Fishless Cycling

Question
I decided to go the route of fishless cycling after killing
two others...I put the tank together, filled the tank, put
in an Aquasafe water conditioner, and some ammonia (to give
the bacteria food).  I tested the  water and the ammonia
levels were at stress level...a little lower than where they
needed to be according to what I read about fishless
cycling.  My question is first...Is that all I need to do,
is the bacteria that needs to grow already there or do I
need to do more? Second... Is it just easier to toss some
fish in it or will the  whole fishless thing work?

Answer
Hi Tim

Fishless cycling works though I've never done it. I prefer to cycle with fish, because it creates a more stable balance in the aquarium. If you cycle with 1 small fish per 10 gallons of water and perform small water changes (about 10%) every couple of days, your tank will cycle fine, and you won't harm the fish. I use Zebra Danios to cycle with. They are vary hardy and tolerant of even the worst water conditions.

When fishless cycling, some people use ammonia, some use bacteria additives such as Tetra SafeStart, and others  use fish food. I've never done it so I couldn't tell you which method works best.

Here is a link to help you with fishless cycling..

http://www.aquariumsecrets.com/Fishless.htm

Hope this helps, good luck!

Richard