Finally Got Some Mature Media, How Long To Wait?

[Keithoms]

I eventually managed to get my hands on some mature media last night (thanks three-fingers ). I put most of the gravel in the filter with some sponge, some sponge in with the bioball box and the remaining gravel in a filter media floating at the bottom of the tank.

Tested water this morning, no ammonia but nitrite is at 0.25. How long can i expect until nitrite drops to 0 and the fake cycle is complete

 

[Edge]

Hey dude, I'm no expert but I've cloned a few tanks and I think it's a generally accepted fact that the nitrite bacteria always takes longer to colonise that the ammonia bacteria. I think the wait depends on how much cycled media you put in. I'd test you nitrAtes as well, if you've got a lot then you're probably not too far off, but if you've got hardly any then there's probably a little longer to wait.
When I've cloned mine I've had maybe 25% of the media from an established tank and 75% new, usually takes about 2 weeks, sometimes a bit less. Wait and see what other say though

 

[Keithoms]

Hey dude, I'm no expert but I've cloned a few tanks and I think it's a generally accepted fact that the nitrite bacteria always takes longer to colonise that the ammonia bacteria. I think the wait depends on how much cycled media you put in. I'd test you nitrAtes as well, if you've got a lot then you're probably not too far off, but if you've got hardly any then there's probably a little longer to wait.
When I've cloned mine I've had maybe 25% of the media from an established tank and 75% new, usually takes about 2 weeks, sometimes a bit less. Wait and see what other say though

Hi,

I put a fair amount of gravel and sponge in the tank. Testing nitrate now.

 

[Keithoms]

Ok, got 5ppm of nitrate.

 

[Edge]

If you've only got 5ppm of Nitrate then maybe you've still got a bit of a wait, if you have a lot of plants etc that might account for lower nitrates, but I'm guessing the filter isn't quite cycled yet.

I think the only way to do it is just test every day and be patient, but if you're ammonia is down to 0 then I wouldn't have thought you'll be waiting more than a week, 10 days maybe

 

[Keithoms]

If you've only got 5ppm of Nitrate then maybe you've still got a bit of a wait, if you have a lot of plants etc that might account for lower nitrates, but I'm guessing the filter isn't quite cycled yet.

I think the only way to do it is just test every day and be patient, but if you're ammonia is down to 0 then I wouldn't have thought you'll be waiting more than a week, 10 days maybe

I have some plants (check the membvers pictures section).
Also, the 60l is only half filled, i thought it would make it easier to process the water or would it be better full.

 

[Edge]

Not sure about only half filling the tank, but I guess the idea of a fishless cycle is to mimic the bioload of a full tank. So personally I'd have the tank setup exactly as it would be with fish in it. You also need to add the right amount of ammonia for the tests to be accurate etc. there's a good calculator thingy at the top of this forum which tells you how much to put in according to your tank size (you may have already looked at it).
Also, I know plants can use ammonia in its raw form, so that might be why you're showing no ammonia.

The way I test if the tank is ready (just my way though) is to empty the tank completely and refill it instantly with de-chlorinated water. Then I add ammonia until the test shows 5ppm, then after 24hrs I test again; if the ammonia and Nitrite are both 0 then the tank is ready to go, you can almost fully stock it straight away. If no then you have some more waiting to do.

(Edited for spelling)

 

[ALW]

A tank half full will have a higher concentration of Ammonia, Nirates and Nitrites, i would fill the tank fully to get a propper reading! Pllus the plants will also use some of the Nitrates as food.

 

[Keithoms]

Not sure about only half filling the tank, but I guess the idea of a fishless cycle is to mimic the bioload of a full tank. So personally I'd have the tank setup exactly as it would be with fish in it. You also need to add the right amount of ammonia for the tests to be accurate etc. there's a good calculator thingy at the top of this forum which tells you how much to put in according to your tank size (you may have already looked at it).
Also, I know plants can use ammonia in its raw form, so that might be why you're showing no ammonia.

The way I test if the tank is ready (just my way though) is to empty the tank completely and refill it instantly with de-chlorinated water. Then I add ammonia until the test shows 5ppm, then after 24hrs I test again; if the ammonia and Nitrite are both 0 then the tank is ready to go, you can almost fully stock it straight away. If no then you have some more waiting to do.

(Edited for spelling)

Lol, i think this has come across wrongly. I have made several threads in the past about my nitrite levels suddenly going through the roof every 3 hours with constant changes. i HAVE fish. I got some mature media cos mine was bust.

 

[Edge]

Ooooooohhh, I see. Sorry about that.
So I guess the only thing to do is keep doing water changes to stop the nitrites hurting your fish, just keeping testing until it's holding at zero. Don't think there's anything else you can do, still think it will take about 7-10 days to get it under control. Good luck!

 

[Keithoms]

Ooooooohhh, I see. Sorry about that.
So I guess the only thing to do is keep doing water changes to stop the nitrites hurting your fish, just keeping testing until it's holding at zero. Don't think there's anything else you can do, still think it will take about 7-10 days to get it under control. Good luck!

Seeing as nitrite is not rising at all, just sitting at 0.25, if i drain it to near the bottom then fill it to the top, should it stay 0 or close to that?