cycle a 1g?

[ScuitoAmi150]

Can you cycle a 1g?
If you can, how do you do it? How often do you change the water, what % of the water? What if there is a live plant in the tank?

[Zenandra]

It's pretty impossible to cycle a tank so small since you should be doing 100% water changes twice a week in that size tank. And that won't give the tank any chance to cycle.

[lowspeedhighdrag]

What if you did a fishless cycle and didn't do 100% water changes?

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

I agree with Zenandra, you have to do at least two 100% water changes a week. I do three to keep the water extra clean. Ammonia builds up so fast in a 1G, there's no point in cycling it because it'd basically do nothing.

[dramaqueen]

I've heard some say you can cycle a tank that size and some say you can't. I'm confused! lol

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

Haha I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it out...

[dramaqueen]

It definitely wouldn't hurt to try.

[kelly528]

Originally Posted by dramaqueen

I've heard some say you can cycle a tank that size and some say you can't. I'm confused! lol

While it is possible, it is very precarious to do which is why some people advise against it. I accidentally cycled a 1g thanks to the bacteria on the roots of a java fern I put in the tank but looking back I was walking a really fine line lol!

The problem is that the water parameters are considerably less stable in a 1g (which could kill the bacteria quickly if anything goes wonky). Also, how could you be sure there is enough surface area for the bacteria to live in? In larger tanks you have lots of gravel and a filter but in a 1g all you can fit is a handful of gravel. Will this be enough to house enough bacteria to clean up after a betta?

Bottom line I think you are a lot safer to simply do 100% water changes every 2-3 days. Even if you cycled a 1g you would still have to do 25% w/cs every 2-3 days. So it will save you more grief to just do full ones.

[1fish2fish]

Technically you can cycle a 1 gallon.. but here is the problem.. even if you do a fishless cycle, once you add your fish your will still need to be doing AT LEAST one 100% change a week.. which would kill your cycle.

So basically it would work on paper but in actuality the tank is just too small to support a cycle... there isn't enough water: fish ratio

Like Kelly said... just not worth it.

[ScuitoAmi150]

Okay. Wasn't sure, I was thinking it would be easier. I do 100% changes once a week and 90% changes twice a week.