Doc7's Fishless Cycle - 20 Gallon

[Doc7]

Size of tank : 20 Tall

Filter : AquaClear 30

Test Kit : API Master Freshwater

Tank Temperature : 80-81 Deg F (26.9 C)

Tap Water pH : 8.1

Ammonia : 4%

Décor : Sand substrate < 1” deep on average, small amount of plastic plants

[fish in cycle first month beginning late October]
Day 1 : Fish-in cycle with 3 zebra danios begins
Day 7 : Install AC30 filter, upgrading from the Top-Fin brand
Day 2 – 28: pH 8.1 – Ammonia 0.25 or lower – Nitrite 0.0 – Nitrate 0.0
Day 29 : Adopt out the zebra danios to owner looking to add to his shoal!!
[/ fish in cycle, 11/24/10]

[fishless cycle]
11/25/10 Day 1 0100 hours – pH 8.1 – Ammonia 5.0 ppm - Nitrite 0.0 – Nitrate 0.0
11/26/10 Day 2 1300 hours – pH xx – Ammonia 5.0 – Nitrite 0 – Nitrate xx
11/29/10 Day 5 0300 hours – pH xx – Ammonia 5.0– Nitrite 0.25 – Nitrate xx
12/01/10 Day 7 1500 hours – pH xx – Ammonia 4.0 – Nitrite xx – Nitrate xx
12/02/10 Day 8 0300 hours – pH xx – Ammonia 3.0 – Nitrite xx – Nitrate xx
12/03/10 Day 9 0630 hours - pH 8.2 - Ammonia 0.25 - Nitrite > 5 PPM - Nitrate 30 ppm - Added 2 tspn ammonia to dose to 4 ppm
12/04/10 Day 10 0300 hours - pH xx - Ammonia 0.5 - Nitrite xx - Nitrate xx - Added 2 tspn ammonia to dose to 4 ppm
12/04/10 Day 10 1500 hours - pH xx - Ammonia 0.25 - Nitrite xx - Nitrate xx - Added 2 tspn ammonia to dose to 4 ppm
12/05/10 Day 11 0630 hours - pH 8.2 - Ammonia 0/trace - Nitrite >5 PPM - Nitrate 100 ppm
12/05/10 Day 11 1500 hours - Added 2 tspn ammonia
12/06/10 Day 12 0300 hours - pH xx - Ammonia .3 - Nitrite >5 - Nitrate xx - pulverized a small amount of fish food (3 flakes) for these so-called "Trace nutrients" and put in water
12/06/10 Day 12 1500 hours - pH xx - Ammonia 0 - Nitrite >5 - Nitrate xx - Added 2 tspn ammonia
12/07/10 Day 13 1500 hours - pH xx - Ammonia 0 - Nitrite >5 - Nitrate xx - Added 1.5 tspn ammonia
12/08/10 Day 14 0200 hours - pH 7.8 - Ammonia 0.5 - Nitrite >5 - Nitrate xx
12/08/10 Day 14 1500 hours - pH xx - Ammonia 0 - Nitrite >5 - Nitrate xx - Added 1.5 tspn ammonia
12/09/10 Day 15 0300 hours - pH 7.8 - Ammonia < 0.25 - Nitrite >5 - Nitrate xx
12/09/10 Day 15 1500 hours - ph xx - ammonia xx - nitrite xx - nitrate xx - Added 1.5 tspn ammonia
12/10/10 Day 16 0630 hours - ph xx - ammonia 0 - nitrite >5 - nitrate xx
12/11/10 Day 17 - added 1.5 tspn ammonia (no data)
12/12/10 Day 18 - added 1.5 tspn ammonia (no data)
12/13/10 Day 19 - added 1.5 tspn ammonia (no data)
12/14/10 Day 20 - added 1.5 tspn ammonia (no data)
12/15/10 Day 21 0300 hours - pH 6.0?? - ammonia 1.0??? - nitrite >5 - nitrate xx
Down-to-substrate water change and re-dose 2 tspn ammonia
12/16/10 Day 22 0500 - pH 8.2 - NH4 0 (26 hrs after w/c) -NO2 5+ - NO3 40-80 - add 1.5 tspn ammonia
12/17/10 Day 23 0400 - ph 8.2 - NH4 0 - NO2 5 (no instant-purple...) - add 1.5 tspn ammonia
12/17/10 Day 23 2300 - ammo 0 - NO2 >5 - added 1.5 tspn (working on switching timing back to day shift schedule)
12/18/10 Day 24 1800 added 1.5 tspn ammonia - this will be my add time from now on
12/19/10 Day 25 1600 - ammo 0 - nitrites 0 - adding 1.5 tspn ammonia - can't wait to check this in the AM before work...
12/20/10 Day 26 0600 - ammo 0 - nitrites > 5 ppm (12 hour test)
12/20/10 Day 26 1930 - pH 8.2 - NH4 0 - Nitrite 0 (24 hr test) - added 2 tspn ammonia, for 5 PPM
12/21/10 Day 27 1800 - added 2 tspn ammonia
12/22/10 Day 28 0800 - nitrite >5 ppm so still not getting 12 hour 0s
12/22/10 Day 28 2100 - ammo/nitrite = 0 , pH was dropping so i did 2 consecutive 25% water changes to get it back up and re-dosed to 4 ppm
[monitored but didn't write down params for 12/23, 12/24, 12/25...nitrites going to 0 in 24 hours but not 12 yet]
12/26/10 Day 32 - pH is starting to drop again and probably only a day or so from a crash so I did a down-to-substrate water change and re-dosed to 4 ppm.
12/27/10 Day 33 12-hr test 1900 hours - Ammonia 2 ppm - nitrite >5 - Hm not sure if I have a setback or not. I did take out (threw out) the carbon media during yesterday's water change, which probably took out a bunch of my bacterial population. I will be adding a bag of biomax and extra sponge if I can fit it, in its place.
12/28/10 Day 34 24-hr test 0600 hours - Ammonia 0 ppm - Nitrite 5 - Added 1.5 tspn ammonia
12/28/10 Day 34 12-hour test 1800 hours - Ammonia 0 ppm - Nitrite 2 - Added large (AC50) additional bag of biomax to filter in place of carbon
12/29/10 Day 35 24-hr test 0600 hours - Ammonia 0 ppm - Nitrite 0 - Added 2 tspn ammonia
12/29/10 Day 35 12-hr test 1800 hours - Nitrite >5 ppm
12/30/10 - 1/1/10 - timing was messed up due to holiday weekend.
1/2/10 Day 39 - Dosed 5 ppm ammonia in morning, 12 hour test showed ammonia and nitrite remaining so set-back occurred with sporadic holiday dosing.

