How to do a fishless cycle

Steps:

1. Buy household clear or pure ammonia from a dollar store or anywhere you can find it (Ace Hardware is a good place)

2. Use an eye dropper or whatever measuring device you please to raise the tank's ammonia level to 5ppm (parts per million). Use your test kit (API is good) to measure the ammonia level.

3. Good bacteria will grow and eat the ammonia, and the level will drop down to 1 ppm in anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks.

4. Ammonia levels are at 1ppm. Raise the level back up to 5ppm. The ammonia level will drop back to 1ppm but faster because there is more beneficial bacteria.

5. Repeat this raise and drop process until you get reading on your nitrite test kit (API also makes these). The levels will be very high. Keep doing this raise and drop process (still feeding household ammonia) until your nitrites are at 0ppm. Ammonia is also at 0ppm. Now you will have a lot of nitrates (do not need a test kit for nitrates though they are made) so you should do a 75-90% water change.

6. Your tank is now cycled and you can fully stock your tank as there is enough bacteria to keep your tank clean and ammonia free. Do NOT overstock. 1 inch of fish per gallon.

TIPS:

-Raise water temperature to mid 80's (fahrenheit)
-Increase air to water exchange by using an air stone or by increasing the drop with your filter
-Get decorations from a tank that has already completed the cycle (fishless or traditional) like a pantyhose full of gravel, a filter cartridge, some plants, rocks, wood, greek collesseums :)


GET RID OF THE CHLORINE AND CHLORAMINE IN YOUR WATER OR ELSE THE GOOD BACTERIA WILL NOT SURVIVE.

Use a dechlorinator even if on the back it claims to detoxify the ammonia, this effect only lasts for around 24 hours.

Do not do a water change throughout this process until the big 75-90% water change at the end. Only do a water change for the extremes (soap in aquarium, pouring a quart of ammonia in there)