# Easiest and possibly the best way to cycle a fish tank!



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

What kind of filter do you have on the 10gal and what kind is going on the 55gal? Are either planted?


----------



## trixella (Jan 24, 2011)

Your tank would be instantly cycled/ready to put your existing fish in day one if you put the filter from the 10 gallon on the 55, in addition to the new filter, let both filters run for about 3 weeks while the new filter gets bacteria colonized in it and then take the 10 gallon filter out/off (it would help if you could take the filter floss/media out and put it into the new filter at this point). Transfer all plants, driftwood, top 1/4 inch of substrate, and rocks over to the new tank without cleaning them (they're colonized with bacteria). I would also recommend getting a bottle of Seachem's Stability (builds beneficial bacteria) and putting that in for the 7 days recommended on the bottle. Wait 3 weeks for the new tank to get colonized with beneficial bacteria before you start adding new fish so the bacteria can keep up with the extra load.


----------



## wendyjo (Feb 20, 2009)

Are you going to be running both tanks for just the new one? If the answer is both then don't move the filter over!


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> What kind of filter do you have on the 10gal and what kind is going on the 55gal? Are either planted?


in the 55 gallon I have a Cascade 1000 with charcoal, floss and I'm waiting for bio-rings that I ordered from petmountain. on the 10 gallon I have a filter from walmart, I know its not the best but it's what I have right now.



trixella said:


> Your tank would be instantly cycled/ready to put your existing fish in day one if you put the filter from the 10 gallon on the 55, in addition to the new filter, let both filters run for about 3 weeks while the new filter gets bacteria colonized in it and then take the 10 gallon filter out/off (it would help if you could take the filter floss/media out and put it into the new filter at this point). Transfer all plants, driftwood, top 1/4 inch of substrate, and rocks over to the new tank without cleaning them (they're colonized with bacteria). I would also recommend getting a bottle of Seachem's Stability (builds beneficial bacteria) and putting that in for the 7 days recommended on the bottle. Wait 3 weeks for the new tank to get colonized with beneficial bacteria before you start adding new fish so the bacteria can keep up with the extra load.


the thing with that Idea is that right now my 10 gallon tank is on the fritz and going through it's own cycle. I have had it up for maybe just a bit longer than a month which I have taken the water to get tested at lfs and one pet store which I trust more suggested nite-out and petsupermarket said just change out all the water... I believe everytime the water gets tested it comes out high ammo, nitrite and at one point really high nitrate! with the nite-out and some 20-30% water changes it has gotten better.



wendyjo said:


> Are you going to be running both tanks for just the new one? If the answer is both then don't move the filter over!


I want to run both tanks as I wanted to put a Firemouth in the 10 gallon alone. but I wasn't to sure if that would be good.

I must add that right now I have 1 Java fern, a corckscrew val and petsmart bulb 3 aponogetons, 1 water lily.


----------



## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

Your 10g is still cycling. If you have any fish in it, don't move anything (substrate, media, etc) to the 55g. The 10g is struggling enough. And since you seem to want to put fish in the 10g soon in any case, even if there's nothing in it now, I still wouldn't move anything over.

You can dose the 55g with very small amounts of straight ammonia, or a raw cocktail shrimp or two, or a good pinch of food daily. It will take awhile, but you don't seem to have anything to "seed" the 55g with at the moment. You don't want to depend on chemicals to deal with ammonia and nitrites - they honestly don't work.

If you have no fish in either tank, doing water changes will only temporarily remove ammonia and nitrites (ignore nitrates, they won't hurt anything and are necessary for plant growth), and water changes can also prolong the cycling process. Leave the tanks alone. Test daily for ammonia. When there's no ammonia, start testing for nitrites. When there's no nitrites, the cycle is done and you can stop adding ammonia or food or anything decaying.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

kevmo911 said:


> Your 10g is still cycling. If you have any fish in it, don't move anything (substrate, media, etc) to the 55g. The 10g is struggling enough. And since you seem to want to put fish in the 10g soon in any case, even if there's nothing in it now, I still wouldn't move anything over.
> 
> You can dose the 55g with very small amounts of straight ammonia, or a raw cocktail shrimp or two, or a good pinch of food daily. It will take awhile, but you don't seem to have anything to "seed" the 55g with at the moment. You don't want to depend on chemicals to deal with ammonia and nitrites - they honestly don't work.
> 
> If you have no fish in either tank, doing water changes will only temporarily remove ammonia and nitrites (ignore nitrates, they won't hurt anything and are necessary for plant growth), and water changes can also prolong the cycling process. Leave the tanks alone. Test daily for ammonia. When there's no ammonia, start testing for nitrites. When there's no nitrites, the cycle is done and you can stop adding ammonia or food or anything decaying.


