To check out a potential geographic anomaly in tank cycling EXCITING OPPORTUNITY!

[Sunnyspots]

I gather it has been discussed before and noted that tanks seem to take longer to cycle in the UK than elsewhere. Just as a rather unscientific straw poll, I'm asking this question to be based on FISHLESS cycling you have done where you are currently living. You can answer for each tank you have cycled BUT any tank must have been cycled without the help of BB from another tank.

Please make a comment with numbers so I can see where you live! Thank you

 

[Slaphppy7]

3 weeks, 6 tanks (2 twice cycled), unplanted, fishless cycles. No seeded media or "bottled bacteria"
Southeast Texas

 

[Sunnyspots]

My first taker! I should have stipulated fishless. I'll see if I can alter it.
I'm going to get a better idea of the States' geography at this rate!

 

[Jan Cavalieri]

I posted 6 weeks for the only tank I ever had to cycle from scratch and using the ammonia method. I'm in Kansas USA. On many tanks you can bypass cycling completely by just pouring a bottle of bacteria in it, That is how Petsmart sends home all those kids with a betta and a betta tank the same day.

 

[Essjay]

It took 7 weeks for me in the UK with just ammonia - no mature media, no bottled bacteria, no live plants.


I'd never done a fishless cycle and I wanted to see how it went. I already had a couple of tanks so it wasn't as if I was frustrated at not being able to get fish.
With the first fish, I had the fish before the tank - my sons won 4 goldfish at the fair. I had no option but to do do a fish-in cycle, though in 1995 I had no idea that's what it was called.

 

[Fishmanic]

It took me 5 weeks in northeastern US to cycle my first tank… no plants or bottled bacteria.For the other two tanks i jump started the cycle using media from my first tank so it went much quicker.

 

[Jadzir]

33 days using the guide on here.
Nothing but ammonia added.
U.K.