Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
hmmmm sounds like plenty but it depends on the sizes of the baskets of course!
worth a try with 2ppm and see where it gets you
worth a try with 2ppm and see where it gets you
Fishless Cycle Diary-back From Hols :)
- Thread starter ellena
- Start date
It's a circulator 350+ 4.5 watts if that's any use?
The baskets are 4.5x6x6cm. Just noticed when I took it out to measure there's tons of gunk on them-that brown 'stuff' that came with both my lots of mature media and also collected when the plant went manky. There's also a bit of sand in there-might it need cleaning out?
The baskets are 4.5x6x6cm. Just noticed when I took it out to measure there's tons of gunk on them-that brown 'stuff' that came with both my lots of mature media and also collected when the plant went manky. There's also a bit of sand in there-might it need cleaning out?
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
You don't need to worry about whether the N-Bacs are getting enough nitrite. The only thing you need to worry about is dosing the tanks with ammonia at your 24-hour mark for the A-Bacs when ammonia gets down to zero or close.
~~waterdrop~~
~~waterdrop~~
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
excellent, sometimes all it takes is a little patience
WD will do you an excellent write up of why this process can be erratic sometimes, basically because we're measuring the chemical levels we feel like it's chemistry that we're doing which is usually quite a straightforward linear type process, but this is really biology because it's little creatures we are cultivating. biology is much less linear than chemistry!
WD will do you an excellent write up of why this process can be erratic sometimes, basically because we're measuring the chemical levels we feel like it's chemistry that we're doing which is usually quite a straightforward linear type process, but this is really biology because it's little creatures we are cultivating. biology is much less linear than chemistry!
Day 25 29hrs
NH3-0.5ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.8
Added 0.8ml NH3
Day 26 8.5.09 10hrs
NH3-1ppm
NO2-0.25ppm
pH-7.6
23hrs
NH3-still 1ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.8
Added 1.5ml NH3 > 4ppm pH 8.8
Day 27 9.5.09 11hrs
NH3-1ppm
NO2-5ppm (?)
NO3-20ppm
pH-7.2
Seems OK getting from 4 > 1ppm in the first 12 hrs, then the nitrites carry on being eaten, but the ammonia rarely drops below 1ppm. Almost 4 weeks in, with filter rinsings and ceramic media all mature and I've only seen that 0ppm ammonia 3 times! And one of those times was after 65hrs!
After adding the 1.5ml NH3 last night, I thought the 4ppm was a low reading. The high nitrites this morning would seem to confirm that?
I have another set of ammonia test bottles in the master kit I've just bought, so I'm going to try with that from next time I add ammonia.
NH3-0.5ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.8
Added 0.8ml NH3
Day 26 8.5.09 10hrs
NH3-1ppm
NO2-0.25ppm
pH-7.6
23hrs
NH3-still 1ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.8
Added 1.5ml NH3 > 4ppm pH 8.8
Day 27 9.5.09 11hrs
NH3-1ppm
NO2-5ppm (?)
NO3-20ppm
pH-7.2
Seems OK getting from 4 > 1ppm in the first 12 hrs, then the nitrites carry on being eaten, but the ammonia rarely drops below 1ppm. Almost 4 weeks in, with filter rinsings and ceramic media all mature and I've only seen that 0ppm ammonia 3 times! And one of those times was after 65hrs!
After adding the 1.5ml NH3 last night, I thought the 4ppm was a low reading. The high nitrites this morning would seem to confirm that?
I have another set of ammonia test bottles in the master kit I've just bought, so I'm going to try with that from next time I add ammonia.
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
You're not in any way unusual so far. Its a curious behaviour but we see it a lot. One or the other drops by a lot but then seems to hang on its last ppm point. Many fishless cycles do this and many FCs proceed on to 6 weeks or even 2 months. Just be steady and clear and try to be pretty regular in your interactions with the tank. It will help the members analyze it faster if you literally say "12 hour test" or "24 hour test" meaning number of hours after 4-5ppm of ammonia was added, rather than time-of-day entries.
Did your pH really jump up a whole point after ammonia dosing? Or perhaps that was just a judgement call looking at the pH color chart.
~~waterdrop~~
Did your pH really jump up a whole point after ammonia dosing? Or perhaps that was just a judgement call looking at the pH color chart.
~~waterdrop~~
Thanks for the reply WD. On the 12hr/24hr thing, I am putting no. of hours since adding NH3 in the post after you suggested it. It's often not 12 or 24hrs though-just depends when I'm free to test.
On the point about pH, up until this week, I was measuring it with an electronic probe from work. Then I bought a master kit with pH and high pH tests in. Sometimes, it's right at the top of pH or right at the bottom of high pH, so I do the other test to make sure. I can't remember what I did when it went up a point, but, as I mentioned, I think the 4ppm was a little low. I'd added 1ml and got 2ppm, so added some more. On the calculator, 1.3ml is meant to get me up to 5ppm from 0.
Anyway, had a bit of a breakthrough last night. I broke my NH3 test tube soon after buying the kit. I replaced it with a new tube from work and a rubber bung. When I came to do the test last night, I noticed there was a white cloudiness in the test tube, so decided to use a spare one from the master kit. NH3 was 0ppm
This morning, I've done the test in both tubes to compare and they are both 0ppm. So not sure if it's coincidence or what, but either way, I'm happy!
Day 27 24hrs
NH3-0ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.5
added 1.5ml NH3 > 4ppm
Day 28 14.5hrs
NH3-0ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.5
On the point about pH, up until this week, I was measuring it with an electronic probe from work. Then I bought a master kit with pH and high pH tests in. Sometimes, it's right at the top of pH or right at the bottom of high pH, so I do the other test to make sure. I can't remember what I did when it went up a point, but, as I mentioned, I think the 4ppm was a little low. I'd added 1ml and got 2ppm, so added some more. On the calculator, 1.3ml is meant to get me up to 5ppm from 0.
Anyway, had a bit of a breakthrough last night. I broke my NH3 test tube soon after buying the kit. I replaced it with a new tube from work and a rubber bung. When I came to do the test last night, I noticed there was a white cloudiness in the test tube, so decided to use a spare one from the master kit. NH3 was 0ppm
This morning, I've done the test in both tubes to compare and they are both 0ppm. So not sure if it's coincidence or what, but either way, I'm happy!Day 27 24hrs
NH3-0ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.5
added 1.5ml NH3 > 4ppm
Day 28 14.5hrs
NH3-0ppm
NO2-0ppm
pH-7.5
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
yeah good stuff, certainly looks like you've made a step forward, keep plugging away and you'll be there soon enough
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Yes, presentation looks "cleaner" to me. Maybe its just me but I like to see something that seems to be "enough" info about a fishless cycle. Not too little and not too much.
With the time-of-day numbers in there you were falling into my "too much info" category! Now we can see at more of a glance that "yes, we dosed ammonia" and "yes we're getting down to zeros in roughly 24 hours" and "yes, we got down to zeros in almost 12 hours" so we know that you're getting pretty close to your qualifying week hopefully!
~~waterdrop~~
With the time-of-day numbers in there you were falling into my "too much info" category! Now we can see at more of a glance that "yes, we dosed ammonia" and "yes we're getting down to zeros in roughly 24 hours" and "yes, we got down to zeros in almost 12 hours" so we know that you're getting pretty close to your qualifying week hopefully!
~~waterdrop~~
Similar threads
Most reactions
-
333 -
193 -
179 -
161 -
137 -
129 -
113 -
107 -
95 -
90 -
86 -
80 -
79 -
A
58
-
50