55 gal w/seed fishless log

[TheJT]

Day 1
Ammo 4.0

All that is this tank is a bubble curtain, heater, filter, and gravel.

I moved over some seeded filter material so let's see how long this takes.

 

[eco23]

Cool . I'll be following along.

Did you end up finding liquid ammonia or are you using the shrimp?

 

[TheJT]

I actually got the liquid. I had to take my kids home to green bay and was able to find an Ace there and there it was on the shelf. Lol. I got a full gallon cuz 700 miles is a long way to go for ammonia lol.

 

[eco23]

I actually got the liquid. I had to take my kids home to green bay and was able to find an Ace there and there it was on the shelf. Lol. I got a full gallon cuz 700 miles is a long way to go for ammonia lol.

Haha. A gallon should be enough for 100 cycles...and also cleaning every window in your house a dozen times over, lol. Good luck on your cycle...having some established media means you're already off to a great start.

 

[TheJT]

Day 2:

Ammo 2.0

Dosed back up to 4.0ppm.

I'll start testing for NO2 when the ammo starts dropping faster.

 

[TheJT]

Day 3:

Ammo 4.0

 

[TheJT]

Day 4:

Ammo 4.0

 

[librarygirl]

I'm following too.....

 

[TheJT]

Ok I've negligent in posting. I been busy. Today is the first day I've had anything to report. Fir the previous 5 days my ammo kept dropping slowly and I kept dosing back up to 4 ppm. I tested on Thursday and my ammo had gotten down to 1 so again back up to 4 ppm. I tested today and my ammo was at 0 so I checked my NO2, 5 ppm. Dosed the ammo back up to 4 and now should prolly start testing daily.

 

[TheJT]

Day 11:

Ammo 0.25
NO2 5.0

Dosed ammo back up to 4.0

Please say a prayer for the 2900+ families that lost loved ones on the anniversary of this tragic day 10 years ago.

 

[TheJT]

Day 12:

Ammo 0.25
NO2. 5.0
NO3 5 ppm

Just waiting for the NO2 to drop off. Hopefully it will happen before my wife and I find out what gender our baby is. (2 weeks)

 

[TheJT]

Day 15:

Ammo 0
NitrItes 2.0
NitrAtes 5.0

Just for the heck of it
pH 8.2

 

[eco23]

Awesome. If the no2 was 5+ and has dropped to 1ppm...you're almost home.

I assume you added a good portion of seeded media?

*And congrats on the baby

 

[TheJT]

Yeah I used a bit from my 10 gal. And thanks we're excited about the baby.

 

[TheJT]

Day 20:

Ammo 0
Nitrites ??? Off the charts.

Should I reduce my ammo input or stop all together till the no2 is readable?

 

[eco23]

How high are your nitrAtes? If they're super high as well...a massive water change to bring them down into a readable range is a good idea. Just don't be surprised if they shoot right back up after the pwc...it's all part of the process.

I wouldn't stop adding ammonia...we want to keep the ammo > no2 bacteria fed. You can reduce the input down to ~1ppm for a few days...but I wouldn't leave the level low for more than 3-4 days max. You don't want the bacteria to start adjusting to the lower levels.

 

[TheJT]

Day 21:

Ok Eco here are the numbers. Tell me what ya think.

Ammo 0-.5 successfully converting 4 pmm every 24 hrs

NO2. Off the charts. Will upload a pic but it's purple with a good bit of red.

NO3 5.0 ppm. This same amount that is in my tap water.

I'm personally thinking that toning down the ammo for a few days to try and get the NO2 readable is good idea but very short term (bandaid on a gun shot wound). But I'm not sure what the long term solution is. Maybe just to keep on and it will come down on it's own/ complete the cycle. I do think I should be showing some NO3. Just a thought but could the extreme high amour of NO2 be suffocating the NO3?

 

[eco23]

Day 21:

Ok Eco here are the numbers. Tell me what ya think.

Ammo 0-.5 successfully converting 4 pmm every 24 hrs

NO2. Off the charts. Will upload a pic but it's purple with a good bit of red.

NO3 5.0 ppm. This same amount that is in my tap water.

I'm personally thinking that toning down the ammo for a few days to try and get the NO2 readable is good idea but very short term (bandaid on a gun shot wound). But I'm not sure what the long term solution is. Maybe just to keep on and it will come down on it's own/ complete the cycle. I do think I should be showing some NO3. Just a thought but could the extreme high amour of NO2 be suffocating the NO3?

Yeah, if you haven't done it yet, a massive water change to drop the no2 down to readable levels is a good thing. Otherwise you can just let it ride as long as the ammonia is still dropping. That's your call. Doing a couple pwc's can knock a couple days off...but people also do fishless cycles every day without changing a drop of water. Personally I'd suggest doing a massive (like 90%) water change to drop the no2 down at least once.

I think you should definitely be seeing no3. You're using an API Master kit, right? I'm sure you are, but make sure you're shaking the heck out of the #2 solution for 30 seconds, shake the whole tube for a full minute then let it sit for 5 minutes before recording your results.

 

[TheJT]

Yeah. Using the API kit. I know I'm doing the test correct cuz I get different results from my 10 gal (usually between 20 & 40). As I haven't got my water changer yet, let's give it a little bit longer to convert.

 

[TheJT]

Day 22

Ammo 0
NitrIte 0
NitrAte 80

Made a cpl changes from yesterday. Dropped the ammo dose to 1 ppm, took out the java moss (just didn't care for it), and lowered the temp from 80 to 76f and it cycled. Well I'm at least confident it's cycled. Gonna add 4 ammo tonight see if it converts then add fish if it is.