Trying To Remember How To Cycle

[OldMan47]

The process is very simple to carry out. the complications come in for the small things that can go wrong. You add ammonia once a day whenever the reading has dropped to about zero. You monitor the ammonia and when it starts going away in about 24 hours you measure the nitrites. By that time they should be rising so you watch until they come down on their own. Continue dosing until you can bring the ammonia to about 5 ppm and have both the ammonia and nitrites back down to zero in 12 hours. At that point check it out for a few days to make sure you weren't overly optimistic and call it done. The day you want to go get your fish, do a huge, 90% or more, water change and then go get the fish. For using a cloned filter, this can all take place in about a week. I often find a clone can pull ammonia to zero by day 2 and start getting nitrites down soon after. In a true fishless cycle, with no outside help, getting the ammonia dropping well can easily take 3 weeks and the nitrite conversion can take another 3 weeks. The complications come in when you get a pH crash or do something wrong in managing the cycle like changing a filter media cartridge. Setbacks like that are usually where we become involved in getting you back on track. Hang in there and we will help you get through this with minimal pain and stress.

 

[Wills]

Ok so got the pads from my friends and got them in the filter added ammonia that i got from homebase - it stank to high heavens is that normal? Used the calculator on here to work out how much i needed but could not calculate how much i put in exactly i needed 1.8 ml for my tank and i put in just under half an API test tube which is 5ml is this ok? Or can anyone sugest an easier way of doing it ooo just remembered a brand that uses pepets in its kits might try and get me one of them for tomorow going to test the water in the morning but after i put the pads in and before i put the ammonia in I did tests and I had a Nitrite of 5 and Ammonia of 0.25/0.5 is this good? Will report back in the morning Thanks again Wills

 

[gaz gun man]

Ok so got the pads from my friends and got them in the filter added ammonia that i got from homebase - it stank to high heavens is that normal? Used the calculator on here to work out how much i needed but could not calculate how much i put in exactly i needed 1.8 ml for my tank and i put in just under half an API test tube which is 5ml is this ok? Or can anyone sugest an easier way of doing it ooo just remembered a brand that uses pepets in its kits might try and get me one of them for tomorow going to test the water in the morning but after i put the pads in and before i put the ammonia in I did tests and I had a Nitrite of 5 and Ammonia of 0.25/0.5 is this good? Will report back in the morning Thanks again Wills

yes its usual for it to stink. wait an hour after adding ammonia then test for it, to find out where abouts it's at. If its less that 5ppm, add alittle more then test again after an hour. If its more than 5ppm, do a water change and again, test the water. I reccomend you get a measuring beaker from ebay or something. I got two plastic 10ml measuring tubes for a few quid.

 

[OldMan47]

If it doesn't stink bad enough to drive you out of the room, you got the scented stuff which is not what you want. The 1.8 ml is between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon. A teaspoon is 5 ml. A pipette is cheap to buy but not readily found just anywhere. Many kids medications use a measuring device that is like a small graduated cylinder so you might be able to get a measure that size in a drug store, in the UK I guess that is a Chemist's shop. My local drug store gave me a 5 ml syringe type measuring device for free. They had them to give out with medications that need that fine degree of measurement.

 

[Wills]

thanks again guys tested the water its at a little over 4 by the looks of things so think thats ok will get a dropper from the chemist tommorow

 

[doktor doris]

I measured mine with a 2.5ml syringe.

In the UK some chemists give them away for free to people that have diabetes or drug habits.
The best one to try is superdrug.

 

[waterdrop]

During fishless cycling I usually recommend that two syringes or droppers is ideal. Mark them differently somehow and always use one for tank water and the other for ammonia. This makes it easier to get the right amount of tank water into the test tube and then to later add ammonia to the tank, knowing that ammonia won't be left in your tank water syringe.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Wills]

thanks again guys - taken the tests again this morning ammonia seems to have dropped a bit but its ot quite 2ppm rating yet but it is definitely lighter than last night. Sent my partner out on her lunch break to get the syringe/peppet for adding more ammonia next time I need to add it. Going to be testing on a 12 hour basis now in hopes the seeding has worked

 

[Wills]

Just an update on the cycle 36 hrs into it now from the loaned pads and ammonia being put in at the moment no chance from 5/4ppm reading is it possible that the pads did not work? Or is it to early to say?

 

[gaz gun man]

Just an update on the cycle 36 hrs into it now from the loaned pads and ammonia being put in at the moment no chance from 5/4ppm reading is it possible that the pads did not work? Or is it to early to say?

too early

 

[Wills]

yey was hoping it was

 

[waterdrop]

What day of fishless cycling would you say you're on?