My Fishless Cycle Diary

[Neil Peter]

DIARY UPDATED - 26/02/12

Day 1 - Old tank but new media - 125 ltr roma, external 205 fluval, airpump and stone, heater. 20 kgs of washed black sand, 6 plants, turned temp up to 35 but the water temp is probably even higher and I think this is why its cycling very quickly

Day 2 -

Day 3 - 7ml of ammonia

Day 4 - Orginal PH 6.8, tank PH 7.6 > (i think the sand casued this rise) Ammonia 4ppm

Day 5 - Ammonia 2pmm

Day 6 - Ammonia 1pm, Nitrite 0.25ppm

Day 7 - Added 2 more plants and bogwood, Ammonia 0.25ppm, Nitrite 2ppm, added 5ml of Ammonia

Day 8 - Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 2 ppm, Nitrate 20ppm added 5ml of Ammonia
Day 8 evening - Ammonia .05ppm added another 5mml of Ammonia

Day 9 - (22/2/12) Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 2ppm, Nitrate 80ppm

Day 10 - Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 2ppm, Nitrate 40ppm +10ml Ammonia

Day 11 - Ammonia 0.25ppm, Nitrite 5ppm, Nitrate 80ppm +10ml Ammonia

Day 12 - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0.5ppm, Nitrate 5ppm + 10ml Ammonia; gave the tank a scrub as was looking a bit dirty and had a slight foam scum on top but didnt change water. Seems like the Ammonia is cycling fine and Nitrites are coming down and also the Nitrates! Which I only though would happen with water changes...also killing snails as they appear (5 or 6 so far !


Neil

 

[Xraymark]

Redose as you need to keep feeding your bacteria. Only redose to 2-3ppm.

 

[rousell]

How come your cycle is going so fast? Did you say it was new media?

 

[littlenemo]

add more ammonia as you need to feed it to turn it into nitrites which will rise and when ammonia and nitrites drop to 0 in 12 hours or less do a big water change to bring nitrate down and your done

 

[rousell]

Are you doing a fishless cycle? I'm on day 12 and still having no ammonia drop. What's your secret ?? Lol

 

[littlenemo]

mine was cycleing for 6 weeks took a week for it to drop from 4 to 0 then about 4 day and stayed at 4 days for a while nitrites stayed purple high api test for over a month then lit over night they both dropped to 0 did that for a week then did massive water change to bring nitrate down to about 20 to 40ppm. then add fish. i had heat on 30 added plants to speed up but people say dont but hey did no harm.

 

[rousell]

I can't get my head around why yours has taken a week for your initial ammonia dose to come down and mines still stuck at the same after 12 days. I think I've just got to be patient!!!

 

[Neil Peter]

OK I added 10ml of Ammonia and just spotted a snail This is a reason why I started a new tank (and others) as I couldnt get rid of my trumpet snails - We will wait to see what this little fella grows into - I dont wash the plants

Its a fishless cycle and all the media is new - Why is it going so fast? Hmmmm the tank is probably hotter than 30, I think the plants help but I dont really know?!?

I was expecting a 6 week wait but the Nitrites are going up, so, some way off the double zero yet...

Will test again tomorrow

Neil

 

[Neil Peter]

UPDATED