My fishless cycle

[giants1249er]

9/7/11 ammo at 0.25ppm...nitrite at 0.5...nitrates at 5ppm...ph 6.4.
Redosed to 4ppm with 1.5 ml ammonia.
Should I worry about the ph?

 

[eco23]

Should I worry about the ph?

Definitely. If it's dropped from 7.6 down to 6.4, that's an issue. I'd do a massive water change to restore the same value as your tap water. The fact it's dropped that much this early is a sign we may need to buffer the water. There's some info about that in the guide in my signature.

Other than the pH it looks good though

 

[giants1249er]

PWC done yesterday. Today's tests yield:
ammo 0
nitrite 0.5
nitrate 5
ph 7.6

Redosed to 4ppm with 1.5 ml ammonia.

 

[giants1249er]

9/9/11 results:
ammo 0-0.25
nitrite 0.5
nitrate 5
ph 6.6

PWC and redosed to 4ppm.

This morning decided to check ph...about 6.4. PWC about 1/2 tank change. Will check again later.

 

[giants1249er]

Checked ph and it's back up to about 7.6. Why the up and down results?

 

[librarygirl]

Checked ph and it's back up to about 7.6. Why the up and down results?

It could be back up due the pwc you did earlier. Cycling messes with PH; having fluctuations is common due to the bacteria using the minerals in the water (I think lol). Once the cycle is done it should even out; if not you might have to use a buffer like some crushed coral in the filter. If the PH is dropping every day though now, instead of doing pwc daily you could add the crushed coral to try to keep things stable. They sell it at pet/fish stores; it only comes in a large bag I think though. Put a handful in a mesh bag or new nylon stocking and put it in your filter or in the tank.

 

[giants1249er]

9/11/11
ammo 0.25
nitire 0.5
ph 6.8
pwc
redosed ammo to 4ppm

9/12/11
ammo 0.25
nitrite 0.5
ph 6.4
pwc
redosed ammo to 4ppm

9/12/11
ammo 1.0
ph 6.0
pwc
redosed ammo to 4ppm

 

[eco23]

You seem to have very low alkalinity water which is causing your pH to crash. The problem is that ammonia and nitrIte stop being converted at those low levels. You're going to need to do another large pwc, and I suggest you swing by the lfs and pick up either some crushed coral or aragonite sand to help stabilize the pH. Otherwise it's going to be a challenge to finish this cycle.

 

[giants1249er]

You seem to have very low alkalinity water which is causing your pH to crash. The problem is that ammonia and nitrIte stop being converted at those low levels. You're going to need to do another large pwc, and I suggest you swing by the lfs and pick up either some crushed coral or aragonite sand to help stabilize the pH. Otherwise it's going to be a challenge to finish this cycle.

Just did a 90% pwc...hope this works. If I do get crushed coral or aragonite sand, how do I put it in the tank (in a mesh bag as librarygirl suggests or mix it with the aquarium gravel) and how much. Does it come smaller than a 10-15 lb bag?

 

[eco23]

Just did a 90% pwc...hope this works. If I do get crushed coral or aragonite sand, how do I put it in the tank (in a mesh bag as librarygirl suggests or mix it with the aquarium gravel) and how much. Does it come smaller than a 10-15 lb bag?

Librarygirl is right. A mesh bag let's you control how much you're buffering the water, and also gives you the chance to completely remove it and restore the natural value of your tap water once the tank is cycled. During cycling, there's really no such thing as too much. A couple handfuls in a mesh bag placed (preferably) into the filter should work well.

It's normally sold as substrate, so it tends to come in big bags but it's pretty inexpensive. You can also use a buffering product (not a pH adjuster!) if it's just for your cycle...but with the way your water is crashing so hard it might be a good idea to permanently run a very small bag of CC once the tank is stocked to prevent pH crashes once you have fish.

 

[giants1249er]

After doing a 90% pwc about 730am, I rechecked the ph level at 11am...it was 7.6 and ammo was 0.25 so i redosed back to 4ppm. Rechecked at 5pm, ph was still 7.6 and ammo at 2 so I redosed back to 4ppm.
That was tiring today...2 90% pwc (1 fish-in, 1 fishless) and 1 50% pwc for the fish-in tank...too many trips to my lawn with buckets full of water.
Going to the lfs near work to see if they have aragonite sand or crushed coral just in case I need it.

