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A while ago we had a lively thread on different ways to get the Nitrogen Cycle established in a new fish tank, and I said that I had writen an article for FAMA. Well, the artcle is in the current issue (August 2008) of FAMA. Please take a look, and let me know your opinions. Thanks.
***************************Be warned -- everyone at college has a weird roommate. If you don't have a weird roomate -- then you're the weird roommate.
Conan O'Brien, Stuyvesant High School.
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Fishkeeping GURU
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I'm looking forward to seeing it...can't wait to get the month's FAMA in the mail. Is this the one in which you discuss bacterial starters, or is that for a separate article?
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Just read it. Nice article. It's great to see fishless cycling being promoted more. Hope local shops follow suit.
All we need now is some research and an article on best methods. Seems there's a lot of different methods out there and many different opinions regarding whether water changes or temp affect the time it takes to cycle, how much ammonia to use, etc. I guess at the end of the day if it cycles the tank, all methods are good. 
There's one more method, by the way. It's similar to your tank #1 using seeded filter media, but instead of adding fish, add ammonia. It's a sort of hybrid seeded media, fishless cycling method. It has the benefits of fishless cycling without risking the harm any spikes of ammonia or nitrite might cause. I've done it several times and found each time that it shortened the duration of cycling to about 8-10 days. I find it helpful to those that just want to use filter media from an established tank in a new filter, but aren't sure how much or how effective it'll be.
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Fishkeeping GURU
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That hybrid method you just mentioned is one I use all the time. It is safe and quick...who could ask for anything more? 
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Fishkeeping GURU
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Great article David! It's so nice to see fishless cycling getting some support from a well respected magazine. I hope it leads to more people trying it, and/or trying the seeded filter method if they have one available. the only thing I wish I could have seen was the actual data (I am too used to reading journal articles I guess). A graph showing progress on the tanks would have been interesting I think. But even without it you got the point across just fine.
And I must say it was truly a kick to see my own words on the pages of FAMA...lol. My name wasn't there, but I know some of the quotes were mine, and that's just cool in my book. 
Well done David. 
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Fishkeeping GURU
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Thank you for the links. That's very interesting and may raise some questions for me, but I have to think more about the data...it's not quite what I expected for some of the readings.
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Hailey, that was my reaction too. Not exactly what I was expecting.
20 gallon long
Lionhead - Kiko
Calico Lionhead - Little Bean
29 gallon
Fantail - Oliver
Black Moor - Damian
Calico Ryukin - Serafina
2.5 gallon
male betta - Pirate
10 gallon planted
minnow, betta, guppy
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| Please let me know your thoughts. I'm glad that they posted the link to the complete test results. This was the first time that I have ever actually cycled new tanks and taken readings. I have so many tanks, filters, gravel, plants and water that I have always just grabbedenough stuff with good bacteria on it, and about 1/2 water from existing tanks, that I never before this have I even given it a thought. The results were not exactly what I had expected either. I was surprised that I never got any really high nitrite readings. What do you guys think?
*************************** Be warned -- everyone at college has a weird roommate. If you don't have a weird roomate -- then you're the weird roommate.
Conan O'Brien, Stuyvesant High School.
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