Fishless cycling

**wasabi8888** · 25th Jan 2009, 03:24

Hi all

I know there are articles about this. but my situation is a little bit different.

THe new 2 ft tank for the L46s is running on a Eheim 2026 with old media (transferred from a eheim 202

. Half the aquarium water is old tank water while half is tap water dosed with Seachem Prime.

I was told that i can do fishless cycling for 1 week before i add my fishes in. I just need to add a bit of fish food daily to seed the tank. Is that true? Am i missing something here?

Please advice...

**Wackytpt** · 25th Jan 2009, 03:37

I was chatting with a fellow member yesterday and he is using the exactly same method as you mentioned.
He just cycle for 1 day and dump his L134 into the new tank.

**wasabi8888** · 25th Jan 2009, 03:41

Originally Posted by Wackytpt

I was chatting with a fellow member yesterday and he is using the exactly same method as you mentioned.
He just cycle for 1 day and dump his L134 into the new tank.

huh? So brave....

Can you check whether the fishes are still alive?

**Wackytpt** · 25th Jan 2009, 03:46

Yup =)

The fishes are alive and kicking.

**Tony** · 25th Jan 2009, 09:48

I did that for my 1 ft nano tank as well when I did my setup few months ago. Half tank old water and 1/3 gravel was from old tank and external canister is a matured running unit that I transfered over to the new 1ft tank. Popped the fishes like galaxy, oto, apisto into tank immediately after planting within the same day.

**Viper007** · 25th Jan 2009, 14:40

Originally Posted by wasabi8888

Hi all

I know there are articles about this. but my situation is a little bit different.

THe new 2 ft tank for the L46s is running on a Eheim 2026 with old media (transferred from a eheim 202

. Half the aquarium water is old tank water while half is tap water dosed with Seachem Prime.

I was told that i can do fishless cycling for 1 week before i add my fishes in. I just need to add a bit of fish food daily to seed the tank. Is that true? Am i missing something here?

Please advice...

Wah like that you don't even need one day not to mention 1 week.

For me I have everything new and within 2 days I put in SAE & oto liao. Till date 0 death.

**wasabi8888** · 25th Jan 2009, 14:48

Originally Posted by Viper007

Wah like that you don't even need one day not to mention 1 week.

For me I have everything new and within 2 days I put in SAE & oto liao. Till date 0 death.

cool.... that means i can just throw a bit of food in everyday to feed the bacteria and change 50% of water after 1 week.. I will then add the gravel and scape after i changed the water.... then i add my L46s

Thanks all

**Viper007** · 25th Jan 2009, 14:57

Originally Posted by wasabi8888

cool.... that means i can just throw a bit of food in everyday to feed the bacteria and change 50% of water after 1 week.. I will then add the gravel and scape after i changed the water.... then i add my L46s

Thanks all

Eer throw food in to feed bacteria???

Not sure this is workable.

**wasabi8888** · 25th Jan 2009, 15:09

Originally Posted by Viper007

Eer throw food in to feed bacteria???

Not sure this is workable.

Yup.. that's how it works...at least that's what i heard...

Other comments?

**StanChung** · 25th Jan 2009, 16:16

Marine tank guys use a cut of prawn and bury it in coral sand to cycle but I'm not sure if this is applicable to fresh water.

If you're using old wet colonised BB media then you can put ~1/3-1/2 of the maximum stocking levels immediately.

Amazonia produces some NH4+ that helps cycling. You can put a small mesh bag of it in tank for a week assuming this is a non planted tank.

**wasabi8888** · 25th Jan 2009, 16:39

Originally Posted by StanChung

Marine tank guys use a cut of prawn and bury it in coral sand to cycle but I'm not sure if this is applicable to fresh water.

If you're using old wet colonised BB media then you can put ~1/3-1/2 of the maximum stocking levels immediately.

Amazonia produces some NH4+ that helps cycling. You can put a small mesh bag of it in tank for a week assuming this is a non planted tank.

Thanks for the advice.. If i want to add some fauna for cycling, i will probably take the cardinals in my community tank to do that. I would not add my L46s now for cycling. But since, all media is old, i guess I can skip that step. I will just focus on fishless cycling unless someone tells me that fishless cycling is a no no

Oh, i do want to add that in my fiasco of changing tanks, the old media and tank water was without Oxygen and filtration for about 6 hours.. I hope it's still OK

**Rupert** · 25th Jan 2009, 17:00

When I got my new 4x1x1 I put it next to my existing 2x1x1 and joined them up sa as to be one and had the new tank operational within couple of hours. My filter is an ehiem 2028.

I had prepared my hardscape in advance and had most of it in the two foot tank for weeks, so just simply moved it from one to the other. The impact was probably just like a large water change, except the volume of water went from 50litres [2 foot tank] to 150 liters [2 Foot + 4 Foot].

When using a mature tank & capable filter to create another, the cycling time is dramatically reduced in my case non existent.

**wasabi8888** · 25th Jan 2009, 17:04

Originally Posted by Rupert

When I got my new 4x1x1 I put it next to my existing 2x1x1 and joined them up sa as to be one and had the new tank operational within couple of hours. My filter is an ehiem 2028.

I had prepared my hardscape in advance and had most of it in the two foot tank for weeks, so just simply moved it from one to the other. The impact was probably just like a large water change, except the volume of water went from 50litres [2 foot tank] to 150 liters [2 Foot + 4 Foot].

When using a mature tank & capable filter to create another, the cycling time is dramatically reduced in my case non existent.

Now most of you have said the above ie if old media and old tank water, no problem at all.

My situation may be a bit different. The new tank is only filled with water and some DW. I am waiting to scape it next Saturday, meaning to say I am leaving the tank filled with water and no flora and fauna for 1 week. I will only add in my plecos after my scape is done for obvious reasons. Will the beneficial bacteria still be alive after one week?

**Tony** · 25th Jan 2009, 19:05

Perhaps, letting the filter operate in that new tank, adding BB solution to help kick start the process and by the time you are ready to do the scaping, it would have achieved the result to some extend (even planting some flora would be great as well). I personally, prefer using matured filter and some matured soil along with BB solution.

**Viper007** · 25th Jan 2009, 21:44

Originally Posted by wasabi8888

Yup.. that's how it works...at least that's what i heard...

Other comments?

Frankly, I don't think it work.

Originally Posted by wasabi8888

Thanks for the advice.. If i want to add some fauna for cycling, i will probably take the cardinals in my community tank to do that. I would not add my L46s now for cycling. But since, all media is old, i guess I can skip that step. I will just focus on fishless cycling unless someone tells me that fishless cycling is a no no

Cardinals are not that hardy for helping to cycle tanks.

**bossteck** · 25th Jan 2009, 22:12

You don't need fishes to cycle your tank.

Get some used media from your established tank and/or starter bacteria and you're in business. Then it is just a matter of feeding them.

Normally, the food for the bacteria will come from the fish waste, but since this is fishless; fish food, or as mentioned above a small piece of prawn will serve as the food source.

It'll work just fine.

**benetay** · 26th Jan 2009, 00:07

Theoretically it might be alright to do so. So who dares to put a pair of $1k apisto in a fishless cycled tank & see it afloat the next day?

Still best to be safe. Not sorry.

Cheers!

**wasabi8888** · 26th Jan 2009, 00:23

Originally Posted by benetay

Theoretically it might be alright to do so. So who dares to put a pair of $1k apisto in a fishless cycled tank & see it afloat the next day?

Still best to be safe. Not sorry.

Cheers!

Thank goodness my L46s is not $1000.