The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

[eco23]

Hi again,

Ok I have drained the tank, rinsed off the decorations and tubes, got rid of the gravel and got rid of the carbon filters in the 55 gallon tank that had the wrong ammo added. Question: Its very hard to find the 350B bio-wheel assembly in my area and I would need 4 of them, could I rinse\clean\soak the bio-wheel assembly and re-use them? Would that be ok? I also have the ACE ammo now, so the bio-wheel is the only thing left to worry about before I get started again.

Thanks
FishShack

I think it's okay to use them as long as you really rinse the heck out of it to make sure you've removed any traces of the bad stuff. I'm not familiar with the bio-wheels though, so anyone else is free to chime in with their opinions.

 

[FishShack]

I have 4 carbon filters in each bio wheel kit so that's eight pads, I would think that the carbon would strip out a lot of the surfactant before it gets to the bio-wheel assembly?

 

[eco23]

I have 4 carbon filters in each bio wheel kit so that's eight pads, I would think that the carbon would strip out a lot of the surfactant before it gets to the bio-wheel assembly?

TBH, I'm not sure of the effects of carbon on surfactants. I know carbon will absorb some degree of chemical compounds...I'm just not sure how effectively in this case.

 

[royta]

6/7 10:15PM
Good news eco23!! My tank is cycled again. 4ppm ammo is reading 0 ammo and 0 nitrites in 24 hours. So this evening I removed the CC bags from my filters, lowered the temp back down, lowered my bubbler flow, and dosed ammo back up to 4ppm. Tomorrow evening, if nitrites are at 0 again, I'll do a 80% PWC to bring pH back to tap water values. Then I'll dose ammo back up to 4ppm again to make sure I didn't ruin my cycle...again. On Thursday evening I'll dose ammo up to 1ppm. Saturday I'll do one last PWC if nitrates are above 20ppm, and then fish are going in some time Saturday.

6/8 8:13PM
Wow, what a finicky bacteria colony. After 22.5 hours from the activities above, pH had lowered from 7.6 to 7.0-7.2. Ammo only lowered to 0-0.25 and nitrites only lowered to 2.0-5.0. So I did an 80% PWC. Nitrates are still at 40-80...they were 80-160 yesterday...closer to 160. Nitrites are at 0 after the PWC and pH is at 7.4. I dosed ammo up to 4.0. I'm not holding my breath on the chance that nitrites will be at 0 tomorrow, but you never know.

I probably should have done the 80% PWC yesterday so that I had fresh buffers in the water. My last PWC was on May 27. I think all would have been well with the cycle. Oh well, we'll see what happens.

6/9 9:00PM
I actually have a positive outlook after this evening's tests. pH is at 7.6. Ammo is at 0. Nitrites are at 0.25-0.50. Nitrates are at 80-160. I dosed ammo back up to 4.0ppm. Yesterday's PWC turned me back around I think. Tomorrow's check will only be after 20 hours, so it would be a very pleasant surprise if nitrites were at 0, as I'd be able to get fish on Saturday after a PWC. Crossing my fingers. If not, I'd still be happy with Monday.

6/11 10:00AM
I tested last night 21 hours after dosing ammonia up to 4ppm. Ammo dropped to 0, but nitrites only dropped to 0.25-0.50 (closer to 0.25 than 0.50). I did not dose ammonia back up. I checked this morning at 10:00AM (35 hours after dosing ammonia to 4ppm), and nitrites were at 0. I have no idea when nitrites reached 0, but I doubt it was much later than 28 to 30 hours. Do you think I'm safe to put in fish, or should I wait until the tank can process 4ppm in 24 hours? I have no doubt that it would be able to process 2-3ppm in 24 hours. What do you think?

 

[eco23]

6/11 10:00AM
I tested last night 21 hours after dosing ammonia up to 4ppm. Ammo dropped to 0, but nitrites only dropped to 0.25-0.50 (closer to 0.25 than 0.50). I did not dose ammonia back up. I checked this morning at 10:00AM (35 hours after dosing ammonia to 4ppm), and nitrites were at 0. I have no idea when nitrites reached 0, but I doubt it was much later than 28 to 30 hours. Do you think I'm safe to put in fish, or should I wait until the tank can process 4ppm in 24 hours? I have no doubt that it would be able to process 2-3ppm in 24 hours. What do you think?

You're good to go. The 4ppm to 0 in 24 hours is designed to be overkill. If you can come remotely close to that (which you definitely are), the tank will have absolutely no problem converting the slow steady stream the fish put out. Just check your nitrAtes level and add fish! Remember, pics are a requirement of fishless cycling

 

[royta]

Awesome!! My nitrates are at 80-160ppm and obviously way too high for fish. I'll do a 50% PWC right now, do a bunch of yard work, and then a second PWC in a few hours (if nitrates are still too high) before going to town to buy fish.

