Kinda New to the whole thing....

[Beginner_n_NJ]

I have been a member of the forum since i got my tank. However I have had many problems, and gave up. I have gotten so much information and it all seemed overwhelming and contradictive at the same time. I have found a lfsand the owner is great...He has given me lots of information but to my luck he has had some hardshipsin his family and cannot help me for a while.

I have a 46g bowfront and I am starting from scratch. I need help with doing a fishless cycle. I have bought a test kit and will ebgin cycling sometime this week. Is there anyone who will help me with this? I dont know anyone with an established tank, so i am really starting from scratch. Please someone give me advice. I will continue to read the posts....

 

[Def]

This should get you started:

http/www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycling.html

 

[Gazoo]

What kind of problems have you experienced since you started with your 46 gallon bow?

 

[canarsie11]

Dont get frustrated, let us know whats going on?

 

[daza]

yeah, we will be able to help a little more if we have an idea of what you have done so far and what has gone wrong.

Since you know you want to do a fishless cycle then you may already know about how to do it and what it is for, etc, but if not then this is a must read, as are all the other pinned topics in the beginners section in fact.

Personally I would follow these instructions for a fishless cycle. They are a slight modification to the link provided by Def above in that it accounts for different concentrations of ammonia.

Do you have a source of ammonia to start the fishless cycle? Do you have test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

If there is anything specific that you can't find information on or seems to be contradictive then post back here as there are plenty of people here to help

 

[Beginner_n_NJ]

I have hadfish deaths probably due to incorrectly cycling and having no guideline...pretty much going into this whole thing as a blind man and not knowing anything. I had gotten a million and one snail all around my tank and didnt know where they came from. After i had the snail situation under control I had some fin nippers not sure of who did it or how to treat it. Then when all was said and done I had gotten a lot of green algae all over my tank and then much larger snails appered out of no where.

Right now I just have a tnk sitting there with the heater the hood the water pump/ with air stone and afilter.

Though I have heard of how to cycle it is all very much unclear. I will look at the sites you guys posted and reply again after I have thoroughly read them and taken notes. I do have the FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT BY AQUARIUM PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. However I always seem to get test results that say ok without having to treat my water.

I am also on looking at the different fishes I will eventually get. My husband is already thinking he is going to put oscars in my tank...not going to happen in my community tank . .

Well, I am off to read the sites you guys posted. Please feel free to contact me on aim at oxosprLnklesoxo or on yahoo at Lntimate_passLons.

Thanks so much for your help, so far.

 

[clutterydrawer]

Tell him he can only have an oscar if he gets a 75 gallon tank.

The test kits won't read above zero unless you have "fed" teh water either by adding fish or ammonia, this is where the fishless cycling comes itn. The link Def posted is very good and should explain all you need to know, if not, jsut ask about anything you don't understand. good luck.

 

[Beginner_n_NJ]

Ok, I have just read the information and now understand cycling a lil better. The only thing is it says to add some source of bascteria source, but i dont know anyone with an established tank, I have aske dthe lfs but the guy I usually go to is still away. The guys that are there are jerks. But on the revisited site i saw that you can add potted plants, however it doesnt specify how many or how little plants for efficient bacteria.

SO with that said I now know what I have to do. I will begin this week so by the time the holidays come I will be ablle to show off my tank.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Beginner_n_NJ

How long ago did you have fish in the tank? Are the filter and heater still running, or have you taken it all apart and cleaned it out?

I'm asking this to find out if, since you are getting good readings on the water tests, it might have cycled with the fish and/or snails, and still be that way. Are you testing for Ammonia, NitrIte and NitrAte?

In the event that it is cycled, please don't put any ammonia in OR add fish until you post back. I'm hoping you might be lucky.

 

[Shooter]

Hi, beginner. I just recently did a fishless cycle on my 26 gal bowfront and was in a very similar situation as you with regards to not having anyone available with an established tank to get bacteria starts from. I did a single potted plant, but not sure how much it helped. I followed the articles mentioned, had a period where I overdosed my ammonia and had to fix that, but eventually it worked out. Took 32 days.

A good way to test the theory regarding you maybe already being cycled would be to put in several drops of pure ammonia, test and record the level, then test again the next day and see if it dropped. If the ammonia on the next day reads out at zero (or near) and nitrites read out at zero, and you have nitrates, then would look like it was already cycled. Kinda depends on what the status of the tank currently is and what you've done to it to eliminate the previous problems.

 

[Beginner_n_NJ]

I may have screwed up because since I have rinsed everything off and cleaned thoroughly because I thought if I didnt I may have gotten snails again. Right now I dont even have water in my tank. I am going tomorrow to get the pure ammonia and start all over, the only thing is I need to know if I need a plant or it is possible to do it without the plant. Also I am not sure if I have to add water conditioner.

 

[Shooter]

To answer your question directly....no, you do not NEED a plant to cycle. Now, for the "however", putting a plant or two in there could probably give you a boost in the getting the bacteria you need to seed the tank. It MAY speed up your cycle to get a plant, but it's not a guarantee. I can't honestly say whether my having one actually helped or not, and the thing eventually died on me anyway. My lighting and such were not really set up to support live plants. The only thing I added to my water was dechlorinator and ammonia, but the conditioner thing is probably going to depend on what your local water parameters are. After all that, it's a matter of testing, adding the ammonia you need, and patience.