Where Am I At In The Cycle ?

[jesterhud]

Hi
New to this forum, just got a tropical tank a few weeks ago, have kept tropical fish many years ago and am now getting back into the hobby.

I have a cube shaped 81 Ltr tank, 45 x 40 45 cm, I have put quite a few live plants in the tank so its fairly densly planted with some bogwood.

I am trying to do the right thing and go through a fishless cycle before I get any fish, but am a little unsure where i am at in cycle, and what if anything i need to do at this stage, or just wait it out, but for how long ?

I have a JBL test kit, and the water specs are as follows 2 weeks into the cycle,

Temp - 24C
PH - 7
KH-10dkh
NH4 Ammonium - <0.05 mg/l
NO2 Nitrite - 0.5 mg/l
NO3 Nitrate - 40mg/l
Fe Iron - 0.05 mg/l

These are the best readings i can make it from comparing the colours in the liquid tests,

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

[Essjay]

Could you tell us how much ammonia you are adding to the tank, or are you using fish food as the ammonia source? And what is the level of nitrate in your tapwater?

Your readings for ammonia and nitrite are very low for only two weeks into a fishless cycle unless you are only adding very small amounts of ammonia or tiny bits of fish food if you are using that method.
Tapwater nitrate levels of 40ppm (or mg/l) are not unkown, so the amount in your tank could well be coming from the tap rather than being made by the filter bacteria.

 

[jesterhud]

I havent been adding anything to the water at all, but i figured i probably should be, was going to get some Fish food tomorrow to start adding a bit, but how much and how often ?

Have tested the tapwater and yeah its about 35-40 mg/l.

So what should I be doing now, am i getting things right yet ?

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Adding nothing to the tank is a complete waste of time. The beneficial bacteria we need in our filters to safely dispose of fish waste (Ammonia and NitrIte) need a source of food, that source being Ammonia. Yes, you can add fish food...the effect it gives off as it rots is, indeed, Ammonia...yet it is difficult to judge how much and when you should add it. A much easier way is to add household ammonia (a calculator for how much can be found within this forum somewhere).

Terry.

 

[Essjay]

You asked in the title of the thread where you are in the cycle. As Terry says, I'm afraid you haven't started yet.

A couple of links for you:
How to do a fishless cycle - http/www.fishforum...shless-cycling/
The calculator that terry mentioned - http/www.fishforum...-calculator.htm the calculator for how much ammonia to add is at the bottom.

Using ammonia solution is much easier to follow. You know exactly how much ammonia you are adding and can follow the course of the cycle easier. With fish food, it has to decompose and you won't know the exact amount of ammonia that's being put into the tank, so you can't know how many bacteria you are growing. When using ammonia, you know that by the time it finishes, the filter can cope with the ammonia made by a tank full of fish. Using fish food, you can't know just how many fish it can support, so you'd have to start with only a few fish and add more slowly.



It is also a good idea to do a full set of tests on your tapwater, and with pH test a freshly run water sample and also a glass of water that's stood for 24 hours. You'll probably find the pH changes on standing. As you've already found, you have a fair amount of nitrate in your tapwater, and it's also possible to have small amounts of ammonia or nitrite.