So confused

[Mairiad]

I began a fish less cycle with a raw shrimp. Left it in the tank for 3 days, took it out. I had my ammonia spike and then start to lower and nitrite and nitrate began to go up. Ammonia finally got down to .25 but nitrate was off the chart so I did a 25% water change. Nitrite remained elevated as did nitrate and I could not get ammonia to 0. I added some api quick start and my nitrate and nitrite went to zero where they have stayed for over a week and my ammonia is 2pp and not budging. Did I kill my cycle? Or what is going on?

 

[Tez_20]

I began a fish less clucks with a raw shrimp. Left it in the tank for 3 days, took it out. I had my ammonia spike and then start to lower and nitrite and nitrate began to go up. Ammonia finally got down to .25 but nitrate was off the chart so I did a 25% water change. Nitrite remained elevated as did nitrate and I could not get ammonia to 0. I added some api quick start and my nitrate and nitrite went to zero where they have stayed for over a week and my ammonia is 2pp and not budging. Did I kill my cycle? Or what is going on?

What did you add to your tank before the quick start? as your cycle was running correct before adding the quick start it's like you've re-throwed it back.

 

[Koglin]

I began a fish less clucks with a raw shrimp. Left it in the tank for 3 days, took it out. I had my ammonia spike and then start to lower and nitrite and nitrate began to go up. Ammonia finally got down to .25 but nitrate was off the chart so I did a 25% water change. Nitrite remained elevated as did nitrate and I could not get ammonia to 0. I added some api quick start and my nitrate and nitrite went to zero where they have stayed for over a week and my ammonia is 2pp and not budging. Did I kill my cycle? Or what is going on?

Hello! First off: don't fret! All is ok - especially since you're doing it fishless. By chance, do you know the parameters of your tap or water your adding in? Might help determine what's up if you do.

API Quick Start adds nitrifying bacteria to your water, while also detoxifying ammonia and nitrites. Since quick start DOES mess with ammonia and nitrites (not sure if it removes or simply neutralizes) you may also get slightly false readings from your nitrates (it's can be a touchy parameter to measure, and since it relies on nitrites messing with them can give false readings depending on how it is messed with).

BUT, since quick start adds nitrifying bacteria (to jump start a cycle) you can expect to see spikes in your nitrite and nitrate (since you just added the bacteria that will create these). You may see some cloudy water from the bacterial blooms the nitrifying bacteria adds as the bacteria sorts itself out.

Since you're fishless, I would wait a couple days before testing again or doing anything else. Let the quickstart bacteria settle and go through their process and see where you're at after (may need to add more ammonia at that point). Might also hell to find a water treatment that doesn't add bacteria that can throw off your cycle progress. I use to use prime to dechlorinate before I got my to/do setup it will dechlorinate and also neutralizes ammonia and nitrites for 24 hrs (giving an established cycle time to deal with the ammonia and nitrites). It's a pretty popular water treatment, be worth reading more in to.

Can't find the link with my phone (cracked screen), but there is a nifty guide on the forum about doing a fishless cycle, explains how to monitor your levels and what to do as they progress throughout the cycle. I'll try and find it when I get my PC booted up and link it for ya if you need.

Regardless, don't let it get to ya this hobby an all be frustrating (especially when starting out), deep breaths brotato cake, you're alright.

 

[Essjay]

Can't find the link with my phone (cracked screen), but there is a nifty guide on the forum about doing a fishless cycle, explains how to monitor your levels and what to do as they progress throughout the cycle.

Here it is

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

This method differs from a lot of other sites. They have you adding ammonia every time it drops to zero, but that makes so much nitrite that the cycle stalls. This method was written so that nitrite can't get high enough to cause a stall.

 

[Koglin]

Here it is

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

This method differs from a lot of other sites. They have you adding ammonia every time it drops to zero, but that makes so much nitrite that the cycle stalls. This method was written so that nitrite can't get high enough to cause a stall.

Oh that makes sense.. thanks for the link!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Think something has gone wrong with your cycle of it has remained unchanged for the last 2 weeks, likely stalled.

Would suggest doing 100% water change and starting again.

But this time use a bottled ammonia rather than raw shrimp or fish food, very messy and very inaccurate way of producing ammonia.

You can easily get a bottle of Dr Tims ammonium chloride from Amazon website,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006MP4QG6/?tag=

Once you have that, use that to dose your tank to 3ppm ammonia using the forum calculator (ammonia dosing at bottom), you can use a clean plastic syringe to get correct dosages.

Calculator

And most importantly, have a read and Ollie the fishless cycle article if you have not already done so.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Mairiad]

Think something has gone wrong with your cycle of it has remained unchanged for the last 2 weeks, likely stalled.

Would suggest doing 100% water change and starting again.

But this time use a bottled ammonia rather than raw shrimp or fish food, very messy and very inaccurate way of producing ammonia.

You can easily get a bottle of Dr Tims ammonium chloride from Amazon website,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006MP4QG6/?tag=

Once you have that, use that to dose your tank to 3ppm ammonia using the forum calculator (ammonia dosing at bottom), you can use a clean plastic syringe to get correct dosages.

Calculator

And most importantly, have a read and Ollie the fishless cycle article if you have not already done so.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

I think that’s what I’m going to end up doing. I got a Python that should be here tomorrow to make the water change easier. I think I’m going to just use the water conditioner and the ammonia and that’s it. I think the quick start killed me

 

[ClownLurch]

Silent cycle?

 

[Ch4rlie]

QUOTE="Mairiad, post: 3976462, member: 143699"]
I think that’s what I’m going to end up doing. I got a Python that should be here tomorrow to make the water change easier. I think I’m going to just use the water conditioner and the ammonia and that’s it. I think the quick start killed me
[/QUOTE]

Agree that a python hose system will certainly make it easier to do full water change.

That’s how I do my cycles, just using water dechlorinator / conditioner and ammonia is all I use to do successful fishless cycles, follow that fishless cycling article closely as well.

The quick start may have killed your cycle but fairly unsure as there are some safe starters that do work such as Dr Tim’s one and only nitrifying bacteria or tetra safe start are known to work.

Silent cycle?

Nice idea but this needs LOTS of live plants for successful silent cycle.

Would still recommend fishless cycle though.