New Tank - Pictures And Fishless Cycle Diary

[gogfumble]

I finally got round to setting up my tank on Wednesday and started the cycle process on Friday. I have decided to do the add and wait fishless cycle - seems a lot easier.

Tank setup -

Fluval Roma 200 (100x44x55.5)
Gravel substrate
Fluval U4 Internal Filter and heater (I am considering getting an external filter but will see how I go with this first)

I have already planted the tank with real plants to hopefully give them chance to establish before adding fish.

Using API Master test kit.


May 29th - 12pm - (Tap Water before any Ammonia added)
Ammonia - 0.2 ppm
PH - 7.2 ppm
NitrIte - 0 ppm
NitrAte - 5 ppm

(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

May 30th - 1pm
Ammonia - 3 ppm
PH - 7.6 ppm
NitrIte - 0.25 ppm
NitrAte - 10 ppm

May 31st - 11:30am
Having family over for lunch so had to do it slightly early:
Ammonia - 2 ppm
NitrItes - <0.25 (lighter colour than yesterday but not quite 0)

June 1st - 11am
Ammonia - Between 1 and 2 ppm - not dark enough to be 2, too dark for 1.
PH - 7.6
NitrIte - 1ppm
NitrAte - 10ppm

June 2nd - 11am
No change

June 3rd - 11am
Ammonia - 0.50
NitIites - +5.9 (drops turned purple as soon as they hit the water in the test tube)
PH - 8
NitrAtes - not taken

June 4th - 11am
Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrItes - 5.9ppm (It didn't immediately turn purple like yesterday and wasn't as dark)
PH - 7.8-8
NitrAtes - 40

(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

June 5th - 11am
Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrItes - +5.9 (drops turned purple as soon as they hit the water in the test tube)
PH - <7.6 (not as dark as 7.6 but not quite the next colour down the chart)
NitrAtes - 20>40


(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

June 6th - 11am
Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrIte - Of the charts again

(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

June 7th - 11am

I was away Saturday afternoon until Monday afternoon so left instructions with my mum to test Ammonia on Sunday and if it was 0ppm to put in the ammonia I had measured out for her. It was 0ppm so she added the ammonia.

June 8th - 11am

Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrIte - Off the charts again
PH - 7.2
NitrAte - 40

(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

June 9th
- 11am

Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrIte - A bit unsure about this one. When I added the drops they first went blue, then immediately purple before I even got chance to shake the tube. After 5 minutes though the colour was around the 1.0ppm. Will wait and see what it reads as tomorrow.

(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

June 10th - 11am

Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrIte - Off the charts still

(8ml Ammonia added to top up Ammonia to 5ppm)

June 11th - 11am
Ammonia - 2
NitrIte - didn't go off the charts! - 0.50
PH - 8

June 12th - 11am

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - Off the charts AGAIN!

Topped ammonia back up to 5ppm.


June 13th - 11am

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - Off the charts AGAIN!

Topped ammonia back up to 5ppm.

Piccies -

Wednesday 27th May - Left side of tank before water and plants added:

Right Side before water and plants:

Plants and water added, quite murky but I was confident it would clear up:

Friday 29th May - Tank all cleared up and looking lovely (coconut shells on top will have gravel stuck on them and put in for cavesas per a thread I saw in the DIY section):

Right side with Java moss tied on to the wood:

Left Side:

Any hints, tips and advice will be great and please tell me if I am doing anything wrong or you want more info.

This is all quite fun.

 

[OldMan47]

The overall effect of your decoration is looking good.

I think you will find that the plant with the light, almost white, leaf edges is a terrestrial plant.

 

[degsod]

The overall effect of your decoration is looking good.

I think you will find that the plant with the light, almost white, leaf edges is a terrestrial plant.

It is, I have one in my tank, it has been there for about 3 months, only found out last week it was not aquatic. I have decided to leave mine in as it is growing and not showing any signs of rotting. As soon as it does, out it comes.

Oh, nice tank by the way

 

[gogfumble]

We had already wondered about that plant. Which is a shame as I really like it.

We have a pond out in the back garden though, with a spare pot that needs something in it (the plant itself would be above water as the top of the pot is surface level) so I might out it in that instead.