 

[eco23]

Awesome!! My nitrates are at 80-160ppm and obviously way too high for fish. I'll do a 50% PWC right now, do a bunch of yard work, and then a second PWC in a few hours (if nitrates are still too high) before going to town to buy fish.

Sounds great . Just make sure you have your heater at the appropriate temp and dechlorinate and temp match your water (you know the routine by now, lol).

 

[Ruth87]

did that pwc and added the fish food and topped up the amm as suggested but it has been stuck at 4ppm for about a week now n I'm feelin a little confused as to why its stopped again, i've started leaving the tank lid up to see if tht helps cud tht be the problem?

 

[eco23]

did that pwc and added the fish food and topped up the amm as suggested but it has been stuck at 4ppm for about a week now n I'm feelin a little confused as to why its stopped again, i've started leaving the tank lid up to see if tht helps cud tht be the problem?

Hi Ruth I have heard the theory that tight lids could prevent the beneficial bacteria from finding its way in there...but I've never looked deeply into it. It's worth a shot though.

I REALLY hate to do it, but when you get a chance, can you kind of review everything with me real quick. Unless I'm getting mixed up, it took quite some time for ammo to start dropping, it did once or twice, nitrItes showed up slightly, things seemed to stall, so you did a 40% pwc and added fish food, seems still not really moving...and that's where we are now?

Can you start with the basics for me like what brand of ammo, type of dechlorinator you're using, pH of the water, etc... You didn't use seeding material or bottled bacteria, right?

Sorry, this website has kind of destroyed my memory, lol. The best thing to do regardless is to always track things back to the beginning and make sure nothing basic is missing if things aren't going to plan.

 

[cichlidpaul]

Hi mate i have a question for you for weeks now i have been showing 0 on Nitrites done a test tonight to find i have some , i have messed with the tank tonight i.e added more rock and a home made filter with two sorts of sponge and carbon in it not sure if that has anything to do with it , still adding ammo to about 3.9 a day and its been fine is it the carbon
Only ask you as you are the No 1 when it comes to water god bless ya

 

[eco23]

Hi mate i have a question for you for weeks now i have been showing 0 on Nitrites done a test tonight to find i have some , i have messed with the tank tonight i.e added more rock and a home made filter with two sorts of sponge and carbon in it not sure if that has anything to do with it , still adding ammo to about 3.9 a day and its been fine is it the carbon
Only ask you as you are the No 1 when it comes to water god bless ya

Hi my British friend! Did you only add things or did you take anything out? Also if you did that big water change on that 14,000 gallon tank you have, you might have had some of the bacteria dry out in the tank and die in the time it takes to refill it. If it's either of those things it'll bounce back pretty quick. How high did the no2 climb? And is your pH still stable?

 

[cichlidpaul]

,

Hi my British friend! Did you only add things or did you take anything out? Also if you did that big water change on that 14,000 gallon tank you have, you might have had some of the bacteria dry out in the tank and die in the time it takes to refill it. If it's either of those things it'll bounce back pretty quick. How high did the no2 climb? And is your pH still stable?

Only took one rock out and no water change in doing that Wednesday as in getting the first of my fish Thursday (on that note i need you help if you can with the pleco in getting lol its called so they say a white tailed pleco do you know of it as i carnt find it any where) its costing me £35 in my money lmao
Anyway back to my pond lol only one rock out of my tank but i bid clean three sides of the glass too so it did get rather cloudy before hand

 

[eco23]

,

Only took one rock out and no water change in doing that Wednesday as in getting the first of my fish Thursday (on that note i need you help if you can with the pleco in getting lol its called so they say a white tailed pleco do you know of it as i carnt find it any where) its costing me £35 in my money lmao
Anyway back to my pond lol only one rock out of my tank but i bid clean three sides of the glass too so it did get rather cloudy before hand

Unless it was an absolutely giant rock, I wouldn't think that was the cause. You mean it got cloudy after you cleaned the sides, like from the debris you knocked loose floating around? How high did the nitrIte climb, and is it dropping back down now? If you're getting fish that soon, I'd only give the tank 1ppm every day to keep your nitrAtes from climbing too much higher. Here's my ideas of what could cause it-

- If it's been a while since you did a water change, the bacteria probably used up the nutrients in the water and that is slowing the bacteria from converting. A big pwc should fix you right up. If you've been adding 4ppm every day with the tank already cycled, it would chew through that stuff pretty fast.

- If it was a giant rock, it could have had a ton of bacteria on it and the tank just needs to readjust

- Worse case scenario, you used a sponge that had detergent or something on it when you cleaned the tank walls...you're smart enough to have known not to do that though, lol

Either way, a big water change and a couple days to let the tank stabilize again should fix you right on back up

As for the Pleco...you can check Liveaquaria and Aquabid. I'm not sure about shipping to England, but I'll keep my eyes open for you bro.

