My Fishless Cycle

[paradiddle]

Hi! so this is my first fishless cycle and id like to keep it updated here so if anything happens or i should do anything, you all know what my current situation is =)

TAP WATER

pH - 7.7
NH3 - 0.25ppm
NO2 - 0ppm
NO3 - 5ppm


DAY 1 - 12/01/13

After adding an old filter pad from my small tank (64L) and leaving it for 24 hour, my test on the fish tank as then were:
Ammonia - 0.5ppm

I then used an online calculator to test how much ammonia i would need to turn a 10L bucket of water into 4ppm ammonia
The test was accurate then i took this and applied it to my tank, calculating i needed 7.35ml of ammonia to make the water 4ppm.
I based this on a 248L tank, taking 38L for substrate plants and decorations.

I added the 7.35ml of ammonia to the tank and left it for 24hrs.

DAY 2 - 13/01/13
I tested the ammonia 24 hours after day 1 and the ammonia still reads 4ppm, so ive added nothing and will leave it until tomorrow to test.

(Should i add some Tetra Bactozyme Capsules that i have?)

 

[paradiddle]

DAY 3 - 14/01/13
I tested the ammonia levels and they read 2ppm, i calculated I needed 4.2ml of ammonia and added this to the tank.
So far all seems well!

 

[paradiddle]

[font=lucida sans unicode']DAY 4 - 15/01[/font]/1
I tested the ammonia levels and they were at 2ppm again

I added the same as yesterday, 4.2ml of ammonia.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What are your nitrite levels?

 

[paradiddle]

Also, i was told to water change 50%, so on the 15th I changed 50% water as my nitrites were 5ppm+ and nitrates were around 100ppm
after changing 50% of the water, and waiting an hour or so, my nitrites were still 5ppm and nitrates were still 100ppm...
After the water change my ammonia read around 1.5ppm, so i bumped it back to 4ppm.

DAY 5 - 15/01/13
After adding the ammonia 24 hours before, i dont know what i was expecting, the past 2 days had gone to 2ppm,
I tested the ammonia and it reads 0.25ppm!
I will leave it to go to 0ppm, and put it back to 4 and see if it can bring it to 0 in 24 hours.

Maybe i will test the nitrite tomorrow instead of every day...

 

[eaglesaquarium]

You are in the middle of the nitrite spike already?!?! That seems quite early. What did you add to the tank?

 

[paradiddle]

i have a 64L thats been running around 5 months, i added a handful of biomax rings and a filter pad straight into the filter, also i took a few coral rock from the 64L and put them in the baskets of the filter too, and then i did a good sand cleaning 10L water change and put that straight into the new tank as it was full of good and bad bacteria =)

They do say seeding the cycle takes A LOT less time.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Oh it does. I was wondering why. I am seeding a tank right now, and my nitrites were dragging behind the ammonia early on. A huge water change to bring the nitrites down, followed by lower dosing of ammonia the next day, and on day three the nitrite hit zero.


So, that's the explanation. BTW, a 50% water change is really kind of worthless in this case. If you are going to do anything, do it down to the substrate (or as close as you can easily). You will be done very soon.


Btw, the bacteria that cycle the tank don't reside in the tank water, so adding that doesn't play a big role, but there is no harm in adding that to your tank certainly. There may be other things that the old tank water can do to help the mature (not cycling) process. I'm not sure exactly what happens during the "maturation" of the tank, but a tank at 6 months old is ideal, even if its already been "cycled". I'm not sure what al is involved, but there has to be some sort of bacterial biofilm thing that happens in the tank that we haven't learned about yet.



BTW, to make the test kit last a little longer use a medicine syringe, and add 2.5ml to the test tube and dose half of the ammonia solutions. And use 3ml for the nitrite test with 3 drops. This will greatly increase the length of time for the test kits to last. You can go through a bunch of that stuff during a cycle.

 

[paradiddle]

Thanks, great tip for the testing kits xD

And im letting the ammonia go to 0, probably tomorrow as its on 0.25ppm now, and ill bump it back to 4ppm and test in 12 and 24 hrs to see whats happened.
Also, i can only change roughly 50-60% anyway before the water level a)reaches my intake pipe, and b) the outflow splashes sand everywhere, and i really dont want to leave my filter off for any time if i can help it

Please, tell me what to do over the next few days, i dont want to drag the cycle out TOO much lol

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If your nitrite spikes again, drop your ammonia dose down to 2 or 3 ppm - to let the NOBs catch up. Other than that, there isn't anything more that you need to do. Keep an eye on your pH, as the build up of nitrates might cause a pH crash, which might hurt your cycle. Other than that, you are very close.


What are your stocking plans? Your tank is so big (286L, I believe you said) - you have a ton of options. Also, if you can get 2-3ppm to turn over completely in 12 hours, you'd be able to stock lightly almost immediately.


With the 50% change issue, you might want to turn the filter off just while you "zero" the tank at the end of the cycle. (By "zero" I mean, return the tank to as close to your tap conditions as absolutely possible... that way if/when an emergency takes place, you have an nearly limitless supply of water available with little difference from your tank chemistry.) A 50% change won't bring your nitrates low enough (as you saw with the nitrites after a 50% change). And you'd have to do 3 or 4 50% water changes to get the tank water close to the tap again. I'd just go with the one 100% change and turn the filter off for a half hour or so. Its not a problem for the bacteria, as long as they stay wet (and according to some things I've read that TwoTankAmin posted, they can even handle drying out a bit). I'd do the water change about 12-24 hours before the fish are added, and the bacs will be just fine.

 

[paradiddle]

its 248L , and i plan on a tetra tank schools of 6+ of a few different tetra, and then something in a pair for the main feature.
I wont bother water changing now, i will add ammonia today as it will be pretty much 0, and then test for it to drop to 0
and if it does it within 24hrs ill try 12, if it does that, ill start dosing to 3ppm not 4 to feed it and let the nitrite drop

 

[paradiddle]

DAY 6 - 16/01/13
I tested the ammonia it was 0.25ppm, added nothing.

DAY 7 - 17/01/13
Ammonia tests read 0 - 0.1ppm
Nitrite reads 5ppm - 6ppm

What action should i take??

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The nitrite is still on the scale, so I'd hold tight and do nothing, just boost the ammonia a little lower to keep the AOBs "happy" but not to let the NOBs get overwhelmed.



Sounds like a nice tank you have in mind. Plants?

 

[paradiddle]

yeah i just dosed to 3ppm instead of 4, and tomorrow will do 2ppm if its gone to 0.
atm i have in the tank som anubias, some java moss, and some giant verallis (or how ever you spell it lol)
All plants seem to be doing fine, other than the giant verallis as for some reason the lights heated my tank to 30 degrees and it left the tips a lifeless slimy brown, so ill cut the tops off, the stems are fine =)

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Valisneria?