Fishless Cycle N00B

[PMS Woody]

Water Tracking

+-----++---------+---------+---------+-----++-----------+
| Day || Ammonia | Nitrite | Nitrate | pH  || NH3 Added |
+-----++---------+---------+---------+-----++-----------+
|  1* ||   ~5    |    0    |    0    | 7.0 ||    11ml   |
|  2  ||    4    |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
|  3  ||    2    |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
|  4  ||    1    |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
|  5  ||    1    |    0    |    -    | 7.4 ||     -     |
|  6  ||    -    |    -    |    -    |  -  ||     -     |
|  7  ||    1    |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
|  8  ||    -    |    -    |    -    |  -  ||     -     |
|  9  ||   0.5   |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     | ** 40% Water Change **
| 10  ||   0.5   |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
+-----++---------+---------+---------+-----++-----------+
| 11  ||   0.5   |    0    |    -    |  -  ||     -     | **Added donated mature ceramics to media basket**
| 12  ||   0.25  |    0    |    -    |  -  ||    7ml    | **algae bloom was getting really bad... 75% water change**
| 13  ||    1    |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
| 14  ||    1    |    0    |    -    |  -  ||     -     |
| 15  ||    1    |    0    |    -    |  -  ||     -     |
| 16  ||    1    |    0    |    -    | 7.6 ||     -     |
| 17  ||         |         |         |     ||           |
| 18  ||         |         |         |     ||           |
| 19  ||         |         |         |     ||           |
| 20  ||         |         |         |     ||           |
+-----++---------+---------+---------+-----++-----------+
| TAP ||    0    |    0    |         | 7.2 ||           |
+-----++---------+---------+---------+-----++-----------+

Tank running at 28ºC
*used API test strips prior to purchasing liquid kit

Original Post

Good day everyone!

I recently decided to get back into the fishkeeping hobby after I inherited a 20g tank for free with a small leak. Patched the leak and went out to purchase the hardware to find that for the cost of a hood and filter alone I can get a 29g kit! So here we are...

I did a fair bit of reading prior to the setup and luckily haven't made any major mistakes off the "no-no" list despite only finding this website today.

The tank has only seen 3 days of water (and no fish) so I should be able to easily start a fishless cycle. That said I do have a few questions and a little confirmation on the steps I've taken would be a good confidence boost.

Tank Details
29 Gallon, 30"x18"x12"
Fluval C3 External Power Filter
Fluval M100 100W Heater
20W Aqua-Glo Bulb

I picked up a cheap in-aquarium thermometer instead of the "LCD Sticker" type they include as I have a hard time trusting their accuracy.

What I've Done
Tank has been loaded with gravel and decor (all off-shelf aquarium safe)
Tank was filled with water treated with Nutrafin Aqua Plus
Over first 3 days tank was treated with Nutrafin Cycle (which based on comments here has put me no further ahead or behind than I would've been)

What I've Seen
Day 1 the tank was crystal clear, everything operating properly and tank holding temperature.
The tank is currently experiencing bacteria bloom was sounds fairly normal based on readings here.

The clerk convinced me to buy the API test strips instead of the master test kit so I have those to use for now but get the feeling I should make a trip back for the proper liquid based kit.
Based on the test strips my tank currently reads:
GH ~40
KH ~50
pH ~7.2
Ammonia ~0.7
Nitrite ~0.5
Nitrate ~0

Question Time
1) Aside from the Nutrafin Aqua Plus and Cycle the tank has seen no chemicals and I am prepared to start following the fishless cycling guide word for word. Is there anything I need to be aware of in my case before I begin? Do any levels seem out of line and should I make any adjustments because of the Cycle?

2) The stage 1 foam mechanical filter in the C3 has an indicator tab for cleaning. The tab has already popped up after 3 days. At this point can it be cleaned with tap-water before starting the cycle? Is it ever appropriate to use tap-water on the foam filter? (This forum is strongly in favour of no it seems but around the internet the results are very mixed.)


Hate to be so formal but first impressions and all. Thanks for reading and all of your help!

 

[PMS Woody]

119 posts in the last 12 hours and not even a "get bent"!

 

[Gvilleguy]

Hey - welcome to the fish forum!! I came here two years ago and never looked back. Great information to be found. Most members seem to live in the UK, so you know they are all stuck in traffic for the Olympics and not on the forum.