 

[cichlidpaul]

Unless it was an absolutely giant rock, I wouldn't think that was the cause. You mean it got cloudy after you cleaned the sides, like from the debris you knocked loose floating around? How high did the nitrIte climb, and is it dropping back down now? If you're getting fish that soon, I'd only give the tank 1ppm every day to keep your nitrAtes from climbing too much higher. Here's my ideas of what could cause it-

- If it's been a while since you did a water change, the bacteria probably used up the nutrients in the water and that is slowing the bacteria from converting. A big pwc should fix you right up. If you've been adding 4ppm every day with the tank already cycled, it would chew through that stuff pretty fast.

- If it was a giant rock, it could have had a ton of bacteria on it and the tank just needs to readjust

- Worse case scenario, you used a sponge that had detergent or something on it when you cleaned the tank walls...you're smart enough to have known not to do that though, lol

Either way, a big water change and a couple days to let the tank stabilize again should fix you right on back up

As for the Pleco...you can check Liveaquaria and Aquabid. I'm not sure about shipping to England, but I'll keep my eyes open for you bro.

Lol the rock was not that big mate well compared to the others in the tank lmao and i only used my hand to clean the glass so you guessed right their as for the sponge its the run of the mill English saying for the norm lol but i did add some sponge the takes out phosphorus
Ok mate on the ammo i will drop it down to one and test the ph i a while

 

[eco23]

Lol the rock was not that big mate well compared to the others in the tank lmao and i only used my hand to clean the glass so you guessed right their as for the sponge its the run of the mill English saying for the norm lol but i did add some sponge the takes out phosphorus
Ok mate on the ammo i will drop it down to one and test the ph i a while

BTW Paul, next time you're on, can you post the brand of ammonia you used on this thread? I'm trying to compile a list of brands of ammonia that are good / bad to use for cycling. I know you used a brand popular in the UK.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...to-use-avoid-for-fishless-cycling-156038.html

Everyone else is welcome to chip in too

 

[Ruth87]

Hi Eco
Current Stats:
Amm 4ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 0ppm
PH 8.2
Jeyes Kleen Off Ammonia
Gold Tap Safe by Interpret - De-chlorination
First Day 25th April - Ammonia Added to 4ppm
Thursday 12th May - Amm had dropped to 0.25ppm but 0ppm of nitrites or nitrates
Friday 13th May added AMM to 4ppm
Monday 30th May 0.5ppm AMM, 0 - 0.25 Nitrites, 0ppm nitrates
(no more Nitrites ever shown after this)
Friday 3rd June Amm 0.5ppm, 0pm Nitrites or Nitrates
Eco you suggested a PWCV so did 40% pwc and added flake of fish food and dosed AMMto 4ppm
TOday Amm 4ppm 0ppm nitrites or trates.
Help

 

[eco23]

Hi Eco
Current Stats:
Amm 4ppm
Nitrites 0ppm
Nitrates 0ppm
PH 8.2
Jeyes Kleen Off Ammonia
Gold Tap Safe by Interpret - De-chlorination
First Day 25th April - Ammonia Added to 4ppm
Thursday 12th May - Amm had dropped to 0.25ppm but 0ppm of nitrites or nitrates
Friday 13th May added AMM to 4ppm
Monday 30th May 0.5ppm AMM, 0 - 0.25 Nitrites, 0ppm nitrates
(no more Nitrites ever shown after this)
Friday 3rd June Amm 0.5ppm, 0pm Nitrites or Nitrates
Eco you suggested a PWCV so did 40% pwc and added flake of fish food and dosed AMMto 4ppm
TOday Amm 4ppm 0ppm nitrites or trates.
Help

Hi Ruth . Is there any possible way some type of chemical, anti-bacterial soap, Lysol spray, etc... Could have found it's way into the tank? It is very odd for your cycle to start, be dropping ammonia, show no2 and then suddenly stop. If the bacteria had somehow depleted the nutrients the pwc and fish food would have restored them and got you moving again.

I know you've got a pure ammonia, pH range is fine and I assume you followed the rest of the guide and things seemed to be on track. I've never heard of your water conditioner, but I assume it removes chlorine / chloramines / heavy metals and you added the proper dose?

The best bet would be to retrace every step and make sure there's not some type of silly thing we missed, and try desperately to find some seeding material from a friend / lfs. That is guarantees to get you moving, and if it doesn't, it will tell us there's something in there that doesn't want the bacteria to colonize.

There's also a company that sells "active" sponges that supposedly contain actual nitrifying bacteria. I think they're called Angelsplus or something similar. I've heard some great reviews of them on the site recently, and they'd definitely be worth a shot if you can't find some locally.

 

[cichlidpaul]

The ammo im using is called Kleen Off mate

 

[eco23]

The ammo im using is called Kleen Off mate

Awesome...thanks bro. Can you post that in the thread I linked?

 

[Ruth87]

nop no way anythin else got in there and i dont have any where i can get seeded materiial from as my local pet place doesnt even support fishless cycling as a viable method of setting up a tank. the only other thing iv noticed is sorta like a brown residue which is on one of my ornaments, the top part of my air tube and the plastic parts of the heater, cud tht be anything funny?