Fishless cycle! It works! And I assume it goes pretty quick if you have bio material from a good tank. I did not and it took quite awhile, but still it is better than doing it with fish. Easier on the fish and on you...
After the bleach treatment is over, and the longer the better with bleach in, though 2 hours should surely do it, I guess I am trying to say I do not think leaving it in longer could hurt... empty and rinse well, then I would fill and majorly overdose with a declor product. Empty and you are ready to start the cycle process. Ways to fishless cycle vary, and I assume they all work, but here is how I did it... Fill tank halfway with water, less work on you but if you want it full go ahead. raise the temp up high, I kept mine at 88 degrees F. Add ammonia that is pure, no additives. I found mine at ACE Hardware Janitorial formula. Use the ammonia to raise to 4 or 5 parts per million. Higher will just stall things. Run the filter with the media that you intend to use with fish. No Carbon is actually needed. Test everyday and keep it up to 4 or 5 PPM. After a while the reading will be 0 at the end of 24 hours. You are getting closer now! Now keep the ammonia at 4 or 5 ppm, you will not have to test so often as you know it will be 0 at end of 24, but occasionally I would still check. Now you are trying to get the Nitrite down to 0 ppm. This will also take awhile, but it does happen. Now you should change out as much water as you can and fill tank, drop heat to what you want for the fish, and go buy the fish you want. No need to buy one and wait a few weeks and then another. Your tank is set for a full bio load. You just saved the fish you would have cycled with a lot of stress, and saved yourself a lot of water changes. If you can get some filter material from a good working aquarium, add that to the filter in yours, it will seed the filter and make things go faster. You could also use some grave from a good tank and add a sack of that to the filter. Do a google search on fishless cycle and you will get many hits... Good luck! On 4/20/09, Ed from AZ <[email protected]> wrote: > > This tank has a biowheel 150 on it. I'm assuming I would change both > the filter cartridge and the wheel? And then let this cycle all over > again before adding my keeper fish? Maybe cycle with a couple of > danios bought from a more reputable dealer . . . > > Ed > > On Apr 20, 8:10 am, NetMax <[email protected]> wrote: > > Dehydration has always worked for me (clean & dry everything for a few > > days). Alternately, take 1g of water out and pour in 1g of bleach. > > In theory that should do it. A 20:1 ratio of water to bleach is often > > used for sterilization purposes. I'd unplug the heater & lights but > > leave the filter running, and your decorations inside. I don't know > > how long to leave it like that, a couple of hours? > > > > NetMax > > > > On Apr 20, 10:48 am, Ed from AZ <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Six months ago, I started a 20-gal tank with four zebra danios and six > > > platies. I took out a danio last week and another platy this morning, > > > leaving me with only three of the original fish -two platies and a > > > danio. There's no obvious damage, parasite, white or other spots, > > > gasping for air, pine-coning, etc. They just settle to the bottom and > > > stop trying, drifting with the water currents. > > > > > I've moved the juvinile platy that was born in that tank, a marigold > > > platy purchased later, and her 14 fry in a separate 10-gal tank. They > > > all seem to be doing fine. I did my water testing and changes > > > yesterday, and all seemed to be good. > > > > > When the last fish in the 20-gal dies (like I'm pretty sure will > > > happen within the next few weeks), how do I make sure the tank is > > > clean and okay for the ohter fish to inhabit? Really, I'd like to > > > change the habitats now, and let the healthy fish have the bigger > > > tank. There's no gravel or plants in either tank - just a few > > > decorations. > > > > > Ed- Hide quoted text - > > > > - Show quoted text -
