A Month Into My 1st Fishless Cycle...

[waterdrop]

well after all, somebody's gotta keep this herd moving...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

funny you mention that, i've spent all day wrangling engineers..... getting the herd to shift can be hard bloomin work sometimes!

 

[waterdrop]

yes, takes a sheep dog with a healthy bark and lots of energy

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah that's been me today

 

[MattM1124]

OK, and by the way.. Hi Matt! (Is Willie Parker really that fast a runner? Kills me that UNC sat him on the bench..)

~~waterdrop~~

Parker is really quick! So far though he's fastest when he gets to the outside and is able to run down the sideline. When he hits the open field he's hard to catch. He's getting better and becoming more patient at waiting for holes to open up in the middle though and occasionally will get through a hole and break one for a TD. It is crazy that he sat on the bench at UNC but UNC has always had an abundance of good running backs. It's even crazier that he was un drafted in 2004. I'm glad we have him though. Are you a Steelers fan or just like Parker?

ps. My ammonia finally dropped back down to 0 this morning but I'm going to wait until to tonight to add more ammonia in. It will be easier for me to add the ammonia at nights.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Matt,

Let's just say I'm a steelers fan unless they are playing the Panthers! I'm also a UNC basketball fan but will go to football games when someone gives me a ticket! LOL!

You've been cycling a while. I hope that nitrite (NO2) kit isn't bad. Did you get a number of different level readings before it got to this stage where it looks like 1 or 5 all the time? Of course the "wait for the N-Bacs" stage often seems to go on forever and ever for many of us.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[MattM1124]

Hi Matt,

Let's just say I'm a steelers fan unless they are playing the Panthers! I'm also a UNC basketball fan but will go to football games when someone gives me a ticket! LOL!

You've been cycling a while. I hope that nitrite (NO2) kit isn't bad. Did you get a number of different level readings before it got to this stage where it looks like 1 or 5 all the time? Of course the "wait for the N-Bacs" stage often seems to go on forever and ever for many of us.

~~waterdrop~~

Sounds good to me! My friend's grandma actually gets season tickets to the Steeler games and then splits them up between her grandchildren. She always takes me so I'm lucky enough to go to about 3 or 4 games a year!

The kits fine, it's just my Nitrites are really high at the moment lol. When I tested the water when I first set it up the nitrites were at 0. Plus it's a fairly new kit. I guess I just gotta wait till the nitrite drops. I should have been watching my tank more closely the past month! I've been watching and testing all the time for the past week or so though.

 

[waterdrop]

I was debating about saying you could throw in some baking soda to ease your pH up to 8 or a little above but actually you're at such a late stage of cycling and your pH of 7.6 is close enough that it wouldn't be worth it to bother probably.. better to just be patient and wait for nitrites to start dropping and then wait some more until they can get dropped in 12 hours, which will seem like forever, but later on it is -so- worth it to have confidence in your filter.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[MattM1124]

I was debating about saying you could throw in some baking soda to ease your pH up to 8 or a little above but actually you're at such a late stage of cycling and your pH of 7.6 is close enough that it wouldn't be worth it to bother probably.. better to just be patient and wait for nitrites to start dropping and then wait some more until they can get dropped in 12 hours, which will seem like forever, but later on it is -so- worth it to have confidence in your filter.

~~waterdrop~~

Trust me, I'm in no hurry to cycle my tank. Whenever it happens, it happens. I'll be excited but in no hurry. I made the mistake last time I had fish of not doing a fishless cycle because I didn't know about it. My LFS just told me to add water and let it sit for a few days. So however long it takes to cycle without fish is ok with me as long as it's done right this time!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

thats the right attitude to take, certainly sounds like it's all on course, slow but on course!!!

there's a lot of different factors which affect cycling, several of them that we can't test for or influence in any way which means the timings are very variable. if you've got the patience to sit back and take it then just plod along as you are and you'll get there soon enough.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, as a "re-beginner" it took quite a while for me to have the realization that -time- should allow you to always have the upper hand in fishless cycling.

