One week ago today I started cycling my tank using amonia and the "add and wait" method in the beginners section. Today I tested the water again... the amonia is still off the rictor scale and there is ZERO nitrite. It is possible that I added a drop or two more amonia than needed. Is this normal? If yes, then that's fine, but I thought I'd see some nitrite by now. I feel like I'm getting no where! Also, I just noticed some tiny whitish (not sure of the color because they are so tiny) flecks floating in the water. Any idea what this could be? The tank is small (16 gal, bow front). Once again, thank you for any help. Lisa
Cycling....the Frustration Mounts!
- Thread starter Lisa67
- Start date
Jackiee
Fish Crazy
I wouldn't recommend starting a tank cycle by adding ammonia, I don't know as much about it, but what i've heard, it's more difficult. I'd do it the natural way.
This is what I'd do..
Okay so usually, you start with an empty aquarium, rinse gravel of choice thoroughly, put gravel in tank, add water (dont forget the tap water conditioner to take out chlorine such as Stress Coat), add decorations (plastic plants/caves/hiding places etc.), turn on filters and get them running, turn on heater 74-78 degrees for a community tropical tank.
Add Stress Zyme into the water according to the directions on the bottle for a new aquarium, then your tank run for about 3 or 4 full days. If you want to make the 'cycle' go faster or establish quicker, scoop a cup of gravel out of an older, already established fish tank with fish living in it, and put it in your new fish tank. or you could take a whole filter from an older already established fish tank and use it for your tank. or just the filter cartridge from an older fish tank's filter and insert it into your filter and use it.
After that, go purchase some tougher, hearty fish such as zebra danios or mollies to further build up 'good' bacteria in your tank. The steady natural production of waste from the fish and the production of ammonia sets up the biological filter. after a few days, check your water with a test kit and see what your nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and p.h. levels are. If they are at levels that the kit says is dangerous for the fish, do a 25% water change using a tap water conditioner, to keep the levels down enough to not kill of your starter fish.
If the levels are within the right ranges that the kit say are fine, and they stay that way for a week, you are ready to go buy fish of your choice for your tank.
If the levels are not what they are supposed to be, take the correct measures to make them right.
Talk to a trusted local pet store about what to do to make this happen. Or go buy chemicals to adjust the levels in your tank until they are right.
Hope I helped some,
hillmar77
Fish Crazy
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Do you work for a LFS?
Little_Nemo
Fish Crazy
What! Your advising someone to do a 'fish in cycle' - something which many members on here advise against. Doing it this way is not only unkind to fish as they die a slow death from the toxins in the water. It also means that once the filter is cycled from a few fish its therefore not going to cope when you decide to add another few fish and you'll have more toxins in your water. Adding chemicals will most likely not be benficial in the future, as you many find that you you'll need to keep using them, and besides they've not been proven to help. Think about it - a bottle of mature good bacteria is not going to contain healthy living stuff as theres nothing feeding it, it would of been sat on a LFS shop shelf for god knows how long.
Lisa67 someone with more knowlodge will be along shortly and explain it in alot more detail for you and will happily assist you with any problems.
Lisa - I was where you were about 2 weeks ago.. nothing changing and just ammonia showing for what felt like ages - then practically overnight, it suddenly went from dark green to light yellow on the tests - it will happen - I've been in nitrite spike now for about another 10 days and now thats finally cleared too. I think the ammonia method is definately the best and I'd rather it take longer and have healthy fish than chuck in poor fish which will suffer.
Good luck with the rest of the cycle!
Fiona
Just how high is your ammonia? During a fishless cycle, it should be 5ppm or less. If it gets to 8ppm, the wrong type of bacteria will grow. If the reading is over 5ppm, you need to do a water change to get it down to 5, then it's just a waiting game. It can take a couple of weeks or more for the ammonia-eating bacteria to start to grow.
It is common for nothing to happen for the first 10-14 days. What exactly is the ammonia reading? It needs to be 5ppm or lower for it to work. At over 5ppm, the wrong bacteria start to grow.
You can speed up the process by adding some cycled sponges to your filter, some cycled sponge squeezings or even some decor from an established aquarium.
What are your pH and temperature? They also affect the rate of the cycle.
Are they coming off new equipment which has soft plastic? Normal nowadays.
Do you have bogwood or any rock which could affect the water parameters?
BigbruiserAl
I ain't gettin on no plane fool
@Jackiee, advising someone not to do it a certain way becusae you dont know much about it foolish and not fair on the fish now we undserstand the fishless cycle oposed to the fish in cycle of long ago.
On a more posative note i have just cycle my 50L tank and have the magic 0 0 readings.
I started my fishless cycle on the 15th of jan it took untill the 24th for the ammonia to drop. Sine then i followed the fishless cycle and only today did my nitrite drop to 0 a full 27 days later. Hang in there it take time but its worth it
On a more posative note i have just cycle my 50L tank and have the magic 0 0 readings.
I started my fishless cycle on the 15th of jan it took untill the 24th for the ammonia to drop. Sine then i followed the fishless cycle and only today did my nitrite drop to 0 a full 27 days later. Hang in there it take time but its worth it
Hello Lisa,
I see you are getting good advice already, and well done for choosing the fishless method, yes it can be frustrating at times but imo a lot less stressfull than the fish-in cycle method for you and the fish. At this point can you provide me and the other members with some more info.
Filter media your using?
Tank temp?
water parameters?(ammonia,pH)
Are you using any airstones? or have you positioned your filter flow nozzle to aggitate the waters surface?
Are you de-chlorinating your tap water?
