Fishless Cycling New 120gallon tank

[eco23]

Hello eco23!
MY TANK IS CYCLED NOW!!!!! I'm so excited now!!!!!
I've been dosing my tank at night.
Today is June 5.
June 3 at 11pm was my last feeding of 1C ammonia for the nitrites.
June 4 at 11pm Ammonia = 0; Nitrites were barely there. No food on 6/4.
June 5 at 8AM Ammonia = 0; Nitrites = 0; Perfect and Nitrates = 80+

This is the first time Nitrites have been at 0.

Question - What is my next step? (1) Do I feed maybe 1/2C ammonia today and then see if readings are still cycled in the morning? OR (2) can I do the massive water change now to lower the nitrates to an safe level, lower the temperature of the water from 86 to 78 degrees; make sure the water softness is right, put in my bog log and my fish. I'll get the water parameters as close as I can to their present tank.

Would love your feedback. I'm on my way to church in a little while and will be back in a few hours.

If I can't transfer the fish today, then I will have to wait until Tuesday because Monday I'll be gone all day.

Oh, one more thing. I have that awful black hair algae in my other tank and I do not want to move it into the new tank when I move my fish. So just in case it could spread by spores in the water, I thought I'd net my fish, give them a little dip in a bucket of the new tank water and THEN put them in the new tank. Do you think that would eliminate the possibility of moving the black hair algae in the new tank? Or is there anything else I can do.

Thank you again, SO MUCH! You've been so helpful.

Ann7667

As long as both ammo and no2 are dropping to 0 in a 24 hour period after dosing it up...I'd say your good to go. You can do your big water change to get the nitrAtes below 20ppm and move em on over. If you want to move them today, you'll probably need to use a thermometer to match the temp to where the fish are now, since the heater is still turned up.

Do you alter the pH or hardness in the tank the fish are in now? Personally I suggest never altering the water unless it is absolutely necessary. As long as the values between the tanks are close, I wouldn't overly concern myself with it. The safest move would be go get a big bucket and drip acclimate them a few at a time. This is the way I introduce all my new fish...even though it's not usually necessary.

I cant provide you any experience with the algae, but my initial thought is that a quick dip for the fish would be a shock and probably a bad idea...someone else is welcome to chime in though if they have more info.

Keep us posted, and I want to see pics of them in their new home

 

[Ann7667]

My tank is cycled now - fishless cycle!!!

Hello eco,
Yes the ammo is always gone completely after 12 hours and now finally the Nitrites are 0 at actually 32 hours.
I will definitely get the Nitrates below 20ppm before I move them.
Definitely the temp will be at 78 degrees and I do have a thermometer.
I do not alter the pH or hardness in the tank the fish are in now. I've managed to get that to be stable and I have a nice big bog log for the new tank that should keep the water at the softness they like.
The reason I wanted to give them a "dip" in a bucket full of their new water, was to rinse any black algae spores off of them so it would not transfer to the new tank. However, I will get a big bucket today, put the new water in it and acclimate them a few at a time as you suggest. That way they will also get a rinse off in the bucket of any algae spores.
I'll pick up my plants at the LFS tomorrow. I order a bunch!
One other thing is that last week when I did a water change in the new tank, I felt the side of the glass on the inside of the tank and it was just thick with a kind of light brownish slime.
That's a good thing . . . right?
Okay, then, I'll get busy later today preparing the new tank and moving my fishies! Wish I had the plants in there for them. There is some furniture and hiding places.
Oh, I had purchased a ceramic mug for the ancestrus because he is in a smaller hiding place right now. So Angelina (the 7" long Juru Pari) tried to get into it, but only half her body would fit, but at least, she had her back covered. They are so cute!
Thanks again for your help. Photo will be coming next week.

Ann7667

 

[eco23]

Hello eco,
Yes the ammo is always gone completely after 12 hours and now finally the Nitrites are 0 at actually 32 hours.
I will definitely get the Nitrates below 20ppm before I move them.
Definitely the temp will be at 78 degrees and I do have a thermometer.
I do not alter the pH or hardness in the tank the fish are in now. I've managed to get that to be stable and I have a nice big bog log for the new tank that should keep the water at the softness they like.
The reason I wanted to give them a "dip" in a bucket full of their new water, was to rinse any black algae spores off of them so it would not transfer to the new tank. However, I will get a big bucket today, put the new water in it and acclimate them a few at a time as you suggest. That way they will also get a rinse off in the bucket of any algae spores.
I'll pick up my plants at the LFS tomorrow. I order a bunch!
One other thing is that last week when I did a water change in the new tank, I felt the side of the glass on the inside of the tank and it was just thick with a kind of light brownish slime.
That's a good thing . . . right?
Okay, then, I'll get busy later today preparing the new tank and moving my fishies! Wish I had the plants in there for them. There is some furniture and hiding places.
Oh, I had purchased a ceramic mug for the ancestrus because he is in a smaller hiding place right now. So Angelina (the 7" long Juru Pari) tried to get into it, but only half her body would fit, but at least, she had her back covered. They are so cute!
Thanks again for your help. Photo will be coming next week.

