Efficient Fishless Cycling

[DaveP1991]

Looks like the food is well and truly rotting down in there now...
 
Ammonia - 2ppm
Nitrite - Still off the chart
Nitrate - 20ppm
 
Hopefully the nice peak of ammonia will really prompt those bacteria to growth. Can someone confirm or deny the large amount of nitrites is due to some sort of functioning Nitrosomonas culture in there somewhere? Or is it possible it has come from elsewhere?  

 

[snazy]

There's no point testing nitrAtes at this stage. First because the reading is unreliable, 2nd because they measure nitrAtes by converting them back to nitrItes, so in a tank that has measurable nitrItes the nitrAte test is totally invalid.
The presence of nitrItes indicates ammonia to nitrIte conversion is ticking in there so the cycle is going.

 

[DaveP1991]

Ah ok, I'll stop bothering with the nitrates then. I just do them because my LFS does them whenever they do a water test. Didn't realise they worked like that chemically so I see why the test would be useless. 

 

[DaveP1991]

A sort of related question here that I don't think warrants a new thread. Once I get to planting this new tank I'm obviously running the risk of adding a pest snail population to it and I've got a Assassin snail currently living in my other tank which was introduced to control a previous snail infestation.
 
If I do see a population growing in there before it has fully cycled would my little snail murdering friend be OK in there or would it be just as cruel as putting fish in there before it has fully cycled? 

 

[This Old Spouse]

I wouldn't put the assassin in the tank until it's cycled. It's just like putting a fish into an uncycled tank. I don't think you'll be overrun by pest snails before your tank is cycled. 

 

[snazy]

If you see snail infestation at some point, you are feeding too much food. Cut down or clean up left overs.

 

[DaveP1991]

Right then, and again...
 
Ammonia - 2ppm
Nitrite - Still off the scale
 
I assume now I just need to leave it to start processing that ammonia. 

 

[DaveP1991]

Ammonia - 4ppm
Nitirite - Still of the scale
 
Just sitting here waiting for these bacteria to feast on the ammonia. Although the tank is barely a week old so to expect anything more would be silly. I have noticed a film however has appeared on the top of the water, not entirely sure what it is but it almost looks like there is soap in there. Before anyone asks I do make sure to wash my hands in just plain water before I put them in. Any ideas on what it might be?

 

[snazy]

Some type of protein film maybe. Have you pointed the filter at the surface for oxygen exchange? This should get rid of the film.

 

[DaveP1991]

Not done a test yet today but both ammonia and nitrites look to be heading down based on the ones I have done. What type of light will give me the most accurate readout with the API kit?

 

[This Old Spouse]

Natural daylight would be best, then hold the vials up next to the API chart.

 

[DaveP1991]

Wehay. Ammonia has come back as 0ppm, given my tap water is 0.25ppm that seems like a good place to be. I've dosed with another handful of fish food, I've also added plants and they've brought along a slowly growing pest snail community. As well as naturally adding some ammonia and bioload their reproduction is only good for my assassin snail when he/she joins the party!
 
However my nitrites are still sky high. I was hoping to have seen a drop in nitrites by now but they still seem to be off the scale high. 

 

[Ap0ll0]

hi I have a question - I'm a week into my cycle, I used a great deal of donor media that although it was in (wet) transit/storage for a while (48 hours max) but it seems to have worked quite well -
 
I raised the ammonia up to around 8ppm initially, and it dropped back to almost zero, and I've never seen high nitrites mostly very low readings yet but am seeing nitrates going up loads getting redder and redder. Since the ammonia got back to near zero I've been adding a capful each day which brings it up to what I reckon is just under 4ppm, nitrites were a little higher this morning so its possible I'm still going to see a nitrite spike, will know this evening if the ammonia has gone down, then either the nitrItes or nitrAtes will be up.
 
My question is pretty simply though - I don't think I'll have the time to do a water change before saturday - is there any problem caused by having high nitrates? I've not seen anyone say you need to water change until you are ready to add fish

 

[snazy]

You do need to do a large water change, drain it down to the bottom.  Don't you want to keep conditions ideal for your new pets? However, make sure the tank is  properly cycled first. If you are fully stocking the tank, then the filters need to clear 3-4ppm ammonia and nitrites every 12 hours for a week time. Don't ever dose 8ppm ammonia. These levels are toxic even to the bacteria that converts it.

 

[Ap0ll0]

sorry I was unclear - I meant to the cycling process - I will for sure do a water change and get the nitrates way down before adding fish, but I was wondering if high nitrAtes impact the cycle at all - I've not seen anyone saying this.
 
I never dosed 8ppm at one time but it got up to 8ppm. I'm now dosing a capful which takes it 3-4ppm. I just got home and tested, its been about 10 hours, the ammonia is pretty much gone, maybe 0.25ppm left, the nitrates are a deep pinky blue which I reckon is about 1ppm and the nitrates are still red at 40ppm or more. so I think I just need to wait for the NOBs to catch up with the AOBs and they don't seem too far behind anyway.
 
My plan is to add substrate, plants and decor this weekend to start using the nitrates for something and basically make sure that provided the cycle is done by the following weekend, I can add fish, but I'm fine to wait another week or so on that as I originally planned, as I'm off work the week after easter so can dedicate more time to sourcing the fish and also keep a better eye on them in their first few days in the tank