Sometimes I wonder if people are reading the cyking info on this site. For the most part, the fishless cycling article here is fool proof when followed to the letter. And then I keep coming across threads where people seem not to have done the reading.
So here is your problem. The nitrifying bacteria that colonize tanks longer term, and which we want to do so during the cycle, reproduce by dividing. They do this whent there is more ammonia or nitrite than they need. The one thing they do not do is to form spore. Read what is in the bottle of Stability and then tell me why this is what anybody would use to cycle a tank? SeaChen knows better, but they "must" compete on all products, This is not limited to them. They almost all do it.
Next, the bacteria that handle nitrite (and apparently can process ammonia right to nitrate) as well as the means to test for them and to use them to cyce are patented. So only two companys can sell them. Other products will not contain Nitrospira. So if you want to jumpt start a cycle use one of three things: Dr. Tim's One and Only or Tetra's SafeStar+. The patent is shared by these two outfits.
Next, water changes and dechlors which contain something to detoxify ammonia will slow a cycle. The bacferia want NH3 (ammonia) but the detoxifiers convert it the NH4 (ammonium). The bacteria can use this but much less efficiently. The ideal situation in a fishless cycle is to use a dechlor that does not detoxify ammonia.
Finally, the max amount of ammonia or nitrite one should ever have without it stalling a cycle are follows:
Ammonia: if your test kit use the nitrogen scale, 5 ppm; if is uses the total ion scale, 6.25ppm.
Nitrite: if your test kit use the nitrogen scale, 5 ppm; if is uses the total ion scale, 16.4tppm. Most total ion tests dio not read this high, so you will have to do diluted testing.
Neither of the above stall points can happen in a tank which follow the fishless cycling article here to the letter. You should not chnage it, you should not think you can do better another way, you should just foloowing your test results and when the readings are as suggested, act.
Finally when you say "feeding" the tank, what does that mean- steak and potato, dead fish, a piece of shrimp, ammonia
?? The thing that controls the cycle is ammonia- so, how much one adds and when are the main determinants of how fast or slow any cycle might progress or if it will stall.
