fishless cycle

[da_xiong]

Hi all,

I have been cycling my tank without any fishes, just plants and ANS planta soil in a 1.5ft tank, but, apparently, ammonia levels have been stagnant at 4ppm, ph at 6 and nitrite at 0ppm for 2 weeks already,

is this normal?

I know that cycling should take about 4 to 6 weeks to complete, my question is how long does the first bacteria take to grow to a decent size enough to start decreasing the ammonia??

[milk_vanilla]

It depends, nothing written over the stone how long you would get cycled.

Rich o2 helps the bacteria grow faster.

[Suzerolt]

During my fishless cycle period, I turned on my air pump at night once the lights are off. This creates surface agitation & increase O2 levels.

I also used those bacteria in a bottle to speed things up. The brand i used was Bio Bacta but there are many good brands out there.
I completed the cycle in 2 weeks+

[Urban Aquaria]

It's only been 2 weeks, so not need to be too concerned yet... when the bacteria population is established you will see the ammonia levels start dropping, in the meantime just focus on getting good plant growth and the tank will stabilize eventually.

You can also do more frequent water changes to flush out the excess ammonia, that can help reduce ammonia to more manageable levels for the bacteria to process quicker.

Don't worry about doing more water changes in a cycling tank, most of the bacteria live in the bio-media and the surfaces of the tank, plants and hardscape, very little of it live in the water column.

For fishless cycling, the most important attribute is patience.

[da_xiong]

It depends, nothing written over the stone how long you would get cycled.

Rich o2 helps the bacteria grow faster.

yea I have filter running 24 hours and making a lot of movement within the water surface hope that helps to create more oxygen

During my fishless cycle period, I turned on my air pump at night once the lights are off. This creates surface agitation & increase O2 levels.

I also used those bacteria in a bottle to speed things up. The brand i used was Bio Bacta but there are many good brands out there.
I completed the cycle in 2 weeks+

A shop recommended me to use sera bio nitrifying bottled bacteria, but I have some doubts on the reliability of such bottled bacteria though, I prefer the natural way

It's only been 2 weeks, so not need to be too concerned yet... when the bacteria population is established you will see the ammonia levels start dropping, in the meantime just focus on getting good plant growth and the tank will stabilize eventually.

You can also do more frequent water changes to flush out the excess ammonia, that can help reduce ammonia to more manageable levels for the bacteria to process quicker.

Don't worry about doing more water changes in a cycling tank, most of the bacteria live in the bio-media and the surfaces of the tank, plants and hardscape, very little of it live in the water column.

For fishless cycling, the most important attribute is patience.

I see, so I guess its just normal, anyway the white fungi problem seem to be gone off the food pellets and start growing on my driftwood, will it affect the cycling process like producing much more ammonia.

[Urban Aquaria]

I see, so I guess its just normal, anyway the white fungi problem seem to be gone off the food pellets and start growing on my driftwood, will it affect the cycling process like producing much more ammonia.

You can actually remove the food pellets, no need to use them for ammonia source, the soil already supplies it. That might be one of the reasons why the ammonia levels are still kept high, due to the additional rotting food pellets.

White fuzzy fungus/mold growing on the driftwood is quite normal too, its harmless and wouldn't contribute much ammonia, it'll usually gradually disappear on its own after a while (or get cleared away by shrimps).

[AQMS]

2 weeks is a bit to short.
Do regular water change and add beneficial bacteria to speed up the cycle.
What kind of filter are you using?

[da_xiong]

You can actually remove the food pellets, no need to use them for ammonia source, the soil already supplies it. That might be one of the reasons why the ammonia levels are still kept high, due to the additional rotting food pellets.

White fuzzy fungus/mold growing on the driftwood is quite normal too, its harmless and wouldn't contribute much ammonia, it'll usually gradually disappear on its own after a while (or get cleared away by shrimps).

I removed most of the rotting food pellets and stopped feeding the tank already, if the fungi is normal and harmless then is ok haha.. will oto fish clear these away?

2 weeks is a bit to short.
Do regular water change and add beneficial bacteria to speed up the cycle.
What kind of filter are you using?

I use shiruba xb303 filter canister

[Urban Aquaria]

I removed most of the rotting food pellets and stopped feeding the tank already, if the fungi is normal and harmless then is ok haha.. will oto fish clear these away?

I've not observed otos touching the white fungus/mold on driftwood (probably doesn't taste good)... they prefer soft brown/green algae.

Shrimps do help clear it though, but even without anything eating it, it usually just disappears on its own (maybe just dissolve away once no more food source).

[da_xiong]

I've not observed otos touching the white fungus/mold on driftwood (probably doesn't taste good)... they prefer soft brown/green algae.

Shrimps do help clear it though, but even without anything eating it, it usually just disappears on its own (maybe just dissolve away once no more food source).

I see, thanks a lot by the way. you have helped me a lot

[Urban Aquaria]

Glad to help.