5 gallon cycling help!

[Billthebetta]

I've just got a 5 gallon tank and I don't know how to. Cycle it, I've read the sticky but I still have questions. Like, do i have to remove my filter and underwater heater, or can I keep those things running? My fish isn't in it yet and I was looking to do a "fishless" cycle using fish food and how long would it take To complete the cycle?

[inuudo]

The beneficial bacteria grows in your filter media, so you definitely do not want to remove your filter. The heat helps the bacteria get established; many people raise their tank temperature to the low 80s while cycling, and then drop it to a temperature more suitable for the fish that will be in the cycled tank.

I've cycled three tanks and am currently cycling a fourth. For two of them (my 10 and 5.5 gallon tanks), I used a combination of a bacteria booster (Seacheam Stability) and bloodworms (on days 3 and 6). For the other two (45 and 25 gallons), I did/am doing the pure ammonia fishless cycle.

The smaller tanks cycled in 12 and 14 days; the 45 gallon cycled in 2.5 weeks. The 25 gallon is on track to cycle in 2 weeks.

One complaint people have with using fish food to cycle is that it dirties the water, but that was not my experience. Using pure ammonia is more precise because you can calculate how much to add to your size tank to bring the ammonia level up to 2-4 ppm.

[OrangeAugust]

The whole cycling process is done in the filter, so definitely leave that in there. I've never done a fishless cycle, but I did a fish-in cycle on my 5.5 gallon and because the tank had already been running for a few weeks with just some plants in it, it cycled in less than three weeks after I put my fish in. I did 75% water changes every other day until it was cycled.
Normally it takes longer. From the time I got it running with plants until it was actually cycled was probably about 6 weeks.

[Oldfishlady]

Have you read this sticky.....Betta specific....

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771

Look this one over to help give you more of an idea of what you are trying to do-especially when your just going to stock the tank with a single Betta.

[Xeek]

I condition my water, add bacteria, put real plants in, add a single fish, and I have had no problems. I keep close tabs on the water tests though. All 3 of my tanks have fish and/or shrimp/crayfish and my levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates remain at 0. Doing this and fully stocking a tank would be a problem though, I'm stocking slowly.