I currently have 3 tiger barbs, 1 rainbow sharnk, 1 CAE, 1 pictus catfish, and 1 blue gourami... I am willing to do anything that will get me to be able to stock the 55 the fastest possible! In the 10 gallon I have been adding Nite-out daily as the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were really high but now they are getting lower and my ph is at 6.6 now. any recommendations on what to do or get will definitely help!

Thank you ahead of time


----------



## MoeBetta (Feb 5, 2011)

You really have to let the tanks cycle. I know you want it done asap, but you honestly are just going to have to wait. Story to be the bearer of bad news.

You can listen to kevmo and get the cycle started in your new tank. 

Slow down, I promise everything will be ok.


----------



## guppygolucky (Nov 9, 2009)

If your 10 gallon is already struggling, then I'd suggest moving what fish you have over to the 55. That way your 10 gallon cycle without any BIG detrimental effects to the fish and you don't have to do water changes and add stuff to your tank. The 55 will provide enough of a dilution for the few fish you do have, DO NOT buy anymore until both tanks are cycled.
That's just MHO and suggestion.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

I'm sorry I'm just so anxious that i got a big tank and i want. to start doing stuff in it. I already laid down the eco and gravel with the filter running. I don't mind now having fish in there for a while but can I start planting it?


----------



## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

Yes, plants enjoy the ammonia. You can plant it on day 1.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

My girl friends grandma bought us a bag full of fish flakes which I will use to cycle the tank... can anyone recommend a specific plant for this cycle? I was reading that Amazon sword's are really good for cycling and they grow like crazy!


----------



## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

Any plant can be planted from the get go so go ahead and plant away.

As for quickly cycling the 55, put the filter onto the 10 gal and run both for a while to let it get colonized with bacteria, then put it on the 55. You could also squeeze the filter sponge from the 10gal filter into the 55gal filter to seed it with more bacteria.


----------



## kevmo911 (Sep 24, 2010)

All plants will be safe for cycling. The plants themselves will not speed up the cycle, however. They will consume ammonia and nitrites, and keep ammonia and nitrite levels lower, but the beneficial bacteria still needs to reproduce, first feeding on ammonia, and then nitrites.

What you were reading may have been sort of an alternative to cycling. Some folks will heavily plant a tank and immediately add fish, skipping the cycling process. As long as you can pretty much cover the substrate with plants, this is an option. It sort of skips over the cycling process, as ammonia and nitrites are consumed by plants, rather than bacteria. In order to do this, however, you need to pretty much fully stock your tank with plants from the start.

My guess is that this will slow down the cycling process (it limits the nutrients that bacteria can consume, thus slowing down propagation), but it doesn't matter, because plants are doing the job that bacteria would otherwise do, making the tank safe for fish.


----------



## flip9 (Jun 16, 2011)

Never use ammonia treatments when cycling the tank. 

Kickstarting it with pure ammonia would be the fastest. 

Also make sure the tank is well oxygenated for the bacteria to grow.


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Add plants, now you are done, plants have bacteria all over them, remove NH4 directly.


----------



## RickRS (Dec 31, 2010)

LOL, you're looking for a single simple solution and you get dozens.

By all means, go ahead and add plants. They aren't affected by the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle at all. 

And it is possible to cycle the tank with fish from the start without seeding. The key is adding a very small number to start, and waiting minimum of two weeks to get past the cycle and only then adding a few more. So if you want a dozen of these and a dozen of those, etc. for your 55, you start with a half dozen of one, wait minimum of two weeks and add another half dozen, two more weeks and another half dozen, two more week and another half dozen, etc. This was the "standard" advise for many years and it works. You just have to be patient. So add that to the multiples of suggestions.


