I must be insane.

[mhhauser]

So I have been going over the Nitrogen cycle thing latley, to further get this stuff locked into my brain.

so here is what I got

(Rough Outline)

1st-Introduce Amonia via Fish or Fishless Cycling or whatever
2nd-The Beneficial Bacteria(BB) colonizes and turns amonia(NH4) into
3rd-Nitrite
4th-Then more BB break down Nitrite into
4th-Nitrate which is either removed through water changes or the nitrate is converted into nitrogen and escapes through the surface of the water or plants use it.


Here is my thought, I have been reading about how to do a fishless cycle, and from what I learned you just add the amonia manualy to the tank by dosing with amonia or with fish food. You can also use other products that set up conditions for the BB to grow. Also you cam use items from other tanks that might already have BB colonized on it to help get yours started.

(This is all in a freshwater tank.)

Apparently from just adding the amonia the BB will start to grow, thats what baffles me how does the Beneficial Bacteria begin to grow with just adding amonia to the water. If this was true I could dose a Non Chlorinated cup of water with amonia and use Cycle products and I would end up having a cup with lots of BB growing in it.


i guess my question would be, is How does the Nitrifying Bacteria just begin to colonize out of nowhere with just the adding of Amonia?

 

[anthworks]

The bateria doesnt just appear it needs to be added. The most common way is through live rock or live sand. The rock has beneficial bacteria and ammonia (die off) so it starts and fuels the cycle. Using fish to cycle is unneccesary and cruel + the fish that can survive a cycle are most likely fish you wont want later down the line.

 

[Fast Fred]

Most people import the bacteria by buying live rock.

 

[graveyardworm]

The bacteria are in the air around us, and always ready to colonize something they like.

 

[Petstorejunkie]

you cant use otc ammonia to cycle the tank. okay i think this is where you got turned around. urine is sterile when it leaves the body yes? okay, but as it is exposed to the atmosphere bacteria start to break it down (present on anything organic including air particles )(decomposition process, remember this one from biology class?) the bacteria produces a biproduct called Ammonia NH3, which then is brocken down by different bacteria, what produce a biproduct called nitrite (NO2), then yet another bacteria takes this and turns it into nitrate (NO3). yes it seems like mysterious bacteria comes out of no where and puts it all into action, but that is the beauty of nature. if you want to cycle your freshwater tank without using fish i reccomend a n ounce or two of your urine, and a heaping helping of BioSpira.
i like to cycle tanks with wet dirty filter cartidges from established tanks, put in the filter cartige, add some fish and 5 days later you have a cycled tank. you can always aske your Lfs, to save you a prefilter from their system, cut a chunk of it, keeping it wet, and then transfer it into yoru filter at home.. voila! instant cycle!

 

[Paintbug]

are you looking to do a FW or SW tank? if its a FW theres a few start up additives that can be easily used to start up the cycle. like this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=13944&N=2004+112990 useing some of the filter pad from an old tank will work as well, like mentioned.

you have the cycle down. amm-nitrites-nitrates-nitrogen gas. with a SW tank the easiest way to start a cycle is with liverock. i recommend starting with uncured rock, some people will say it sticks up the house, mine didnt. you can use cured rock as well, it just seems to take longer to cycle.

either way dont use fish to cycle a tank its just curel and a waste of your money!