1St Time 0Ppm - Next Step ?

[anon02]

It will be better when I see 5ppm reducing to double zeros

 

[waterdrop]

What day of the fishless cycle are these readings? You're using actual date rather than the more useful "Day X" reporting in your results.

 

[anon02]

What day of the fishless cycle are these readings? You're using actual date rather than the more useful "Day X" reporting in your results.

Today will be day 40, I wasted a full 20 days with that useless stingray filter and the mini cycle I got when I exchanged media

 

[waterdrop]

So, Day 20 or so, really?

 

[anon02]

So, Day 20 or so, really?

Day 18 with the Clearseal filter

 

[waterdrop]

You're actually doing very well. There were plenty of bacteria coming in at the time of the filter switchover and now that's showing. I would think it would begin to handle the greater amount of ammonia when you begin easing back up to 5ppm. WD

 

[anon02]

Day 40 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = o/c
ph 7.8
added 4ppm ammonia

day 41 12 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = o/c
ph 7.8

Getting somewhere at last, I`ll up the dose to 5ppm at the next dosing,hopefully starting qualifying week tomorrow

FAO waterdrop
I`ve been assuming that my utilities company figures for water hardness are accurate (3.6dGH), but when I`ve tested I have 5 dGH and 2 dKH. Are there any things I should be specially aware of like pH swings etc.
Thanks in advance
anon

 

[frida]

Day 40 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = o/c
ph 7.8
added 4ppm ammonia

day 41 12 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = o/c
ph 7.8

Getting somewhere at last, I`ll up the dose to 5ppm at the next dosing,hopefully starting qualifying week tomorrow

FAO waterdrop
I`ve been assuming that my utilities company figures for water hardness are accurate (3.6dGH), but when I`ve tested I have 5 dGH and 2 dKH. Are there any things I should be specially aware of like pH swings etc.
Thanks in advance
anon

Yeay Soon, just a little longer!!!

 

[Aqua Tom]

Getting somewhere at last, I`ll up the dose to 5ppm at the next dosing,hopefully starting qualifying week tomorrow

Qualifying week?

 

[anon02]

After you get the double zeros in 12 hours, you continue dosing 5ppm per day and testing for a week just to be on the safe side

I`m sure waterdrop will be along with a fuller explanation

 

[waterdrop]

I'm biased of course, but I think the qualifying week has been one of THE most effective tools at eliminating those nasty mini-cycles that were still happening to fishless cyclers after the big water change and first fish introduction before we added this extra step to the fishless cycling process.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[anon02]

Day 41 sat 30/10 24 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate off chart
ph 7.6
did 50% w/c
added 5ppm ammonia

Day 42 sun 31/10 12 hour test
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0.5ppm
nitrate = 80ppm
ph 7.6

The filter couldn`t quite handle the full dosage, pH dropped 2 decimal points so did a 50% water change to get rid of some nitrate it`s still at 7.6 pH so I`ll do another 50% today

 

[waterdrop]

Definately playing the end game here. WD

 

[anon02]

Day 42 31/10 24 hour test
70% pwc
ammonia = 0ppm
nitrite = 0ppm
nitrate = 40ppm
ph 7.6
added 5ppm ammonia

day 43 1/11 12 hour test
ammonia = oppm
nitrite = 2ppm
nitrate = 80ppm
ph 7.2
70%pwc

Not quite handling the full dosage and nitrates climbing fast and I think that is lowering pH so I did another 70% pwc and I`ll cut the dose down to 3ppm when I dose next tonight

 

[waterdrop]

Well, I may have been a little over-enthusiastic for a 42 day case (an awful lot of fishless cycles want to end at 60 to 70 days it seems) so we'll just have to see how it goes. Its good that you're staying on top of all the parameters so that nothing will go too far wrong on you. That's the only thing really much under our control. The much greater thing is just the bacteria themselves and the filter/flow/media situation they find themselves in and its all more or less out of our control, so we just have to wait it out. WD