fatheadminnow
Fish Aficionado
Well, I am back in college for the year and I have decided to get a 10 gallon fish tank for my dorm.
Like I said, it is a 10 gallon tank, and I have an AquaClear 20 filter with a little bit of mature filter media from my 55 gallon tank back at home, just to give it a kick start!
I thought it would be fun to have a log of the progress of my cycle, just for beginners to get an idea of fishless cycling.
====================
9-20-09
Day 1
Ammonia - 5ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
====================
9-21-09
Day 2
Ammonia - 5 ppm
Only going to test at 24 hours unless I see a significant drop in ammonia, then I will start to test at 12 hours.
====================
9-22-09
Day 3
Ammonia - 4 ppm
====================
9-23-09
Day 4
Ammonia - >4 ppm? I almost want to say 3 ppm, but not quite sure. The color seems to be in between 2 and 4 ppm?
Well, I was curious to see if the ammonia was actually dropping, so I tested for Nitrite, even though I said I was not going to. I could not help it!
Nitrite - .25 ppm!
====================
9-24-09
Day 5
Ammonia - 3 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
====================
9-25-09
Day 6
No Readings Taken
====================
9-26-09
Day 7
No Readings Taken
====================
9-27-09
Day 8
Ammonia - 2-3 ppm?
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Weird?
I added a large amount of mature filter media from my 55 gallon tank. If the ammonia I am using is not bad, or if there is something not right with my water, I would suspect that this new filter media almost be enough to cycle my tank within a week. If the ammonia level does not drop here in a couple days, then something is wrong with my water? I am hoping for a large drop in ammonia on day 9 and a nice nitrite reading. It just makes no sense why I had a nitrite reading back on day 4, and then no progress from there. pH is now around 8.8+, this is concerning me a bit.
Well, I just did a 50% water change to lower the pH level. In about an hour I will test the ammonia and pH level. I will then add up to 4-5 ppm of ammonia.
Ammonia - 4 ppm
pH - 7.6-8.0
===================
9-28-09
Day 9
Ammonia - 4 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
===================
9-29-09
Day 10
Ammonia - 4 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
===================
9-30-09
Day 11
Ammonia - 4 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH up to 8.2 now
===================
10-1-09
Day 12
Ammonia - 2-3? ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate 5 ppm
===================
10-02-09
Day 13
No test taken
===================
10-03-09
Day 14
No test taken
===================
10-04-09
Day 15
Ammonia - 2-3 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate 5+ ppm?
===================
10-05-09
Day 16
No Test Taken
==================
10-06-09
Day 17
No Test Taken
==================
10-07-09
Day 18
Ammonia - 1 ppm
Finally!
Nitrite - Weird color? Maybe between 0 ppm and .25 ppm, but really close to .25 ppm?
Nitrate - Darker than 5 ppm but lighter than 10 ppm. Probably around 7 ppm.
pH - 8.0 as of right now
==================
10-08-09
Day 19
Ammonia - .75 ppm
Nitrite - .25 ppm
Nitrate - >10 ppm
==================
10-09-09
Day 20
Added Ammonia back up to 5 ppm
==================
10-10-09
Day 21
No Test Taken
==================
10-11-09
Day 22
pH - 8.3
Ammonia - 2 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
Nitrate - 10+ ppm
==================
10-12-09
Day 23
Ammonia - 1.5 ppm
Nitrite - 1+ ppm
pH - 8.2
==================
10-13-09
Day 24
Ammonia - 1 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
Nitrate - 20 ppm
pH - 8.0 - 8.2
==================
10-14-09
Day 25
Ammonia - .75 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
pH- 8.2
==================
10-15-09
Day 26
Ammonia - .50 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
pH - 8.4
Added ammonia back up to 5 ppm
==================
10-16-09
Day 27
No Test Taken
==================
!0-17-09
Day 28
No Test Taken
==================
10-18-09
Day 29
Ammonia - 1.5 ppm
Nitrite- .5 ppm
Nitrate - 40 ppm
Added another large amount of Mature Filter Media to inlet of filter.
