Smoothys Cycling Diary

[waterdrop]

Hi Smoothy,

The last couple of days you've reported double-zeros, but was that at the 12-hour mark or the 24-hour mark?

If these zeros are happening at 12 hours after the ammonia add, then you'd be in to your qualifying week and there'd not be much worry about pH crashing, since its still at 7, prior to your big water change. However, if you're just now seeing nitrite drop to zero at the 24-hours-after-ammonia-add point then you still have a way to go on the fishless cycling and we could worry a bit more about a pH crash. Without a KH kit though, there's no way to predict it very accurately other than perhaps take frequent pH tests (2 times a day) and plot the descent.

Also I noticed you never posted your tap water stats with your other cyclng data. That's another bit of essential data that we need to look at from time to time.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Smoothy]

Hi Waterdrop

It's a tricky one with testing at 12 hours as I stop at my girlfriends a lot during the week, but will be able to test at 12 hours from Thursday to Sunday

This means my double zeros have been coming at the 24 hour mark, I've checked today and the pH was at 6.2

I did a 80% water change ... got a bit more practice in for the gravel vac

Checked after topping up and the pH is back up to 8.2 checked Ammonia and NitrIte, both at 0ppm ... so topped up with 6ml of Ammonia

Water test results from tap are:
Ammonia - 0ppm
NitrIte - 0ppm
pH - 7.8
NitrAte - 0ppm

I don't have a KH Kit

Also had a little look at the sponge pads on my filter ... they're filthy wasn't too long ago they were sparkly white

 

[waterdrop]

ok, all of that sounds pretty good.. get some 12 hour tests in so you can see where you stand in the overall process -wd-

 

[Smoothy]

Updated 1st page with todays readings ...

I don't understand why my NitrIte reading is off the scale again? ... has yesterdays 80% water change messed my cycle up a bit?

Also the pH has dropped from 8.2 to 7.6 overnight ... does this mean I'm going to have to do water changes every other day? ... if so isn't that what has caused my NitrIte to not drop to 0ppm within 24 hours like it was before the water change?

Could I just add Baking Soda/Powder ... I forget which it is

Hope someone can help me

 

[waterdrop]

Its never linear, you get swings in measurements on individual days. It could be that your water change has caused a pause in the N-Bacs.. pretty common.

In your particular case we'd expect it to be harder to read things from the stats because you've got 30 healthy plants in there (you've still got them, right?) and they'll be eating up unknown amounts of the ammonia and nitrate, rather than just the bacteria eating.

I'd wait another day or so before thinking about something like baking soda. Let's see what the N-Bacs do tomorrow.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Smoothy]

Thanks for replying again ... I really do appreciate it

I do still have the plants yes ... all doing well actually

Glad to hear it doesn't sound serious

I'll be testing on the 12 hour mark from now on as well as the 24 hour mark so will update with the results

 

[Smoothy]

Updated

Ammonia and NitrIte dropping to 0ppm in 24 hours ...

but ....

Ammonia dropping on 12 hours but NitrIte isn't ... always 5.0ppm on the 12 hour mark?

Is anything wrong or does it normally take this long?

 

[pammy172]

It can seem to take forever for the nitrites to drop to zero in around 12 hours. Ours did. 5ppm in 12 hours is still quite high so you do need to keep going for a while longer yet. In the end ours were clearing in about 14 hours, but were down to .25 within 12 and this was very steady consistent performance so we were advised to start stocking which we did. All has been great. But you do need to just grab onto a little bit more patience.

 

[Smoothy]

It can seem to take forever for the nitrites to drop to zero in around 12 hours. Ours did. 5ppm in 12 hours is still quite high so you do need to keep going for a while longer yet. In the end ours were clearing in about 14 hours, but were down to .25 within 12 and this was very steady consistent performance so we were advised to start stocking which we did. All has been great. But you do need to just grab onto a little bit more patience.

Thanks for the reply

Can I ask how long after the initial drop of NitrIte to 0ppm did it take to drop to 0ppm on the 12/14 hour mark?

 

[paulbr1]

Hi Smoothy, what a poo bar, I was looking at your stats and noticed the pause just after the water change, I am on day 23 myself and its doing my head in, I may have missed it but what was the % of water change?

Good luck anyways.

WD is the ph drop usually quite sudden, I was thinking of maybe doing more but smaller water changes when it happens, do you think this could help?

Paul.

 

[Smoothy]

Hi Smoothy, what a poo bar, I was looking at your stats and noticed the pause just after the water change, I am on day 23 myself and its doing my head in, I may have missed it but what was the % of water change?

Good luck anyways.

WD is the ph drop usually quite sudden, I was thinking of maybe doing more but smaller water changes when it happens, do you think this could help?

Paul.

The water change was roughly 80% ... gave me a bit of practice with the gravel vac I suppose but now the pH seems to have stabilised at 7.6 so I'm glad I don't have to do anymore changes just yet

It's definitely testing my patience this fishless cycling ... I'll be glad when it's over with and I can actually have some fish ... in my "fish tank"

 

[pammy172]

It can seem to take forever for the nitrites to drop to zero in around 12 hours. Ours did. 5ppm in 12 hours is still quite high so you do need to keep going for a while longer yet. In the end ours were clearing in about 14 hours, but were down to .25 within 12 and this was very steady consistent performance so we were advised to start stocking which we did. All has been great. But you do need to just grab onto a little bit more patience.

Thanks for the reply

Can I ask how long after the initial drop of NitrIte to 0ppm did it take to drop to 0ppm on the 12/14 hour mark?

ooh - about 10 days iirc. Can't remember off the top of my head and all my stats are at home. Be happy to post them up for you later. But all in all our cycle took about 6 weeks and it does get very tedious and trying. This was after an injection of mature media too.

We've just started cycling a second tank now lol!!

 

[Smoothy]

Oh thanks

I'd really like to see your stats if you wouldn't mind

Are you using media from the first cycled tank in the new one? or isn't it classed as "mature media"?

 

[pammy172]

Oh thanks

I'd really like to see your stats if you wouldn't mind

Are you using media from the first cycled tank in the new one? or isn't it classed as "mature media"?

I'll PM them over tonight then.

I've taken some mature media from a previous tank we were running but it looks like it hasn't liked the move as it's not clearing ammonia at all atm. I'm reluctant to take anything from the now cycled tank as I don't think it's mature enough and needs to support the current set up. if it had been fully operational for say 6 months then I would have done so quite happily as we were running with more filtration than we need to give us a back up etc, so in time it will easily take donating some media, just not yet.

The cycled tank - Juwel Vision 260l has had fish in it now for 10 days having gradually built up to about half full stocking over that period and all the stats are perfect! And the fish look ace. It is worth the wait - honest, and you will get there.

What we did do when we saw our PH falling, was to drop a small amount of bicarb in just to push it up. It did make a difference. But take it steady - don't just chuck it in. We did it when it fell to around 6 and didn't nudge up at all.

hth

 

[paulbr1]

That's a thought I did give my new tank a start with MM - think I might do it again as the MM in my other tank needs a clean!

I hope I am right in thinking that all the dark gunge on the MM is the bacteria

Paul.