Advanced Search

Library > Biology > Nitrogen Cycle > Fishless Cycle
		Fishless Cycle
		Page 2 of 2	Back to Page 1
		Water Changes and Ammonia Removing Chemicals: A large water change (50-70%) should be done before adding any fish to the tank to lower nitrate levels, which can be a pain to bring down later. When changing the water during a fishless cycle, do NOT use dechlorinators that also sequester ammonia, such as the very popular Amquel. I have heard from at least one individual who did everything right with regards to cycling her tank using this method... the tank cycled quickly, then she did a water change, then added a reasonable fishload the following day with more than adequate filtration, and observed both an ammonia and a nitrite spike. The only explanation that I could think of after questioning her extensively led back to the Amquel. In a normal, established fish tank, the ammonia is being generated nearly constantly... in a fishless cycle however, the ammonia is added as a daily dose... IMO, it's concievable (though not really provable unless a lot more people experienced identical problems) that the Amquel temporarily deprived the bacteria of its food source, causing a minor die-back in the colony at the worst possible time... right before adding her fish. To be on the safe side, use a simple chlorine/chloriamine remover which does not affect your ammonia levels. By similar logic, any other ammonia removing chemicals (eg. Ammo-lock) or resins (Amrid) should also be avoided while cycling... they will affect the cycle, extending it's duration or otherwise adversely affecting the bacterial colonies. Too Much Ammonia?: Is it possible to add too much ammonia to the tank (generally several times the amounts suggested in either recipe), as some individuals discovered by mistake (thanks Boozap). What happens in this case is that the ammonia will spike very far off the chart then the nitrite will spike as well (also way off the chart), and it will continue to spike for a very long time. Why? There are a couple of possibilities... the first is that the filter media and surfaces in the tank or oxygen levels are simply insufficient to grow and maintain a bacterial colony massive enough to convert all of the ammonia and all of the nitrite to nitrates. Another likely possibility is that the ammonia levels are high enough to inhibit growth (through a biofeedback mechanism) of the bacteria rather than promoting it. The solution is quite simple, however. If you realize that you've added way too much ammonia simply do a water change, or if necessary a series of water changes to bring the ammonia and/or nitrite levels back into the readable range on your test kit. Then proceed as normal with daily additions of ammonia until the tank is cycled. Other Uses: Fishless cycling is also very applicable to hospital/quarantine or fry growout tanks... when not in use, a maintenance dose of ammonia (eg. 2-3 drops/10 gallons) can be added daily to keep the tank cycled and ready for new fish indefinitely. Simply stop the addition the day before you want to buy your fish, take ammonia and nitrite tests to be certain that the levels are still zero, and do a water change to reduce nitrates. Future of Fishless Cycling: The future of this method is up to those of you out there that have tried this and like the method. If you do, please continue to promote it, whether on the internet, at your lfs, or at fish club meetings. Feel free to print off this or the original article for education purposes; the more people that know about this method the better. I'd be very happy if lfs caught on to this idea as have fishkeepers on the internet, and recommended it to newbies as a safer, cheaper way to do things. IMO, the number of people that didn't get frustrated in the early stages and thus continued with fishkeeping would make it worth their while. Please continue to give me feedback on the method, or to ask any questions you may have about it.

	About Us :: Message Board :: Chat
	Library :: Photo Gallery :: Links & Resources :: Breeders & Sponsors :: Merchandise
	Website designed by: EthanCote.com		© 2001-2004, SimplyDiscus.com. All Rights Reserved.