Fishless cycling

Cycling is something you have to do to a new tank in order to establish a biological filter capable of eating up your fishes' waste. Every tank, no matter what the manner of filtration, needs this community of bacteria, and usually adding a few fish themselves will generate enough waste to build this community. Fishless cycling, on the other hand, is a method by which the biological filter is built up by adding the chemical ammonia to the water instead of fish (which is much easier on the fish).

When I first fishless-cycled my 10 gallon, it took well over a month. At first I thought it was because I had no tank gravel or filter material with which to "seed" my tank. In retrospect I think it was because I added too much ammonia, which can cause other problems. This time, I have my own established tank to seed my new one, so I don't anticipate it taking too long. Plus when the plants arrive I may not wait for the cycle to complete before adding the fish as plants change the equation a bit.