Newbie Fishless Cycle Diary..help Pls!

[danaka47]

Yesterday:

Ammonia...4
PH............7

Didnt test anything else.


Today:
Ammonia...4
PH............6.2
Nitrate......2?
Nitrite.......0

Is this OK? If so i'll post again tomorrow!!!

Thanks guys, this forum is the bomb!

 

[waterdrop]

Hi danaka47 and welcome to the beginner section!

Great that you're doing a fishless cycle! Unfortunately, if your pH reading is correct, you've already dropped enough to stall the growth of the bacteria. The first thing to try will be a large water change with conditioner. I'm sure some of the members will come along and go through the other normal questions with you. We'd like to know your test kit and various other basic facts about your equipment and your cycle.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[danaka47]

Thanks Waterdrop. Will do a water change in a little while. As for Kit etc:
Tank is 48l

water temp at 29*C

Using the API water test kit to do the tests. Got no live plants in the water at the mo either


What sort of water percentage change should i do? 50%? I have got the tap safe stuff to put in so that should be ok?

Only got ammonia yesterday so started cycle aout 24 hours ago

Does that cover everything?

Thanks

 

[danaka47]

Results after 50% water change:

PH 7.4 & Ammonia about 1.5


Should i get the Ammonia level back up??

Thanks

Dan

 

[fatheadminnow]

Results after 50% water change:

PH 7.4 & Ammonia about 1.5


Should i get the Ammonia level back up??

Thanks

Dan

Good to see that your pH is back up.

You should also get a KH test kit to test your KH.

Wait until the Ammonia has dropped closer to zero before adding it back up to 5 ppm.

Looking good so far!

-FHM

 

[danaka47]

Thanks for that FHM. I had already added some Ammonia as nobody had responded, but i didnt add a lot. Will test in an hour, i only added enough for it to reach around 3 anyway. Erring on the side of caution!! Sorry for being dim, whats KH is it Nitrate? Will test that as well in about an hour.

Dan the man

 

[fatheadminnow]

KH is your hardness of your water, which has an effect on your pH.

The only reason why i asked is because your pH dropped.

If your KH is low, say around 1,2 or 3, than your pH is going to be more prone to fluctuate, like in your situation when your pH dropped down to 6.2.

If you KH is higher, your pH is going to stay in one spot more and not jump around.

-FHM

 

[danaka47]

Just tested;
Ammonia 3


So i'll leave the Ammonia alone until it drops below 1 and just monitor the Ph to make sure it says high enough.

Checked but didnt have a KH test, but next time i'm out will pick one up. Got a feeling the water is quite hard here though (comes out the tap quite cloudy). Whether that gives a good impression or not i dont know.

Will ping back on here tomorrow with next test results.

Thanks for all your help guys

Dan

 

[danaka47]

Daily update:

Ammonia 3 still
PH 7.2

No change but its early days yet!!

 

[fatheadminnow]

It can take up to two weeks before you see a significant drop in Ammonia.

So your looking good!

-FHM

 

[danaka47]

Patience is a virtue! TBH i'm finding his bit quite exciting, waiting for the drop, at least once it dont i can feel proud of the achievement. And the best thing; my fish will start there new lives in the best living conditions possible for them!!

 

[kbekll]

if your oh is dropping like that it will stall again and you will end up with a long cycle time

i think the ph for the best bacteria growth is arround 8.5 (some one did mention it on here befor) so use a bit of bicarbonate of soda to get the ph up should add abit of kh to your water and give a bit of buffering for the cycle i think it is best to add a teaspoon full at a time mixed in some tank water just keep an eye on the ph

 

[waterdrop]

You're probably right that the KH is probably low and the pH will drop again but I always like to suggest that people first try a water change or two (even in fishless cycling where water changes are generally not desirable) just because sometimes the brand new tank setup might be contributing a little extra drop and it would be nice to get away without bothering with the baking soda if possible. Its correct that a pH of between 8.0 and 8.4 was reported by Hovanec from his lab work as being optimal for fastest growth of these two species.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[danaka47]

Ok guys, thought i would post my results to date, and make sure all is well.

4/5/09
Ph................7
Ammonia......0
Nitrate..........0
Nitrite...........0


5/5/09 Added Ammonia
Ph................
Ammonia......4
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

6/5/09
Ph................6.4
Ammonia......4
Nitrate..........2?
Nitrite...........0

6/5/09 50% water change
Ph................7.4
Ammonia......3
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

7/5/09
Ph................7.1
Ammonia......3
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

9/5/09
Ph................6.4
Ammonia......2
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

9/5/09 50% water change
Ph................7.6
Ammonia......1.5
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

16/5/09 (was away for a while unfortunately)
Ph................7.6
Ammonia......3
Nitrate..........2
Nitrite...........

17/5/09
Ph................6.4
Ammonia......2
Nitrate..........2?
Nitrite...........

17/5/09 50 % water change (after these results I topped up Ammonia)
Ph................7.6
Ammonia......0.75
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

18/5/09
Ph................6.8
Ammonia......1.5
Nitrate..........2?
Nitrite...........

18/5/09 30% water change
Ph................7.2
Ammonia......1.5
Nitrate..........
Nitrite...........

I have now topped back up the Ammonia. It seems that the only drop in Ammonia i am getting is through water changes. I am currently testing at 24hr intervals. Am I going about this the right way? Should i add Bicarbonate of Soda to stabilise the water Ph? Or do I just need to stay patient?

Thanks

 

[OldMan47]

It looks like you are starting to process some of the ammonia now but your pH is dropping pretty darned fast. In a 12 gallon tank like that I would try 1/2 teaspoon or even a little less sodium bicarbonate (bicarbonate of soda, baking soda) to help stabilize the pH. You might get away with using more but, like you, I like to do things a bit conservative at first.