----------



## amberskye (Apr 22, 2011)

I used this when cycling my big tank. Its from 
(I had a 10g and wanted to upgrade. There wasnt enough BB in the 10g media to cycle the 30g so started from scratch)

*Let me start by saying that when you cycle a tank, you are really cycling the filter. That is where the vast majority of the nitrifying bacteria will colonize. Some bacteria are present on the tank walls, decorations, and in the substrate but for the most part they are in/on the filter. Basically, there are NO nitrifying bacteria present in the water itself.

First, a couple things that are common regardless of which method you use. Obviously, you set up the tank with clean, dechlorinated water. I believe it is best to fill the tank and let any sand/gravel dust or cloudiness settle for a few days before you add ammonia. This will prevent cloudy water from giving you a skewed reading when you test. Second, raise the water temperature to the mid to upper 80s. I have even had success with temperatures in the low 90s. The warmer water promotes bacteria growth and will speed the cycle. Also, you will need to add extra aeration via an air stone and air pump. The warmer water temperature will force the oxygen from the water so you must add aeration to replenish it.

Items Needed:

Bottle of pure ammonia. If you don't know where to find it, this thread may help you. Pure ammonia will only list ammonia and water as ingredients. Chelating agents are ok. Without going into great detail, that is simply a bonding agent that keeps the ammonia and water "mixed". If it lists dyes, fragrances or surfactants, you don't want it. If the bottle doesn't have an ingredient label, shake the bottle. If it foams, it won't work. A few air bubbles that disappear immediately are ok.
A good test master **test kit**. Get a good liquid master test kit. Those generally contain tests for ammonia, **nitrite**, **nitrate**, **pH** and high pH. You won't necessarily need the pH tests during the cycling process but you will later. I would also suggest getting a KH test kit too although, once again, it's not necessary for the cycling process.
A medicine dropper. Any cheap one that you get at the local drug store will do.

While you are waiting on the dust to settle and the water to clear, I suggest you do a couple things. First, test the parameters of your tap water. It is important to know the pH and KH of your tap water so you will know what fish are compatible with your pH. It is also very important to know if there is any ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in your tap water. A lot of municipal water supplies have some or all of those present and well water could also have them present. Knowing that could save you a lot of head scratching later when you have an elevated level that may be caused by your tap water rather than a problem in the tank.

You should also run a little test to determine how much ammonia to add to your tank. Since medicine droppers come in all different sizes, it's hard to say that you need X drops per gallon to get to 5 or 6 **PPM** to start. I have 3 different droppers for adding fertilizers and for drawing tank water for testing and there is a big difference in the size drops they dispense. Take a small bucket, one of the buckets you used to fill your tank or wash you're sand. Fill it with water and then add 2 to 4 drops of ammonia per 5 gallon of water. Swirl it around to mix it and test to see what the ammonia reading is. Continue to do this until your reading is 5 to 6 ppm. Remember how many drops of ammonia you added and then, some simple maths will tell you how much to add to your tank to get the 5 to 6 ppm required to begin cycling. You can also use a test tube to add it. The amount required will depend on the concentration of the ammonia but 1ml (about 1/5th US teaspoonful) will usually raise 5 gallon to about 5ppm.

Ok. Your tank is set up, the water has cleared, and you know how much ammonia to add. Let's get started.

"Add and Wait" Method

This is the method I have used to cycle 5 tanks (from 2.5 to 75 gallon) and it has worked perfectly. I think it is the simplest and requires the least amount of work. First add your ammonia to raise the level to 5 to 6 ppm. Now you simply wait on the ammonia to drop back to around 1 ppm. Spend the time researching the fish you like and see if they are compatible with each other, with your tap pH, tank size, etc.

Test daily to see what the ammonia reading is. There is no use to test for anything else. Nitrite and nitrate won't be present until some ammonia has processed. Ammonia will raise your pH so no use to test it either. Once you see a drop in the ammonia, test for nitrite. There should be some present. When the ammonia drops back to about near zero (usually takes about a week), add enough to raise it back to about 3 to 4 ppm and begin testing the nitrite daily.