Will see how it goes though, I have some more plants coming next week so I will no doubt be re-arranging them all to fit the new ones in.

 

[degsod]

We had already wondered about that plant. Which is a shame as I really like it.

We have a pond out in the back garden though, with a spare pot that needs something in it (the plant itself would be above water as the top of the pot is surface level) so I might out it in that instead.

Will see how it goes though, I have some more plants coming next week so I will no doubt be re-arranging them all to fit the new ones in.

Great, keep posting you stats

 

[waterdrop]

I wonder if those green and white ones like to grow partially submerged or completely out of water?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[degsod]

I wonder if those green and white ones like to grow partially submerged or completely out of water?

~~waterdrop~~

I think they are a bog plant

 

[gogfumble]

The rest of my plants arrived today so have had a big replant of the tank. One of the original plants looked a bit sorry for itself but generally the rest are coming on fine, a lot of them have much longer roots that when I planted them last week which is a good sign.

The variegated plant is still in the tank and that has grown roots too. Still undecided if I am going to leave it in or take it out as I really like it.

Anyway, new pics will follow once I find my camera.

 

[gogfumble]

Right, just want to clarify something.

I topped my ammonia back up to 5ppm yesterday and today it is back down to 0.

So I take it I top it back up to 5ppm again, even though it is only 24 hours after I did it last?

How is my cycle looking to all you experts at the moment? Is it what you expect?

 

[Bungy]

Right, just want to clarify something.

I topped my ammonia back up to 5ppm yesterday and today it is back down to 0.

So I take it I top it back up to 5ppm again, even though it is only 24 hours after I did it last?

How is my cycle looking to all you experts at the moment? Is it what you expect?

Im a bit concerned that you are only adding ammonia to 5ppm - this should be 50ppm to replicate a full bio-load of fish.

I have cycled all my tanks in this way (I have 17) using a "squeeze" from a previously cycled filter to kick start the process - adding 50ppm ammonia. After 4 days the ammonia drops to 0 and you should add more ammonia to 50ppm. A couple of days will pass and certainly by day 5 or 6 you will see a massive Nitrite spike. Keep testing and topping up ammonia to 50ppm every time it drops to 0. Dont worrey about Nitrite levels at this point - just keep monitoring and topping up with ammonia. By day 8 you should be cycling 50ppm ammonia every 24 hours to 0ppm. and Nitrite should start to drop - by day 10 you will be cycling a full 50ppm every 24 hours and nitrite also on 0. Keep going until day 12 then do a massive water change (90%) - top up with heated, de-chlorinated tap water and add your full tank of fish. Air bubbles in the tank will clear after a couple of days.

Best of luck

Bungy

 

[gogfumble]

50ppm?

I have been going by the add and wait method as detailed in the beginners resource section which says (and I quote):

First add your ammonia to raise the level to 4 to 5 ppm (see ammonia calculator here at bottom of page). Now you simply wait on the ammonia to drop back to around 1 ppm. Spend the time researching the fish you like and see if they are compatible with each other, with your tap pH, tank size, etc. ...

...When the ammonia drops back to about near zero (usually takes about a week), add enough to raise it back to about 3 to 4 ppm and begin testing the nitrite daily.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, not sure where the 50ppm is coming from. Perhaps BTT would care to comment...

 

[ellena]

No, you're right with 5ppm. 50ppm?! You'd get through gallons of ammonia!

 

[OldMan47]

Anything over 8 ppm will encourage the wrong bacteria to grow. Your dose up to 5 ppm or even to 4 ppm is on target to get the right bacteria established for you cycle. Once a day is often enough to dose back to 5 ppm even if the ammonia is being processed in as little as 8 hours. At this point in the process you are maintaining, not growing, the ammonia processors. You are trying to increase the bacteria that process nitrites because the ammonia processors already have an adequate population.

 

[Bungy]

My sincere apologies folks, I checked my test kit and was thinking of the NitrAte level chart which deals in multiples of 10ppm etc.

Indeed it is 5ppm and NOT 50ppm as I had mistakenly quoted earlier - cant think why I made that mistake as I run a large fish house and have cycled numerous new tanks using this method - I can cycle in as little as 10 days by the way but normally carry on for 15.

Good luck folks.

Bungy