For the benefit of some pple who simply needs spoon feeding...
A little info on cycling a new tank
http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=34
Generally, during cycling period, it is important to get ammonia to convert into nitrite (NO2), and futher converted to nitrate (NO3). All needs to be near zero for the cycling to be completed, which can take from mere days to prolonged weeks.
Fishless cycling is whereby, no lives are used in the cycling process. Why subject lives to torture and killing them (akin to, murder)?? In fishless cycling, ammonia is obtained from other source, eg dirty filter water from mature tank, food, or even, small pieces of market prawn.
Soil based tank needs to be handled more carefully during cycling process. Many available brands of aquariam soil contains ammonia, as well as causing pH to crash to acidic level (some even goes below pH6.0). Thus during cycling process, it is important to do water change.
Quartz based tank may be easier to cycle compared to soil, as quartz is neutral in pH attributes. Thus, the focus would be on ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Why the need for cycling? It is to produce benefitual bacterial (bb) colony in the filter, which converts ammonia to nitrite, to nitrate. Without the bb colony, if we throw in lives, we are subjecting them to torture and killing them, as there are minimal bb to break down waste (bioload).
Our enjoyment in aquarium hobby
SHOULDN'T be at the expense of lives! Stop committing delibrate murder!