Fishless Cycle Questions

[dalto]

How can I help the nitrite to nitrate part of the equation?

You just need to be patient, it should move on its own. Or you could seed BB from somewhere else if you haven't already.

 

[fish wrangler]

Patience it is. Might still have some of the BB in the filter if it lived with no food for 6 days.

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[trennamw]

Glad Dalto chimed in. I've heard and read a lot of different things.

You're cycling quickly enough I suspect your bacteria did survive. It's hard to just wait, without *doing* a lot to it to make it go faster. But the one thing we know for sure that makes a tank cycle is time.

I cycled with help and seeded media from a member here, who was local to me and knew our soft water. She was also in the health sciences and experimented with cycling a lot. Even following what her research and experiments suggested was fastest, it took 10 days I think. I was dosing to 4ppm till she told me to do less, and I don't think I did a single water change. At the time I hadn't heard that high nitrites or nitrates could stall a cycle.

You're continuing to check pH too? It can crash during the cycle.


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[fish wrangler]

I have done 2 pH tests. One was the 8.2 at the beginning and the other was 7.8 on Saturday. I will do another tonight since the DW has been in for a day now, no tannis leached from DW which is nice. I have a math test to study for so that takes priority over tank. Last year of high school

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[fish wrangler]

I HATE MY NITRITE BACTERIA!!!

Ammonia-0ppm
Nitrite-4ppm (not 5 but not 2, closer to 5)
Nitrate-80ppm
pH-7.4

Should I add more ammonia amd test in an hour?

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[dalto]

I would add more ammonia to get back to 2ppm tomorrow and test the day after that.

 

[trennamw]

Ah senior year ... Lots of conflicting priorities!

With your pH dropping, if you have time, you might check a little into bringing it back up. Somewhere there is a calculator for ammonia to baking soda ratios.

It could be superstition on my part but I believe keeping the pH above 8 kept the cycle going.

Still. You're proceeding at a fast rate all things considered.


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[dalto]

It could be superstition on my part but I believe keeping the pH above 8 kept the cycle going.

Definitely superstition

Ideal pH for cycle is in high 7's to low 8's. That being said, being off ideal a bit won't hurt much. Being below 7 will start to have an impact and there is a point where the cycle will stall altogether. I don't know where the stall point is but I would guess it is in the low 5's. That is a complete guess though.

As a side note, I have kept fish in tanks with crashed pH and the cycle becomes irrelevant because there is no free ammonia in that low of a pH. I have found that practically in an aquarium the pH will never fall much below ~4.8. Not sure why.

 

[fish wrangler]

The lfs person told me to lower pH around 7.2 or 7.0. If it stays at 7.4 until the cycle ends I can lower it the last bit later if need be

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[trennamw]

Good to know! I think I'd read an article that one bacteria liked 8.2 best, another a tad lower. "High 7s to low 8s" sounds more realistic. Never too early to avoid the habit of chasing a perfect pH ...


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[dalto]

The lfs person told me to lower pH around 7.2 or 7.0. If it stays at 7.4 until the cycle ends I can lower it the last bit later if need be

Did they tell you why you should lower it? Is it due to the fish you want to keep after the cycle is over?

 

[fish wrangler]

Did they tell you why you should lower it? Is it due to the fish you want to keep after the cycle is over?

Correct. AqAdvisor has the range maxing out at 7.0. If i can get it around 6.8-7.2 I should be good i think.

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[fish wrangler]

Good to know! I think I'd read an article that one bacteria liked 8.2 best, another a tad lower. "High 7s to low 8s" sounds more realistic. Never too early to avoid the habit of chasing a perfect pH ...


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You saying I should start to tinker with the pH now? Curious to how low the dw will bring our down.

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[dalto]

Correct. AqAdvisor has the range maxing out at 7.0. If i can get it around 6.8-7.2 I should be good i think.

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What are the fish in question?

 

[fish wrangler]

Neon tetras, black kuhlies, black skirt tetras, ghost shrimp, and otos

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[dalto]

Your tap water pH is 8.2? What is your KH and GH?

 

[fish wrangler]

I still need to get the KH and GH tests. Hopefully tomorrow after school I can run to petsmart and pick them up.

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[dalto]

I still need to get the KH and GH tests. Hopefully tomorrow after school I can run to petsmart and pick them up.

Hopefully they sell them at Petsmart where you are. The ones down here don't stock them.

 

[fish wrangler]

I thought I saw them when i picked up the master kit.

KH=calcium hardness, lower kh means ph changes easier higher means ph is harder to change.

GH= general hardness...thats all i know

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[fish wrangler]

I remember reading a thread but can't find it now

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