My First Ever Fishless Cycle, Please Help, With Log!

[waterdrop]

Yes, the first drop of ammonia to zero often doesn't happen for 14 days, so if you achieved it in 4 days, you are ahead of the game!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sjolliff]

Yes, the first drop of ammonia to zero often doesn't happen for 14 days, so if you achieved it in 4 days, you are ahead of the game!

~~waterdrop~~

Thanks for your advice, the PH has dropped a bit, i bought the API PH up and down kit, i want sure about changing the water while is was cycling, also my plants are turning brown? and looked like brown algae on some leafs, also there some fluffy stuff floating about

 

[waterdrop]

You don't want to use pH-up or pH-down, those add chemicals to the tank we don't recommend. When your pH gets close to 6.2 (the number at which it stalls the cycle) then its time to do a large 90% water change with gravel clean and then recharge with ammonia. Any white fluffy stuff during fishless cycling might be fungus (fungus and other strange stuff often flare up during fishless cycling but will go away and are harmless) or it might be bacterial biofilms, which are also harmless and will go away. Nothing wrong with cleaning any of these things when you do your water change if you want to. Learning plants at the same time as learning cycling and fish can be difficult for beginners, but you've got to start somewhere, so just be aware that handling plants in a new startup tank can be quite difficult unless you've had experience. Its quite common to get lots of algae in new beginner tanks because of the combination of ammonia and light. Ammonia triggers algae spores to switch to growth mode and light is the thing they need to allow them to grow and absorb the ammonia they find in the water. I'd suggest not using more than 4 hours of light at first. That would be a start.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sjolliff]

Cheers waterdrop , i leave them in the cupboard, ill just change the water if the ph goes up or down, tap water is aroung 7.0-7.2 so not too bad, just posted up todays results in the first post still no change, and im now only using the lights for a couple of hours a day till cycled, hopefully my first fish is goin to be some kind of pleco and will clean my tank up

 

[waterdrop]

Usually the only long-term direction the pH will go in during cycling is down. The ideal pH for fastest growth of the beneficial bacteria is 8.0 to 8.4, so there's no problem for you if the pH somehow goes up!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sjolliff]

JUst updated, no change at all even after 48 hours! i thought the ammonia would of gone down. also how can the ammonia go down as it has abit when there is no nitrite abd very little nitrate?

 

[waterdrop]

Remember, this is biology, not chemistry, the substances will not go neatly up and down like an equation. There are hundreds of things going on in a tank and we just taking occasional snapshot pictures of 3 or 4 things.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[sjolliff]

UPDATED ON FIRST POST
Added the mature media as per other thread been in for about 6 hours and has made no change to my results?
iv placed the ol media inside the A1 (blue cage) of the fluval U3 filter, so in order from where the water comes in is:

exsisting sponge
Old Media
carbon pad,

it was originaly sponge
carbon pad
should i have seen a change by now or does it take a while for the bacs to work in properly?

 

[waterdrop]

Let it settle in a few days

 

[sjolliff]

updated in first post!
12th day today with ammonia 17 ib full with no real drop in ammonia

i put 5ppm in 24hr later it said 3ppm but really changed since then in comparison
is this normal?

i know waterdrop said leave the media a few days to settle, but i thought 36 hours would of shown a change

could i of over stuffed the media basket with too much?

iv just bought a fluval 205 and extra media sponge,carbon, polishing pads,pre filter and biomax, im wanting to change to external due to maintenance, change of media and better filtration,

but should i change now or wait untill the final water change or owt?

another member near me is willing to donate mature media if i supply the extra foam which is fair, which would be sunday should i go through with it or wait?

 

[martinking]

I did the same with my cycle, I changed to a Fluval 205 from an internal.

Do it now whilst your cycle is so young! Im on day 97 now!

Basically put all of your media from your old filter into the baskets of the 205 and top whatever is left with biomax, you dont need the carbon in until you are trying to remove medication from the water, take it out and try a water polishing pad in there instead.

Ideally you will want tray 1 (lowest) with biomax and your old sponges resting on top.
Tray 2 (Middle) with another layer of BioMax
Tray 3 (Top) with a Water Polishing Pad

and obviously you need the 4 sponges on the other side.

It will delay your cycle slightly but it wont make a difference at this point. But it will make a big difference if you wait for the end of the cycle, you dont want to disturb the cycle at that point!

Hope this helps!

Martin

 

[sjolliff]

Cheers martin just updated no change!
iv fitted the 205 tonight but the guide said to put bioman in the top tray?
so from the bottom, at the min is empty but 2moz will have pre filter in, polishing pad, but not till 2moz, them biomax,
iv put my old foam and biomax in

 

[sjolliff]

Just updated, my PH has gone up to 7.8, since adding my new fluval 205
also seeing quite abit of green algae on glass, no more brown since adjusting my light.
also loads of white little stringy things stuck to glass and floating aroung?

 

[waterdrop]

Those are probably Planaria, harmless, will go away.

 

[sjolliff]

Those are probably Planaria, harmless, will go away.

hi this is his other half just looked up planaria and these in the tank are not worm shaped more little bug shaped could they be a sand flea as this is what is in the bottom of the tank.and if so are they harmless