Fishless Cycle Log - Add & Wait Method

[MarlinTiger]

Morning all,

Day 27 approx. 12hrs after previous test & dosing re-tested the pH with low range kit, as per advice from Big Bad Barry - thank you. Test showed a much darker colour Blue than the 7.6 reading on the chart, so I'm quite confident that the pH is holding up.

Day 28 test results as follows, 24hrs after previous tests & dosing with 4ppm of Ammonia:
Tank Temperature = 28.1C
pH 8.0 - Stable at that level now for 5 days.
Ammonia 0ppm - Added enough to take level back upto 4ppm.
Nitrites 0ppm - It has taken approx. 48hrs for them to drop back to zero from the initial 0ppm.
Nitrates 80ppm - Definite match against the chart, I was kind of expecting them to go upto the 160ppm mark?

Nitrites only took 2days to drop back to zero - yipee

Have a good day everyone.

MT

 

[Skins]

Your cycle is running very smoothly

Keith.

 

[Gvilleguy]

This is looking very good. Don't worry about how high the nitrates get (or don't get). I'm not sure mine ever got over 80 ppm during the end of my fishless cycle - that is still a high level of nitrates. Plus I have trouble reading the different shades of red on that card!

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Looking good.
As Keith stated previously, start thinking about testing at 12hr mark. Test for ph, ammonia and nitrite.
The ammonia will get to zero first and when it does at 12hrs you wont need to test for it at 24hrs and simply dose as you would do.

 

[MarlinTiger]

Hi everyone,

Day28 12hrs after prevoius test & dosing:

pH Not tested.
Ammonia 0ppm.
Nitrites 2ppm.
Nitrates Not tested.

Day 29 26hrs after previous dosing and 14hrs after previous tests:

pH 8.0 - Again another stable reading.
Ammonia Not tested - Reading at the 12hrs was 0ppm. So added Ammonia to take to 4ppm level.
Nitrites 0ppm - So it has reduced to zero in 24hrs, must be moving in the right direction!
Nitrates 80ppm - Stable at this level, starting to think that it may not rise to the 160ppm level?

Have a good day everyone.

MT

 

[Gvilleguy]

Yep - it's fine if nitrates don't go up. Nitrites are moving forward like you need - this is good stuff!

 

[Skins]

Hi everyone,

Day28 12hrs after prevoius test & dosing:

pH Not tested.
Ammonia 0ppm.
Nitrites 2ppm.
Nitrates Not tested.

Day 29 26hrs after previous dosing and 14hrs after previous tests:

pH 8.0 - Again another stable reading.
Ammonia Not tested - Reading at the 12hrs was 0ppm. So added Ammonia to take to 4ppm level.
Nitrites 0ppm - So it has reduced to zero in 24hrs, must be moving in the right direction!
Nitrates 80ppm - Stable at this level, starting to think that it may not rise to the 160ppm level?

Have a good day everyone.

MT

Hello MT,
Make sure you only dose with your h/h ammonia on the 24hr mark. Dosing every 12 hours will result in you having to much nitrogen in your tank waters chemistry.

Keith.

 

[MarlinTiger]

Morning all,

Day 29, 2nd test of the day, 10hrs after previous dosing, I checked the following:

Ammonia 0.25ppm - Not a bad result considering it is only just 10hrs after dosing.
Nitrite 1.0ppm - Again I consider this quite a result given the timescale.

Day 30 test results as follows, 22hrs after previous dosing with Ammonia:

pH 8.0 - Stable good match against chart.
Ammonia 0ppm - Added enough to take back upto the 4pm level.
Nitrites 0ppm - So it has now dropped back to zero in less than 24hrs.
Nitrates 80ppm - Solid match against the chart.

I have been dosing Ammonia & full testing on the 24hr mark. Moving forward from now, I will continue to dose on the 24hr mark and test pH, Nitrites & Nitrtaes at the same time. I am going to start to test the Ammonia & Nitrites also at the 12hr mark.

Summary is that I feel as though everything is going quite well.

Have a good weekend everyone.

