fishless cycle question

[mwitha]

Hi all,

I have a 60 Litre Tank set up. I decided to go with Fishless cycling for the first time. So I bought myself some household ammonia and ordered a water test kit. I decided to add a little ammonia last night to get things going... however my test kit hasnt arrived yet. I did a filter squeeze from an existing tank, added some established substrate and added some Tetra SafeStart. The water has now gone slighlty hazy/cloudy (bacteria bloom).

My question is.... I have no real way of knowing my Ammonia levels (I added about a tea spoon). I'm afriad that if I don't add more then the existing bacteria in there may die, would it be wise to add some more ammonia without knowing the exact level?

Or should I wait until my test kit shows up?

Many thanks!

 

[OldMan]

If you can expect the test kit soon I would wait for it. A teaspoon in a tank that size is probably a bit more than the typical 5 ppm value so it should last a couple of days even if the squeezings speed up your cycle. If you don't see the test kit soon, you could add a small amount of ammonia daily but not that much until you have a chance to test. I'm suggesting a small dose just to keep the bacteria alive until you get a test kit and can see what you are doing. Trying to cycle blind like that is fraught with peril but I would rather go with a small amount of ammonia and if you find you are processing well you can always increase it once you can se what you are doing.

 

[mwitha]

Thanks oldman! the test kit should be here today. I'll post my readings to see how its going. The cloudiness appears to be clearing up

 

[CaptainAhab]

What did you do w/ the filter pad you squeezes from? If it would have been possible to keep it you could have shoved that in your filter (along with your own stuff) for a week or 2. You may have bypassed a cycle or ended up with a mini that way.

The bacteria in the water column is trying to find somewhere to colonize. I agree, test your water several times over the next few days. Dose small. You may find that you end up w/ a few short cycle.

 

[mwitha]

I have a BiOrb tank, and the filter is due to be changed. I would normally throw the old one away, should I put the media into the new tank? My Biorb is a healthy tank with no infections / ammonia / nitrites.

 

[CaptainAhab]

100%... even if you tie it up and sit it on the bottom. best is to shove it in the filter though. That's where all the goodies are... FOR FREE

 

[mwitha]

Done! I cut the media up into sections and placed it around the filter. I also put some with the 'Bio Balls' that are in my filter. My ammonia level is still around 4ppm, how long do you think it will be until the bacteria take hold. I've added a little bit of Stress Zyme too. The water has got lots of bits floating in it now!

 

[cogburn]

dont mean to hijack the thread... but is there a rule for dosing?... say x amount of drops per gallon?

 

[gzeiger]

They usually recommend you maintain the ammonia right around 5 ppm until the cycle is complete. That should translate into the same amount per gallon the first time, but after that you adjust the dose based on how fast the bacteria become established and begin to reduce it, so it's determined by day to day test results.

 

[mwitha]

My tank has only been set up for a few days and yet Im showing quite high nitrates in the water, at around 20-40 ppm. There's no sign of any Nitrites. Any ideas?

 

[cogburn]

okay... lemme paint the picture... in about a month im purchasing a 180 gallon tank... i wanna fishless cycle... so to get to 5ppm how much would you recommend dosing?
and if i go over 5ppm what do i do?... pwc?... under is easy i just add more... but i guess im asking how to go about starting it

 

[CaptainAhab]

if your nitrates are that high, I would suggest testing your water source.

 

[CaptainAhab]

add some test, add some test..

5ppm isn't a rule just a guesstimate... The rule will be ammonia lowering to 0 and nitrites rising.. then nitrites lowering to 0 and nitrates rising.

When it's done you dose a bit more and watch them all fall to 0 while nitrates rise.. Then add fish (or keep miminal dosing or add food) to create the ammonia that will create the nitrite that will create the nitrates and so on, through the nitriyfing bacteria process

 

[cogburn]

yeah i understand the process... just didnt know if there was a rule of thumb... guess not... i would think for 180 gallons ima need alot of ammonia

 

[CaptainAhab]

3 shrimpy's outta do ya.. Not even a guess on the str8 dose

 

[cogburn]

do you think the shrimp method is better?... seems to me it'd be alot less controllable... with dosing pure ammonia i would think you'd have better luck with regulating the dosage...

 

[CaptainAhab]

agreed. Sometimes one is easier to come by than the other

 

[mwitha]

It appears as though my tap water tests as 20-40ppm in Nitrates. Is that going to affect my cycle at all?

 

[CaptainAhab]

no but it's a big reason to consider ro, ro/di or bottled water...

Seems high for tap, u sure ur test kit is good? Might want to double check by getting it tested at the lfs. What test u using?

 

[mwitha]

Its an API Freshwater Master Test Kit. Ive done the test a coupon of times now and it comes out the same. What does ro or ro/di mean?