Every time the ammonia drops back to zero, raise it back up to 3 to 4 ppm and continue to check nitrites. The nitrite reading will go off the chart. NOTE FOR **API** TEST KIT USERS: When you add the drops, if they immediately turn purple in the bottom of the tube, your nitrites are off the chart high. You do not need to shake the tube and wait 5 minutes. If you do, the color will turn green as the nitrites are so high that there isn't a color to measure them with. Once the ammonia is dropping from around 4 ppm back to zero in 12 hours or less you have sufficient bacteria to handle the ammonia your fish load produces. Continue to add ammonia daily as you must feed the bacteria that have formed or they will begin to die off.

The nitrite spike will generally take about twice as long to drop to zero as did the ammonia spike. The reason for this is two-fold. First, the nitrite processing bacteria just develop slower than those that process ammonia. Second, you are adding more nitrite daily (every time you add ammonia, it is transformed into nitrite raising the level a little more) as opposed to the ammonia, which you only add once at the start and then waited on it to drop to zero. During this time, you should occasionally test for nitrate too. The presence of nitrate means that nitrite is being processed, completing the **nitrogen cycle**. The nitrate level will also go off the chart but you will take care of that with a large **water change** later. It will seem like forever before the nitrite finally falls back to zero but eventually, almost overnight, it will drop and you can celebrate. You are almost there. Once the bacteria are able to process 4 or 5 ppm of ammonia back to zero ammonia and nitrite in about 10 to 12 hours. You are officially cycled.

At this point, your tank will probably look terrible with brown algae everywhere and probably cloudy water. As I mentioned, the nitrate reading will also be off the chart. Nitrates can only be removed with water changes. Do a large water change, 75 to 90 percent, turn the heat down to the level the fish you have decided on will need, and you are ready to add your fish. You can safely add your full fish load as your tank will have enough bacteria built up to handle any waste they can produce.

"Add Daily" Method

I call this the "Add Daily" method because that is what you do. The start is exactly like the other method. To begin, you add enough ammonia to raise the level to 5 or 6 ppm. The difference is that the next day and each day thereafter you add the same amount. This continues until the ammonia drops to zero. This will take much longer than the other method because of the massive amount of ammonia the tank will initially contain. It generally takes about 3 days before any bacteria begin to form and you are able to notice even a small change in the color of your tests. In the other method, on the 3rd day there will still only be about 5 to 6 ppm of ammonia in the tank. With the "Add Daily" method, there will be approximately 15 to 18 ppm on the 3rd day so you need a lot of bacteria to process all of that.

Once the ammonia finally drops back to near zero, cut the amount of ammonia you are adding daily in half. That will still be plenty to keep the bacteria already developed fed. Continue to add the ammonia daily and test for nitrites. Once the nitrite drops back to zero, do your big water change and add your fish.

Advantages & Disadvantages: As I mentioned, the cycling process will take longer using the "Add Daily" method simply because you are forcing the bacteria to process quite a bit more ammonia. The advantage of that method though is that there will be much more bacteria present at the end than in the "Add & Wait" method. If you plan to have a heavy fish load (overstock) or keep messy fish (plecos, **goldfish** and Oscars for example), this may be the best way for you to go.

If you plan to keep normal tropicals with normal stocking levels as I do, cycling with the "Add & Wait" method should work fine for you. It has worked well for me. Some articles I have read even stated that if the ammonia level ever goes over 6 to 8 ppm that it severely slows the process and is a waste of time and effort. 

Summation: As I said to begin, these are only 2 versions of the fishless cycle. There are numerous variations on these methods. One way to speed the cycling process is to "seed" the tank with a bacteria source from an established tank. See if a friend can give you an old filter from one of their tanks or if the local fish store has some gravel, filter media or anything that will provide a bacteria source. Any bacteria source will help.

As a general rule, don't waste your time or money on "bacteria starter" products such as Cycle. The consensus is that they serve no useful purpose. The fact that they have been shipped on un-refrigerated trucks and stored in hot warehouses leads most to believe that there couldn't possibly be any live bacteria left in the bottles. One possible exception is Bio Spira. I have personally not used this product but most things I have read suggest it works IF it has been handled properly (always refrigerated). Only purchase it from a reputable source that you trust.

