Abi's Fishless Cycle

[abih2005]

Hi! Am beginning a fishless cycle on the advice of the fab people on here!

Stats (so far): none, but my API kit should arrive tomorrow.

So far....

54l tank.
2x Myriophyllum mezianum
2x Hygrophila
1x bogwood
1x mopani (which at long last has stopped leaching tannins!)

My tank requires 2.89ml ammonia to get it up to 5ppm, have applied doages both yesterday, today and will do so tomorrow, testing (fingers crossed) tomorrow.

 

[PDSimon]

Hi! Am beginning a fishless cycle on the advice of the fab people on here!

Stats (so far): none, but my API kit should arrive tomorrow.

So far....

54l tank.
2x Myriophyllum mezianum
2x Hygrophila
1x bogwood
1x mopani (which at long last has stopped leaching tannins!)

My tank requires 2.89ml ammonia to get it up to 5ppm, have applied doages both yesterday, today and will do so tomorrow, testing (fingers crossed) tomorrow.

Have you added 5ppm, twice?

 

[abih2005]

Yesterday and this morning.

Test kit arrives tomorrow.

quote name='PDSimon' date='18 April 2010 - 12:52 PM' timestamp='1271594754' post='2717667']

Hi! Am beginning a fishless cycle on the advice of the fab people on here!

Stats (so far): none, but my API kit should arrive tomorrow.

So far....

54l tank.
2x Myriophyllum mezianum
2x Hygrophila
1x bogwood
1x mopani (which at long last has stopped leaching tannins!)

My tank requires 2.89ml ammonia to get it up to 5ppm, have applied doages both yesterday, today and will do so tomorrow, testing (fingers crossed) tomorrow.

Have you added 5ppm, twice?
[/quote]

 

[Curiosity101]

Hmm that could be problematic putting two 5ppm doses in so close to each other...

There are two sets of bacteria that will 'eat' ammonia and convert it.
The correct type grow below 8ppm ammonia, above 8ppm ammonia it encourages the wrong type.

It's not a big big problem cause hopefully your cycle has already started and it'll only be a day till your test kit comes. But I think you might find your ammonia is a little bit too high so you might have to do a water change. But after that (once you can test your water daily), you'll know exactly how much to put in (or not put in) and shouldn't have to do another water change until your tank is ready for fish.

 

[abih2005]

EEP! Will update when I get the kit!

 

[Curiosity101]

Don't stress, overnight it wont be any big issue.

 

[PDSimon]

Curiosity is right, try not to go above 8ppm.

I've recently started fishless cycling from some good advice on this forum.

I've added 5ppm about a week and a half ago and non since, although hopefully will soon. I think one of the best methods to start of with is 5ppm and then let it drop to 0ppm and then add another 5ppm.

Some useful information in my blog from curiosity, kaivalgi, waterdrop and oldman if you're wanting to brush up on what to do, it's pretty much all there

 

[Twinklecaz]

How would you know if you had the wrong bacteria? Coz the 8.00 and 4.00 colours are so close on the API test kits that I think a lot of people wouldn't know they'd done it!

 

[Ryefish]

That is why you have to try and add the ammonia in small amounts the first time, record exactly how much you dosed and record what mark on the ammonia card you got, just so you can be sure your closer to 4 than 8

 

[PDSimon]

How would you know if you had the wrong bacteria? Coz the 8.00 and 4.00 colours are so close on the API test kits that I think a lot of people wouldn't know they'd done it!

8 is quite a lot darker than 4! its 2 and 4 that are the same!

Waterdrop said to me is to measure out 8ppm in a bucket of the same water volume, then 4ppm, 2ppm etc and compare them to each other.

 

[Twinklecaz]

*sob* too late now. I'm sure it is fine, I only put 3ml into my 58 L (officially 60l) tank which is what the calculator says so I'd have had to put in nearly 100% too much to get it up to 8.

 

[abih2005]

Arggggh appear to have poisoned the fricking plants! They've gone almost translucent and are wilting, did immediate 75% water change....Test kit not arrived but I think I can safely assume the levels were off the chart. Bad!

 

[PDSimon]

Eep, I was advised to plant my plants at the end of the cycle.

Theres a few problems with plants, like you seem experience them dying, if they rot they'll also produce ammonia.

They also take in ammonia I think which means they'll do a bit of the work, rather than all the bacterial colonies.

The water change should've sorted things out for now but see what someone else says

 

[abih2005]

My API kit today, it looks really swish next to the tank! So anyway:

Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrites - 1.0

Erm..... what should I do - add more ammonia then?

 

[PDSimon]

My API kit today, it looks really swish next to the tank! So anyway:

Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrites - 1.0

Erm..... what should I do - add more ammonia then?

wait till ammonia is 0 unless it has been 0.25 for a while