My Fishless Cycle (Add And Wait Method)

[LondonguyJ]

After reading a multitude of methods on different forums/blogs his (to me) seemed like the most clearly thought out and simplistic. So I signed up and have been learning a little with each thread posted ever since.

I started my cycle on Sunday 16.05.10 The test kit I am using is Nurafin and my water parameters before the cycle are as follows. Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 Nitrate 5

Using the calculator I added 6.4ml of ammonia. However, this only raised the ammonia count to 2.4 so I added another 4ml which raised the count to 4.9

My aquarium is a juwel 125L the temperature of which has been consistent and remains at 27°C

My ammonia readings to date are

Day 1 - 4.9
Day 2 - 2.4
Day 4 - 2.4
Day 5 - 2.4
Day 7 - 2.4 (clumps)
Day 8 - 2.4
Day 9 - 2.4 (clumps)
Day 10 - 2.4
Day 11 - 2.4 Nitrite: 1.6
Day 12 - 0.6
Day 12 (10 hours later) 0.0
Day 12 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 13 - ammonia 0 - raised to 3ppm
Day 14 (12 hours later) Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: Off the chart Nitrate: Off the chart Ammonia will be raised to 5ppm at 10pm
Day 15 - ammonia 0 (down from 4.9ppm in 12 hours)
Note: As A-Bacs are consistently processing varying amounts of ammonia within 12 hours I'm going back to 24hr tests
Day 16 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: Off the chart - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 17 - Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: Off the chart - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 18 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: Off the chart - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 19 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3 PH: 7.5 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 20 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3 PH: 7.5 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 21 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3 PH: 7.5 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 22 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 23 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 24 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3 PH: 7.0 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 25 - Nothing tested & No Ammonia added
Day 26 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3- ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 27 - (8 hours later) ammonia: 0 (24 hour slot/test) Nitrite: 3.3 PH: 7.0 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 28 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 3.3- ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 29 - Ph 6.0 100% water change ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 30 - (8 hours later) ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 1.6 PH: 7.5 (24 hour slot) Nitrite less than 0.1 *No ammonia added*
Day 31 - (9 hours later) Nitrite: 0 (24 hour slot) ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 32 - (10 hours later) ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 1.6 (12 hours later) Nitrite: 1.6 (24 hour slot) Nitrite less than 0.1 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 33 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 34 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 35 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 PH: 7.5 No ammonia added
Day 36 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 37 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 PH: 7.5 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 38 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 PH: 7.5 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 39 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 PH: 7.5 - ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 40 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 41 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 42 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 PH: 7.5 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 43 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 44 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 45 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 PH: 7.5 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 46 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ph 7.0 100% water change Temp: 24.8C ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 47 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 48 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 49 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 PH 7.5 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 50 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 51 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 3ppm
Day 52 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ph 8.0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 53 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 54 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ph 7.5 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 55 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ph 7.5 borderline 7.0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 56 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ph 7.0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 57 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Ph borderline 7.0 100% water change ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 58 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 57 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 58 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 59 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 60 - ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 61 - Ph Collapsed, 100% water change
Day 62 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 63 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 64 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 65 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 66 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 67 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 68 - *12 hour test* ammonia: 0 Nitrate: 0.1 *24 hour mark* ammonia raised to 5ppm
Day 69 - 100% water change no ammonia added


Day 70 *FISH DAY*
Testing daily for the next 14 days/two weeks to monitor for spikes and to understand the ecology by eye (if thats possible.) My water stats from the tap are unchanged Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 Nitrate 5 Ph 8.0

Day 1 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 2 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 3 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm PH: 7.5 Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 4 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 5 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 6 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 7 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 10-20ppm 30% Water change
Day 8 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 9 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm
Day 10 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: Between 5-10ppm PH: 8.0

 

[JoshuaA]

What did your source your Ammonia from?

Did you wash all your substrate/filter material before putting it in the tank?

Is your Nitrite increased at all?

I also have the same situation, learning something new every topic that is posted!

 

[LondonguyJ]

I bought a bottle of pure ammonia from boots and haven't tested for anything else as this method (add and wait) states that I don't need to test for anything else until the ammonia drops to 1/0

Which seems to be taking forever...

 

[PDSimon]

Is that your tank in your avatar? Looks like bogwood(which may lower pH and hardness and in return slow a fishless cycle). So you might want to take it out if it is the tank you're cycling

You could test for nitrites just to see if there are any there It just offers a bit of closure that the ammonia was processed into nitrite.

Not sure why the calculator didn't work for you, worked fine for me. Are you certain on your tank measurements/volume?

 

[LondonguyJ]

I thought that the bog wood would only lower the PH if it released tannins. I bought the bog wood presoaked and have had it for a month and it hasn't stained the water. But I'll take it out as it seems a magnet for some type of grey haired algae...

My nitrates are now at 1.6 (second highest according to the nurafin chart.) I'm not quite sure how to interpret that considering the ammonia is still at 2.4.

Advice?

 

[PDSimon]

Hmm not sure on whether it is tannins that change the pH or another chemical...

Well you had a drop in ammonia right? Well they're not gunna dissappear, they have to turn into nitrites... So there you go

1ppm of ammonia = 2.7ppm of nitrites too... So if you dose 5ppm thats 13.5ppm nitrites but these will process into nitrates later on in the cycle

It's a good sign that ammonia is being converted. You don't need to test for nitrites much at this stage but its nice just to see what they're up to.

