn it began to rain and i forgot to get the water back in, is it possible that there was acid rain that changed the pH of my water?

 

[luxum]

i have never done this cycling and want to know what i should do, does teh bacteria naturally occur???

Yes, the bacteria does naturally occur and will colonize your tank eventually. You can speed this process up if you have a source of established bacteria, like some filter media from an established tank.

i ahve never used chemicals for my tank and when i do water changes i just leave it out for a day and areate it with an airstone then i add the water in.

my RTBS was fine untiel i made teh water change but when i did i left it in the sun tehn it began to rain and i forgot to get the water back in, is it possible that there was acid rain that changed the pH of my water?

I doubt that acid rain would cause much of a shift. I want to warn you that this "no chemical" approach sounds good but should only be used if you are absolutely certain that your water supply uses chlorine, not chloramine. The aeration method will not break down chloramine, you'll have to use a water conditioner for that. And frankly, water conditioner is easier, faster and quite safe.

 

[vmong]

oh ok then thanks for the advice, i will do it later i am currently testing for leaks!