Regardless of which method you choose, please, for the sake of your fish, do a fishless cycle. It prevents them from having to go through all the toxins and saves you a LOT of water changes, stress and lost fish. A little patience in the beginning will pay big dividends down the road.*


----------



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I've never done a fish cycle and I've set up hundred's of tanks and have not had any losses associated to not doing one.

This is not about the fish or their well being, if that was honestly the case, then folks would simply wait and do water changes.

Or add plants or stock and feed correctly, none of which teaches a newbie anything good? What does FC teach folks? How to use a test kit which they will not likely do much if again. A good water change and good care cannot be side stepped and this(FC) does not result in better care or a reduced % in newbie fish deaths. 

They still kill them w and wo FC.


----------



## amberskye (Apr 22, 2011)

its just another suggestion. I think before I came over to the green side I used Fishlore a lot and they are pretty much against cycling with fish in the tanks.. Its almost ingrained now that using fish to cycle with or without plants is cruel. I dunno. Ive done it both ways and not lost any fish, though it took longer with fish in the tank as I was constantly doing big water changes to dilute the ammonia to keep the fish happy. Last tank I did with ammonia and a bunch of plants and it cycled real quick. Im no expert...just stumble my way through and ask a lot of questions...
What did you mean by 'this is not about fish or their wellbeing..'


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

I was trying to see how cycling works with using fish food, as my g/f is already a bit upset that we have spent a little more than we planned to spend on the setup and we have plenty of fish food due to her her grandma buying her flakes from the flea market!


----------



## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

Bradleyv1714 said:


> as my g/f is already a bit upset that we have spent a little more than we planned to spend on the setup


Ah, a sane partner, simultaneously the best and worst thing any person with an aquarium can have.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

Yeap, I got the 55 gallon with stand, canopy, 2 buckets full of slate and a cascade 1000 for 180... I bought a bag of eco, gravel, new filter media... 

I now want to get driftwood and a bunch of plants which she doesn't want the plants. she liked these ship wrecks that are 60 for the front and 60 for the back.


----------



## VeeSe (Apr 16, 2011)

You could go with Tetra SafeStart and follow the instructions on the bottle to a tee (do not deviate at all or your results may suffer). I've heard tons of stories about it being super effective at establishing a cycle in 10 days when used correctly.


----------



## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Tetra safestart works very very well.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

I am not sure... I think I am either going to put my canister filter on my 10 gallon for a few days to get the filter nice and full of bacteria from the 10 gallon being setup... or I can add fish to my tank and do it the normal way!

if I do it the normal way how many fish should I add to my tank to be enough to cycle?


----------



## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

Bradleyv1714 said:


> Yeap, I got the 55 gallon with stand, canopy, 2 buckets full of slate and a cascade 1000 for 180... I bought a bag of eco, gravel, new filter media...
> 
> I now want to get driftwood and a bunch of plants which she doesn't want the plants. she liked these ship wrecks that are 60 for the front and 60 for the back.


That is an excellent deal. I personally dont care for the plastic tank ornaments. Even the natural type ones like plants and driftwood look artificial. On top of that they're WAY overpriced. With plants it means you have a tank that is always changing, always growing, and water that is generally MUCH cleaner once you become successful at keeping them. Maybe to compromise get both the plastic shipwreck and a few plants.


----------



## AdamP. (Sep 30, 2005)

I cycled my tank by simply feeding it as if there were fish. I added food twice a day, and i added Seachem Stability randomly. I wasn't in a hurry so I did this for about 2 months. I didnt bother measuring anything until close to the end, and I got one of those Seachem ammonia detectors that you hang in the tank. It stayed yellow which means no ammonia, so I was good to go.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

I checked on the tank thimorning and it had a film looking layer. Not enough water movement? Or could it be because i started the fish food cycling?


----------



## AdamP. (Sep 30, 2005)

When I fishless cycled mine with fishfood my whole tank was slimy. I think its the beneficial bacteria and other microbes building up. Otos and other algae eaters (Paratocinclus for me) love to eat it. Three Paratos cleaned all the biofilm in my whole tank over 1 night.

With my tank the water surface didnt get slimy though. I had both spray bars making ripples at the surface.


----------



## Bradleyv1714 (Jul 25, 2011)

oh ok...


----------

