What Is Fishless Cycling? How To Go About It
Usually, preparing an aquarium implies getting some cheap albeit hardy fish like the zebra danio, and releasing them into a new tank. These fish then go about providing ammonia through their respiration, waste etc. This ammonia in the tank helps to create a colony of nitrifying bacteria (the good bacteria) and initiate the cycling of the tank.
A number of times, these starter fish do not manage to survive the process, and even if they do manage to do so, may not live upto their full potential, giving the whole process a rather inhumane aura.
In January 1999 Chris Cow (a PhD in organic chemistry), posted a paper online regarding fishless cycling. The idea was quite simple – add ammonia to a fishless aquarium in order to get the nitrogen cycle going. This worked pretty well – as usual initially ammonia levels soared, followed by toxic levels of nitrite, until, finally, both become neutralized. With the tank fully cycled any ammonia created by adding fish would now be converted to harmless nitrate by the established colonies of positive bacteria that make up the biological filter.
The result – the fish live to thank you for it.
When selecting the ammonia however, make sure that it is pure ammonia, with no additives, and definitely no perfumes or essences. The chemicals will linger in your tank and kill the fish. One way to check, is to shake the bottle – ammonia with additives will foam up, while pure ammonia will not.
To start off the cycle, add 4-5 drops of ammonia for every 10 gallons of water in your fishless tank. Make this a daily ritual till the nitrites rise to a measurable limit, at which point, cut down the ammonia to 3 drops per 10 gallons per day. When nitrite and ammonia are both at zero, and nitrate is measurable, the tank is cycled. You may want to change about 25% of the water, and your ready to release the fish.
Biofilter bacteria thrives at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). If you turn up your tank’s heater while cycling fishless, the tank can cycle in as little as 7-10 days. However, remember to turn the heater back down when the nitrogen cycle is complete, and ensure the water time to reach the desired temperature before adding fish. Compare this with the minimum 21 days taken for normal recycling.
In the end, this method is a winner all through, saving fish, effort, and time.
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