Phocoena's Cycle Log

[phocoena]

Tank is 95 litres. Starting again following filter failure and wacky results (decreasing Nitrates)

--------Ammonia---Nitrite---Nitrate--Additions
Day 1----0.6-------0.3 -------0------2.5ml Prime, 5ml Ammonia
Day 2----4.9-------0.3--------0
Day 3----4.9-------0.3--------5
Day 4----2.4-------0.8-------10
Day 5----2.4-------0.8-------10
Day 6----2.4-------0.8-------50
Day 7----1.2-------3.3------110-----4 litres Water, 0.25ml prime (treated 10 litres)
Day 8-----0--------3.3------110-----5ml Ammonia
Day 9----0.6-------3.3------110-----5ml Ammonia (tested early, late test tommorow)
Day 10----0--------3.3------110-----5ml Ammonia
Changed test kit from Nutrafin to API testing due to Nitrate test issues
Day 11-----0.25--------5+------20-40----5ml Ammonia (late dosing)
Day 12-----0.5---------0-------40-------5ml Ammonia
Day 13------0----------0-------80-------5ml Ammonia
Day 14(a)--0.5--------0.25
Day 14(p)--0.25--------0------160-------4ml Ammonia
Day 15(a)---1----------1
Day 15(p)--0.5---------0------160-------5ml Ammonia, 4 litres water, 1.25ml prime (overdosed), electrics off for 3 hours
Day 16(a)--0.5---------2
Day 16(p)--0.25--------0------160-------4.75ml Ammonia
Day 17(a)---1----------2
Day 17(p)---1----------0------160
Day 18-----0.25--------0------160
Day 19-----0.5---------0------160 - 50% water change including 1 ml prime - after water change stats remain the same.
Day 20 90% waterchange 3.5ml prime +5ml Ammonia
Day 21------2---------0.25
Day 22-----0.5--------0.25----80-160
Day 23-----0.5---------0----160
Day 24 - 90% water change, prime +4ml ammonia
day 25-----0.25---------0-----40
day 26-----0.25---------0

 

[phocoena]

I am pretty amazed at the moment it looks like 5 mg/l of ammonia is being oxidised in 24 hours more or less already. At the start of the week I was sure it would have taken much longer.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Has the filter you been running during this cycle been used previously? For how long? What was the failure that caused you to restart?

 

[phocoena]

Has the filter you been running during this cycle been used previously? For how long? What was the failure that caused you to restart?

It was new when I restarted. I didn't even move the media over. (the Marina kit for the 95 litre tank comes with a filter I later discovered runs for up to 75 litres)
And the reason for restarting was the fact that the results went extremely weird. I mean weird as in the nitrates disappeared right down to 0. When I get back to mine tomorrow night I'll post the last results.

The only thing that remains the same is the gravel.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The only thing that looks odd to me about that cycle is the amount of nitrate you are showing. That seems a bit high for so soon. In a typical cycle, 1ppm ammonia processes to 3.6ppm nitrates. That part of it seems out of whack.

 

[phocoena]

I'm using a nutrafin test kit, I know the pH test is inaccurate, and I do have an API test kit, could the nitrate test (testing for nitrite and then adding something for nitrate) be inaccurate too.

The nutrafin test kit also jumps a high amount on the test card. If I remember rightly it's down at 5, 10, 20, 50, 110

That being the case (and the ammonia and nitrite kits being accurate I compared those ones) would it be worth it to either skip daily testing of nitrate, or use the API test and the nutrafin one then compare the results.

 

[phocoena]

Did my wee experiment this evening and the API test came up with 20-40ppm for Nitrate. A massive difference.
Thinking it is the nutrafin being used to test nitrite and then adding something else meaning the dark saturated pink colour is unable to lighten.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Did my wee experiment this evening and the API test came up with 20-40ppm for Nitrate. A massive difference.
Thinking it is the nutrafin being used to test nitrite and then adding something else meaning the dark saturated pink colour is unable to lighten.

Agreed. A level 20-40 ppm nitrate makes a lot more sense.

 

[phocoena]

Not sure whether to start twice daily testing now? Or do I wait for a 24 hr double 0?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

No reason to test at 12 hours until you get double zeros at 24.

This is going rather quickly so far...

 

[phocoena]

Looks like it is slowing down a bit.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Yeah, that has a tendency to happen at times.

 

[phocoena]

Ok think I have been making a mistake, rather than adding to make it up to 5ppm I have been adding the whole 5ppm every night. Oh well. Thats it added up to 5ppm tonight.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Normally you add ammonia at a set time of the day, say 5:00PM. Then you only add it when the ammonia reaches zero. If you continually add 5ppm you will quickly overwhelm the bacteria you want and actually start to encourage the wrong type.

 

[phocoena]

ok that makes more sense. It's been added at the same time every night.
In generally it has never been above 6ppm total and hopefully caught the error early enough so fingers crossed will not have the wrong bacteria species growing.