i've been trying to cycle this tank for about two months the first time i didn't feed it enough ammonia so the bacteria prolli died and this second time it was looking good i tested about 4 days ago and my nitrITES were on the rise and now i test today and i found out i had ZErO nitrites... i also have zero nitrate... =( it seems i'm getting no where. i just wanna cry... *sigh.... i add the ammonia about the same time every single morning around 7-9am sometime in there... =( any suggestions i was going fine but my nitrites died out, once i had traces of them i cut my ammonia from 15-20 drops to about 10 drops per day. i have a 10g tank... thanks.. i want to do this but i'm having this prolonged BLEH period. it isn't making me happy.... tia!
i just wanna give up =(
- Thread starter blipblop
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TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Don't cut the ammonia - the bacteria you so carefully grew require that ammonia on a daily basis to survive. If fish are in the tank they get constant ammonia (food source) so if you cut back they will die out.
I would go back to your 20 drops a day and don't change this amount at all - until your cycle is done and you no longer have to add ammonia, of course.
Good luck!
I would go back to your 20 drops a day and don't change this amount at all - until your cycle is done and you no longer have to add ammonia, of course.
Good luck!
cginflorida
Aquarium Advice FINatic
blipblop, what is your ammonia reading now?
TankGirl, I wondered about that myself. The article by Tom Griffin on fishless cycling says to cut back the amount of ammonia you add by half, once the nitrite spikes. I thought that sounded strange, it would be like removing fish. I have cut the amount I add, but now I'm wondering if I should be adding the original amount. Hmmmm.
This is from his article: "Add ammonia to the tank initially to obtain a reading on your ammonia kit of ~5 ppm. Record the amount of ammonia that this took, then add that amount daily until the nitrite spikes. Once the nitrite is visible, cut back the daily dose of ammonia to ½ the original volume. One advantage of this method is that the ammonia spike occurs immediately... when adding 4-5 drops/10 gal/day, it could take 4-5 days before the ammonia reaches the same levels. This should result in an acceleration of the entire process, though by how much (on average) remains to be seen."
TG, you keep adding the original amount, and that works for you?
TankGirl, I wondered about that myself. The article by Tom Griffin on fishless cycling says to cut back the amount of ammonia you add by half, once the nitrite spikes. I thought that sounded strange, it would be like removing fish. I have cut the amount I add, but now I'm wondering if I should be adding the original amount. Hmmmm.
This is from his article: "Add ammonia to the tank initially to obtain a reading on your ammonia kit of ~5 ppm. Record the amount of ammonia that this took, then add that amount daily until the nitrite spikes. Once the nitrite is visible, cut back the daily dose of ammonia to ½ the original volume. One advantage of this method is that the ammonia spike occurs immediately... when adding 4-5 drops/10 gal/day, it could take 4-5 days before the ammonia reaches the same levels. This should result in an acceleration of the entire process, though by how much (on average) remains to be seen."
TG, you keep adding the original amount, and that works for you?
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes - I continue to add the same amount, but there are definitely schools of thought on this, so I suppose I should run a side-by-side comparison (hmm, I have a 10gal and a 15 gal that both need to be cycled, I could try it!).
My way makes the most sense to me and always works on my end, but there are probably factors aside from the obvious at work here, so you can make an educated guess and pick which way you want to go. I have the idea that I am creating an extremely strong biofilter.
My way makes the most sense to me and always works on my end, but there are probably factors aside from the obvious at work here, so you can make an educated guess and pick which way you want to go. I have the idea that I am creating an extremely strong biofilter.
AtodaJ
Aquarium Advice Freak
Some food for thought
From what I've read, the reason some peeps recommend cutting back on the ammonia by 1/2 is because it takes longer for the Nitrite eating bacteria to establish themselves than the ammonia eating bacteria... about twice as long. And if the Nitrite levels get too high it will stall the cycle. So by cutting the ammonia in half once the Nitrite spike shows up you will give the Nitrifying bacteria time to establish themselves thus preventing a stall. Some of the ammonia eating bacteria will die off but not enough to make a difference.
With that said, it really depends on how much ammonia you are adding in the first place. The more you are adding the higher the chance of experiencing a stall. Personally, I add the same amount of ammonia everyday during fishless cycling but I make sure the Nitrite level never exceeds 5 ppm. If it ever does I do a water change to get it back down.
From what I've read, the reason some peeps recommend cutting back on the ammonia by 1/2 is because it takes longer for the Nitrite eating bacteria to establish themselves than the ammonia eating bacteria... about twice as long. And if the Nitrite levels get too high it will stall the cycle. So by cutting the ammonia in half once the Nitrite spike shows up you will give the Nitrifying bacteria time to establish themselves thus preventing a stall. Some of the ammonia eating bacteria will die off but not enough to make a difference.
With that said, it really depends on how much ammonia you are adding in the first place. The more you are adding the higher the chance of experiencing a stall. Personally, I add the same amount of ammonia everyday during fishless cycling but I make sure the Nitrite level never exceeds 5 ppm. If it ever does I do a water change to get it back down.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well said, AtodaJ - that is exactly how I do it as well.
cginflorida
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Okay, thanks TG and AtodaJ, that clears things up for me.
Blipblop, don't give up!
Blipblop, don't give up!
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Good advice, CG - the cycle will eventually happen - it really will! When it does, blipblop, we're gonna give you a gold star 
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