How to cycle a aquarium Fish-less?

Question

I have everything in my tank set up, all I need to do is cycle it, but fish-less. I've heard it doesn't take as long as with fish, I have read that there are couple of methods to use like the shrimp one, fish food, or live rocks??? Please help soon. I want to know.

Answer 1

To help you can add something from an etablished aquarium. not neccesary but helpful. the main thing you do is add some ammonia. 3 to 5 drops per gallon. What this does is causes an ammonia spike that usually takes a while with fish.

You want the ammonia to get to 1 ppm. after that get it up to 4-5 ppm. Continue this untill the ammonia level is 0 half a day after you add the ammonia.

Then test for nitires. continue adding enough ammonia per day to make it 1 or 2 ppm. once the nitrite are 0 you may add fish.

Answer 2

If you've put in the dechlorinator & live bacterior in a bottle then run the tank like that for a few days to allow the colony to build up inside the filter.

I've heard you can also put a few flakes of fish food in as this can help speed up the progress.

After a few days or maybe a week then add a heardy fish that can tolerate different types of water / temperature & so on. Leave it like that for a week or two before adding more fish

Answer 3

cycle an aquarium fishless might take abit long possible takes 2 weeks or 6 months but depend how proccessing getting on..

Get cycle bottle for aquarium, anti-ammonia,(to remove ammonia as ammonia is very toxic to fishes thats how killed my fishes) water conditor (fishes will not live from tap water), u can have some rocks and fish food.  Its important to get water test kits to test water conditior. good filter. anyway u got all set up :D all u can do is, wait for water being ready by using water tester kits to check if there is NO ammonias or No2, if ur not very sure, u can take some water to pet store to let them do test and they can tell u if ur water is ready for fishes. make sure u choose healthly looking fishes. cycling tank with fish being in it, it probably not do any good it can kill fish, so best way to leave tank to cylce fishless.. paitent i know its exciting to have fishes! very nice to watch them to swim around very relaxing

Answer 4

When i cycled mine i would put a flake of food in a day. It helped establish some good bacteria. I did that for about four weeks and then added my fishy =]