Second Stage Cycle Started Today Help

[waterdrop]

Well, those stats are looking great. You'll have to keep an eye on the stats to see if they just give you a short period of zeros or if they seem to really move you closer to being cycled for good. Remember, the test is if you can go for two days with zeros and no water changes and even then you want to watch it closely on through another week.

~~waterdrop~~
Wow, you or your daughter got a picture up in your profile!

 

[lana]

Well, those stats are looking great. You'll have to keep an eye on the stats to see if they just give you a short period of zeros or if they seem to really move you closer to being cycled for good. Remember, the test is if you can go for two days with zeros and no water changes and even then you want to watch it closely on through another week.

~~waterdrop~~
Wow, you or your daughter got a picture up in your profile!

yup keeping a close eye on it testing every 10 to 12 hours , fingers crossed


and thanks that would be me in the pic

 

[lana]

well now my levels are up this morning

ammonia 0.25
nitrite 0.25
nitrate 10

ph 6.8 to 7.0

off to do a water change i am going to do my weekly clean as well

have a great weekend folks

 

[waterdrop]

Well there you are, the little bateria are telling you loud and clear that you're not cycled yet. Although I'd hire you in my office, the way you do your fish-in water changes on that big tank without complaining, lol!

Gravel cleans yet, but we generally don't do filter cleans during cycling, unless water flow slows or we do it extremely gently and still preserve a lot of debris in the filter. The colonies are still just so small during cycling.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[lana]

Well there you are, the little bateria are telling you loud and clear that you're not cycled yet. Although I'd hire you in my office, the way you do your fish-in water changes on that big tank without complaining, lol!

Gravel cleans yet, but we generally don't do filter cleans during cycling, unless water flow slows or we do it extremely gently and still preserve a lot of debris in the filter. The colonies are still just so small during cycling.

~~waterdrop~~

nope never toched the filter

i have the thing that hooks up to my sink so i just hook up a hose and drain and fill in less that 15 - mins and i do rocks at same time so cuts out that step

so all looking good saw a few fry doing the rocks so they are still in there and the second platy looks pretty preggo now too no point putting her in a birthing tank with all the water changes , so when she drops they will have to fend for them selfs

well off to do my house work now fish tank done


ttyl

 

[lana]

ok tested again

readings were

ammonia just under 0.25
nitrite 0
nitrate bwteen 5 and 10

ph looks more like 6.8 now

temp holding good at 30( yes that is right i am in Canada)


water nice and clear still in fact it is looking better daily

did a 50% change

i also put platy in birthing tank she so looks ready to have the fry, she was staying byheself hiding in the rock so i figured while i just changed water i would put her in thre for the night and see if she has them

hope all is well with you all

 

[lana]

well this morning readings were ok

ammonia was up abit not some whee between 0 and 0.25

nitrite 0

nitrate 5

did my water change

good for 12 hours now

 

[waterdrop]

good, if it can go 12 hours now then it should make the water change situation much more comfortable for you

~~waterdrop~~

 

[lana]

good, if it can go 12 hours now then it should make the water change situation much more comfortable for you

~~waterdrop~~

man this does take awhile doing fishin cycle

is it normal to not really have the nitrite peaking it has a couple times but stays pretty low , but then again the ammonia is not getting as high as it was and the nitrate it there between 5 and 10 depending how long since last water change was


i am just wondering if i am nearing the end , i have to go to lfs today for more prime and waste control, you sure do go thru that stuff doing water changes daily and some time twice a day

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah sounds totally normal, cos you're doing the daily water changes you prevent nitrite from spiking by diluting it. just takes time and hard work but it sounds like it's all progressing well.

 

[lana]

yeah sounds totally normal, cos you're doing the daily water changes you prevent nitrite from spiking by diluting it. just takes time and hard work but it sounds like it's all progressing well.

thanks i was starting to question if i should be waiting bwfore doing water changes til i see nitrites but by then the ammonia would be very high and i know we don't want that

so long and i am not over doing it and delaying the proccess, cause when i see any amount of ammonia i am doing water changes

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah what you have to remember now is your first priority is the welfare of the fish, not the speed of the cycle.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, you have got your priorities absolutely right. Its hard sometimes convincing people of that. Its just another example of how everything can be frustrating about fish-in cycles. The fishless people have all the fun of seeing dramatic evidence that their cycle is progressing (they see the ammonia drop in faster times, they see the big nitrite spike etc.) With fish-in, you see little hints but most of the dramatic evidence is washed away by your frequent water changes. But of course you have no choice because almost everything else in unimportant compared to keeping ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm. (You will see threads where beginners come in and sing the praises of fish-in method and seem happy that their nitrite is only showing .3 or such, but they are ignoring the reality that their fish are suffering permanent gill damage as this situation proceeds.)

Remind us of what "Day" your fish-in cycle is on (it is very handy if Day1,Day2 etc. appears next to date,time in the beginners log.) It seems to average about 4 full weeks for a fish-in cycle, given reasonable pH and carbonate hardness.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[lana]

Yes, you have got your priorities absolutely right. Its hard sometimes convincing people of that. Its just another example of how everything can be frustrating about fish-in cycles. The fishless people have all the fun of seeing dramatic evidence that their cycle is progressing (they see the ammonia drop in faster times, they see the big nitrite spike etc.) With fish-in, you see little hints but most of the dramatic evidence is washed away by your frequent water changes. But of course you have no choice because almost everything else in unimportant compared to keeping ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm. (You will see threads where beginners come in and sing the praises of fish-in method and seem happy that their nitrite is only showing .3 or such, but they are ignoring the reality that their fish are suffering permanent gill damage as this situation proceeds.)

Remind us of what "Day" your fish-in cycle is on (it is very handy if Day1,Day2 etc. appears next to date,time in the beginners log.) It seems to average about 4 full weeks for a fish-in cycle, given reasonable pH and carbonate hardness.

~~waterdrop~~

well i am on day 17

i don't mind doing the watrer changes, my hubby thinks i have lost it but it is just part of having fish i think you would make sure children are bath, feed all that and walk dogs , feeds em , and make sure the housing is good for them i just think it is same as with fish everything has to be right for them ,

so on day 17

changed water 50% at 7 am it is 5 pm just tested again

ammonia is between 0 amd 0.25
nitrite between 0 and 0.25
nitrate 5

ph holding at 7.0

i will be doing another water change here soon waiting to 6 then it is 12 to next change if needed tomorrow morning

 

[waterdrop]

Then, by days, you're a little over half way, and since you're seeing nitrites, that would tend to reinforce that you are in the second half of the cycling time period.

~~waterdrop~~