Ann7667

Hang on...it's taking 36 hours for nitrItes to hit 0 after adding ammo up to 1ppm?

 

[Ann7667]

Recycling 120gallon tank

yes - it's taking 36 hours for Nitrite to hit 0. Ammonia goes to zero before 24 hours.
I'll wait to hear from you and dose 1ppm again and wait for nitrite to convert in 24 hours if necessary.
Ann7667

 

[eco23]

yes - it's taking 36 hours for Nitrite to hit 0. Ammonia goes to zero before 24 hours.
I'll wait to hear from you and dose 1ppm again and wait for nitrite to convert in 24 hours if necessary.
Ann7667

Sorry :-( I really hate to rain on the parade but we'd like to see that thing converting 2-4ppm (preferably 4) of ammonia down to 0 ammo and 0 no2 in 24 hours. In most cases I'd say to go ahead and stock slowly, but since you have fish you need to move over at once...I'd say to wait it out a bit longer :-(. Can you check your pH in the tank for me?

 

[Ann7667]

Still cycling 120 gallon tank

Hello eco23
pH is 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 80+
Temp 86

I do not have a problem at all in continuing to raise ammonia until both Ammonia AND Nitrites reach 0 with 24 hours.

But if I raise the Ammonia ppm to 4ppm - it takes 4 cups of ammonia to do that. It's an incredible amount, but that's what it takes and I'm just wondering if it will be possible for the Nitrites to be at 0 as quickly as 24 hours.

If you think it's best to dose up to 4ppm, I will do that, but maybe if I add the ammonia 3 C at first, then take a reading in maybe an hour or 30 minutes to see where the ammonia ppm number is, then I can add a little more so that the ammonia is at 4ppm and not any higher.

Please let me know my next step after you look at my pH reading of 7.6.

Thank you.
Ann7667

 

[eco23]

Hello eco23
pH is 7.6
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 80+
Temp 86

I do not have a problem at all in continuing to raise ammonia until both Ammonia AND Nitrites reach 0 with 24 hours.

But if I raise the Ammonia ppm to 4ppm - it takes 4 cups of ammonia to do that. It's an incredible amount, but that's what it takes and I'm just wondering if it will be possible for the Nitrites to be at 0 as quickly as 24 hours.

If you think it's best to dose up to 4ppm, I will do that, but maybe if I add the ammonia 3 C at first, then take a reading in maybe an hour or 30 minutes to see where the ammonia ppm number is, then I can add a little more so that the ammonia is at 4ppm and not any higher.

Please let me know my next step after you look at my pH reading of 7.6.

Thank you.
Ann7667

7.6 is good, I just wanted to make sure it hadn't dropped because that can cause the no2 conversion to slow. I know 3-4 cups is a lot of ammo in volume, but the 3-4ppm measurement is what matters. It's al relative to the size or the tank and strength of the ammo. I just want to make sure the tank can process 3-4ppm ammo down to 0 ammo and 0 no2 before adding all your fish. The last thing we want is to move them to their new home and see any type of ammo spike or nitrItes hanging up and not dropping. By conditioning it the way we are...you're guaranteed that the aquarium will handle all your fish without missing a beat. BTW, your patience and commitment is very admirable .

 

[Ann7667]

Continuing to cycle the tank

Thank you so much. I'll have no problem getting more ammonia; it's patience that I need. However, I would not want to put my fish in the new aquarium without being 100% sure that it is cycled completely! I just don't want them to suffer - at all! I've made mistakes in the past, but I'll do this very carefully. So I'm going to set the ammonia at 4ppm right now and then wait 24 hours to check it. I won't consider it cycled until I see that 4ppm ammonia has been completely processed through to NitrAtes with the Ammonia AND NitrItes reading 0 within 24 hours.
I'll keep you posted.
Thank you again.
Ann7667

 

[eco23]

Thank you so much. I'll have no problem getting more ammonia; it's patience that I need. However, I would not want to put my fish in the new aquarium without being 100% sure that it is cycled completely! I just don't want them to suffer - at all! I've made mistakes in the past, but I'll do this very carefully. So I'm going to set the ammonia at 4ppm right now and then wait 24 hours to check it. I won't consider it cycled until I see that 4ppm ammonia has been completely processed through to NitrAtes with the Ammonia AND NitrItes reading 0 within 24 hours.
I'll keep you posted.
Thank you again.
Ann7667

Perfect . You know exactly what you're doing. I'm the same as you...you may be able to get by with how it is now, but when it comes to our fishy friends it's always better safe than sorry. You're very close to wrapping this all up for them.

