I am brand new here, but a friend recommended the site as a good resource...

So, I have a brand new tank, filter etc, and am currently in the process of doing a fishless cycle using fish food. The filter has been on since I set the tank up and I put a pinch of food in as soon as it was set up. I put a little more food in yesterday. I try to put the light on for parts of the day (not sure if this makes a difference!) and yesterday I put the heating on for a little bit, in the hope that it would speed things up (??). So I am on day 2 of cycling, and I have noticed a foul, stale water smell.

Is that normal?? and if not, what am I doing wrong? I just did a 20% water change, and added a declorinator.

Please advise what I have done wrong?? And should I keep adding fish food each day?

I don't currently have a testing kit, but it is on order!!

Thanks very much in advance!

Hi and welcome to FK,

Cycling with fish food does get a bit pongy I'm afraid and can be rather hit and miss as it's difficult to be sure of a stable level of ammonia during the cycle.

If you want to carry on trying the fish food method, you need more like a handful of food than a pinch and it's best to contain it in a pop sock or the foot cut off a pair of tigts so it doesn't foul the water too much. The test kit is vital for following progress so hopefully it will soon arrive.

If you can though, cycling with liquid ammonia (available from Homebase or online) is much easier as you can dose precisely and it doesn't make such a mess of the tank.


Either way, it's better not to do any water changes while cycling (though this early on it won't have done any harm). The heater should be on and set to about 28C. If there are no plants there's no need to turn the lights on at all during the cycle.

Hope that helps - any questions, please ask

Hi Noodle,

thanks for the response - the horrid smell has now gone, and I have lovely clean water

Still not properly cycled though (I have just posted a separate thread on that)

Thanks again!