 

[librarygirl]

If you can get a Python or Aqueon water changer, it helps a LOT. Hook it up to your sink (or hose and run it into the house) and fill directly into the tank (after adding enough dechlorinator for the whole tank). No lugging buckets and it drains and refills quickly.

 

[giants1249er]

9/15
ammo 0.25 - redosed to 4
nitrite 1
ph 7.6

9/16
ammo close to 0 - redosed to 4
nitrite 1
ph 7.6

Ph seems to have stabilized

 

[giants1249er]

9/17/11
ammo 0.25 - redosed to 4ppm
ph 7.6

9/18/11
ammo 0 - redosed to 4ppm
nitrite light blue green

9/18/11
ammo 0.25
nitrite light blue green

What kind of reading is the nitrite?

When I added the nitrite test drops, it goes to the bottom of the tube and is purple before you even shake it, I shake it and it will turn a very light blue or greenish blue after 5 minutes. I had this same result yesterday. What does this mean?

 

[eco23]

9/17/11
ammo 0.25 - redosed to 4ppm
ph 7.6

9/18/11
ammo 0 - redosed to 4ppm
nitrite light blue green

9/18/11
ammo 0.25
nitrite light blue green

What kind of reading is the nitrite?

When I added the nitrite test drops, it goes to the bottom of the tube and is purple before you even shake it, I shake it and it will turn a very light blue or greenish blue after 5 minutes. I had this same result yesterday. What does this mean?

Light blue is zero...so that'd be a great thing, but I wouldn't draw any conclusions until we know the level for sure. I've never seen a green tint on the nitrIte test. What's your pH level at?

Also, how's the other tank with fish doing?

 

[giants1249er]

Light blue is zero...so that'd be a great thing, but I wouldn't draw any conclusions until we know the level for sure. I've never seen a green tint on the nitrIte test. What's your pH level at?

Also, how's the other tank with fish doing?

I also did a nitrate test...it was a 5. I will comment on that tank on its thread. Thanks.

 

[giants1249er]

9/20/11
nitrite - light blue (0)
nitrate - 5

 

[eco23]

9/20/11
nitrite - light blue (0)
nitrate - 5

Did ammonia drop to zero as well? If so...it looks like you're cycled!!!

Even though your no3 is low enough, I'd still do a large water change to restore minerals / buffers in your water before adding fish.

If the tank truly is cycled (which it appears) I'd go ahead and move your other fish into this one. That way you can finish your other tank by basically continuing that one as a fishless cycle while the fish are moved to a safe place.

The only thing that scares me a bit was that odd nitrIte reading you got. However, if it seems stable now...I'd personally move over the other fish. Good job

 

[giants1249er]

Did ammonia drop to zero as well? If so...it looks like you're cycled!!!

Even though your no3 is low enough, I'd still do a large water change to restore minerals / buffers in your water before adding fish.

If the tank truly is cycled (which it appears) I'd go ahead and move your other fish into this one. That way you can finish your other tank by basically continuing that one as a fishless cycle while the fish are moved to a safe place.

The only thing that scares me a bit was that odd nitrIte reading you got. However, if it seems stable now...I'd personally move over the other fish. Good job

I didn't test the ammonia tonite. I'll test all 3 again tomorrow just to make sure. The nitrite result was odd...after 5 minutes, it looked clear light blue, very much lighter than 0 on the nitrite chart.

If I do move my fish over, is it okay to move the gravel, cave, and fake plants also wthout disturbing the cycle. And move the cycled tank's gravel and fake plants into the other tank. They match the fish colors much better than the current gravel and fake plants in the cycled tank.
I don't want to in any way mess up the cycled tank.

 

[giants1249er]

Did ammonia drop to zero as well? If so...it looks like you're cycled!!!

Even though your no3 is low enough, I'd still do a large water change to restore minerals / buffers in your water before adding fish.

If the tank truly is cycled (which it appears) I'd go ahead and move your other fish into this one. That way you can finish your other tank by basically continuing that one as a fishless cycle while the fish are moved to a safe place.

The only thing that scares me a bit was that odd nitrIte reading you got. However, if it seems stable now...I'd personally move over the other fish. Good job

Just checked my ph..it's close to 6. Nitrites a light blue color. Ammo level is 4. What happened? Is my tank cycled or not? What do I do next? LMK. Thanks.