Where am I in the cycle?

[fambrough]

Hi all,

I am at the end of week two in a fishless cycle for a 10 Gallon Eclipse system. Maintaining a steady temp of 80. Started with about two tablespoons of shrimp pellets, which deteriorated and have disappeared. Added gravel and and some fossilized bone from an established tank. I added a teaspoon of stress zyme (just because I had it on hand).

I started water testing in the middle of the second week. My parameters are not changing.

Ammonia between 1 and 2
Nitrites 0

I checked the nitrates for the heck of it and get a positive reading of about 5 ppm.

What doesn't make sense to me is to have a small ammonia reading, zero nitrites, but register nitrates. Has this barely started to cycle? Or did I miss taking a reading to register the ammonia and nitrite spikes?

TIA for your help.
Ben

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

Nitrates can be in your water supply. a small amount of ammonia will take longer before you see nitrite. you may be 1/4 to 1/2 of the way. keep a steady flow of ammonia coming. you may need to add some more food or other source of ammonia and with the bacteria already in there you will see some nitrate as they convert things.

 

[fambrough]

Thanks!

Makes perfect sense. I dose with an ammonia source and dose myself with more patience.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[TomK2]

Don't forget Ace Hardware sells a 10% ammonium hydroxide solution under their own brand. For a ten gallon tank, one third of one milliliter of the 10% solution equals 1 ppm of ammonia. You would need a one ml syring (insulin syring, or tb syringe) to meter it out exactly, or just use a dropper, one drop at a time and see what happens.

 

[fambrough]

Thanks Tom,

I have reviewed the topic and your posts and your web page and links. One link recommends the A-Cl over the ammonia hydroxide. As it turns out, I have a bottle of ammonia hydroxide mixed with no additives save soft water. I added a few drops, waited and tested. Added a half a cap full, waited and tested.

I've pushed my ammonia reading to between 2 and 4 ppm. I added a sprinkling of flake food and a teaspoon of shrimp pellets again. Also, I raised the temp to 84 degrees.

Hope this helps get things going. I'll test again in two or three days.

I really appreciate the vast amount of information provided here. Thanks to everyone.
Ben

 

[mjkelly]

Just Be patient...I just went through this process about 2 months ago..mine took about two weeks to completely cycle..being this was my first tank I to was getting impatient

good luck

 

[fambrough]

My cycle is going to take longer. I am over two weeks and it hasn't finished the ammonia spike, perhaps because I haven't fed it enough. I added some ammonia hydroxide that boosted the test level to 4 ppm. pH stays constant at 8.0. Yet I haven't got the nitrites to spike. Still getting a zero reading. I added some more fish food (flake and shrimp pellets) hoping for an ammonia source. Mostly what I get is some white filamentous mold or fungal bloom. My guess is that I'm looking at a 4 to 6 week cycle. That's fine. I would rather look at a lively tank than an empty one, but all good things in all good time.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[buggsmarinetank]

The ammonia level take approx 14-20 days to come down. Be careful not to ever use ammonia detoxifier unless an emergency, it will kill the cycle and throw you back to square one. My tank is about the come down from an ammonia spike, and it has been 15 days, the ammonia just dropped this morning.

 

[fambrough]

Thanks to everyone for the help and information.

Just to update, I'm in day 20. The ammonia levels have dropped from the 4-5 pmm range to the 2 pmm range (maybe slightly lower). Nitrites surged to a 2-3 reading. I added some filter material from my established tank. I dropped the temp to 80 from 82 (probably won't impact the cycle).

I will feed with a measured amount of ammonia when the levels start to really drop. Won't test for nitrates until the nitrite zeros out.

I am guessing a week to two weeks for completion. Now I'm having fun thinking of the livestock options.

Cheers,
Ben

 

[TomK2]

Great news! I like the way your NH3 drop balances with your NO2 gain!

 

[FancyGuppyGuy]

there ya go just takes time.