Seeding

[oswoldy]

Hiya,
I have been luckily enough to have been given half of someones filter media and two pieces of floss to help me speed up my cycle. Now my question is, now I have the media in do I need to do a water change and then top the Ammonia back up or shall I just leave the water that is already at 5ppm?

Regards
Mike

 

[rdd1952]

Add the media to your filter and leave the tank as is. It should start processing the ammonia pretty quickly. The only reason to do a WC is if the pH has dropped and you need to bring it back up.

 

[oswoldy]

Add the media to your filter and leave the tank as is. It should start processing the ammonia pretty quickly. The only reason to do a WC is if the pH has dropped and you need to bring it back up.

Ok thanks. The media has been in since 9ish last night, how long do you think it should take? Tonights readings are Ammonia 4 NitrITE 0.

Mike

 

[waterdrop]

Bacteria sometimes seem to go into a processing pause when disturbed by a water change or move. Its very unpredictable but rarely lasts more than a day or so at the most.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[oswoldy]

Bacteria sometimes seem to go into a processing pause when disturbed by a water change or move. Its very unpredictable but rarely lasts more than a day or so at the most.

~~waterdrop~~

Right so it should start processing within a few days?

Mikw

 

[rdd1952]

It looks as though ammonia has at least been processing. It's possibe that there is enough nitrite processing bacteria to keep it processed as it's created and never get a reading. Keep a check on nitrates to see if they are rising. It really shouldn't take a long time for it to really get going though.

 

[oswoldy]

It looks as though ammonia has at least been processing. It's possibe that there is enough nitrite processing bacteria to keep it processed as it's created and never get a reading. Keep a check on nitrates to see if they are rising. It really shouldn't take a long time for it to really get going though.

Hi,
I have literally just tested NitrATE and its 5-10 although its alot darker than the 5 reading. Ammonia has been at 4 for the past 3 days however I have only had the mature media for 1 day. I have NOT tested NitrATE in the tank water before today as I did not know I was getting any mature media, I do however know that my tap water NitrATE reading is 0. Is this a good thing?

Mike

 

[waterdrop]

Right, tap water with zero ammonia, zero nitrite(NO2) and zero nitrate(NO3) is a good thing. One more plus is having some general hardness in your tap water so that the tank gets some good calcium when you do a water change and I believe you mentioned elsewhere that you have reasonable GH in your tap water, so that's good too.

I reviewed your threads and it sounds like maybe you've been fishless cycling for a week and have had mature media added to your filter for just a day or so, right?

If so then you are still at the very start of a process that takes an unpredictable amount of time, potentially a significant amount of time. You've got very good conditions and it sounds like a healthy dose of mature media, so there's every reason to hope things will go abnormally fast for you. Nonetheless, fishless cycling, like many aspects of the tropical hobby is quite different from most of the rest of our lives these days, its slow and calm. Its best to think that fishless cycles often take 1.5 to 2 months when a few things go wrong and if you realize this and sigh, then maybe you'll get lucky, your mature media seed will "take" and you'll be done in 2 weeks, lol .

Another thing to digest is that you -want- this to take some time and to teach you some hands-on feel for your tank and cycling. Its one of the most basic skills of the hobby, this thing of understanding the nitrogen cycle in your tank and knowing its ins and outs, so in a way, you don't want it to just flash by without teaching you a bit!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[oswoldy]

Right, tap water with zero ammonia, zero nitrite(NO2) and zero nitrate(NO3) is a good thing. One more plus is having some general hardness in your tap water so that the tank gets some good calcium when you do a water change and I believe you mentioned elsewhere that you have reasonable GH in your tap water, so that's good too.

I reviewed your threads and it sounds like maybe you've been fishless cycling for a week and have had mature media added to your filter for just a day or so, right?

Ok all the above is correct. so sitting and waiting it is. Is it good or odd to have a NitrITE of 0 Ammonia of 4 and NitrATE of 10? I was under the impression you did not get any NitrATE until you had NitrITE or is this because I have the mature media?

Mike

 

[waterdrop]

Oh you sound totally normal for that place you're at on the timeline. Those are exactly the kind of stats I'd expect from a tank only a week in and with MM just put in. Yes, the nitrates might very well have mostly come from the mature media - there will be plenty of nitrate in that gunk. But even in a quite "clean" new fishless cycle you'll have them show up from practically nowhere too. Its very hard for people to wrap their heads around the difference between biology and chemistry. Everyone comes into this with the kinds of expectations you'd have in chem lab, but the little bacteria beasties will confound that logic quite a bit, lol.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[oswoldy]

Everyone comes into this with the kinds of expectations you'd have in chem lab, but the little bacteria beasties will confound that logic quite a bit, lol.

~~waterdrop~~

LoL, yeh they certainly like to confuse things! Just to double check I wait for Ammonia to drop to Zero then top back up to 4/5 then once it reduces to 0 within 12hours I start tested NitrITES and when they also drop within 12hours the tank is basically ready?

Mike

 

[waterdrop]

All you do is establish a "startpoint" hour, typically morning or evening when you are home to do it and which then would also find you at home for testing at the "midpoint" 12 hours hence. Say you added your 5ppm ammonia at 8am. Then at 8pm you'd measure ammonia, nitrite(NO2) and pH and record the results (along with the date and time) in your log. Then, the next morning around 8am, you measure again. Only if ammonia went all the way down to zero at this "24hour" test (or at your previous "12hour" test) would you recharge ammonia to 5ppm. You only ever recharge ammonia at the 24hour mark, never at 12, and only if you reached zero.

In the early days of fishless cycling its common to go days without adding ammonia, even a whole 2 weeks after the very first add of ammonia sometimes. But before too long it'll start dropping to zero within 24 hours. Then gradually the drop time will get closer to 12 hours.

Meanwhile, you'll start to see a few nitrites(NO2) at some point, but usually just smaller amounts. At some point, the nitrites(NO2) reading will "spike" as we say, which means its just the highest reading the liquid test can give you. After that, you'll be in this "nitrite spike" phase for many days usually, but then one day that too will drop within 24 hours and then will start dropping faster.

One thing to watch out for is that pH doesn't drop too low. pH of 6.2 will stall the process, so you'll need to alert members if that looks like its coming.

The goal is to someday (meanwhile your kids will be progressing in school years, , sorry, couldn't help it) have both ammonia and nitrite drop from the 5ppm ammonia to both being zero at the 12 hour testing point. Once that happens, you "qualify" and can start your qualification week! If it keeps dropping to double-zero like that then you can do the big water change and get your initial fish stocking, Yea!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[oswoldy]

So it could still take upto 2months then even with the seeded media?

Mike

 

[oswoldy]

Anyone?

Mike

 

[oswoldy]

Also could the fact that my tank lights are only on for 5 hours a day be stunting my bacteria growth?

Mike