Luke4868 - Fishless Cycle Log

[luke4868]

Hi Guys

Figured I'd post my tank record as not much seems to be happening.

I think I overdosed at the beginning, was only meant to add 1.37ml but oh well... I figured it would have dropped a little by now, today it's hard to tell, looks a little lighter than normal but couldn't say if it was at 4ppm or 6ppm

Edit: Tanks is a Fluval Edge 26l

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Luke, I don't think you need to be measuring nitrite or nitrate yet, your only concern at the present is whether that initial dose of ammonia drops or not. It's not at all unusual for it to take two weeks or even three before the first dose of ammonia drops but then it usually goes fairly quickly and there begins to be a daily need to dose ammonia (at the add-hour, near the same time each day.)

Your pH of 7.6 is probably ok but if you want to tweek things a bit you might consider adding a little baking soda (pure baking soda from the kitchen, sodium bicarbonate, not baking powder.) You'll have to calculate the dose based on your tank volume and my formula of 2 teaspoons per 50L. This should bring your pH up closer to the ideal range of 8.0 to 8.4 where our two species grow faster. Using this one extra chemical is no problem because it just goes back out when we do our big water changes after fishless cycling and before getting the first fish.

Once you start to see your ammonia dropping significantly then it's time to take a peek at nitrite(NO2) and again begin updating that in your log. (nice log by the way.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[luke4868]

Thanks Waterdrop

Yeah, I just did another test and Ammonia seems to be reporting about 4ppm now instead, and both NitrAte and NitrIte has gone up, so maybe something has started to happen all of a sudden, will see again tomorrow, and yeah I get a bit carried away with spreadsheets sometimes...especially after spending all day at work with them.

 

[Skins]

Thanks Waterdrop

Yeah, I just did another test and Ammonia seems to be reporting about 4ppm now instead, and both NitrAte and NitrIte has gone up, so maybe something has started to happen all of a sudden, will see again tomorrow, and yeah I get a bit carried away with spreadsheets sometimes...especially after spending all day at work with them.

Your cycle looks to have started

Keith.

 

[luke4868]

Getting better, about time

I also noticed it's been much better since more oxygen was getting to the tank, the filter is making a lot of bubbles at the moment as water level had dropped, so think i'll keep it that way while it cycles.

 

[Skins]

Getting better, about time

I also noticed it's been much better since more oxygen was getting to the tank, the filter is making a lot of bubbles at the moment as water level had dropped, so think i'll keep it that way while it cycles.

Looking good Luke

Keith.

 

[luke4868]

Here is the last few days results

What should I expect next in the cycle, a drop in NitrAtes?

 

[Skins]

Here is the last few days results

What should I expect next in the cycle, a drop in NitrAtes?

Your nitrAtes will only drop when you perform a water change. How much h/h ammonia(ppm)are you adding?

Keith.

 

[Skins]

Sorry Luke just noticed you are dosing to 5ppm, when you are at the nitrIte spike stage of your cycle you want to lower your h/h ammonia dose to 2/3ppm every 24hrs. When your nitrItes get to 0ppm then you can increase your h/h ammonia dose back up to 4/5ppm.

Keith.

 

[luke4868]

Sorry Luke just noticed you are dosing to 5ppm, when you are at the nitrIte spike stage of your cycle you want to lower your h/h ammonia dose to 2/3ppm every 24hrs. When your nitrItes get to 0ppm then you can increase your h/h ammonia dose back up to 4/5ppm.

Keith.

Thanks Keith, knew there was somewhere when I was meant to drop it, added to 5ppm earlier, so will go lower from now

 

[Gazanimal]

Looks like you're at a similar point as me Luke.

Sky high Nitrites & Nitrates.

Hope mine start to drop soon too.

 

[OldMan47]

A single dosing to 5 ppm will be no problem. People like WD and I are the only ones really encouraging the lower doses of ammonia during a nitrite spike. Conventional "wisdom" is that you always dose to about 5 ppm of ammonia until the end. We are trying to finesse things a bit with the 2 ppm dose suggestion but using 5 ppm at all stages will get you there just fine.

 

[Skins]

My understanding of lowering the h/h ammonia dose in stage 2 of the cycle was to prevent nitrate levels getting to high so that a water change or the introduction of sodium bicarbonate is not required. Yes, by the end of stage three you may well have performed a water change or added bicarb to correct pH levels but maybe one less water change and a lot less bicarb debri to clear up at the end of the cycle must be of benefit.

Keith.

 

[luke4868]

A single dosing to 5 ppm will be no problem. People like WD and I are the only ones really encouraging the lower doses of ammonia during a nitrite spike. Conventional "wisdom" is that you always dose to about 5 ppm of ammonia until the end. We are trying to finesse things a bit with the 2 ppm dose suggestion but using 5 ppm at all stages will get you there just fine.

Thanks for the head's up, but yeah I'll do it the 2ppm way through this stage, seems the general positive way to go about it.

 

[OldMan47]

It helps in a rare situation Skins but the drop in ammonia is really only a small finesse, it is not the essence of doing things right. Doing things right amounts to keeping the ammonia levels high enough, whether 2 ppm or 5 ppm, to encourage the on going growth of N-bacs to finish out the cycle. In the rare event that a tank starts out low in KH, the lower ammonia value can indeed help you avoid doing a water change or two, but that is not a big problem either way.