It's great that you have come here to start learning how to cycle. So, to answer your main question, do NOT rinse your filter media in tap water - EVER. The chlorine in tap water will kill any bacteria that have started growing there. I suspect your media cleaner indicator should simply be ignored.

Most filter can run for a month or more before you should gently clean the physical muck out of the media. And you should always do this in a bucket of water taken from the tank.

Regarding starting your cycle - have a read of the "do and do not list" in my signature. It answers the most common questions we see during fishless cycling. But come back with more questions as needed. Good luck with everything.

 

[PMS Woody]

Thanks for the link Gvilleguy!

Found a strictly aquatics shop near where I work (but sadly not close to where I live) and picked up the master test kit and a bottom of prime for $10 less than the LPS/LFS (Petsmart?) was selling the test kit alone!

Really interesting that when I tested pH with the liquid kit my results were 0.6 different than the strips. If the ammonia were to affect the pH it would be more likely to drop wouldn't it? Safe to assume the difference is just in the quality of the testing material?

The Nitrite test result was bright light blue. Similar in shade to the 0ppm measurement but a fair bit much more luminous. Very very bright. That's still a 0 right?

 

[Gvilleguy]

I was not aware that ammonia would have any effect on ph level.

Yes, the light blue indicates zero nitrites.

 

[PMS Woody]

Ammonia starting to drop! Taking each small step as a small victory.

It looks like I've got a hitchhiker of some sort. Haven't seen it yet but its leaving little silk-like trails.

Also got a little bit of green algae starting on a few pieces of the decor. Had light on a fair bit before starting the cycle but not since then. Should I worry much about that for now?

 

[Meredith23]

Good point

 

[PMS Woody]

Using the Fluval C3 power filter and just realized that it has a bag of 'activated carbon' in it. That's gonna set me back right?

I've removed it but left the "c-node biomedia" in which I am guessing is their version of ceramic noodles.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Ugh - I hate those carbon filters that the vendors always include in the boxes. Really can mess people up trying to cycle their tanks.

 

[PMS Woody]

Didn't even occur to me when I was assembling. Thankful I found this forum for sure!

I've got some serious green water going on. Must be from ambient light? Its not pea soup or anything, but definitely tinted.

Based on other posts UV light seems to be the most effective solution but water changes can help too. Should I do any water changes during the cycle for that issue or wait until the end of cycle 100% water change and see how that affects it?

 

[Yanks15]

Ugh - I hate those carbon filters that the vendors always include in the boxes. Really can mess people up trying to cycle their tanks.

Haven't heard that leaving carbon in during cycling hurts the cycling process. I just finished fishless cycling my tank and had 2 filters running with carbon and had no problem. How does it mess up a cycle? Does it prolong it? Does it impede it?

Thanks
Steve

 

[Gvilleguy]

Carbon fiber sponges are fine, since they are sponges. Not sure if you were using sponges or not. I was referring to the carbon media that comes in the fiber cartridges that most HOB filters ship with. The carbon inside the mesh saturates in a few weeks time, causing the water to back flow around it. And in the meantime the fiber mesh has grown helpful bacteria that get discarded when you replace the cartridge.

This happened to me early in my fishless cycling, and I noticed a definite set back in my cycle when I replaced the cartridge. So I don't use them anymore (unless needing to filter meds out of the water). I always replace carbon with a sponge or pellets instead.

 

[Yanks15]

I have Aqua Clear HOB's so they come with a carbon bag separate from the sponge and media. I left them in there without thinking about it. I should have saved them for when I needed them. I have since taken them out because they are pretty useless now anyway. I saw no decline in my water stats when I did pull them out and I replaced them with more sponges to help seed more tanks later. I had filters like you describe years ago and I would just cut the cartridge open and dump out the carbon after the first week in and leave it in there like a sponge.


Thanks,
Steve

 

[PMS Woody]

Mine was the bag of Carbon. Harmful to cycle or not it likely won't help so I'll keep it out just in case. I'll like replace with some more ceramics.

About the algae bloom. Should I try to act on it now or wait until I'm cycled? I haven't got any evidence of nitrite yet but I imagine when I check tonight (in 5 hours) my ammonia should be close to 0.

 

[Gvilleguy]

As far as I have seen on this forum over two years, the level of algae in the tank does not really matter for cycling. When my tank clouded up during my fishless cycle I water changed it just because it bothered me to not have it clear! But I think I could have just left it.