fishless cycle?

[xxaprilrose]

I have a 37 gallon tank cycling right now. I also have a 90 gallon but I havent set that one up yet. I plan on using media from the 37 to jumpstart the 90 but right now im struggling with the 37. I started the cycle on Wed. I added ammonia to the tank, its at 2 ppm. I also added API quick start to the tank. I havent seen any progress whatsoever on it. I know it takes 6-8 weeks to cycle but even the first step? I thought I should see progress within the first week. Is there an easier way to do this? I dont have any established media unfortunately to use 😞 Maybe theres a better bottle with bacteria I can buy to use? Or should I just empty it all out and do a fish in cycle? 

[Schwack]

If there's ammonia in the tank, things will start eventually. My first tank took 4 days to show nitrites. I wouldn't spend any money on bottled starters, but it's a personal call. If you're cycling from zero, patience is going to be a virtue. You could try and speed things up by introducing plants, with their rockwool, from cycled tanks. If you're planning on planting the tank that's probably the easiest way to move the cycle along.

[tonyjuliano]

In my experience, barring a “donation” from an already established tank, this can take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to complete. Time is hard to pin down with any degree of accuracy, as many variables (tank volume, filtration method & chosen media, even the existing chemistry of your tap water) will come into play.

If you keep the ammonium level @ 2 ppm (do NOT exceed this), you will probably see nitrite start to show up in a week or so.  After that you will see ammonia levels drop pretty quickly.

The tank is considered “fully cycled” when ammonia and nitrite levels are unmeasurable AND there is some level of nitrate (usually a high level).  At that point you do a large water change (for nitrate reduction) and you’re good to go.

If I could make one strong recommendation it would be to resist introducing anything else during the process, especially any kind of supplemental fertilization.

I’ve tried all of the “bottled bacteria” out there, and none of them made a difference for me (with the possible exception of Fluval Cycle, which I also cannot verify with any level of certainty).

Edited June 21, 2021 by tonyjuliano