MT

 

[Skins]

Morning all,

Day 29, 2nd test of the day, 10hrs after previous dosing, I checked the following:

Ammonia 0.25ppm - Not a bad result considering it is only just 10hrs after dosing.
Nitrite 1.0ppm - Again I consider this quite a result given the timescale.

Day 30 test results as follows, 22hrs after previous dosing with Ammonia:

pH 8.0 - Stable good match against chart.
Ammonia 0ppm - Added enough to take back upto the 4pm level.
Nitrites 0ppm - So it has now dropped back to zero in less than 24hrs.
Nitrates 80ppm - Solid match against the chart.

I have been dosing Ammonia & full testing on the 24hr mark. Moving forward from now, I will continue to dose on the 24hr mark and test pH, Nitrites & Nitrtaes at the same time. I am going to start to test the Ammonia & Nitrites also at the 12hr mark.

Summary is that I feel as though everything is going quite well.

Have a good weekend everyone.

MT

 

[Aqua Tom]

Morning all,

Day 29, 2nd test of the day, 10hrs after previous dosing, I checked the following:

Ammonia 0.25ppm - Not a bad result considering it is only just 10hrs after dosing.
Nitrite 1.0ppm - Again I consider this quite a result given the timescale.

Day 30 test results as follows, 22hrs after previous dosing with Ammonia:

pH 8.0 - Stable good match against chart.
Ammonia 0ppm - Added enough to take back upto the 4pm level.
Nitrites 0ppm - So it has now dropped back to zero in less than 24hrs.
Nitrates 80ppm - Solid match against the chart.

I have been dosing Ammonia & full testing on the 24hr mark. Moving forward from now, I will continue to dose on the 24hr mark and test pH, Nitrites & Nitrtaes at the same time. I am going to start to test the Ammonia & Nitrites also at the 12hr mark.

Summary is that I feel as though everything is going quite well.

Have a good weekend everyone.

MT

 

[MarlinTiger]

Hi all,

Unfortunately I didn't get the cahnce to re-test on the 12hr mark of Day 30.

Day 31 test results, 23hrs after previous dosing, are as follows:

Tank Temperature = 28.7C
pH 8.0 - Stable & matched to the chart colour
Ammonia 0ppm - Ammonia added to the 4ppm level
Nitrites 0ppm - Need to re-test at the 12hr mark
Nitrates 80pm - Doesn't look as though this will rise

Hope everyone is having a good day.

MT

 

[Skins]

Looking good MT

 

[MarlinTiger]

Morning all,

Day 31 2nd test of the day results as follows:

Ammonia 0ppm - This test was carried out 11hrs after previous dosing.
Nitrites 0.5ppm - This test was 12hrs after previous dosing.

Day 32 1st test of the day:

Tank Temperature = 28.9C
pH 8.0 - Stable at this figure for 9days now.
Ammonia Not tested due to being at 0ppm previous test - Added 4ppm Ammonia.
Nitrites 0ppm - This test was carried out at 20.75hrs since previous dosing
Nitrates 80ppm - Stable solid colour match against the chart.

Summary, all seems to going to plan, movements in the right direction by the Nitrites, each day it appears to be getting shorter in timeframe for them to drop back to zero.

Have a good day everyone.

MT

 

[Skins]

Morning all,

Day 31 2nd test of the day results as follows:

Ammonia 0ppm - This test was carried out 11hrs after previous dosing.
Nitrites 0.5ppm - This test was 12hrs after previous dosing.

Day 32 1st test of the day:

Tank Temperature = 28.9C
pH 8.0 - Stable at this figure for 9days now.
Ammonia Not tested due to being at 0ppm previous test - Added 4ppm Ammonia.
Nitrites 0ppm - This test was carried out at 20.75hrs since previous dosing
Nitrates 80ppm - Stable solid colour match against the chart.

Summary, all seems to going to plan, movements in the right direction by the Nitrites, each day it appears to be getting shorter in timeframe for them to drop back to zero.

Have a good day everyone.

MT

The traces of nitrite you are seeing at the 12hr mark can be stubben MT and hang around for a while but fingers crossed you see a big fat zero soon.

Keith.

 

[waterdrop]

Was the ammonia dosing lowered during the nitrite spike and if so is it back up to around 4-5ppm now? (just a thought without reading through the thread.) WD