Ammonia (fishless cycle)

[MossyOakMama]

I will b starting a fishless cycle tomorrow with ammonia. I will b getting it from ACE hardware. What steps do I need to follow? I will post readings of each day. I will also post readings of aquarium water before ammonia is added. Any comments r help would b greatly appreciated. Until tomorrow. Thanks to everyone.

 

[jlk]

Heres the fishless cycle guide & the ammonia calculator to help you on your way! If you have a heater, bumping the temp up to the mid 80's wil help as well as increasing the aeration. Please ask if you have any questions!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

Calculator

 

[MossyOakMama]

Jlk. When I put in my aquarium size in inches. It shows it to b 56 gallons?? Mine is a bow front 46 gallon... I know this should not confuse me but I am a newbie. Should I measure the end r the middle??

 

[jlk]

Ah! You got me on this one! This calculator will only work for a standard aquarium. I know theres a mathematical equation to figure out the exact capacity of a bowfront but I do not know it off the top of my head. If you know its a 46g, use this for figuring out the ammonia dose.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Ok. I got the ACE ammonia!! I have taken readings of the plain tap water.
These are tap water readings--
7.6 low ph
8.4 high ph
.25 ppm ammonia
0 ppm nitrites
0 ppm nitrates

Here is the aquarium readings as of today-
7.6 low ph
8.0 high ph
1.0 ppm ammonia
.25 ppm nitrites
0 ppm nitrates

I have added a filter from 10 gal to 46 gallon. I also took a plastic ball looking thingy and put in it. Now I am going to look up ammonia dose.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Ammonia is 10% strength
4ppm - 6.97ml
5ppm- 8.71ml

Needing to find out how high to go?? 4,5,6,7, or 8?? I will b transferring all my fish from 10 gallon to 46 once cycle is complete. I got to many I know in the 10 gallon, that is why I want to know if I need to go up a number r what??

 

[MossyOakMama]

Forgot the pics. what should I test everyday?? Everything r just ammonia, trites, and trates?

 

[jlk]

4ppm of ammonia should be fine. Its meant to be overkill. Right now, you really only need to test ammonia. If ammonia is dropping, add nitrite test. Also, once your ammonia starts dropping, test your high ph daily. If you get a reading on the high ph of 7.6 (or lower), test regular ph. Once you are seeing nitrites, you can start checking your nitrates as well.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Added the 7.0 ml of ammonia. Turned heater up. Now we will see what we come up with tomorrow.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Ammonia 4.0 ppm. Do I add more r wait til tomorrow??

 

[jlk]

No need to add anymore until it drops down 1 (or lower).

 

[MossyOakMama]

It's still 4.0. I also have a question. I have a piece of drift wood. I have put it they the dishwasher. Can I put it in my tank? I am doing this cycle so what do ya'll think???

 

[jlk]

If its still releasing tannins, I would continue to soak it while your tank is cycling. If its not, its fine to put it in now but just keep a close eye on your ph in case it has a signifigant effect on it.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Still reading 4.0 ppm on ammonia. Be glad when I can see it dropping.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Ammonia still up. Waiting on a drop to start.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Ammonia still reading 4.0. Is it ever gonna start dropping???? :/

 

[RussellC]

Ammonia still reading 4.0. Is it ever gonna start dropping???? :/

Most aquarium cycling timelines I have seen put the height of the ammonia spike at about day 10. Some cycles are faster and some slower, but if yours is 'average', you should start to see the level start to drop soon.

Good luck!

 

[jlk]

Hi! You only added ammonia for the first time on the 19th, so its been 5 days now. Perfectly normal! It can take 2-3 weeks to see initial ammonia drops when cycling from scratch. The only way to speed this up is to add some cycled media. Has your ph remained stable after adding the dw? As long as its above 6.5, theres nothing to worry about right now!

 

[MossyOakMama]

Haven't added driftwood. Making sure it has soaked long enough. I will ck all levels tonight. I will post on here the results.

 

[MossyOakMama]

Readings now.
4.0 ppm ammonia
7.6 low ph
8.0 high ph
0 ppm nitrites
0 ppm nitrates

Gonna wait some more. Patience << I keep telling myself.