My Fishless Cycle (Add And Wait Method)

[LondonguyJ]

My nitrite is now readable

It's the highest it can be according to my measuring chart but at least it's back on the chart lol

 

[waterdrop]

 

[LondonguyJ]

As it's the weekend I conducted a 12 hour test on ammonia to check if the A-bacs are still processing within 12 hours, which they are

I also conducted 12 hour nitrite test. The results were back to being off the chart but have just tested again (24 hour slot) and that have dropped back to 3.3 which is where they have been for the past 3 days. Not quite sure what this means but I'll try and delve a little deeper tomorrow as I'm heading out tonight and am already late

 

[BethK]

Sounds like it's going well

 

[LondonguyJ]

Fingers crossed that my PH does not drop any lower

 

[LondonguyJ]

It took 5 days for my Ammonia to go from being of the chart to readable. Which I interpreted as meaning I have some N-Bacs present. Yet there has been no growth since. And by that I mean...

Since the ammonia/nitrite is raised every 24 hours, the N-Bacs only seem to process enough nitrite to make my readings readable aka not off the chart but don't seem to be building sufficient numbers to drop the count to 0pmm

Has my cycle stalled or should I have more patience?

 

[the biffster]

Patience's is a virtue give it time you'll
see it will all work out

 

[LondonguyJ]

Have never been so nervous taking a test and simply could not wait to see how my a-bacs were doing. Will conduct some another set of nitrite tests at the 24hour slot

 

[PDSimon]

Good, glad things have gone well.

 

[LondonguyJ]

My nitrite has dropped to less than 0.1

0.1 is the lowest on my chart and I took 4 tests trying to classify it but it has the lightest and I mean lightest touch of pink that's only visible on the surface of the tested water and even that is fainter than the chart.

I'm excited!


I wont be adding any ammonia to the tank for 24hours based on my theory of allowing the A/N-Bacs to process right down to 0 when they are on the verge as it is my belief that they become stronger once they are given the chance to process down to 0 and given a break for the first time.

I did that with the A-bacs and they have since processed everything in under 12 hours (from 5-8)

So fingers are again crossed tightly.

Your thoughts?

 

[PDSimon]

I'm not so sure about the whole leaving it thing... From looking at all the logs of cycling in here I noticed that whenever someone has left the test later, the results are better but only temporarily.

I think your method of waiting makes sense if the ammonia isn't 0 but for nitrites I don't really see its benefit... Infact 'pulsing', by adding every 24 hours once the ammonia is processed completely in 24 hours is known to speed up the process in the waste treatment world...

If you feel its working then go for it

 

[LondonguyJ]

I'm not so sure about the whole leaving it thing... From looking at all the logs of cycling in here I noticed that whenever someone has left the test later, the results are better but only temporarily.

I think your method of waiting makes sense if the ammonia isn't 0 but for nitrites I don't really see its benefit... Infact 'pulsing', by adding every 24 hours once the ammonia is processed completely in 24 hours is known to speed up the process in the waste treatment world...

If you feel its working then go for it

Thanks for the heads up Si

I only intended on leaving the n-bacs longer than 24 hours once. I came up with this idea by reading logs on several other forums and think it'll create a stronger colony.

If my theory is right then my N-bacs from tonight should (like my a-bacs) be able to process the nitrite down to 0 in 12 hours or less. I mentioned this theory on livebirds log but it got taken the wrong way

 

[PDSimon]

It wasn't that it got taken the wrong way he just couldn't see the benefit

 

[LondonguyJ]

It wasn't that it got taken the wrong way he just couldn't see the benefit

I guess

But alls well that ends well

Which is why we all go through this cycle thingamijig.

We just want to keep fish

 

[waterdrop]

Its actually kind of an interesting thought, that of getting them down to true zero and then giving them a consistent little "starvation period," even if it was a little longer than 24 hours since the last pulse. There's no reason of course that our bacteria want to obey some 24 hour clock, that's just us!

WD