Reasons why Cycling wouldn't work?

[GregW]

Day 13, Nitrites & Nitrates! Halleluja the long nightmare is almost over!

 

[phishfriend]

That's awesome news!! Glad it got worked out!

 

[GregW]

Thanks!

 

[GregW]

Day 14 of my second attempt after failing on my last month long one.
I need advice on how the safest way to finish of this cycle. Please give me some mistakes not to do that could mess this up.

I am posting a picture of my readings taken this morning. I restarted 14 days ago after changing all the water and gravel. I added a pound of gravel from an established tank. The ammonia started to drop after a few days. I have been adding ammonia for about 6 days. Yesterday was my first reading of nitrites and nitrates. They look stronger today.

One question I have is I have ben real careful not to let the ammonia get down to zero but also not to over dose. So I have not been letting it get down past 1 before I dose and I have not been adding enough to bring it to 4 or 5. I take 2 or 3 readings a day and add a little if it looks low.

Should I go to a more regimented dosing schedule and an exact amount?
I have done no water changes in this cycle yet. When and why and how much for water changes going forward to complete this cycle please.

Any help you can give me on what to and not to do from here would be very much appreciated. Thanks Greg

 

[phishfriend]

Ok, pretty sure you should only be dosing once a day. It's ok if the ammonia lvl drops down to zero with in a 24hr period. That what you want to see. The BB aren't going to die off before your next dose.

So, continue your once daily dose of ammonia to 4ppm. now, your testing for your nitrites lvl's to drop to zero.

Your lvl's look ok but if:
your readings for nitrite are so high they are off the charts. You can do a water change to try and drop the lvl's down so that they are readable on the test.

 

[GregW]

Thanks, So I'll go to dosing once a da then and dose a little more to bring it up to the 4 range.
And watch for the Nitrites to high and do water changes if they are.
Do I need to worry about the Nitrate readings if they get to high and do water changes for that?

I run a line from my shower to add warm water. It is the only faucet I can use. I know its better to pre condition the water before adding it but its not going to be practical going forward.
So is this procedure ok during this cycle.
Turn off filter.
Add water conditioner
Add warm water straight from the tap
Turn on filter after 30 min.

 

[GregW]

Idid a 30% water change but my readings are still off the charts. I know I should have done another one but I put it off until morning.

I'm using a hose to fill the tank but I turn off the filter, put the conditioner in then add the water. I wait for 30. min to turn the filter back on. Will this procedure be ok?

 

[Alyxx]

Your procedure is fine. That's how most of us with python style water changers do it. I would do a few more water changes to get your nitrites into the readable range. It's looking good, though! Keep it up and you should have a cycled tank in no time.

 

[GregW]

Day 7 of off the charts Nitrite & Nitrate readings every morning. I have done a 50% water change for each of the last 7 days. Do I need to do 2 in a row or anything else? Or just wait for the readings to come down and not worry about it. Do you gradually work up to the day when you get a zero reading on both and you're done. Or do you just keep checking each day and one day it comes up zero.

I used a tip here on water changes. When I add water conditioner then water to the tank I turn off the filter for 30 min beforehand to let the water be conditioned before it hits the filter. But the other day I forgot to turn it back on for about 8 hrs. Do I have to worry about that?
Also 2 days ago I changed the water in the morning as I always do. But I forgot to add the ammonia. I remembered in the evening but it was a half day without ammonia, or a 36 hrs before dosing instead of the usual 24. Do I have to worry about that?

Thanks for any help.

 

[GregW]

Day 9 of the readings in the attached pictures. Taken every morning, followed by a 50% water change and a re dose of ammonia to 4-5.

Any opinons or advice on where I stand and what to do and watch for going forward.

Thanks.

 

[librarygirl]

No need to do a water change every day. Nitrites look off-charat though; you can try doing a full water change (or more than one) to get nitrites to a readable level on the chart (<2) and then redose to 4. As long as your PH is stable and conversion is happening there's no need to do water changes unless nitrites have been off-chart for a week or more then you'd want to do a large water change(s) to get them down. The nitrite phase is the longest, takes about 3 weeks on average, so hang in there.

 

[GregW]

Thanks, they have been off the charts for 9 days, even with a 50% water change every day. I just tried a 80 to 90% water change so we will see if that helps.