Fishless cycle

[Winswithagrin]

Hi,
I have a quick question about fishless cycling. So we've been cycling or tank for about 4 weeks now. I am adding pure ammonia to about 45pm and levels will go from about 4 ppm to zero overnight and the levels go down to zero while I'm at school during the day.
My nitrites and nitrates we're both extremely high so I did a 75% water change last night. That brought my nitrites level down to a readable range around 2.0. My question is this, when the ammonia is being converted that back quickly how much should I keep adding to the tank to complete the cycle.
And, how long can the beneficial bacteria live without ammonia at all. I'm kind of thinking I might skip a day of adding ammonia to see what happens with the nitrite and nitrate levels.

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[Caliban07]

Hi,
I have a quick question about fishless cycling. So we've been cycling or tank for about 4 weeks now. I am adding pure ammonia to about 45pm and levels will go from about 4 ppm to zero overnight and the levels go down to zero while I'm at school during the day.
My nitrites and nitrates we're both extremely high so I did a 75% water change last night. That brought my nitrites level down to a readable range around 2.0. My question is this, when the ammonia is being converted that back quickly how much should I keep adding to the tank to complete the cycle.
And, how long can the beneficial bacteria live without ammonia at all. I'm kind of thinking I might skip a day of adding ammonia to see what happens with the nitrite and nitrate levels.

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Let those nitrites come down to 0ppm, they are almost due now. No longer than a week I would say. When they do, add ammonia again to 4ppm and see if it process through the to nitrate in 24 hours. If it doesn't leave until ammonia and nitrite read 0ppm again then try again. When you get 4ppm ammonia through to nitrate in 24 hours your good to go. The ammonia bacteria can go a long time without it.


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[Winswithagrin]

Thanks

Hi,

So I should just keep dosing the tank up to 4ppm everyday until the nitrites go to 0? It's hard because the ammonia disappears so quickly right now.

Thanks for responding, I was starting to wonder if I had offended someone! lol!

Sabrina

 

[ScotJudd]

Hi Sabrina,
Don't dose with anymore ammonia. Wait until nitrites have reached zero.
Then dose ammonia to 4ppm and see what happens. Again, wait until nitrites have reached zero. If nitrates go over 100ppm you can do a smallish water changed just to bring it down a bit.
Remember that 4ppm ammonia produces approx three times that in Nitrites so if you keep loading in the ammonia the nitrite to nitrate ammonia won't stand a chance of reducing nitrites to zero.
The tank can be safely left for a week without adding ammonia but if the nitrites have not come right down in that time then dose with ammonia just to keep the ammonia to nitrite bacteria active.
It takes longer for the nitrite to nitrate bacteria to establish and it has to deal with higher ppm than the ammonia to nitrite, so be patient. It's worth it in the end, you are on the right tracks.
As an aside, replies on the forum can take a long time, people may only come on here once a day and its a worldwide forum so we may be in different time zones. You're not being ignored ?.
Happy cycling ????????


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[Winswithagrin]

Thanks

Hey,

Thanks. I'm just waiting for nitrites to go to zero. They are still high and ammonia is almost at 0, worries me a bit, but I'll hang in. The tank is only a 5 gallon. It has 3 plants and I'm using Seachem Stability so after this long you'd think it'd already be cycled, but it's not so...

Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, we only plan on housing one betta in the tank, so yeah.

Over and out.
Sabrina