Newbie Fishless Cycling

[112092]

Hey guys,

This is my first fishless cycle, or indeed any cycle as it is my first tank.

Ive been cycling my tank (24" * 12" *12") for only a few days but i was suprised by my results. I was wondering whether I am on the right track and whether you guys (and gals) think my tank is cycling resonably.

Seeing as I live in Australia and Ammonia is impossible to buy as a consumer I have been using the fish flake method or 'feeding the tank'.

I have been checking the water parameters daily and also adding fish food daily ( a medium sized pinch). I have two pieces of Bogwood in the tank (which where washed throughly with boiling water until the water clear) and I have also added live plants purchased at my LFS.

On the first day my results have been:

Day One (morning after first tank feeding):
I added bog wood on Day one of the cycling process.

Ammonia: .25ppm Nitrite:0 ppm Nitrate: 0 ppm Ph:7.2

Day Two:
Added live plants
Ammonia: .5ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: 0ppm Ph: 7

Day Three:

Ammonia: .75ppm Nitrite: .25ppm Nitrate: 0ish mg/L (it certainly isnt the right color to be 5mg/L but it isnt 0mg/L either) Ph: 6.5


I was wondering if it is unusual for the PH to drop? Also, seeing as the ammonia is being produced to nitrite (which suggest the presence of the bacteria) should i be adding more fish food to try and increase the size of the bacterial colony?

I am suprised I'm getting a reading for Nitrite at all so early in the cycle.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[LauraFrog]

This is a REALLY nice change. Helping to cycle a tank instead of trying to save the lives of fish that have been thrown into an uncycled tank. Thanks for doing some research before buying fish! Well, thanks on behalf of the fish that won't die anyway.

I live in Australia as well. I bought ammonia in Coles. You buy the bottles of cloudy ammonia that are sold in the cleaning aisle. They're close enough to what comes out of the back end of a fish to cycle a tank with. I use 1mL of cloudy ammonia per 5 litres (or about 1 us gal) of tank water, which takes the ammonia level to around 1.0ppm, and that has to be repeated once or twice daily. If you can't get it you seem to be getting results by letting fish food rot in there though. Never used this method, so anybody else know? (sorry not to be of a bit more use to you! lol)

 

[112092]

Hey!

My fourth day readings are

Ammonia: 1ppm Nitrite: .25ppm PH:6.0

I am worried about my PH...what should i do to fix this low PH? it has dropped from 7.2 to 6 in a matter of 4 days. thanks for your help in advance!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hi there, as far as ammonia and nitrite go it looks like you're on course. but yes you should watch your pH. It's normal for it to go a bit all over the place when you're cycling which is fine until it drops below about 6.5/6.

The bacteria that you are trying to grow will die off at a low pH, go much below 6 and you're cycle will stall. so you do need to raise up the pH.

If the tap water pH is around 7 then just doing a large water change will do this.

If you find it keeps dropping then remove the bogwood at least until you're cycle is complete.

 

[112092]

thanks for your reply!

How much fish food should I be adding? Would it be too much to put in two pinches a day?

 

[jennybugs]

I've cycled my tanks by dropping 4 or 5 flakes in a day

 

[112092]

lol then i might just keep it to one pinch/ease back a bit on the pinch sizes

Hopefully i wont get too much algea but im a bit worried...there are a few pieces on the bottom of the tank that are getting a white 'fur' on them.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

what you're aiming for is to raise the ammonia to 5ppm, now this is nigh on impossible to measure using this method (although i appreciate it's the only choice you have with your location) as it takes a few days to decompose and produce the ammonia, and it happens in dribs and drabs instead of all at once and the bacteria will be eating it up as it's produced

but if you're not getting up above 1ppm at any point, i think it's safe to say you can add a bit more.

all you have to remember is that for the tank to be cycled and remain cycled, you need the rate of production to equal the rate of consumption. So if the fish you get produce 5ppm of ammonia a day, then you need you're bacteria to be able to consume 5ppm a day. 5ppm is roughly the amount a sensibly fully stocked tank (using the " per gallon guideline) will produce.

using this method you have no way of telling how many ppm of ammonia your bacteria can eat in a day, so you need to err on the side of caution when stocking the tank. if you add 5ppm worth of fish and you're bacteria can only cope with 2ppm the tank will begin to cycle again.

so when using fish food it's best to start with a relativley light stocking and build you're way up.

 

[112092]

kk, should i be worried about the fuzziness appearing on the rotting fish food?

 

[pastabake]

I would powder the flake before putting it in, maybe even pre-mix it with some tank water.

 

[112092]

Todays stats are:

Ammonia = somewhere between 1 an 2 ppm, my guess is around 1.25.
Nitrite = .25
Nitrate = not tested
Ph = 7.2-7.6

My PH seems to be changing heaps, i suppose this is normal for the cycling process

is it coming along well??

 

[twistedlink]

Grinding up the flake food in aquarium water is a brilliant idea, more surface area to volume ratio, the breakdown of the flakes will be a lot faster.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yup normal for pH to be all over, if it drops below 6 do some big water changes to bring it up, a low pH can stall the cycle.

 

[drsoda007]

This is a REALLY nice change. Helping to cycle a tank instead of trying to save the lives of fish that have been thrown into an uncycled tank. Thanks for doing some research before buying fish! Well, thanks on behalf of the fish that won't die anyway.

I live in Australia as well. I bought ammonia in Coles. You buy the bottles of cloudy ammonia that are sold in the cleaning aisle. They're close enough to what comes out of the back end of a fish to cycle a tank with. I use 1mL of cloudy ammonia per 5 litres (or about 1 us gal) of tank water, which takes the ammonia level to around 1.0ppm, and that has to be repeated once or twice daily. If you can't get it you seem to be getting results by letting fish food rot in there though. Never used this method, so anybody else know? (sorry not to be of a bit more use to you! lol)

I live in Australia too!

Can you buy SAFE ammonia in Coles though?