 

[Ann7667]

Still Cycling

Over the last couple of hours I have put in 4 C Ammonia and the ammonia reading is only at 2ppm Ammonia. So I put in Cup #5 and that should scoot it up to 4ppm.
I will let you know when the Ammonia AND Nitrites have gone to 0 within 24 hours. What is happening is that the Ammonia goes to zero and the Nitrites don't . . . maybe 8 to 12 hours later Nitrites are at zero. So do I feed again up to 4ppm when the Ammonia has hit zero and Nitrites are not at zero. Or do I wait for both Ammonia AND NItrites to hit zero before I dose it up again. Of course if that happens in 24 hours, then I'm cycled.
At this rate I have two half gallons of Ammonia which will last me for 3 days!
I'll keep you posted.

Ann7667

 

[eco23]

Over the last couple of hours I have put in 4 C Ammonia and the ammonia reading is only at 2ppm Ammonia. So I put in Cup #5 and that should scoot it up to 4ppm.
I will let you know when the Ammonia AND Nitrites have gone to 0 within 24 hours. What is happening is that the Ammonia goes to zero and the Nitrites don't . . . maybe 8 to 12 hours later Nitrites are at zero. So do I feed again up to 4ppm when the Ammonia has hit zero and Nitrites are not at zero. Or do I wait for both Ammonia AND NItrites to hit zero before I dose it up again. Of course if that happens in 24 hours, then I'm cycled.
At this rate I have two half gallons of Ammonia which will last me for 3 days!
I'll keep you posted.

Ann7667

Sounds great. Just dose the ammo up to 4ppm every 24 hours regardless of any other levels. If you're nitrAtes get to the top of the charts, don't be afraid to do a big pwc to lower them. I personally don't believe that high nitrAtes can cause a stall...but it's possible. Also, we don't want them to get so high that it takes numerous water changes to get them below 20 when you're ready to move your fish

 

[Ann7667]

Okay, I will dose the ammo up to 4ppm every 24 hours. If the nitrAtes get too high, I will do that pwc to lower them. I definitely do not want a stall. I'll let you know when ammonia and nitrites are 0 within 24 hours. Thank you.

 

[Ann7667]

eco23,
Just thought I'd send you the water parameters of my tank as I'm doing this fishless cycle so you could give me any needed advice.
June 5 Ammonia 0; Nitrites 5.0; Nitrates 80+ Temp 87 degrees; pH 7.0
So on 6/5 3:30pm I dosed the tank up to Ammonia 4ppm
June 6: 4pm- Ammonia 1.0; Nitrites 5.0; Nitrates 5.0 Temp 87 deg. pH 7.0
I'll keep dosing in the afternoon up to 4ppm and taking readings before I dose it again in 24 hours. Getting a little discouraged.
Ann7667

 

[eco23]

eco23,
Just thought I'd send you the water parameters of my tank as I'm doing this fishless cycle so you could give me any needed advice.
June 5 Ammonia 0; Nitrites 5.0; Nitrates 80+ Temp 87 degrees; pH 7.0
So on 6/5 3:30pm I dosed the tank up to Ammonia 4ppm
June 6: 4pm- Ammonia 1.0; Nitrites 5.0; Nitrates 5.0 Temp 87 deg. pH 7.0
I'll keep dosing in the afternoon up to 4ppm and taking readings before I dose it again in 24 hours. Getting a little discouraged.
Ann7667

Something seems to happened that reverted the cycle a bit. I'd usually blame the pH, but it seems to be stable. I'd do a big pwc (~60-70%) to get the no2 way down and keep dosing up the ammo.

You didn't make any changes right? No switching media? Remembered the dechlorinator during any pwc's you did?

 

[Ann7667]

Fishless Cycling

I did not make any changes. I did the partial water change (about 30 gallons - 25%) on June 1st and I always use the water conditioner to remove chlorine, etc.
I'll do a pwc now, then dose it up to 4ppm again.
Thank you eco23.
Ann7667

 

[Ann7667]

Fishless cycling

Tonight I changed 30% of the water and this is how the water parameters changed:
Ammonia went from: 1.0 to 5.0ppm
Nitrites stayed the same at 5.0
NitrAtes went from: 80 to 40
Temperature 86 degrees
pH went from 7.0 to 6.5
That was after the water change.
After that I dosed it up to Ammonia 4ppm.
I take another reading tomorrow at 5pm-ish
I also took the black plastic off. It's really murky in there. But to keep the light out, I'll cover it with a comforter. That black plastic was getting to me.
I'll keep you posted.
Ann7667

 

[eco23]

Tonight I changed 30% of the water and this is how the water parameters changed:
Ammonia went from: 1.0 to 5.0ppm
Nitrites stayed the same at 5.0
NitrAtes went from: 80 to 40
Temperature 86 degrees
pH went from 7.0 to 6.5
That was after the water change.
After that I dosed it up to Ammonia 4ppm.
I take another reading tomorrow at 5pm-ish
I also took the black plastic off. It's really murky in there. But to keep the light out, I'll cover it with a comforter. That black plastic was getting to me.
I'll keep you posted.
Ann7667

Sorry to make you break out the bucket again...but I'd try to get the no2 down as low as you can. Hopefully around .5-1 so you can monitor what it does.

