Fishless Cycle First Week Results

[Jazee B]

Hi all, just wanted to post my results and get some opinions of how it's going.

I added 5ml of ammonia to my jewul rekord 96 (as per the calculator) on Sunday (before the ammonia was added the pH level was at 7.5) I am using a Nutrafin mini master tester kit.

Monday 12th- ammonia level was showing at 4 and pH level had risen to 8
Tuesday 13th- ammonia level was showing at 2.4
Wednesday 14th- ammonia level was showing at 2.4
Thursday 15th- ammonia level was showing at 2.0
Friday 16th - ammonia level was showing at 1.2
Today - ammonia level was 0

Before I added another 5ml of ammonia I tested the nitrate, nitrite and pH levels as well.

Nitrite - approx 1.6
Nitrate - 110
pH level 8

I was so excited when ammonia showed 0 tonight I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere!

 

[rabbut]

Looks like your cycle is moving fast. If nitrite is on 1.6 and nitrate is on 110, I'd say less than a week for zero nitrite aswell Stick with it, almost there. Did you use mature media by any chance?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Jazee B]

Looks like your cycle is moving fast. If nitrite is on 1.6 and nitrate is on 110, I'd say less than a week for zero nitrite aswell Stick with it, almost there. Did you use mature media by any chance?

All the best
Rabbut

Thanks for the encouraging message i'm like a kid waiting for christmas but i know it'll be worth it in the end. I had a very kind offer from Rooster of some media but I've been having problems with PM and email so I've just been following the instructions of the add and wait method. I had my tank up and running for a week with only bogwood in whilst I was reading up on the fishless cycle then on sunday I put in plants and started with the ammonia. The next thing is picking my residents! I like so many but I know I have to be careful about putting some types together. Is yours a community tank do you mind if I ask what you have?

 

[rabbut]

One planted discus community with head and tail light tetra, cardinal tetra, rummynose tetra, corry adolfi, corry mitea, and two breeding L66 plecos, then a EI planted tank with bronze and purple rasboras, a peakock goby, 5 galxy rasboras and about 20 baby L66 ATM

My main tank took about 8 weeks to cycle. The EI planted tank was colned form the main, origionaly as a hospital for new discus in QT... I've since found another use

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Jazee B]

Hi all, just wanted to post my results and get some opinions of how it's going.

I added 5ml of ammonia to my jewul rekord 96 (as per the calculator) on Sunday (before the ammonia was added the pH level was at 7.5) I am using a Nutrafin mini master tester kit.

Monday 12th- ammonia level was showing at 4 and pH level had risen to 8
Tuesday 13th- ammonia level was showing at 2.4
Wednesday 14th- ammonia level was showing at 2.4
Thursday 15th- ammonia level was showing at 2.0
Friday 16th - ammonia level was showing at 1.2
Today - ammonia level was 0

Before I added another 5ml of ammonia I tested the nitrate, nitrite and pH levels as well.

Nitrite - approx 1.6
Nitrate - 110
pH level 8

I was so excited when ammonia showed 0 tonight I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere!

I tested the water this morning at 10am and the ammonia was showing at 2.4, pH was 7.5, nitrate 110 and nitrite 2.4. I'm probably to eager but I've justed tested it again and pH had dropped to 7, ammonia was 0 the others had stayed the same so i've added another 5ml of ammonia.

It all seems to be happening quite quick now is this still going ok?!

 

[rabbut]

Things may be going stale. Whatch that pH. Once it starts to slide, it could just be hours before it crashes. Do a 50% waterchange, and add some baking soda to stabilise it Get it stable and it should be OK, but a reduction in pH rings alarm bells for me. The baking soda is a quick fix that will not be needed once you have fish in. You want about 1tsp per 10gal

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Jazee B]

Things may be going stale. Whatch that pH. Once it starts to slide, it could just be hours before it crashes. Do a 50% waterchange, and add some baking soda to stabilise it Get it stable and it should be OK, but a reduction in pH rings alarm bells for me. The baking soda is a quick fix that will not be needed once you have fish in. You want about 1tsp per 10gal

All the best
Rabbut

Typical i knew it was all going too well Is there anything i've done wrong to cause this?

 

[rabbut]

Nope, nothing. This is what happens slower when you don't do maintanance in a tank with fish in, but is fairly "normal" while cycling. Nitrite and nitrate are both acidic. Combine this with soft water and you have the recipy to make a pH crash. The baking soda is to raise the hardness, and prevent the pH crash

 

[Jazee B]

Since my last post I"ve had another pH dip so did another water change and added some trusty baking soda and it's now steady. The ammonia has now been cycling in 12 hours for about a week but my nitrite has not shifted. Is this usual? Its frustrating me I've got no patience!!! Becky

 

[stormy78]

Yeah that seems to be the norm, your NitrIte can take ages to drop as the bacteria that needs to develop to process nitrite takes longer than the Ammonia Bacs. My cycle is on day 41!!! It looks like your cycle is moving quickly though

 

[Jazee B]

Yeah that seems to be the norm, your NitrIte can take ages to drop as the bacteria that needs to develop to process nitrite takes longer than the Ammonia Bacs. My cycle is on day 41!!! It looks like your cycle is moving quickly though

Hi stormy, I've just been reading your thread, you have the patience of a saint!! It's like being back at school in a science class this fishcycling and chemical stuff!! i have a snail invasion at the minute I checked my plants really well but the little blighters still got in. I've read that snails can be a good addition to a tank so I'll leave a couple, at least then I've got something to look at!!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

wow sounds like you're flying through the cycle.... just have patience and wait for the nitrite to drop to 0. it takes a little while sometimes.

 

[stormy78]

Yeah that seems to be the norm, your NitrIte can take ages to drop as the bacteria that needs to develop to process nitrite takes longer than the Ammonia Bacs. My cycle is on day 41!!! It looks like your cycle is moving quickly though

Hi stormy, I've just been reading your thread, you have the patience of a saint!! It's like being back at school in a science class this fishcycling and chemical stuff!! i have a snail invasion at the minute I checked my plants really well but the little blighters still got in. I've read that snails can be a good addition to a tank so I'll leave a couple, at least then I've got something to look at!!!

I'm not sure about that but yeah it can get frustrating. Its well worth removing the snails they breed like hell lol

 

[Jazee B]

What a difference a day makes, yesterday I was fed up today I've been shrieking like a mad woman. My nitrite level has just started to drop!!! At last I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. When it starts cycling in 12 hours how long should I wait til I add fish?

 

[danon]

I waited another 5 days before i added fish, wanted to be absolutely sure everything was ok, fishless cycling can produce different results, day by day!!

Good luck, seems to be going very well