switching to fishless cycle

Garcia64 · 10/03/2015, 05:14 PM

so I am very new and I started my cycle with two very young clownfish, advice from the LFS, I later have read many forums from here and have decided to give them away to a more mature tank and I will switch to a fishlesscyle. As of this morning my Ammonia is about .25 and my Nitrites between .5-1, I have about 20 pounds of live rock and 25 pounds of live sand and I added Bio spira. I have a 29g biocube. My question is should I let this cycle go through as is or should I had a shrimp or fish food to add ammonia, I started on 09/26

Sk8r · 10/03/2015, 05:19 PM

You're going the right way.
TO cycle, I just add a little fishfood every day, then get ammonia, then add fishfood five more days to be sure the tank can now NOT get ammonia.

Garcia64 · 10/03/2015, 05:20 PM

what do you mean by get ammonia

Garcia64 · 10/03/2015, 05:39 PM

and how much food

WhoScott · 10/03/2015, 06:06 PM

What he means it make sure that when you test your water your ammonia hasn't spiked. It means that the bacteria for that stage of the cycle is present. As for the fish food it won't take much. Just put in what you might have fed the fish that you got rid of, nothing more should be neccessary.

fredfish13 · 10/03/2015, 06:53 PM

feed the tank fish food every day. you should have detectable levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates within a week or two. keep doing this and test every 2-3 days. once your levels of ammonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates are detectable and high, you are basically cycled. you do a large water change and can slowly add livestock.
I always use ammonia and fish food to cycle my tanks. very easy.

Garcia64 · 10/10/2015, 06:41 AM

Just an update, I added a shrimp about 4 days ago to get the ammonia up and it only went up to 1ppm if that, but my nitrite spiked up to 5ppm, I am much happier with the fishless cycle

Bent · 10/10/2015, 08:16 AM

Good job man. You get the gold star.

jevolk · 11/25/2015, 02:52 PM

So I am recycling my 180 how many shrimp would be need for that. I did add dr tims to it on sunday.

jevolk · 11/25/2015, 03:23 PM

I c ompletely tore down . Got rid of the crushed coral and added sand in bottom added 75 more pounds of Marco rock. The 85 pounds I had in there was soaking in a tub with a power head. So actually I am starting over.

10/03/2015, 05:14 PM	#1
Garcia64 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 44	switching to fishless cycle so I am very new and I started my cycle with two very young clownfish, advice from the LFS, I later have read many forums from here and have decided to give them away to a more mature tank and I will switch to a fishlesscyle. As of this morning my Ammonia is about .25 and my Nitrites between .5-1, I have about 20 pounds of live rock and 25 pounds of live sand and I added Bio spira. I have a 29g biocube. My question is should I let this cycle go through as is or should I had a shrimp or fish food to add ammonia, I started on 09/26

10/03/2015, 05:19 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	You're going the right way. TO cycle, I just add a little fishfood every day, then get ammonia, then add fishfood five more days to be sure the tank can now NOT get ammonia. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/03/2015, 06:53 PM	#6
fredfish13 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northside of chicago Posts: 200	feed the tank fish food every day. you should have detectable levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates within a week or two. keep doing this and test every 2-3 days. once your levels of ammonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates are detectable and high, you are basically cycled. you do a large water change and can slowly add livestock. I always use ammonia and fish food to cycle my tanks. very easy. __________________ 75g rr/27g custom sump- eheim 1260, reefbreeder led, avast ato, mp40x2, sro 1000, reefkeeper lite, tlf reactor with gfo BC29- mj1200 pump, wp-10 ph, rapidled retro kit, avast ato, apex lite

10/10/2015, 08:16 AM	#8
Bent I got nothin' Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The anals Posts: 6,420	Good job man. You get the gold star. __________________ Quitters never lose. [QUOTE=CStrickland]Who gets mad at a starfish?[/QUOTE] Current Tank Info: 75g DT, 30G refugium, 10g chaeto tank, 50g stock tank basement sump

11/25/2015, 02:52 PM	#9
jevolk Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bainbridge,NY Posts: 108	So I am recycling my 180 how many shrimp would be need for that. I did add dr tims to it on sunday. __________________ :0 J.E.Volk 0: Current Tank Info: 180 mixed reef, 3- 165 WATT full spectrum led fixtures 1-,Quiet One 6000 return pump. 2-JEBAO RW15WAVE PUMPS BRS Carbon and Gfo Reactor

10/03/2015, 05:20 PM	#3
Garcia64 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 44	what do you mean by get ammonia

10/03/2015, 05:39 PM	#4
Garcia64 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 44	and how much food

10/03/2015, 06:06 PM	#5
WhoScott Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 64	What he means it make sure that when you test your water your ammonia hasn't spiked. It means that the bacteria for that stage of the cycle is present. As for the fish food it won't take much. Just put in what you might have fed the fish that you got rid of, nothing more should be neccessary.

10/10/2015, 06:41 AM	#7
Garcia64 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Georgia Posts: 44	Just an update, I added a shrimp about 4 days ago to get the ammonia up and it only went up to 1ppm if that, but my nitrite spiked up to 5ppm, I am much happier with the fishless cycle

11/25/2015, 03:23 PM	#10
jevolk Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Bainbridge,NY Posts: 108	I c ompletely tore down . Got rid of the crushed coral and added sand in bottom added 75 more pounds of Marco rock. The 85 pounds I had in there was soaking in a tub with a power head. So actually I am starting over. __________________ :0 J.E.Volk 0: Current Tank Info: 180 mixed reef, 3- 165 WATT full spectrum led fixtures 1-,Quiet One 6000 return pump. 2-JEBAO RW15WAVE PUMPS BRS Carbon and Gfo Reactor