tank cycleing questions??

[lewis_and_oscar]

hi all,

got my new 120gal

and ive got a few questions on cycleing.

1) i allready have a few diffrent tanks set up and i was wondering what the best way to cycle, the fish or the fishless methods.

and does any one know a good brand of ammonia that i can add to the tank that i can buy at supermarkets ect.?

thanks for the help guys

lewis-

[quote:7dd52faaf1="lewis_and_oscar"]
and does any one know a good brand of ammonia that i can add to the tank
[/quote:7dd52faaf1]


WHAT???????

[lewis_and_oscar]

by adding ammonia, yes the cleaning stuff. can help cycle your tank faster if you dont have fish in there. but thats about as far as my memory serves. does any one else know this so i dont look stupid  :oops:

haha
thanks guys

lewis-

[Dyce]

lewis just use a dead prawn in the tank for the ammonia cycling.

[Konigwolf 13]

Hi, there are a few different ways to approach this:

Fishless cycle, here is a good link describing it well, read past first post:
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=73365

The advantage of the fishless cycle is that when complete you can fully stock the immedietly, but that takes funds and counting that you can get the fish WHEN you want them, also theres the time aspect.

Fish cycle I think we  all know pro's and con's

As you have access to cycled media you have a third and fourth option.

Third run new filter(s) alongside other filters in another tank, this introduces good bacteria from old tank to new filter

Forth add filter media from old filters to new filter. Both of these methods can immediatly start with fish but must add fish slowlly eg 1-2 larger fish or 6ish or so smaller eg neon's once every week or so.

With options three and four there are some extra helpers:
1 Half fill the tank from you old tank(s) if desired ph is suitable
2 Add a handful or two of substrate to your new tank from an old this adds bacteria to substrate quicker.

Using either option 3 or 4 and using the additional points you could start off with a few(3-9 depending on type) fish and add weekly keeping an eye open for ammonia or nitrite spikes HTH

Andrew

PS Anyone if I stuffed up anywhere please correct me

[Konigwolf 13]

BIG oops, almost forgot if using fishless cycle with ammonia, it must be 100% ammonia, additives may give you undesired results

Andrew

[ashhhh]

[quote:e51b19281f] add filter media from old filters to new filter.[/quote:e51b19281f]
[quote:e51b19281f]Half fill the tank from you old tank[/quote:e51b19281f]

this is the way I have done it and have had no dramas whatsoever.......

[lewis_and_oscar]

no one would be willing to come over here and doing it for me would they?... could work out some kind of payment....I live on brisbane northside (albany creek). PM me if interested

you would need to have a test kit, carton of beer any one?

[ashhhh]

:roll: dude........its not too hard to do ay, if you can feed ya fish,
 this is no challenge
unless ur handicapped (appologies if ur) - im not being smart

[nemo1981]

yeh i just half fill with tank water from other tanks, and whack in a filter that's been running in an established tank.
never had a loss this way. :)

[Dyce]

The water doesn't do much its the bacteria from the filter..

But like I said mate if you want to cycle, throw in a prawn or bit of raw fish meat. Will produce ammonia just the same, and do the same as how you cycle a tank with pure ammonia.

[GTR73]

I looked at doing the fishless cycling using ammonia but in the end it was too fine an art and too much could've gone wrong if I wasn't precise with it.
So instead I just threw filter pads and some gravel, rocks etc from an already established tank, to represent the bacteria colonies. Over a three week period I threw in a pinch of food every 2-3 days to feed these bacteria colonies.
Seemed to work as in the fourth week tested the water and the tank was cycled.
Only thing I would strongly recommend is to not throw in heaps of fish in one hit as you don't really know the limit of the tank's bio-load. Instead just gradually introduce fish over the following weeks after cycling, so the tank's bio-load can adjust accordingly.