Brian's Fishless Cycle

[brian2708]

Are you sure that the nitrite is ZERO? With a used filter, assuming the media was kept wet the whole time, and it wasn't too long between when it was last used and when you started dosing ammonia, you could have a pretty nice colony of bacteria there already. Did the drops turn purple in the bottom of the tube before you shook it and then it turned a weird grayish color? If so that is a reading "off the scale" meaning far above 5 ppm.

It didn't turn purple at all, just straight to the pale blue. I am going to re-test in a moment, and test for nitrates as that must be where it all is at!

The filter was being used in a fish-in cycle, that I wasn't happy with so that's why it's here so I guess it's possible that it had some helpful bacteria (it was transferred straight to this tank from my other tank with fish-in).

Anyway, now the emergency is out of the way (my mrs just found a snail in the fishless cycling tank and has forced me to put it in the other tank where it's not 29C and full of ammonia!!), I shall report back with the test results shortly.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Its possible after a month of a fish-in cycle that you actually built up a nice little colony and now that they are getting conditions more suited to them, they are responding to the new conditions and the abundance of "food" for them.

Hopefully...

 

[brian2708]

I think it's entirely possible, Im getting a bit excited now actually..

Just tested:

Ammonia 5ppm (just dosed that so what do you expect!)
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 40 - 80ppm (bare in mind that it comes out at 5 - 10ppm from my tap)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Well, as waterdrop likes to say, a single data point in a cycle isn't really worth focusing on. You have to look at the trend for an entire week before you can really get a read on what is going on, but it is promising. Tomorrow will be an interesting day for you. If it is double zero at 24 hours again tomorrow, I'd start 12 hour testing. (You might even want to test tomorrow at 12 hours, just to see if you have nitrites earlier in the day that clear out by the time the 24 hour test comes along.)

 

[brian2708]

I agree totally, and understand that it isn't worth focusing on a single point.

A test shall be carried out tomorrow morning.

 

[brian2708]

Day 7, 26th May 2011 PM - 22:20: Ammonia 2ppm Nitrite 0ppm

As all my nitrite is being consumed rather quickly, and my ammonia isn't as quickly, should i put more ammonia in?

Thanks

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No. Wait for the ammonia to reach zero before redosing, and always redose at the same time of day.

 

[brian2708]

Back to 24 hour testing tomorrow until I see ammonia hitting 0 in 24hours.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Sorry. It will happen sooner than you expect. A-bacs don't need to multiply as fast as N-bacs for the load. Each 1ppm processed into 2.7ppm, so the N-bacs need to be almost 3 times the number of the A-bacs. They will catch up.

 

[brian2708]

Day 8, 27th May 2011 PM - 20.30: Ammonia 2ppm Nitrite 0ppm pH6


No change again. Tested pH.

Am i experiencing a pH crash? If so, what can I do to rectify? Water change?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If the pH is at 6.0, then yes. The pH has crashed which will stop the growth of the bacteria. In a fishless cycle the easy remedy is to add baking soda to the tank. Baking soda should raise your pH to about 8.2 or so, and it will add a buffering component to the tank, to help prevent a future crash.


I would add 1 tsp at a time until the pH tests at 8.2 or so (about every 20 minutes).

You can also do a huge water change... it won't affect your bacteria at all, since you're bacs are already dealing with a pH crash. I would water change, then add baking soda to raise the pH to 8.2 or so, then I would add the ammonia at the regular time to give you the normal dose amount.

 

[brian2708]

Hi.

I will get some Bicarbonate of soda tomorrow. Do you think it will be ok to deal with tomorrow?

I don't really have the time to deal with a water change now as it's late, but I will if it'll jeopardize my current bacteria...

 

[eaglesaquarium]

I don't think it will jeopardize your bacteria... I just think the low pH slows their growth (or more exactly halts it). I think getting it in the morning is fine.

I'm sitting here in the US thinking... hmm, its only 6PM, why not just go out now... I forget that there are a lot of UK users on this board! It must be 11 PM there, am I right?

 

[brian2708]

Bicarbonate of soda added.

 

[The chilly dipper]

Bicarbonate of soda added.

how important is the ph to the speed of the bacteria growth guys?
sorry to hijack brian.