==================
-FHM
Like I said, it is a 10 gallon tank, and I have an AquaClear 20 filter with a little bit of mature filter media from my 55 gallon tank back at home, just to give it a kick start!
I thought it would be fun to have a log of the progress of my cycle, just for beginners to get an idea of fishless cycling.
College tank, 10 gallons, pH 7.6, AquaClear 20 filter, Temp 78 +/- 2 degrees, using 10% ammonia, start date 9-20-09
====================
9-20-09
Day 1
Ammonia - 5ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
====================
9-21-09
Day 2
Ammonia - 5 ppm
Only going to test at 24 hours unless I see a significant drop in ammonia, then I will start to test at 12 hours.
====================
9-22-09
Day 3
Ammonia - 4 ppm
====================
9-23-09
Day 4
Ammonia - >4 ppm? I almost want to say 3 ppm, but not quite sure. The color seems to be in between 2 and 4 ppm?
Well, I was curious to see if the ammonia was actually dropping, so I tested for Nitrite, even though I said I was not going to. I could not help it!
Nitrite - .25 ppm!
====================
9-24-09
Day 5
Ammonia - 3 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
====================
9-25-09
Day 6
No Readings Taken
====================
9-26-09
Day 7
No Readings Taken
====================
9-27-09
Day 8
Ammonia - 2-3 ppm?
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Weird?
I added a large amount of mature filter media from my 55 gallon tank. If the ammonia I am using is not bad, or if there is something not right with my water, I would suspect that this new filter media almost be enough to cycle my tank within a week. If the ammonia level does not drop here in a couple days, then something is wrong with my water? I am hoping for a large drop in ammonia on day 9 and a nice nitrite reading. It just makes no sense why I had a nitrite reading back on day 4, and then no progress from there. pH is now around 8.8+, this is concerning me a bit.
Well, I just did a 50% water change to lower the pH level. In about an hour I will test the ammonia and pH level. I will then add up to 4-5 ppm of ammonia.
Ammonia - 4 ppm
pH - 7.6-8.0
===================
9-28-09
Day 9
Ammonia - 4 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
===================
9-29-09
Day 10
Ammonia - 4 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
===================
9-30-09
Day 11
Ammonia - 4 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH up to 8.2 now
===================
10-1-09
Day 12
Ammonia - 2-3? ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate 5 ppm
===================
10-02-09
Day 13
No test taken
===================
10-03-09
Day 14
No test taken
===================
10-04-09
Day 15
Ammonia - 2-3 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate 5+ ppm?
===================
10-05-09
Day 16
No Test Taken
==================
10-06-09
Day 17
No Test Taken
==================
10-07-09
Day 18
Ammonia - 1 ppm
Finally!Nitrite - Weird color? Maybe between 0 ppm and .25 ppm, but really close to .25 ppm?
Nitrate - Darker than 5 ppm but lighter than 10 ppm. Probably around 7 ppm.
pH - 8.0 as of right now
==================
10-08-09
Day 19
Ammonia - .75 ppm
Nitrite - .25 ppm
Nitrate - >10 ppm
==================
10-09-09
Day 20
Added Ammonia back up to 5 ppm
==================
10-10-09
Day 21
No Test Taken
==================
10-11-09
Day 22
pH - 8.3
Ammonia - 2 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
Nitrate - 10+ ppm
==================
10-12-09
Day 23
Ammonia - 1.5 ppm
Nitrite - 1+ ppm
pH - 8.2
==================
10-13-09
Day 24
Ammonia - 1 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
Nitrate - 20 ppm
pH - 8.0 - 8.2
==================
10-14-09
Day 25
Ammonia - .75 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
pH- 8.2
==================
10-15-09
Day 26
Ammonia - .50 ppm
Nitrite - 1 ppm
pH - 8.4
Added ammonia back up to 5 ppm
==================
10-16-09
Day 27
No Test Taken
==================
!0-17-09
Day 28
No Test Taken
==================
10-18-09
Day 29
Ammonia - 1.5 ppm
Nitrite- .5 ppm
Nitrate - 40 ppm
Added another large amount of Mature Filter Media to inlet of filter.
==================
-FHM
