Cycle Diary... Finished @ Day 127!

[paulbr1]

Bloomin eck that's moving quick, just finished mine

Was it full of mature media or a small piece?

Paul.

 

[martinking]

Bloomin eck that's moving quick, just finished mine

Was it full of mature media or a small piece?

Paul.

it was full mature media that has been accidentally soaked in tap water! some of it seems to have survived though!

 

[waterdrop]

Mature colonies are tough things - it always pays to assume some subset of bacteria might have survived in the various mishaps we sometimes have.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[martinking]

Mature colonies are tough things - it always pays to assume some subset of bacteria might have survived in the various mishaps we sometimes have.

~~waterdrop~~

I've updated the past few days, I had a bit of a mishap with a spill of ammonia whilst I was drunk! Hope it doesn't cause too much hassle... it was 10ppm instead of 5.

I cant help thinking that I've lost my way over the past few days! There has been a funeral and 2 Birthdays in the mix though! Im now more focused than ever!

I've added a couple more plants because I liked the look of them!

Cheers

 

[martinking]

Just updated Day 13...

Cheers

 

[martinking]

Another day updated - ammonia shouldn't have been over 5ppm because I added the same as I added all the way along!

I did have a live plant which was a bit worse for wear that I have now removed, could this have caused it?

Cheers

 

[Mrcoxy83]

hope it works out for ya dude lookin pretty good signs!

 

[waterdrop]

Just do a water change when your ammonia gets dosed too high. Be sure to use conditioner (even 1.5 or 2x dose of conditioner) when you have young bacterial populations like this.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[martinking]

The ammonia seems to be back down to normal levels now, but it seems to be taking a lot longer to process than it use too, I still have no nitrites and low nitrates but the ammonia is just being slow. Is there anything I should check?

Cheers

 

[waterdrop]

The results you keep adding to the first post are your results after about 24 hours each time, right? And am I remembering you had mature media you added early on? or not? And you're really on day 14 of fishless cycling?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[martinking]

Hiya,

the results are done in AM and PM, I only started going to 12 hour tests after about 10 days... That's when I started with the AM and PM tests, they are 12 hours apart.

I did have mature media, but it had been soaked in chlorinated water for about an hour by accident.

And yes I really am on day 14? is it going alright? quicker? slower? On target?

Thanks for all of your help!

ps. added this mornings results

 

[Bobtastic]

martinking, do you fine the Nutrafin testing kit difficult to read? I've had to guesstimate most of my readings, as they are never (rarely) the same as they are on their comparison chats...

 

[martinking]

martinking, do you fine the Nutrafin testing kit difficult to read? I've had to guesstimate most of my readings, as they are never (rarely) the same as they are on their comparison chats...

Hiya Bob,

Yes I do find it a bit hard to read to be honest! I do use guesstimates, but as long as its always you doing it then I suppose its all relative!

Its easy to tell when its clear, thats the main thing! Its the Nitrates I find especially difficult. Especially between 50 and 110...

But im getting used to it!

Cheers

 

[Bobtastic]

I'm doing an fish-in cycle so I'm working with much lower numbers so I find it pretty difficult to judge the Ammonia levels... It goes from 0 to 0.6 (slightly yellow) and 0.6 is toxic for the fishies... Oh well... Just as long as it's not just me!

 

[waterdrop]

I'm doing an fish-in cycle so I'm working with much lower numbers so I find it pretty difficult to judge the Ammonia levels... It goes from 0 to 0.6 (slightly yellow) and 0.6 is toxic for the fishies... Oh well... Just as long as it's not just me!

Bob, In a fish-in cycle with the Nutrafin ammonia test I think you just have to look at that slight yellow and say to yourself either "good, it only got up to about .6 so I'll stick to my current water change pattern", or "that looks worse than the .6 level and maybe I need to increase the percentage or frequency of water changed." And of course its going to be a "feeling" or "judgement call" sort of thing but the important part is that you will be way better off than the newbie who doesn't even understand what to be worrying about!

(martinking wrote)

the results are done in AM and PM, I only started going to 12 hour tests after about 10 days... That's when I started with the AM and PM tests, they are 12 hours apart.
I did have mature media, but it had been soaked in chlorinated water for about an hour by accident.
And yes I really am on day 14? is it going alright? quicker? slower? On target?

OK, I don't know whether I just wasn't looking closely enough, but your explanation has now made me notice the am/pm markings and that the ammonia-adds are noted and so it is much more clear to me somehow. I was, for a bit, thinking you were somehow way ahead of schedule, but given what you've said and looking at it more clearly I now think you are probably just coming along at a very typical pace and probably have not yet begun your "nitrite spike" (where the nitrite readings go as high as the test can show) phase which means you are on a typical schedule for 2 weeks. You probably have more weeks ahead of you and the danger of pH dropping is still ahead of you also. As usual, if pH drops as low as 6.2 then we'll want you to do a gravel-clean-water-change (good chance to practice your upcoming maintenance details) of 90% and recharge with ammonia. So far though, you're nowhere near that point yet. Keep it up with the good reporting!

~~waterdrop~~