Are there any plants or decor in the tank?
Keep us posted, Keith.
I see you are getting good advice already, and well done for choosing the fishless method, yes it can be frustrating at times but imo a lot less stressfull than the fish-in cycle method for you and the fish. At this point can you provide me and the other members with some more info.
Filter media your using?
Tank temp?
water parameters?(ammonia,pH)
Are you using any airstones? or have you positioned your filter flow nozzle to aggitate the waters surface?
Are you de-chlorinating your tap water?
Are there any plants or decor in the tank?
Keep us posted, Keith.
BIG BAD BARRY
Fishaholic
Having recently cycled a 350L tank using fishless cycling add and wait method, i would personally not do fish in cycling due to the harmful effects on the fish but also because it would have involved many water changes through out the process making it more difficult. However, we must respect the views of others and the methods they chose to employ.
If you have not already started a log then i would advise you to do so as it will make it easier for you to follow the process and for people to advise you. There are lots of cycling logs on the forum including mine and they all vary!
If you measure your tank on the inside up to the fill level and then use the calculator to determine the volume of the tank. You can take 5-10% off that for decor if you want.
Use that volume to calculate the ammonia dosing level on th calculator ensuring you enter the correct desired level and % ammonia solution.
I would suggest 4ppm for the first dose as this is a direct colour you can compare to on the chart. Add the dose and allow it to circulate for 20-30 minutes ant test it to confirm the value.
If its correct you can adjust it to 5ppm for the next time you dose.
Dont worry about bits in the water.
There are apparently over a 100 types of bacteria in the water and we are interested in two to set up our filter.
I had some of that white stuff floating around and bactria growing on the air line.
This can be removed/cleaned up once your filter has cycled and before you add fish.
Good advice from essjay and kitty kat. You may need to change the water to lower the ammonia initially.
Temp needs to be at 29c and add an air stone if you have an air pump.
If you post your results including ph.
Also, put some tap water aside and test its ph at 24 & 48rs as this will help to determine what you ph will be when your tank is established.
Sorry if ive repeated anything!
If you have not already started a log then i would advise you to do so as it will make it easier for you to follow the process and for people to advise you. There are lots of cycling logs on the forum including mine and they all vary!
If you measure your tank on the inside up to the fill level and then use the calculator to determine the volume of the tank. You can take 5-10% off that for decor if you want.
Use that volume to calculate the ammonia dosing level on th calculator ensuring you enter the correct desired level and % ammonia solution.
I would suggest 4ppm for the first dose as this is a direct colour you can compare to on the chart. Add the dose and allow it to circulate for 20-30 minutes ant test it to confirm the value.
If its correct you can adjust it to 5ppm for the next time you dose.
Dont worry about bits in the water.
There are apparently over a 100 types of bacteria in the water and we are interested in two to set up our filter.
I had some of that white stuff floating around and bactria growing on the air line.
This can be removed/cleaned up once your filter has cycled and before you add fish.
Good advice from essjay and kitty kat. You may need to change the water to lower the ammonia initially.
Temp needs to be at 29c and add an air stone if you have an air pump.
If you post your results including ph.
Also, put some tap water aside and test its ph at 24 & 48rs as this will help to determine what you ph will be when your tank is established.
Sorry if ive repeated anything!
Using an API test kit...it's difficult to know exactly what my reading is because the color card jumps straight from 4 to 8. I would say it's closer to 8 than 4. Also, is it possible that the white flecks could be some sort of mold? I have 3 live plants and one piece of drift wood in the tank. The last time I tested the ph it was 8... I have very hard water. I've had the temp at about 78F
NEW NOTE: I just retested the water and it appears that is has lightened up some. This is the first time I've done it during daylight hours and checked near a window instead of a lamp. I'd say it's closer to the 4 on the API chart (possibly a little darker) but not as dark as the 8.
NEW NOTE: I just retested the water and it appears that is has lightened up some. This is the first time I've done it during daylight hours and checked near a window instead of a lamp. I'd say it's closer to the 4 on the API chart (possibly a little darker) but not as dark as the 8.
hello lisa,
If your ammonia reading is closer to the 8ppm on your test results card then i would perform a water change to bring it down to 4/5ppm anything higher can incourage un-wanted bacterias into the cycle. Can i also suggest you raise the water temp to 29c, when i did this in my cycle things started to happen. Its also good practice to keep a good supply of oxygen in the water by either adding an airstone or adjusting your filters flow nozzle so that it aggitates the waters surface.
Keith.
If your ammonia reading is closer to the 8ppm on your test results card then i would perform a water change to bring it down to 4/5ppm anything higher can incourage un-wanted bacterias into the cycle. Can i also suggest you raise the water temp to 29c, when i did this in my cycle things started to happen. Its also good practice to keep a good supply of oxygen in the water by either adding an airstone or adjusting your filters flow nozzle so that it aggitates the waters surface.
Keith.
BIG BAD BARRY
Fishaholic
You can either wait for the level to drop or do a water change and start with a known amount of ammonia.
Not sure about the plants but if bits are breaking off the plants and dying then they will decompose and raise ammonia level. Lets wait and see if someone else can advise as well.
Not sure about the plants but if bits are breaking off the plants and dying then they will decompose and raise ammonia level. Lets wait and see if someone else can advise as well.
In that case, you might find it easier to use 4 ppm as your "ammonia point" so it is easier to read.. so when you next need to add ammonia, only go to 4 ppm instead of trying to guess at where 5 ppm is.
If you are not convinced that it is below 5 ppm, you might want to do a small waterchange to bring it down a bit.
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