new tank doing a fishless cycle - first time

[HeatherW]

progrss seems to have slowed down a little. more along the lines of what I expected to see. did water test today.
temp - 82.6
Ammonia - 3.0
Nitirites - 0
PH - 7.6

when do I add a pinch of fish food (read that somewhere)?

I keep having to add at least a gallon or 2 of fresh(treated) water everyday due to evaporation. I am sure this has to do with no canopy on the top and the warm water temp compared to the air in my house. the fresh water will help keep my PH stable right? don't really have the whole PH thing figured out. what makes it drop and rise?

[jlk]

You can add a pinch of fish food now (just a pinch-finely crushed). No worries about the evaporation, just keep adding treated water as needed. The most common thing seen during cycling is a ph drop- the nitrifying bacteria use up the buffers in the water during the nitrification process & without the buffers, the ph crashes. The chemistry behind it is a bit more complicated but this is a basic explanation. Hope this helps!

[HeatherW]

thanks jlk! I added a small pinch of finely crushed fish food. tested my water today.
temp - 84.0
Ammonia - 1.5
Nitirite - 0
PH 7.4

so do I wait one more day before dosing the tank back up to 4ppm or should I do it today?

[jlk]

Go ahead & dose it back up to 4 but keep a close on eye on your ph because its starting to drop. If it drops any further, a water change will be necessary to re-establish buffers. Keep us posted!

[HeatherW]

went ahead and added the ammonia last night (added 18ml) and got it up to 4ppm. also got my glass canopy yesterday and put it on. upon the reccommendation of someone else I did not put the vinyl part on the back. so I just have the glass part on and then put my light bar over the glass. seems to really be helping the temp stabalize and obviously the evaporation. tested the water today
Temp - 86.4
ammonia - 3.5
Nitrite - 0
PH - 7.5

[jlk]

Your doing good! Patience is a must with fishless cycling. Keep us posted!

[awilson133]

how do i go about keeping my ph from crashing? i have ph 7.0 from api, is it ok to dose it in a fishless cycle?..to keep it from crashing. sorry im not trying to jack anyones thread.

[jlk]

Originally Posted by awilson133

how do i go about keeping my ph from crashing? i have ph 7.0 from api, is it ok to dose it in a fishless cycle?..to keep it from crashing. sorry im not trying to jack anyones thread.

Hi! I am not sure what you are asking or where you are at right now in respect to cycling. Are you doing a fishless cycle & your ph is crashing? From what number to what number? Is this daily? Have you done any water changes yet? Big water changes are usually enough to re-establish buffers to keep your ph stable. But, sometimes, the water supply is soft/acidic and/or lacking in sufficient buffers which creates instability. Im not sure exactly what you are dealing with to be able to better advise. Some more info would help or you can post a new thread in the 'getting started' section for more advice.

[awilson133]

i mean how do i avoid ph crashing? i havent started yet but i will saturday. im new to fishless cycling.
lulz nvm i found it..water changes help avoid it. i guess i misread the post, but how big of water changes are we talking? 20%? 30%? 50%?

[jlk]

Originally Posted by awilson133

i mean how do i avoid ph crashing? i havent started yet but i will saturday. im new to fishless cycling.
lulz nvm i found it..water changes help avoid it. i guess i misread the post, but how big of water changes are we talking? 20%? 30%? 50%?

Your best bet would be to post a new thread on sat with your info (tank size, tap water parameters, amm source your using, temp) and post all of your questions in this thread so you can get daily help as you proceed through your cycle. Water changes during cycling are not a must- only when the situation warrants it such as the ph starts to drop or nitrites have been insane for a lengthy period of time. Big water changes usually mean 50% or greater. Hope this helps!