Fishless Cycle Going Retroactive

[wadcpo2]

This don't make any sense after having perfomed a sucessful fishless cycle before following the same advisement this time around for a 10gal aquarium. After 4 wks my nitrite and ammonia levels zeroed out after 24 hours. Followed the instruction to do a large water change 80% at least, used dechlorinator, added ammonia to 2ppm and let sit for 24hrs. Re-tested water perameters and noted nitrite levels off the chart and ammonia zero. What could have gone wrong?

 

[waterdrop]

This is why we begin to add in the 12-hours-after-dosing tests when you've had your first double-zero test results at 24 hours. If you quit the process when the zeros are hitting at 24 hours, you have not really begun, much less completed the 3rd phase (3rd phase being where you watch it get down to 12 hours acheiving zeros.)

Once both ammonia and nitrite are dropping to zero ppm at 12 hours after dosing you are ready to start your qualifying week and if you get no blips during that then you're ready to go.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[wadcpo2]

I see so I should have kept dosing every 12hrs still instead of once per day. Makes sense and I'm sure the big water change probably did not help matters. Unfortunately, my guide I used was not that specific to this point. It just advised that once the nitrite and ammonia zero out for 24hrs or more then it's cycled. Come to think of it I was a bit confused as to why my nitrates were on the low end than last time I cycled a tank. My tank does not seem dirty at all. I would think it should come together within the next week or so. Thanks for the advise!

 

[wadcpo2]

I see so I should have kept dosing every 12hrs still instead of once per day. Makes sense and I'm sure the big water change probably did not help matters. Unfortunately, my guide I used was not that specific to this point. It just advised that once the nitrite and ammonia zero out for 24hrs or more then it's cycled. Come to think of it I was a bit confused as to why my nitrates were on the low end than last time I cycled a tank. My tank does not seem dirty at all. I would think it should come together within the next week or so. Thanks for the advise!

 

[BigbruiserAl]

No mate you dont dose every 12 you dose once every 24hrs and test after 12

 

[wadcpo2]

Ok thanks for letting me know. That could have turned out bad I suppose.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, this is correct. You dose at the same 24-hour mark each day (assuming ammonia has dropped to zero ppm any time within the previous 24 hours of course) but then you begin to do this addditional testing (nitrite(NO2) being sometimes the only test you really need except maybe pH) at around the 12 hour mark (12 hours after dosing) and this gives you a new finer-tuned measure of the N-bac colony reaching its final more robust maturity. As you get to the very end you want to watch ammonia at 12 hours also as sometimes it backtracks a bit and it's nice to be sure your ammonia dosing is right up there at 4-5ppm.

When you finally get double-zeros (zero ppm ammonia and zero ppm nitrite at 12 hours) that's the start of a week of verifying that it can repeat this every day. If it blips and fails then that just restarts your qualifying week. This method, while it sounds excessive, has resulted in a very solid record of no problems after fish are added.

~~waterdrop~~