1St Time 0Ppm - Next Step ?

[waterdrop]

Actually, once the fishless cycle gets to the third stage like this I don't think its as easily disturbed as during earlier stages. If you feel that the spaces did not have enough media (you also don't want to pack media too tight of course (for instance, its common sense that a sponge works by having porous passages through which the water can ultimately flow, despite being forced against the surfaces as its turned this way and that, so crushing it such that the passages were closed would defeat the purpose of using it..just to state an example)) then I'd go ahead and add some more. A biofilter that's about to enter its qualifying week should not be set back more than a couple of days by this I'd guess.

WD

 

[anon02]

Thusday 14/10 24 hour test
Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 50/100ppm
pH 8.0
Added 5ppm ammonia
Added 30/40% new filter media


Fri 15/10 12 hour test
Ammonia = 0.5ppm
Nitrite = 0.8ppm
Nitrate = 50/100ppm
pH 8.0

After Thursdays` 24 hour test I added about 40% new sponge to the filter cut to profile and put where it would fit without any compression. The throughput of the filter seemed unchanged so whether the extra media is in the flowpath is anybodys` guess. The more I see of this filter the less impressed I am with the design. I just hope that the nitrifying bacteria can spread by contact or water disturbance, this filter has more water ingress points than a sieve

 

[anon02]

Friday 15/10 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = 50/100ppm
pH 8.0
added 5ppm ammonia

sat 16/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 0.25ppm (borderline 0ppm)
nitrite = 0.8ppm
nitrate = 50/100
ph 7.8

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the extra media to make a difference (if any). If there is no difference in a week I`ll buy a more efficient filter

 

[anon02]

sat 16/10 24 hour test
Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = at least 100ppm
ph 7.8
Added 5ppm ammonia


sun 17/10 12 hour test
Ammonia = 0.25ppm
Nitrite = o.8ppm
Nitrate = 100
ph 7.8

Not much happening in 12 hours, NO3 is building up, is it worth a pwc to reset ?

 

[anon02]

sun 17/10 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = over 100ppm
ph 7.8
added 5ppm ammonia

mon 18/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0.3 - 0.8ppm
nitrate = over 100ppm
ph 7.8

A slight improvement on the previous 12 hour test

My other tank (aqua one) took 13 days to process the first dose of ammonia down to 0ppm, in the 5 days since it is processing 5ppm down to 1ppm with nitrites @ 2ppm and nitrates @ 80 - 160 ppm in 12 hours. So any doubts about the trickle filter system seem unfounded

 

[anon02]

mon 18/10 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = over 100ppm
ph 7.8
added 5ppm ammonia

tues 19/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 0.25ppm
nitrite = 0.8ppm
nitrate = over 100ppm
ph 7.8

These small setbacks are making me nervous so I`ve decided to change the filter

 

[anon02]

tue 19/10 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = off chart
ph 7.8
added 5ppm ammonia

weds 20/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0.8ppm
nitrate = off chart
ph 7.8

The new filter hasn`t arrived yet so I`ll carry on with the log

I`m really confused after doing the comparison tests with API versus Tetra test

 

[anon02]

weds 20/10
added new filter with mature media and re dosed 5ppm ammonia

 

[anon02]

thur 21/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 1.5
my head = cabbaged

 

[frida]

Oh no, I'm sure there must be a good reason! So let me get this straight: you bought a new filter but put in the old media (i.e. the filter you started cycling) into it? Or is it mature media from someone else's established tank?
Perhaps during the change over some of the A-bacs got killed? Hopefully by tomorrow you'll be back on track

thur 21/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 1.5
my head = cabbaged

 

[waterdrop]

Yeah, I'm confused too (may not have read all the posts carefully enough, sorry) WD

 

[anon02]

Oh no, I'm sure there must be a good reason! So let me get this straight: you bought a new filter but put in the old media (i.e. the filter you started cycling) into it? Or is it mature media from someone else's established tank?
Perhaps during the change over some of the A-bacs got killed? Hopefully by tomorrow you'll be back on track

thur 21/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 1.5
my head = cabbaged

Yes, I bought a filter with a larger media capacity and put the media out of the filter I had been cycling into the new filter. I followed the usual advice but must have had some casualties along the way, at this rate the community tank is going to be cycled before the q tank

 

[anon02]

Yeah, I'm confused too (may not have read all the posts carefully enough, sorry) WD

Test results were fluctuating and I lost patience and exchanged filters, I expected a setback so no problem there. The confusing thing is that I made what turned out to be a monumental mistake of testing the API results against a Tetra test kit, apart from very low concentrations of ammonia and pH all other perameters are miles apart, and it has planted a seed of doubt in my mind. By the API test my community tank is nearing double zeros in 12 hours, but by the Tetra test it is in the nitrite spike (there are 3 shades of purple on the API nitite chart that I cant tell apart hence using Tetra)

 

[waterdrop]

Even when these tests do not report intermediate results in the same way, they will often come together on reporting a true zero ppm once you finally get that. The only TetraTest kit I have is for KH, but that one was perfectly fine, doing what it was supposed to do, and matched my API KH kit exactly. WD

 

[anon02]

Even when these tests do not report intermediate results in the same way, they will often come together on reporting a true zero ppm once you finally get that. The only TetraTest kit I have is for KH, but that one was perfectly fine, doing what it was supposed to do, and matched my API KH kit exactly. WD

What I`ve decided is to use the test results to indicate trends (up, down stalled), unless both ammonia and nitrite are at zero