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The logic behind the fishless cycle...

8K views 37 replies 15 participants last post by  speakerguy 
What I did, and from what I understand, the correct method, is to add ammonia to about 5ppm on day one. You will have to measure the level about 20 mins after adding ammonia to see where your at.
The next day, measure your ammonia level again, if it is still at 5ppm, leave it alone, don't add any more ammonia, if it is lower, say 2ppm, add enough ammonia to bring it back up to 5ppm.

Do this every day until your nitrite spikes. Then all I did was add a capful or two of ammonia (5 to 10 mL in a 55 gallon tank) every day until the nitrite dropped and nitrate spiked. Once nitrite is at zero, do a large water change to lower the nitrate, and add fish!

Your logic is, well, logical, but you gotta remember that when doing a cycle with fish, the fish are not gonna necessarily produce 5ppm ammonia on day one, and then keep adding more via poo on the following days. They may only poo enough to have 1 or 2 or 3 ppm ammonia in the first week! Of course depending on the size and amout of fish you have, and how much they eat.
So don't keep adding an aditional 5ppm per day, to have 10ppm on day 2, 15ppm on day 3, etc. Yes this is Bad! You have to give the tank time to build up the bacteria to consume the ammonia. That is they point of the cycle.

Boomr
 
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