Ammonia substitutes for fishless cycle

[ChelseaLlyn]

I'm cycling a new 5 gallon tank and got squeezings from one of the filters at petco (yeah, I know...i was a little skeptical about getting anything from them, but their tanks and fish looked healthy enough). However, it took so long to get done there that the hardware store where I was going to get ammonia was closed. So, my question is, how to I keep the bacteria alive for the next couple of days until I can get back over to the hardware store? if I just put it in the tank, will they be fine without ammonia for a while or will the colony die off? Could I put old water from the unfiltered 1 gallon that my betta is in now, or would fish food work? I saw the shrimp thing on the sticky thread, but it will also be a while before I can get to a grocery store.

Also, do I just dump the water with the bacteria in it into the tank and the bacteria will get to where they need to go or should I swish my filter cartridge around in it?

[ChoclateBetta]

Fish food and those bottles of ammonia at pet stores.

[ChelseaLlyn]

so fish food will be enough to sustain a (hopefully) well-established colony? and do I just dump the stuff squeezed out of the other filter into my tank?

[ChoclateBetta]

Originally Posted by ChelseaLlyn

so fish food will be enough to sustain a (hopefully) well-established colony? and do I just dump the stuff squeezed out of the other filter into my tank?

It will work fish food rotting turns into ammonia the first set of bacteria turn Ammonia to nitrites then another species turns it into nitrates but I feel the bacteria bottles work because the bacteria is dead and it is filled with ammonia or ammonia bottles. There are bacteria that turn Nitrates into nitrogen plants take it up so do water changes also if I remember properly you can put a Fish in a tank without cycling with a lit of extra water changes would reccomend it though.

[registereduser]

Originally Posted by ChelseaLlyn

I'm cycling a new 5 gallon tank and got squeezings from one of the filters at petco (yeah, I know...i was a little skeptical about getting anything from them, but their tanks and fish looked healthy enough).

seriously, I would not do that

Have you read the cycling instructions here? check the link in my sig

[Laki]

The stuff on the petco sponge might be contaminated. The water alone from any other tank does not have anything beneficial for you. It's the bacteria alive on surfaces that you want. If it's only a 5g just get some plants and add the fish. I ran my filter for a few days with the plants and then added decorations (not rinsed) from my 2 small tanks. Then I put the fish in. Voila.

[Hallyx]

Over the last year I've come to realize that sometimes the convenience of fish-in cycling can outweigh the strict 0.0ppm ammonia offered by a fishless cycle.

See if this appeals to you:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/b...ecific-107771/

Read this for a better understanding and to help you make up your mind.
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/b...-guide-111960/

[goldfishyman]

You did not take any filter material from the tanks so your not gonna benefit from that water you squeezed out of their filter. You most likely brought home Ick. or some other nasty parasites.

[Hallyx]

Well, you probably didn't. But GFM is right, you haven't gotten enough nitrifying bacteria to help your cycle.

The hardest part of cycling is finding live bacteria. It's in the air, so the most time-consuming part is waiting for it to fall out of the sky.

[ChelseaLlyn]

Ok, so I already put the stuff in. If it's not going to help the cycle anyway, is the risk of germs from the petco tank high enough that I should start over? If so, does that mean I need to clean the tank completely (like bleach/vinegar and cleaning the filter media) or will it be fine with just a water change? Or can I just let it cycle without worrying about germs from the petco tank?