If the fishless cycler doesn't have ammonia in their tap water and their water is not too soft or pH too low, and if they've not made any mistakes with the type of ammonia, then time and patience should be able to always win out in the end. If you just keep putting that ammonia in and keep testing, there is almost no way there won't be a nice mature biofilter eventually. Time is a powerful ally.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[waterdrop]

how bout those yellow helmets? (know whacha watchin tonight)

 

[MattM1124]

how bout those yellow helmets? (know whacha watchin tonight)

Great News everyone, my ammonia and nitrite are both at 0!!!!!!!! So now all I have to do is add the ammonia back up to 5 and when the bacteria is able to convert them both down to 0 in 10-12 hours I am cycled!!??

ps. I really like their throwback jerseys! I was atctually fortunate enough to go to the game! 2nd one this year!

Also, once I'm cycled and I do the 90% water change can I add fish then or when I add the new water should I add in some more ammonia once just to make sure the bacteria can convert it all?

 

[waterdrop]

congrats! Yes, you're right, now you settle back in and watch to see when it can process nitrites down to zero in 12 hours or less. It often gets stubborn right at the end when it is near the 12 hours but not quite at it yet.

Then! Just to drive you more crazy. You should "qualify" that its not tricking you by just putting the 5ppm back in for a week (or the better part of a week if a weekend hits sooner and you are dying to get fish..) and just keep watching it process ammonia and nitrite down to zero within 12 hours. That week by itself will make you feel really good and you'll remember it with confidence months later.

The actual big water change and fish intro has to be a bit planned (sorta surprised me when I got to it).. as you have to visit your LFS and be sure they are really going to -have- what you want at the right time, because as soon as you stop the ammonia, you've gotta have fish to feed the bacteria (!)

By the way, many people still do not do a full stocking, mostly because some of the fish they want are the types (neons and angels and otos come to mind) that do better in a tank that has matured even longer, say 6 months. So they start with some hardy fish that are a subset of what they ultimately want. Its true the bacteria will drop back because there will be less than 5ppm ammonia to feed them, but coming down is the only way you can go, not up!

~~waterdrop~~
ps. yes, wondered if you were there, was a very physical game I'd say

 

[MattM1124]

congrats! Yes, you're right, now you settle back in and watch to see when it can process nitrites down to zero in 12 hours or less. It often gets stubborn right at the end when it is near the 12 hours but not quite at it yet.

Then! Just to drive you more crazy. You should "qualify" that its not tricking you by just putting the 5ppm back in for a week (or the better part of a week if a weekend hits sooner and you are dying to get fish..) and just keep watching it process ammonia and nitrite down to zero within 12 hours. That week by itself will make you feel really good and you'll remember it with confidence months later.

The actual big water change and fish intro has to be a bit planned (sorta surprised me when I got to it).. as you have to visit your LFS and be sure they are really going to -have- what you want at the right time, because as soon as you stop the ammonia, you've gotta have fish to feed the bacteria (!)

By the way, many people still do not do a full stocking, mostly because some of the fish they want are the types (neons and angels and otos come to mind) that do better in a tank that has matured even longer, say 6 months. So they start with some hardy fish that are a subset of what they ultimately want. Its true the bacteria will drop back because there will be less than 5ppm ammonia to feed them, but coming down is the only way you can go, not up!

~~waterdrop~~
ps. yes, wondered if you were there, was a very physical game I'd say

What are some of the hardier fish to start out with and whats a good number to start with. My tank is 20 gallons and its about 30 inches wide by 12 inches high and 12 winches in width. Last time I started out with 2 platys, 2 guppies, and 2 black neon tetras.

This time I was either thinking about getting tropical fish again or maybe getting those black moure (spelling?) goldfish like my girlfriend wants.