 

[JoshuaA]

You don't need to test for nitrites much at this stage but its nice just to see what they're up to.

I found in the first 10 days of my cycle Ammonia was disappearing by 1/2ppm and on checking the Nitrite there was no result suggesting that we had actually had a colony of A-Bacs processing the Ammonia. I never did find out what the issue was and why that happened however a few days after the initial disappearance of Ammonia, Nitrite was discovered for the first time in the tank!

I think its always nice to check the Nitrite, until it goes of the scale and then there really is no point until you either do a water change or wait a week or two lol.

 

[LondonguyJ]

The ammonia in my aquarium has now dropped from 2.4 to 0.6 (skipping the reading of 1.2) and is now at the second lowest reading according to my colour chart

Should I check the readings every 12 hours now?

 

[waterdrop]

Hi LondonguyJ and Welcome to TFF, I'd ease the temp on up to about 29C and I'd probably not worry about 12 hour tests until the end of the nitrite spike phase which might be a month or so away from now.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[BethK]

Good luck with the cycle x

 

[LondonguyJ]

So I'm home now and after conducting 2 ammonia tests (had to be sure ) my ammonia has dropped from 0.6 to 0

Which means I now have some A-Bacs

According to the guide I should now raise the ammonia up to around 3/4ppm and begin testing for nitrites as my invisible A-Bac pets need feeding

Hi LondonguyJ and Welcome to TFF, I'd ease the temp on up to about 29C and I'd probably not worry about 12 hour tests until the end of the nitrite spike phase which might be a month or so away from now.

~~waterdrop~~

Cheers waterdrop.

From my understanding I have to feed the A-Bacs or they'll die off. And do twelve hour tests to ensure there is some ammonia for them to feed on. Or perhaps I've misunderstood something?

Good luck with the cycle x

Thank you Beth K

I'll try and keep you posted.

 

[PDSimon]

You've misunderstoot a little. You don't need to dose ammonia constantly, one member who is currently cycling left them for a week or something and only left some fish food in there to rot to keep them going and they survived.

You don't need to test every 12 hours in this stage, for one, as soon as your ammonia drops your nitrites are going to go off the chart very soon and two, you're only waiting for ammonia and nitrite to drop within 24 hours on the first two stages of the cycle. The third stage is where the 12 hour testing comes into play because you want the ammonia and nitrite to both process within 12 hours(not 24). Even if after 12 hours everything is 0ppm, you still don't dose until your dosing time.

This has reasoning, which I can't remember right now but I'm sure waterdrop could explain if he comes back

From what you've said, it sounds like you've done a random test and found the ammonia to be 0. You still would stick to your original time of adding ammonia (mines 10-11pm so I can have a bit of a lie in in the morning for when I do the 12 hour tests in the third stage.

Hope this helps

 

[LondonguyJ]

You've misunderstoot a little. You don't need to dose ammonia constantly, one member who is currently cycling left them for a week or something and only left some fish food in there to rot to keep them going and they survived.

You don't need to test every 12 hours in this stage, for one, as soon as your ammonia drops your nitrites are going to go off the chart very soon and two, you're only waiting for ammonia and nitrite to drop within 24 hours on the first two stages of the cycle. The third stage is where the 12 hour testing comes into play because you want the ammonia and nitrite to both process within 12 hours(not 24). Even if after 12 hours everything is 0ppm, you still don't dose until your dosing time.

This has reasoning, which I can't remember right now but I'm sure waterdrop could explain if he comes back

From what you've said, it sounds like you've done a random test and found the ammonia to be 0. You still would stick to your original time of adding ammonia (mines 10-11pm so I can have a bit of a lie in in the morning for when I do the 12 hour tests in the third stage.

Hope this helps

Ok I'm very confused now.

I have read a number of add and wait fishless cycles in this section of the forum (pages 1 -3) and like the guide states they have raised the ammonia to 3/4ppm whenever the ammonia has dropped.

But your saying I shouldn't?

From my understanding I need to add the ammonia if/when the ammonia level drops to 1/0ppm This is why I asked if i should be testing the ammonia every 12 hours simply to keep track like the guide suggests.

I don't plan on changing my add and wait into an add daily cycle. Only to top up if and when necessary.

 

[PDSimon]

Well thats normally because people test daily and depending on the result, will add ammonia right after. They didn't expect you to do random tests.

Thats what happens on every other blog that I've seen on this forum anyway, and its what I'm doing on mine.

I wouldn't change it to an add daily cycle? Sorry if I didn't explain it very well. Only add ammonia when the levels are 0(or close to 0).

What will testing every 12 hours achieve at this stage? All you will know is that your ammonia is processing, but you're not meant to add it until the set time that you test everything everyday (if its 0 or close to).


You can do it how you want, it'd be interesting to see what happens but what i'm trying to explain is how all the other cycles have been that I have read

 

[LondonguyJ]

Only add ammonia when the levels are 0(or close to 0).

This is what I planed on doing.

What will testing every 12 hours achieve at this stage?

At some point it will process ammonia every 12 hours so I was planning to test to see when this happens. Also I read in someone else's thread where oldman47 said that the A-bacs need to be fed.

I'll try quote him if I come across that again.