 

[Biulu]

The depth of the sand doesn't matter if you are not planning on having plants, unless you are going to put in burrowing species, then I would take a thicker layer.

 

[Doc7]

I may have put in too much sand; I will take home a tape measure tonight and spread it out relatively evenly and try to see how much I have in there.

It only took 2 quarter-filled 2 gallon buckets of sand, but wow did cleaning that take forever. I sat around debating whether the first bucket I cleaned was "clean enough", then said to heck with it and stuck the second bucket under the sink and watched TV for an hour. Water was much clearer on that one. Even with all of that, after filling the tank it was relatively dusty so I watched TV for another hour, then completely drained all 20 gallons and re-filled. Much clearer but still dusty this afternoon when I left for work. Tonight when I get home, I will stir all the sand, and after an hour I will drain and re-fill all 20 gallons; this should remove the majority of any stubborn dust that insists on being suspended for more than an hour, and any that is left will just be dealt with by filtration and future water changes (these particles are sure to be very fine). All told this is probably a 300 gallon effort for a 20 gallon tank!

The filter will stay on my two gallon bucket currently dosed to 5 PPM for another 48 hours; when I get back from my parents' for Thanksgiving I will move the filter onto the tank and dose to 5 PPM, then the waiting game begins!

 

[Biulu]

Without the filter running, it is difficult to clear the water completely. I would simply get started on your tank. Put the filter in your tank, dose the ammonia and get going with it.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Sand will make the water cloudy at first. After two days or so the water will be crystal clear again so dont worry. I ended up putting two & a half times as much sand in as I first thought i would need, lucky its so cheap.

A nice thiCk layer looks good & will give my corys hours of fun when i get them.

 

[Skins]

Hello Doc,
You could always put some polishing pads in your filter, this should help clear your water quicker.

 

[Doc7]

Installed AC30 filter and dosed to 5 PPM ammonia at 0100 hours EST November 25th.

1300 hours November 26th still 5 PPM and 0 nitrites.

unsure if it was algae or caked-on dust particles but had to scrape an opaque substance off each wall as well.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Doc, I suggest you start a new thread just for the cycle. That way the experts can keep an eye on your stats.

Call it somthing like Doc7's Fishless Cycle so we know what we are looking at.


good luck

 

[Aqua Tom]

Doc, I suggest you start a new thread just for the cycle. That way the experts can keep an eye on your stats.

Call it somthing like Doc7's Fishless Cycle so we know what we are looking at.


good luck

ahh forget it, I was very tired when i posted that lol.

 

[Doc7]

Haha I did a double-take at your first post, Aqua Tom.

Minor victory to report! 0300 hours on November 29 I measured my first nitrite reading! Approx 0.25 ppm. Ammonia is still around 5 ppm but obviously stuff's happening!

Now my biggest concern is that I won't decide definitively on if I want to go the betta / shoal of pygmy cories route or not before I get over the upcoming nitrite cycle and qual week!

 

[Doc7]

Ammonia is down to about 4 PPM. When it gets below 2.5 or so I will add another teaspoon of 4% ammonia to bring it back up.

 

[Doc7]

My landlord went in my apartment today to troubleshoot an internet issue I was having while I was at work. I can only imagine his confusion upon finding a bottle of ammonia next to my computer, and an empty fish tank with a running filter on top of the desk, adjacent to two vials filled with bright green liquid (ammonia tests I ran before work). He didn't mention anything to me but I'd love to have a video of him trying to figure out what, if anything, was swimming around in the tank.

 

[waterdrop]

Doc, I suggest you start a new thread just for the cycle. That way the experts can keep an eye on your stats.

Call it somthing like Doc7's Fishless Cycle so we know what we are looking at.


good luck

It's the first post where the important editing can take place. Here's a template of stuff that member martinking posted:

Fishless Cycling first post log template

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Doc7]

understood WD ... I will update it at a later time, for right now i'm not having any trouble but i will have to refer to my spreadsheet and modify the first post accordingly sooner than later

 

[Doc7]

Updated first post - will do a full set of readings in approx 6 hours (pH, Nh4, nitrite/ate)

at what point do i want to bring ammonia back up, and to what level?