starting a fishless cycle

[jlk]

okay I will ) can I go ahead and turn the temp down a little ? do I keep the media in the tank a while? I am familiar but its so confusing to me.. I couldnt of done it with out your help and others! thank you so much!!!

Def leave the media be- I believe its the reason behind your great numbers! Yes, you can start to gradually turn down the temp. Do this over the next few days though, a degree every 2-3hrs or so- very gradual as to not shock your bacteria (which can be tempermental to change). Good luck!!!

 

[awilson133]

everything is still zeroing out
ammo 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 80
ph 7.6

 

[jlk]

Thats great news!!!

 

[awilson133]

should I leave the cc in the filter still?

 

[jlk]

I honestly would leave it be for now. Once you have fish & eveything has been stable for a bit, we can consider slowly removing it but i honestly would probably keep a bit in your filter permanently because of the issues with your ph. No sense in having your ph crash after finally getting fish!

 

[awilson133]

alright so im going to get fish on saturday. can I just keep redosing and making sure everything zeros out??

edit: or could I do my big water change tonight then get fish tomorrow.night??

 

[jlk]

Yep, redose for now. You can skip the amm friday & do your big wcs if you want or dose fri & do your wcs on sat before going to purchase fish. Either will work!

 

[awilson133]

I think im gonna do my water change tonight and get fish tomorrow after.work.is that cool?
ammo 0
nitrites 0
ph 7.5
nitrates 90

 

[jlk]

Yes, this is fine! We expect to see pics of your new fishy friends, too!

 

[awilson133]

NO > hahaha jk. okay I will for sure !! im getting 2 gold gouramis & 6 neon tetras for now

 

[jlk]

Lol! Congats!!

 

[awilson133]

im havin some trouble with my temp going down its at 85..i need it at 80

 

[awilson133]

and my nitrates are at 30

 

[jlk]

What are the nitrate levels out of your tap? You may need to do another wc or two if your tap is alot lower. Your temp wont go down immediately- you can turn the heater off (unplug it) & let the water gradually cool down. Check it every half hr until it reaches the temp you want & then you can turn the heater back on to maintain the temp. If your house is very warm, it may be a bit difficult to cool- you can try adding slightly cooler water with a water change to gradually reduce the temp as well.

 

[awilson133]

okay I did 50% wc and I got my nitrates to 5.0 ppm

 

[awilson133]

out of the tap its not quite 5.0 its a lil lighter

 

[awilson133]

nitrites 0
ammo .25....?!?!
my tap is ammonia is .50..
is this normal??

 

[awilson133]

the ammo now is hiting close to 0

 

[jlk]

Good job! The amm out of your tap will be converted by your bacteria so no worries! Just make sure you are using a decent conditioner that will bind ammonia when you do wcs in the future with fish (such as prime or amquel plus). Looks like your all set!

 

[awilson133]

I use prime it smells gross..
ill be sure to post pics tomorrow!