Third Day Of Fishless Cycle.

[strobe1980]

I'm on the third day of my fishless cycle and yesterday the water started to turn milky / cloudy, I added 5-6 ppm of ammonia, my tap water Ph is 7.6 .
Is this a bacteria bloom and how long will it last cause I've heard it just clears back to crystal clear water

 

[garethp]

Yes, it is a bacterial bloom and while it is normal during a cycle, it generally only happens towards the end of a cycle.

Only things to consider are:

5-6ppm of ammonia may be slightly too high. You definitely don't need to go over 5ppm. Apparently the wrong type of bacteria can grow if there is too much ammonia, so in future it may be better to dose to 3-4ppm. This may be the cause of the milkiness.

What brand of ammonia are you using? Make sure it only contains ammonia/water mix and no perfumes/surfactants.

Good luck on your cycle.

 

[DrSlackBladder]

+1 on the high ammonia - I started my fishless cycle using ammonia solution dosed to 4-6 ppm, and it was slow to start. I did a water change to get it going and maintained it at 2-4ppm for the rest of the cycle, which then went relatively quickly. I also raised temp to 27C for the duration of the cycle. Good luck!

 

[Essjay]

Everything you need to know about bacterial blooms

http/www.fishforum...ooms-explained/

 

[strobe1980]

Hi guys,I use a api test kit and the colour is in-between 4-8 so I think 6 is where it's at.
What % water change do you recommend?
I am using jeyes Klein off ammonia 9.5% ammonia the rest water.it has been recommended for fishless cycling so it OK for it.
Another question, if I just leave the water to settle and run it's course will this bad bacteria vanish?

Thanks esjay: )

 

[the_lock_man]

Hi guys,I use a api test kit and the colour is in-between 4-8 so I think 6 is where it's at.
What % water change do you recommend?
I am using jeyes Klein off ammonia 9.5% ammonia the rest water.it has been recommended for fishless cycling so it OK for it.
Another question, if I just leave the water to settle and run it's course will this bad bacteria vanish?

Thanks esjay: )

Yes, the bloom should just go if you leave it.

And I'm another voice to say you don't want 6ppm ammo for a fishless cycle - 4ppm seems to be optimum, along with a temperature of 32ish C, and a pH of 8.2-8.4 (use sodium bicarbonate to raise it up). I'd suggest you do a 25-30% water change, to bring the level down to about 4, then you're good to go!

 

[DrSlackBladder]

I'd change up to 50 % and cycle with 2-3ppm ammmonia. You can always up the dose to 4ppm once you've started seeing evidence of nitrite and nitrate if you really must have the filter cycled to full tank capacity.​

 

[strobe1980]

I'll do a 30% change, my tap Ph is 7.6 I'll check the tank Ph in a minute, I've been running a temp of 28-29c anyway as bacteria spreads quicker with heat.I was thinking that I added to much ammonia approximately 3.15 ml I'll have a play around with dosage levels and let you all know.thanks

 

[strobe1980]

I did a 40% water change and the ammonia pond dropped to around 3.
The water is slightly less cloudy but still it's cloudy,will this clear? I read the thread on bacteria blooms but didn't have enough time to fully take it in,I don't have extra aeriation, I have a 60ltr tank, hagen heater,eheim biopower 200 .I have a sera air pump and air curtain but no air line.

 

[the_lock_man]

The cloudiness usually takes a few days to disappear.

Ammonia at around 3-4ppm is great, as I said earlier, temp needs to be up around 80F, and your pH needs to be up around 8.2. When your cycle is established, bring the temp back down to whatever your normal temp is going to be, and do a large water change, to get rid of the high nitrates you'll have built up, and to get the pH back down to its natural level.

 

[garethp]

don't worry too much about the cloudy water it's harmless, albeit unsightly - it may hang around for a while, but it will disappear of its own accord (sometimes overnight).

 

[strobe1980]

Thanks lock man, where would I purchase sodium bicarbonate from (hope I'm not being stupid here,it's not bicarbonate soda is it?)
Should I add extra aeration? I understand that the higher temp the more oxygen is forced from the water.

 

[the_lock_man]

Erm, well, er, yes you are being stupid, well not stupid, more, erm, well, anyway, yes, it is bicarbonate of soda.

Extra aeration won't hurt but isn't essential, as you don't yet have fish. Even with the higher temp, there should be enough oxygen in the water for the bacteria, but if you can aerate some more then you might as well.

 

[strobe1980]

Hahaha, OK point taken. Hopefully I'll be on top of things now,I'll keep posting. Thanks all.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

pH of 8.4 and 84F is ideal. ;-) Keeping the concentrations lower will help the cycle because the bacteria that you are trying to culture prefer (or need) low concentrations of ammonia/nitrite).


Keep going. And try to keep the tank out of light so that algae won't build up too much. Keep a log of your results (NH3, NO2, NO3, pH and temp) daily so that if a problem creeps up, folks around here can help you through it. Generally speaking though, the easy and quick answer to a vast array of problems with the tank is just to do a larger water change.