fishless cycle rids tank of 1.0 ammo/24 hr..how much of a bioload does that equate to

[Gunk]

So i finally got my fishless cycle going again. I dropped ammo dose to 2.0 and it was down to zero in a day. Nitrites are 5.0 and nitrates are 80. Just to be on the safe side once ammo went to zero I only dosed it back up to 1.0 which is gone in 24 hrs. I know its still to early to get fish but my question is how many fish can I put in my 29 gal tank, once its finished cycling, that would approximate the 1.0 a day ammo dose? Should I try dosing ammo higher than 1.0 now to see what happens or will that just overload the bacteria? I'd like to start out with a couple gouramis, a couple chinese algae eaters and a maybe 3 or 4 other tetras (young fish so they would be on the small side) or similar type fish. Will they produce more than 1.0 ammo a day?

 

[ejaramillo01]

My opinion is to add more ammonia, if your tank is dropping 1 ppm in 24 hours, now dose up to 3 ppm, and see If the tank is able to drop to 0 ppm in 24 hours also.

I learned that a good size colony of bacterias should drop 3 to 4 ppm ammonia in 24 hours. So it is time to push them a little.

Also, when your tank finally cycle, it is the best to add fish slowly, don't worry for the bacteria, always add no more than 3 maximum 5 fish at one time (the max 5 is based in my experience), and you should no have issues with the bacteria or a mini cycle. If you add a small amount of fish and worries you that they won't generate enough ammonia, remember that always will be leftover food that will contribute to the ammonia level.

Godd luck gunk, you are getting closer

 

[Gunk]

My opinion is to add more ammonia, if your tank is dropping 1 ppm in 24 hours, now dose up to 3 ppm, and see If the tank is able to drop to 0 ppm in 24 hours also.

I learned that a good size colony of bacterias should drop 3 to 4 ppm ammonia in 24 hours. So it is time to push them a little.

Also, when your tank finally cycle, it is the best to add fish slowly, don't worry for the bacteria, always add no more than 3 maximum 5 fish at one time (the max 5 is based in my experience), and you should no have issues with the bacteria or a mini cycle. If you add a small amount of fish and worries you that they won't generate enough ammonia, remember that always will be leftover food that will contribute to the ammonia level.

Godd luck gunk, you are getting closer

Just wanted to update a little. After getting the tank to eliminate 1.0 ammo/24hr I upped it to 1.5 and ammo was 0 in 24 hrs and only .25 after 12 hrs. So I upped it to 2 and ammo was still 0 in24 hrs and .25 after 12 hrs. So tonight I'm doing 3.0 and see what happens. One thing I forgot to state. The original filter that came with the tank as a starter kit was an Aqueon that was rated for "up to 30 gals" and I have a 29 gal. After reading something about things that could hold up your cycle, one of them was inadequate filtration. So I went and bought a Aquaclear 70 which circulates 300 gph and thats when I really started seeing results! I think that made all the difference in the world because all my numbers started moving after that. Just wanted to put that out there for others who may be having cycling problems because I didn't see it mentioned much in my searches.

 

[ejaramillo01]

These are great news, And yes, good decision to upgrade the filter!

For sure you are growing a good size colony, how are doing your nitrites? Still high?

 

[Gunk]

These are great news, And yes, good decision to upgrade the filter!

For sure you are growing a good size colony, how are doing your nitrites? Still high?

Yes nitrites are still high and getting higher I think. The test, after 5 minutes, is pretty much the same color but when I add the drops they turn a dark blue as soon as I out the in as opposed to the same color that they come out of the bottle as. When my dads tank was at the high point of cycling his drops would turn dark purple as soon as you put them in the tube which I heard is a sign of really high nitrites. So yes my nitrites are at least 5.0 or more which I attribute to converting more and more ammonia. PS my dads tank is fully cycled now and all his fish are doing great!

 

[ejaramillo01]

Good, give it a little more time, keep adding your ammonia up to 3 ppm, if after a week nitrites keep reading high, you can do a PWC, up to 50%, this doesn't affect the cycle neither the colony of bacterias, but in many cases helped the cycle of nitrites to kick again.

But be patience, let's give it a little more time to grow more bacteria, now the ones that convert nitrites to nitrates, before we try the PWC.

You are going in the right track Gunk!