What kind of murkiness is in the water? You really don't need it covered...just keep the lights off for now to prevent algae.

I assume it was a mis-type that the ammo went from 1ppm to 5 after the pwc?

 

[Ann7667]

Cycling

That was a typo last night; the ammonia was low. Last night I did about a 30% water change.
The Nitrites are completely off the charts this morning, so I'll do a 50% water change today and take new readings. And I'll keep doing that until I reduce the Nitrites to .5 to 1.0 ppm.
The murkiness might just be the slime on the side of the tank. Everything in there is super slippery which I think is good, right.? I scraped off a window of slime to see if I could see through the length of the tank and it was pretty dense. Then I scraped off a small window of slime to look front to back and that was better. But the water DOES have character and is not clear. I think if I scraped all the slime off the sides you could see through better, but I think that's good stuff, isn't it?
I could take a picture today and send it.
I started this process on April 27 - that's about 5 weeks, but I guess I've made mistakes and this big water change will start me over again . . . is that correct?
I keep it covered because it IS in a bright room with lots of big windows, but the tank is on an interior wall.
I was hoping I'd get this finished before I leave for the east coast on June 23 but my husband will be here and he can keep just feed it 1 cup of ammonia every day. And I wanted to have my fish in the tank at least 2 weeks before I leave to make sure they were okay. So I have 2 weeks and 2 days now before I leave and I doubt if the tank will have cycled within a couple of days.
The last thing in I want is to have the fish in a tank that is not absolutely stable.
But for now I will get the nitrites down and see what happens.
Thanks again and let me know if you want a picture of the tank.

 

[eco23]

That was a typo last night; the ammonia was low. Last night I did about a 30% water change.
The Nitrites are completely off the charts this morning, so I'll do a 50% water change today and take new readings. And I'll keep doing that until I reduce the Nitrites to .5 to 1.0 ppm.
The murkiness might just be the slime on the side of the tank. Everything in there is super slippery which I think is good, right.? I scraped off a window of slime to see if I could see through the length of the tank and it was pretty dense. Then I scraped off a small window of slime to look front to back and that was better. But the water DOES have character and is not clear. I think if I scraped all the slime off the sides you could see through better, but I think that's good stuff, isn't it?
I could take a picture today and send it.
I started this process on April 27 - that's about 5 weeks, but I guess I've made mistakes and this big water change will start me over again . . . is that correct?
I keep it covered because it IS in a bright room with lots of big windows, but the tank is on an interior wall.
I was hoping I'd get this finished before I leave for the east coast on June 23 but my husband will be here and he can keep just feed it 1 cup of ammonia every day. And I wanted to have my fish in the tank at least 2 weeks before I leave to make sure they were okay. So I have 2 weeks and 2 days now before I leave and I doubt if the tank will have cycled within a couple of days.
The last thing in I want is to have the fish in a tank that is not absolutely stable.
But for now I will get the nitrites down and see what happens.
Thanks again and let me know if you want a picture of the tank.

Hi Ann, I would be interested to see a couple pics of the tank if you can snap them. Is it sitting in direct sunlight?

The water changes wont set you back at all...in fact, they'll hopefully help get you across the finish line. The actual water contains minimal amounts of beneficial bacteria so as long as you perform a water change correctly (dechlorinated, same temp water), it wont have any negative impact on your cycle. By bringing the nitrItes back down it should actually help get things moving.

 

[Ann7667]

Cycling

The tank is not sitting in direct sunlight and there are no lights on it at all. There is just daylight in the room, but no direct sunlight at all shining on the tank.
The tank has been in total darkness since April 27, wrapped in black plastic. But I couldn't take the black plastic anymore, I put a flowered comforter over it and it's much cheerier looking.
There are no plants in the tank yet to compete with algae for the light and that's why I thought it was supposed to be kept dark.
Photographs will be coming as soon as I finish this water change.
Do you want me to scrape the slime off the walls of the tank?
Okay, so I'm off to do another pwc and then I'll send you new water parameters, photographs and then I'm assuming you want me to dose it up to 4ppm.
Ann7667