Fishless cycle questions

[black ghost]

Waterlife Biomature is not just ammonia. It’s a blend of ammonia and other bacterial nutrients. It has been this blend since the 1960s and it will cycle a tank in 2-3 weeks in most cases. It’s far more than just ammonia. It’s actually the best cycling aid out there.

[mikeyw64]

rather than buying any of the branded ammonia solutions I used Analytical grade Ammonia.

Just be sure to allow for its higher concentration when adding

As for price by the time you take everything into account its about 1/5 the price of Dr Timms


Oh and don't breath it in !!!!

In fact don't open it indoors, take out what you need in a syringe outdoors

[saiwong]

I've been researching the modern way of setting up a new tank.
Although this is the newbie forum I had kept fish 40+ years ago and thinking of restarting and in this new fish keeping environment, feel
very much like a beginner with so many new techniques to learn.

I kept both cold & tropical fish. Actually found tropical fish keeping much easier than cold water goldfish. Mainly kept tropical fish like
Black Molly's, Platty's, Swordtails, Guppy's. Had a separate tank for small fry. The black molly's and guppy's breed so quickly I remember
giving them away !
I remember in my tropical fish tanks I used to pour in a solution that made the water a light brown colour. It seems it is not sold anymore.
Does anyone remember this brown liquid and what it was called ?

With regard to chlorine I used to just fill a plastic bucket with tap water and let it stand for a couple of days before using. Now it seems that
you use more chemicals to de-chlorinate. Can I just let water stand in a bucket or do you recommend using chemicals.
If chemicals, do you recommend Sodium Thiosulfate mix, Seachem PRIME or SAFE

[black ghost]

These days most water authorities use chloramine instead of or aswell as chlorine. Chloramine doesn’t evaporate so you need a dechlorinator. The old dechlorinators break chloramine into chlorine and ammonia so you need a ‘modern’ dechlorinator to also neutralise the ammonia.

The brown stuff sounds like blackwater extract. It softens the water so don’t use it with livebearers.

As for feeling like a beginner again, nothing has changed. The basics are still the basics, the rest is just new products, but the dechlorinator is still the only one you need. Cycle a filter, add fish suited to the water and each other, do water changes… that’s still how it works. Nothing has changed.

[saiwong]

Been doing more researching and it seems the best way to cycle a new tank is to use existing media (e.g. sponge filter) from an establish tank
that already have beneficial bacteria growing on it and add it to your new tank.

Since I don't have existing media and assuming I can't get it from the pet store ...

Wondering if this will work :

a) de-chlorinate water
b) in a container add some of this de-chlorinated water and Fritz Zyma 7 solution (or other product with active bacteria)
c) introduce new sponge filter (+ other tank decorations) and soak it in the solution of de-chlorinated water and active bacteria. Leave for a while to try get bacteria to attach to sponge
d) introduce sponge to new tank

would the above process give me something close to using existing media from an establish tank ?

[plankton]

Looks like an expensive additive and you need an ammonia source, so if you use any additive then follow the instructions and either add 2ppm ammonia or livestock as suggested by product.
Even though they claim to have been around a long time, I've never come across them in the UK - probably American.

[LookoutTrout]

I think if you do it in a different tank and then move the filter it won't work as well. The bacteria live all over a tank and not just in the filter so I'd add the whole bottle of bacteria to the new tank with the new filter running in it.

[plankton]

The percentage of "munchers" living outside the filter is quite low - probably well under 10%, but there will be some on the surfaces of any rocks/plants/decorations.

[saiwong]

The percentage of "munchers" living outside the filter is quite low - probably well under 10%, but there will be some on the surfaces of any rocks/plants/decorations.

If I were to do the ammonia method I will do it all outside. I don't want to breath in the toxic liquid and also don't want to stink my house.

I will first de-chlorinate the tap water. Rinse out bucket with de-chlorinated water.
I will put gravel (cleaned), sponge filter, aquarium decorations into this bucket and then de-chlorinated water and ammonia.
I will leave this OUTSIDE and every couple of days test the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels.

Hopefully once I've cycled, enough beneficial bacteria have attached themselves to the surfaces of the gravel, sponge filter and decorations
and this can be placed into the aquarium (and be non-stinky !)

[mikeyw64]

The percentage of "munchers" living outside the filter is quite low - probably well under 10%, but there will be some on the surfaces of any rocks/plants/decorations.

If I were to do the ammonia method I will do it all outside. I don't want to breath in the toxic liquid and also don't want to stink my house.

I will first de-chlorinate the tap water. Rinse out bucket with de-chlorinated water.
I will put gravel (cleaned), sponge filter, aquarium decorations into this bucket and then de-chlorinated water and ammonia.
I will leave this OUTSIDE and every couple of days test the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels.

Hopefully once I've cycled, enough beneficial bacteria have attached themselves to the surfaces of the gravel, sponge filter and decorations
and this can be placed into the aquarium (and be non-stinky !)

The only time you smell the ammonia is (in my case) when opening it.

Once its in the water you don't smell it.

Just set up the aquarium (including the scaping and planting) as you would have done years ago and just start adding the small amounts of ammonia required on a daily basis until the cycle has been established at which point you're good to add your residents