Greenville Guy's Quarantine Tank Fishless Cycle

[Gvilleguy]

 

[Gvilleguy]

Um......riddle me my updated stats now. I have 1 ppm ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 5.00 ppm nitrate. The last time I tested nitrates was at the start of putting the new filter in, and it was measuring zero then.

If that is accurate, the only guess I have is that there were enough mature nitrite-processing bacteria in the mature media I transferred to keep up with the ammonia being processed, but not quite enough ammonia-processing bacteria. I guess every cycle is different.

 

[waterdrop]

Yeah, and you have to realize that there are usually some N-Bacs in there right from the start who will be steadily putting out some nitrates, regardless of whatever big up and down things you are seeing with your nitrite testing. --wd--

 

[Gvilleguy]

Nitrates going up with nitrites still zero. Waiting for ammonia to get processed more quickly. Making progress.

 

[waterdrop]

 

[Gvilleguy]

Now we're getting somewhere after 26 days! Ammonia processed to zero within 48 hours...nitrites finally spiking, along with nitrates.

 

[fluttermoth]

Yay!

 

[waterdrop]

Good to hear it GVG!

 

[Gvilleguy]

You know, no matter how many times I suggest that other forum members be PATIENT during their fishless cycles, it sure is hard to be patient during a fishless cycle!! My first tank took 70 days to cycle, and I thought that this tiny 5 gallon tank, with mature media transferred to it, would cycle in a couple of weeks. But WD was right, it took its time. Looks like a 33 day cycle on this go around.

Ammonia has been processing to zero within 12 hours for a week now, and this morning I just got my first reading of zero on the nitrites, with a nice spike on nitrates to match it. So now I'll go for a week and see if it remains stable. I'm having ammonia issues in my possibly overstocked main tank, so I see some Neon Tetras getting moved into this little tank, at least temporarily until my main tank issues get fixed.

GVG

 

[Skins]

Fingers crossed for 7 days of double zeros.
Your not on your own, my aquarium is taking forever to cycle.

Skins.

 

[waterdrop]

You and I have had such a similar experience! Really sounds very much like the kind of timings I had just north of you in the Carolinas.

WD

 

[Gvilleguy]

You and I have had such a similar experience! Really sounds very much like the kind of timings I had just north of you in the Carolinas.

WD

Funny how that continues to happen! I'll just hit you up when I do new things so I know what to expect.

GVG