Just Curious

[LionessN3cubs]

Was thinking this morning about the fishless cycling process ....


Why is it that we start out with higher doses of ammonia...instead of building up to a certain amount?

I had tested the tank last night before bed and it hadn't changed (6 days into cycle) so this morning when I got up, I just did a 25% change of the water (think I added a bit too much ammonia). Decided to test new parameters and low and behold there had apparently been a change over night...I had nitrite reading. Not much, but a little bit.

So my parameters look like this

ammonia -2
nitrite-between 0 and .25. As in, instead of robin egg blue (greenish tint) it was definitive blue
ph 7.6

so Im thinking, what difference would it make if I didnt top the ammonia back up quite so high every time. Its 2 right now, when it gets to 0, what if I make it 3ish. Then the next time make it 4ish? The way it sorta happens when we add to stockings kwim?

Im sure someone has asked in the past but I couldnt find it on the old threads. I mean I know its okay to do it that way...Im just wondering why its posted to start out with the larger amounts?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

it's absolutely fine to do that and build up slowly to 5ppm, the reason we just stick to 5ppm right from the start is basically because it's easy. when you first hear about fishless cycling the whole process can seem very daunting and confusing if you start throwing in different levels of ammonia as well it gets too confusing, it's just easier to stick at 5ppm from the start really.

 

[LionessN3cubs]

it's absolutely fine to do that and build up slowly to 5ppm, the reason we just stick to 5ppm right from the start is basically because it's easy. when you first hear about fishless cycling the whole process can seem very daunting and confusing if you start throwing in different levels of ammonia as well it gets too confusing, it's just easier to stick at 5ppm from the start really.

Thanks Miss wiggles....that makes total sense. Last year when I was learning the first time and completing the first cycle, I was too unsure to even question the amounts of ways of doing things LOL I just followed the guide.

I am SUPER happy that this is happening MUCH quicker this time than it did last time at least. hopefully I wont be in for another 3 month haul like the last time took. Im actually sorta shocked it took as long as it did since I kept the spongefilter in from the last cycle..thats MUCH bigger than the media that I changed out of the filter.

 

[Bobtastic]

If you have an already established tank you can transfer some filter media across to your new filter to speed thinks up even more. If you don't want remove the media you could clean it in a bucket of water from the established tank and pour it into the new one (just as long as you know it's clear of any problems). That way you can introduce some of the good bacteria into the new filter and get the process going much faster.

 

[LionessN3cubs]

If you have an already established tank you can transfer some filter media across to your new filter to speed thinks up even more. If you don't want remove the media you could clean it in a bucket of water from the established tank and pour it into the new one (just as long as you know it's clear of any problems). That way you can introduce some of the good bacteria into the new filter and get the process going much faster.

Thats why Im so shocked that it took as long as it did. I had a mature filter but the it had a hard plastic backing on it so it didnt clean up well. I cut the material part off of it and stuck it to the new filter. PLUS I already had a sponge filter in the tank from my established cycle. I think why it took so long was because for a month before doing this, I only had 1 fish in the established tank, so not much bacteria were present. All good now tho

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, agree with MW up above. In a number of threads where people have asked RDD things, I think I remember him saying from time to time that one of the things he was going for in that article was simplicity. There had been quite a number of articles on fishless cycling on other web sites that people had been turning to but I think a number of them got off on more sciency tracks. I think he walked a pretty good line.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

The bacteria that you are multiplying in the new tank started out being only enough for one fish as you said. That will make things go slower than if that media came from a tank with 20 fish in it. That is a perceptive way of looking at things. I really think you are starting to understand beyond just repeating what you read from others. Congratulations, that can feel like a big step forward Lioness.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yup, good write-ups by all of the above.

Also, 5 ppm of ammonia added to the tank is going to build up enough Autotrophic bacteria in our filters to process the "bio-load" of a fully stocked tank.

That is why after a fishless cycle is completed, you can pretty much add fish up to your full stocking limit without having an Ammonia or NitrIte spike.

-FHM

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Yup, good write-ups by all of the above.

Also, 5 ppm of ammonia added to the tank is going to build up enough Autotrophic bacteria in our filters to process the "bio-load" of a fully stocked tank.

That is why after a fishless cycle is completed, you can pretty much add fish up to your full stocking limit without having an Ammonia or NitrIte spike.

-FHM

aww I wasn't knocking the write ups or the methods or anything! I was really just curious!

 

[LionessN3cubs]

Yup, good write-ups by all of the above.

Also, 5 ppm of ammonia added to the tank is going to build up enough Autotrophic bacteria in our filters to process the "bio-load" of a fully stocked tank.

That is why after a fishless cycle is completed, you can pretty much add fish up to your full stocking limit without having an Ammonia or NitrIte spike.

-FHM

aww I wasn't knocking the write ups or the methods or anything! I was really just curious!