setting up my tank... cycle not quite there yet.

[smartybones]

Hi everyone...

Have been setting up my tank after a long breakbfrom aquariums and have opted for the fishless cycle.

I know some people have reasonable objections to fishless cycleing but I feel it has gotta be better for the fish...

Its nearly 3 weeks into the cycle process and the no2 will just not drop that last little bit... Its been settled on 1ppm for a good few days now.

It processes ammonia no problem. I can bring it up to 4ppm and in 24 hours its back down to 0ppm.

No3 spiked up to 160ppm but after planting the tank its dropped to down to a stable 5ppm... Some of the plants are not doing too well and have been dying off so removed them...

PH is high though.. Its at 7.6 and have added 2.5ml of pH down every day for 4 days and its still at 7.6...

Will the high pH stop the no2 dropping that last bit?

I usually tap the water off for testing from at the top of the tank at the filter outlet. My thinking is that its just drawn the water from the bottom of the tank and is likely to be typical values for the whole tank...

Any thoughts or tips for getting the pH down or getting the no2 to move that last bit...

 

[Mordachai]

NO2 at 1ppm sounds trivial. If your BB is processing NH3 to NO2 and NO2 to NO3, you're cycled.

NOTE: edited this post for blatant errors.

 

[Scottyhorse]

I would stop adding the PH down for one point. A PH of 7.6 is fine. When adding chems, it creats fluctuations. Which isn't good for fish when you add them.

 

[smartybones]

The info I had on fishless cycle said that no2 should fall to 0 before adding fish... I thought just being slightly above that would be no big deal.. But better to check first...

I am only going to put a few fish in to start with anyway...

I'll give it a couple of days to settle after the last dose of pH down went in (this morning) and add some fish Saturday or Sunday....

Now to decide what's going in....

 

[Mordachai]

Sorry - I should have held my tongue b4.

NO2 is nitrite - and you're right, that should be zero (I incorrectly thought it was Nitrate, which is NO3 - my bad!). It's nitrates that are okay to have some in your tank water, but your nitrite should measure zero.

The biggest question in terms of your tank being cycled: if you add 4ppm of ammonia, is your tank able to convert that to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite readings in 24hrs?

 

[smartybones]

I can add 5ml of ammonia which takes it up to around 4 or 5 ppm and 24 hours later the ammonia is down to 0ppm.

I tried reducing the ammonia to 2.5ml which took it to 3ppm it was 0 the next day. Added a little over 5ml and it still processed it out to 0ppm

Its processing the ammonia really well.

The no2 (niterite) has been on 1.0 ppm for the last 5 days... It did drop to 0.5 ppm one day but than back up to 1.0 ppm by the next.. The drop may have been an error in the testing procedure...

I just don't get why it won't drop that last bit.... Its driving me nuts..

 

[Mordachai]

I dunno. Seems like if your nitrite converting bacteria were really flourishing, you should be seeing zero nitrites. OTOH, if they weren't there at all, you'd think your nitrites would just keep increasing. Weird!

 

[smartybones]

I know its doing my nut in...







The graphs are all pretty and as they should be... It just won't drop at the end.....

 

[Mordachai]

That's crazy! Have you tried using another testing kit for nitrites? Maybe you're getting bad readings? Are you dosing with anything? Could something be throwing off the reading?

That's whack!

 

[smartybones]

I did think it maybe the test kit.... But I did a control test on declorinated tap water... Result = 0ppm....

 

[smartybones]

I double checked the no2 test on tap water again and its perfect...

Its finally dropped to 0.25ppm tonight but the no3 has shot up to 40/60ppm which is really where it should be At the end of cycling... Its still processing out 4ppm of ammonia in 24 hours or less....

Its looking good for a visit to the aquarium shop on Sunday or Monday....

 

[brybell]

I double checked the no2 test on tap water again and its perfect...

Its finally dropped to 0.25ppm tonight but the no3 has shot up to 40/60ppm which is really where it should be At the end of cycling... Its still processing out 4ppm of ammonia in 24 hours or less....

Its looking good for a visit to the aquarium shop on Sunday or Monday....

Hey! I am fairly new, but based on my reading and research, i think its ok that you dont have exactly 0 nitrites. if your nitrates are that high, clearly you have ample bacteria that is removing the nitrites if you can dose 4ppm of ammo and in 24hrs have 0 and basically 0 nitrites youre good.

In one guide it says, fish dont dump out 4ppm of ammo daily, and not at one time. its slow and a lot smaller. so I think once you add the fish, it would be fine.

I cant find the link but another guide said once its basically done, just dose to about 1ppm to feed the bacteria, but you dont need to dose it so high.

 

[smartybones]

There are so many difrent guides of fishless cycling and the fact that its not an exact science makes it open to all sorts of opinion.

The whole point of fishless cycling is so you don't expose your fish to the stresses of poisonous environments and to that end no2 should drop to 0ppm before adding any fish.

Yeah... They will proberbly be OK adding fish at 0.25 or even 0.5 ppm but that's still defeating the point of fishless cycling. You may as well go the fish in route and do frequent water changes to keep levels down....

My tank finally finished a few days back... And remained stable after a 60% water change to get the no3 down to acceptable levels. And now has a hand full of fish happely swimming around.....

 

[brybell]

There are so many difrent guides of fishless cycling and the fact that its not an exact science makes it open to all sorts of opinion.

The whole point of fishless cycling is so you don't expose your fish to the stresses of poisonous environments and to that end no2 should drop to 0ppm before adding any fish.

Yeah... They will proberbly be OK adding fish at 0.25 or even 0.5 ppm but that's still defeating the point of fishless cycling. You may as well go the fish in route and do frequent water changes to keep levels down....

My tank finally finished a few days back... And remained stable after a 60% water change to get the no3 down to acceptable levels. And now has a hand full of fish happely swimming around.....

Nice! I am not sure I agree completely though. I do not think it defeats the point. You are right about the point of fishless cycling. However, the point is to keep them away from toxic levels of ammonia and nitrite. If you dumped the fish in the water the first day you filled it up, they would slowly be poisoned by the ammonia, and then the nitrites in the water. I was just saying that if you are converting 4ppm ammo down to 0 and nitrites almost all the way to 0, it is safe. The fish will never "dose" the ammo up to 4ppm, so I think is why you were still seeing some nitrites, but with fish I believe theyd almost always be 0.

the bacteria is doin its job...

currently im waiting for my nitrates to spike. theyre slowly increasing...

 

[smartybones]

currently im waiting for my nitrates to spike. theyre slowly increasing...

Ugh... Its horrid waiting to the tank to cycle. That's the only downside of fishless cycle.

There are so many conflicting and slightly difrent guides to fishless cycling that's its difficult to decide which is the definitive guide.

 

[brybell]

Ugh... Its horrid waiting to the tank to cycle. That's the only downside of fishless cycle.

There are so many conflicting and slightly difrent guides to fishless cycling that's its difficult to decide which is the definitive guide.

yes i definitely agree.

 

[brybell]

what kind of fish did you start with? and what size tank?

 

[smartybones]

Its a 100 letre tank. With plenty of plants.

I have 3 bronze Corrys. 8 neons and 2 chocolate gouramis...

All doing well....

The gouramis look like they are attached with a little string of elastic.. Never more than a few inches apart.

The corrys have not stopped ferreting about everywhere...

The neons are bright and sit close together all facing the same direction.... Until they get fed and all hell breaks loose...