Ammonia levels aren't dropping

[Darter217]

Are these fishless cycles done with plants in the tanks?

Some people say it's best to do them without live plants,. I've decided to just stick to plastic plants as they don't effect the cycling process and because I have a sand substrate.

 

[Darter217]

It usually takes 4-6 weeks for a tank to cycle, sometimes longer.

The fact you are only on day 12 means you are not even half way through. However, you have nitrite today and that is a good indication the first part of the cycling process is almost done. You will probably find the ammonia levels drop to 0ppm in the next couple of days because the bacteria that convert ammonia into nitrite have just started to grow.

Having lots of oxygen in the water can help get things going, so increase aeration/ surface turbulence if you don't have much.

Have the water temperature on 28C during the cycling process and it will help the beneficial bacteria grow faster, and subsequently the tank will cycle sooner.

Don't let the pH drop too low because that will inhibit the growth of the filter bacteria.

Adding a liquid filter bacterial supplement will usually help. I recommend using a double dose every day for a week and then pouring the remaining supplement into the tank. Try to add the beneficial bacteria supplement near the filter intake so they are drawn into the filter where they belong.

I think I'll just stick with what I'm doing now as getting it started in the first place was a hassle. It'll take a while but as you said, the fact that nitrites have no appeared means I'm doing something right and that the process is working so far.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Some people say it's best to do them without live plants,. I've decided to just stick to plastic plants as they don't effect the cycling process and because I have a sand substrate.

Just FYI plants are actually beneficial for the cycling process.

The only time where plants may affect the cycle is when they have been treated with pesticides chemicals.

Plants are usually treated with pesticides if from outside the EU as it’s law.

So if you ever change mind about having live plants in the future, ensure to ask the LFS or online supplier where plants are from and if they’ve been treated with pesticides then you should be perfectly ok.

 

[Darter217]

Just FYI plants are actually beneficial for the cycling process.

The only time where plants may affect the cycle is when they have been treated with pesticides chemicals.

Plants are usually treated with pesticides if from outside the EU as it’s law.

So if you ever change mind about having live plants in the future, ensure to ask the LFS or online supplier where plants are from and if they’ve been treated with pesticides then you should be perfectly ok.

I have a good 20 odd plastic plants in my tank (varying heights but mostly small ground plants) so I imagine I'll be sticking to them. Slightly off topic but should I have my lights on or off during the cycle? I have white hair algae over a lot of the tank glass so I'm leaving them off for now in case that increases their growth.

 

[Essjay]

If you don't have live plants you can leave the lights off during cycling.

 

[itiwhetu]

I now understand why it takes so long. When I cycle a tank I use a natural base, plant the tank to around 30%, fire up the filters wait about two weeks put a couple of fish in it. Wait 2 weeks put another couple of fish in it. And keep doing that, it can take about 2-3 months to get to capacity.

 

[Darter217]

Doing a totally fishless cycle with ammonia is quicker. It's usually finished in under 2 months.

 

[itiwhetu]

That's right but you don't have anything in the tank

 

[Darter217]

Yes, but in the long term you'll actually be able to stock your tank faster. Instead of adding a small number of hardy fish you'll be able to add a whole school once your tank is cycled if you do it the fishless way.

 

[itiwhetu]

I have never tried it, but I would have thought loading a tank with fish straight away wouldn't be best practice. It has to work, as everybody seems to do it, it is just something I would never do.

 

[Darter217]

You don't heavily stock your tank, once the cycle process has complete you can add something like a school of Rasboras or barbs. It should be a hardy fish, something that is able to cope in a newly established tank. Don't make the same mistake some people make in thinking that Neon tetras can do well in a newly established tank.

 

[Darter217]

Tested again today and nitrites seem to have gone up to around 2ppm but ammonia is still at around 3 or 4ppm