How Soon After Water Change

[Wordy]

It's interpet filterstart I think. reading this months PFK it mentions cycling in one the 100 questions answered, and it said to use commercial products.

With regards to cycling it, after a week I got the water tested and it was high in amonia. Last saturday, the amonia level had dropped and the nitrite level was quite high, I've been doing 30% water changes every other day since and am going to be testing the water tonight, obviously I won't be adding any stock until the amonia, nitrite & nitrate are at the correct level.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

well i'm always happy to eat my words if you have managed to get something that does work!

However i'm skeptical as we hear so many cases of people using these sorts of products, following the instructions to the letter, putting fish in and finding themselves in a fish in cycle.

i'd urge you to pick up a bottle of pure ammonia as well, when you think you're done according to the instructiosn on the bottle add 5ppm of ammonia to the tank and see what happens, if ammonia and nitrite are both reading 0 after 12 hrs then it's worked and you're cycled, if it's not then you may have just saved the lives of your fish!

 

[Wordy]

And I'm always happy to get advise of more expirienced people so I'll be doing that aswell.

Thanks

 

[Schmill]

I am intrigued that in the first week a test showed high ammonia, and in the second week high nitrIte.

Based on that I would guess the filter starter fluid does contain some ammonia, but perhaps not a lot. It would be very interesting if manufacturers started selling what was basically a bottle of ammonia branded as a 'filter starter'
I'm guessing it might cycle the filter with what they have, but it's probably not going to be giving a 5ppm dose, maybe something lower.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

that would be my guess too. very interested to see your results, shame you've not had a test kit to record the results every day for us cos I'd be interested to see how it's all progressed.

i think you'll find this gives your cycle a kick start so when you get to add some pure ammonia it does process it for you to an extent but perhaps not as much as a full fishless cycle would do.

 

[Wordy]

I thought everything was going ok, 7 days after I satarted the cycle, the amonia level was up, 4 days and 2 15% water changes later the amonia was down, and the nitrite level was up, I'll be testing it tonight which will be 6 days and three 30% water changes later.

I'm hoping the amonia and nitrite levels will both be 0 and the nitrate level will be what it should be, fingers crossed, but if not then I'm not in a rush.

 

[Wordy]

Ok ladies and gentlemen, the time you've all been waiting for is here!

Drum roll please.

PH 7.6
Amonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 1. ppm
Nitrate 40 ppm

Soooo I guess it's not ready yet then. Oh well no rush.

 

[Paavn]

kinda off topic, but i used the SafeStart from Tetra and in two days i was starting to get some nitrite readings, i added it the day after i fix the ammonia mess i created due to dip sticks
if you cant get you hands on some filter squeezings id say its a worthy investment its $12 for 30 gallon treatment....
im just passed the 27th day of my cycle and my ammonia is rapidly dropping, im just starting to get the nitrite spike, so im glad i didnt add fish right after using the SafeStart, its not even close to being a healthy colony of bacteria but enough for a kick start

 

[Wordy]

Oh yeah, something I forgot to add last night, I found that I'd got the filter turned off or down to the minimum setting.

I'd misread the instructions and had the venturi turned on but the filter was either off or at minimum. It's on now so fingers crossed I'll start getting results soon.