 

[Gunk]

Good, give it a little more time, keep adding your ammonia up to 3 ppm, if after a week nitrites keep reading high, you can do a PWC, up to 50%, this doesn't affect the cycle neither the colony of bacterias, but in many cases helped the cycle of nitrites to kick again.

But be patience, let's give it a little more time to grow more bacteria, now the ones that convert nitrites to nitrates, before we try the PWC.

You are going in the right track Gunk!

Dosed up to 3.0 ammo last night and tonight its back down to 0. I'm really confident I'm on the right track now! Nitrites still high and Nitrates are over 80 but not 160 which is the next color level on the API test chart. I'm going to keep dosing to 3 ammo nightly and keep nightly testing to keep an eye on things. Hopefully 2-3 more weeks and it will be all done. If nitrites are still high next week I will do a 50% water change and go from there like you suggested. Thanks for the help and support ejaramillo01!

 

[ejaramillo01]

Good
If your nitrates keep going higher, better do the partial water change earlier, in two more days, dont worry, the pwc won't affect your cycle, and will reduce the risk of stall the cycle due to the high levels of nitrites and nitrates.

 

[Gunk]

Good
If your nitrates keep going higher, better do the partial water change earlier, in two more days, dont worry, the pwc won't affect your cycle, and will reduce the risk of stall the cycle due to the high levels of nitrites and nitrates.

The day before yesterday I still had high nitrites and nitrates(over 5.0 and 80 respectively) so I went ahead with a 50% water change. After the water change the nitrites were slightly lower and the nitrates were the same. I let it go for another 24hrs. Nitrites went up, nitrates were still the same. I did another water change the next night (last night), about 80%. This time nitrites went down to .5 and nitrates to 20. Dosed ammonia back up to 3.0 from 0. Tonight (24hrs later) ammo is 0, nitrites are back to very high (more than 5.0) and nitrates are more than 80 again. I'm just going to let it go and do what its going to do for awhile. When we did my dad's tank the same thing happened and one day his nitrites just dropped to 0 in 2-3 days. I think it only took about a week more on his after the water change. So I sure I'm very close and starting to see the end of the tunnel!

 

[ejaramillo01]

yep

you are almost there.....

 

[Gunk]

yep

you are almost there.....

Woo hoo! I can't believe it. Tonight my nitrites have dropped from 5.0 last night to 1.0 tonight! Nitrates are through the roof too. A couple more days and I'll be done! Just in time for my days off of work so I can go get some fish too! After nitrites drop to 0 I will dose ammo one more time to make sure all is good. Then I'll do a large water change or more if necessary to get nitrates down to around 5-10? Or should I aim for 0 nitrates? Then off to the shop to get some fish! Can't believe the day is almost here after 4 months!

 

[ejaramillo01]

Yes after the nitrites drop to 0, add the ammonia two more days, I almost sure that the Nitrites will stay at 0 during those two days, which will indicate that your tank is cycled!!,
Then do one major water change, maybe 75 %, that should make it to keep Nitrates below 20, you don't need to aim for 0, just below 30 and ready for fish!!,

 

[Gunk]

Well I have fish now for two days and they are doing great I'm pleased to say! No ammo spikes at all since putting them in. Thanks so much for your help along the way, its greatly appreciated!

 

[daileene]

good to hear that....wish mine will be finished cycling too so i can get my fishes..wow, 4 months huh...that sounds like my tanks....

 

[Gunk]

I think my main problem was using to small of a filter to start with. My tank is 29 gal and I was using a filter for "up to 30 gal". Once I switched to the Aquaclear 70 everything took off.

 

[ejaramillo01]

Congrats also!!! Was nice to follow you in the trip to a cycled tank.

Now enjoy your fish!! Stock slowly and research your fish before you buy them. Common mistake that I made in the past was to buy by impulse at the store, to find later on that the compatibility was not good for what I have in the tank.

And lastly, keep your good maintenance schedule for the tank, weekly PWC, vacuum the gravel as needed, don't overfeed, and keep reading water parameters.

Good job, and wish you luck.

 

[daileene]

+1 with edgar

 

[Gunk]

I will be doing all the above. I didn't come this far to let it all slip away and want to keep my fish in the healthiest condition possible. And I'm already looking at bigger tanks...this stuff is addicting!

 

[daileene]

LOL....tell me about it...welcome to the club of Multiple Tank Syndrome. LOL.