Cycle Log

[LionessN3cubs]

Figured I should maybe start this now, since it appears Im going to have issues again UGH.

Thursday (I think) April 30th-Tank cleaned out with hot tap water. New river bottom pebbles added, filter media replaced. Fabric from old filter media cut off and added to filter. Everything set back up and 5mls ammonia added. Parameters were:

Ammonia 4ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
PH 7.6 KH 0

Roughly on Monday, seashells boiled and placed in tank (7 small shells)

Saturday may 9th

Ammonia 2ppm (did a 25% water change to drop level-think it was too high)
Nitrite still 0
Ph 7.6 KH 4

Had thought that 2 days ago that I had a tiny nitrite reading but apparently not because there hasn't been one since and no change in ammonia at all at 1 week 2 day mark. Hopefully it'll happen soon :::sigh::::

 

[waterdrop]

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Frustration editted out replaced with patience LOL

roughly day 11
tested after posting this, my ammonia appears to have dropped to 1ppm roughly, but still no nitrites. I think I remember from last year that it takes quite a bit of ammonia processed to produce a little nitrite. Hopefully Im getting started now tho. Patience. I think its helpful that as of day 11 my ph is 7.8 and my KH is 4...was momentarily tempted to add a tad of baking soda to push it above the 8 mark but decided against it since it is rising slowly but surely and I wouldnt want to chance it going too high.

 

[waterdrop]

As far as seeing nitrites(NO2) during the first couple of weeks of a fishless cycle, I like to think that the A-Bacs (the Nitrosomonas bacteria) are so few in number that they are producing only tiny traces of NO2 that is diluted about very slowly. This gives the very few N-Bacs (the Nitrospira bacteria) that are established plenty of time to process those traces on NO2 into NO3 and this whole little trickle is going on "under the radar" of the crude testing kits. Its not until large gushing amounts of this are going on that the kits start to detect what's going on and show it to us.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[LionessN3cubs]

:::::dusts the log off::::::


Cycle started April 30th.

Ammonia added a total of 4 times including start date and the add the morning.

Monday ammonia was 0 nitrites were .25-.50 added 3mls ammonia didnt get to test to see what the PPM's were that day
Friday AM ammonia 0 nitrites 0 ammonia added 4mls, testing showed at 4ppm

Curious about the nitrites. Mind you I had a bit of mature media to use But I'll be waiting to see if the Nbac colony is really that good or if I didnt top the ammonia up enough on monday which would have given them time to process what I did add....time will tell. Overall its taking the ammonia 3-4 days still to process

 

[OldMan47]

Try an ammonia add followed 12 hours later by a set of stats Lioness. I am guessing that you are cycled or close to it and the big zeros on ammonia and nitrites are not surprising after several days.

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Try an ammonia add followed 12 hours later by a set of stats Lioness. I am guessing that you are cycled or close to it and the big zeros on ammonia and nitrites are not surprising after several days.

nah..I've been testing at less than 24 hours just to check..maybe not quite 12 hour mark but even at 24 hours after an add I have ammonia, I just havent posted it ...realllllly busy with the kids...like the 2 hour to the specialists office to spend 20 minutes..being told what I already knew, youngest needs surgery, just to drive 2 hours home, and have to do it again when the surgery is scheduled...great fun with a 2 and 5 year old in the car....anyways I digress.

hmmm actually I'll test now ...I think Im roughly about 14 hours after I added

ammonia 2.0
Nitrite .25

will test in the morning and see where Im at in 24 hours

I was just shocked to have a 0 nitrite reading. This time Im doing the add and wait method instead of the add daily method that I did last time ...so last time I got nitrites off the chart before they dropped. Maybe thats the difference.

 

[OldMan47]

Once the ammonia stops bringing up the nitrites, the nitrite eaters are free to remove it. It sounds like both the ammonia and nitrite converting bacteria are developing at the same time. Even the ammonia drop to 2 with a very small increase in nitrites is good news. Nitrites come at about 2 times the concentration of the ammonia that is gone so much of it is being converted for you by nitrite converting bacteria.

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Roughly 36 hours after an add


ammonia 1.0
Nitrite .50

 

[OldMan47]

You are probably within a week or a bit more of seeing your cycle complete Lioness. It sure looks like good progress to me.

 

[waterdrop]

Hope this is still going well Lioness!

~~waterdrop~~