Did you know that fishless cycling is more humane and easier to maintain than fish-in cycling?

It’s true. With fish-in cycling, if you don’t want to kill your fish when Ammonia and Nitrite spike, you will have to do daily water changes to keep those levels down. That also means that the cycle can last weeks or even months longer than Fishless.

You can’t ever be 100% certain on how long it will take for a Cycle to complete. Some may take 2 and a half months, some may take 5 weeks, it’s all different. To know where your tank is in the cycle you will have to have liquid test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. With out these test kits, your blind to toxic levels and if you absolutely have to cycle your tank with fish then they will more than likely die if you don’t go by daily water changes to dilute these toxins.

There are 3 methods you can use with Fishless Cycling. Pure Ammonia, Fish flake and Raw/Fish or Shrimp. With all three of these methods, there is something else you can do to possibly speed up the cycle by adding already established filter media and gravel from a DISEASE FREE tank. It’s not absolutely guaranteed that it will take less time than without these things because like I said before, all cycles are different.

With these three methods, there is a common thing going on here: a stream of Ammonia is being discharged to feed the colonizing bacteria. With both Fish flake and Pure Ammonia methods, you will need to keep feeding the tank every 12 hours in order to keep this stream at a constant. With Raw fish or shrimp, this may not be the case considering if it’s a large piece. If the bacteria has no food for too long, they will die and your colony will deteriorate i.e. start all over.

I am an advocate of Fishless Cycling. In my opinion, no “hardy fish” should be put through this torture. I find it quite inhumane and cruel for people to intentionally buy fish before their tank is cycled and just throw them away when it’s done. It’s heartless and is not something to be proud of. Please, always fishless cycle.

If you disagree with what I’m saying or feel free to add anything, please do it with respect. I specifically made this to inform those whose questions I can not answer. I don’t want innocent fish to die, that is all I’m here for.

Please check out the links:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81388

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Nitrogen_cycle

Okay, the whole 100 gallon tank with a Betta theory is pretty unusual. No one that I know of will keep only 1 Betta in a 100 gallon permanently without ever adding any other fish.

The fact is, even though the Betta is small, it still has an impact on the Bio-load. You wouldn’t have to cycle in terms of waiting 3-6 weeks, but after adding the Betta there will still be some bacteria that colonizes to eat it’s waste.

But still, the fact remains is that keeping a Betta in a 100 gallon tank by itself as a permanent home is unpractical.
Good link Cheese, thanks for that.

Here are a few links on the Nitrogen cycle as well:

http://www.fishlore.com/fishforum/freshwater-beginners/19627-ammonia-instructions-fishless-cycle.html

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88486

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96095

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycling.php

You have to understand that since this is so unpractical, it hardly ever happens which means that yes, a fishless cycle can be done when the tank is severely UNDERSTOCKED.

You have to think that most people who get tanks want it stocked to it’s full potential, but not to overstock.

Most people consider Fish-in cycling to be using 10 Feeder Goldfish in a 100 gallon tank. Obviously, this way the Ammonia and Nitrite will become deadly.

I understand where you are coming from, but it just doesn’t make much sense to prove something that doesn’t need to be proven.
You can do what ever you want. I’m here to advocate FISHLESS CYCLING. You obviously are not understanding the actual MESSAGE of what I’m trying to say.

You go ahead and answer questions saying that they can add fish as soon as they fill it up. It won’t be on my conscience when their fish die. That’s not my problem.