Water Levels. All zeros after adding ammonia filter.

ShawnMcc

I need to know what I should do to cycle it now. I had ammonia before. Now with the master test kit it shows 0 ammonia 0 nitrate 0 nitrite. So I took the ammonia filter out. So now I am adding fish food to start it all over again. Is that the right thing to do a fishless cycle. Or should I just buy my 4 rainbow fish now.

mHeinitz57

what do you mean by an "ammonia filter"? I have never heard of one of those. If your tank is reading zeros for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate then you are basically starting with a brand new tank...not sure what you were doing before that. So if you want to do fishless cycling then you would start by adding pure ammonia (emphasis on PURE) or by adding food or look around online because there are a lot of different ways you can do fishless cycling. The pure ammonia way is the most controlled and cleanest option. If you want to do it with fish then just throw a few hardy fish in to get it going. Still not sure if I understand what you did before but basically think of it as if you are starting with a brand new tank now.

ShawnMcc

I didn't do a thing to start it. It just did it on its own. I am thinking of using Bio Spra. I am surprised cause I have allot of snails in there right now. But they are still small so I don't know if they could cycle the tank or not.

mHeinitz57

where did you get snails from? did you add live plants? How long has this tank been running?

ShawnMcc

Yep the snails came from the live plants. It has been running for over a month and half. So a long time.

miagrrl

ammonia filter...do you mean zeolite or some kind of filter that emitts ammonia? when doing a fishless cycle, don't add things in to take the ammonia away- you actually need it to spike (which is ok, cause there are no fish). a month and a half you should be done cycling... if you added an ammonia source correctly....

ShawnMcc

Well then I messed up so its time to start all over agian so here comes bio spira

MattD

Yeah Bio-Spira will do the job right-quick.

ShawnMcc

$20.00 for shipping so I am going the long route. Just dropping food any way by the time it is cycled my plants will be in the substrate good so I don't have to replant them with the fish in there any way.