No Nitrites Yet

[fltcrew21]

I KNOW the regulars on this board have got to be sick of hearing the play by play of us nub's efforts at cycling but one more won't kill anyone. :0)

Just before New Year's we set up my daughter's 36g bow front. All the details are listed under "My Aquarium" if anyone is interested.

Bottom line. We had 0/0/0 for 8-10 days and in the last 4-5 days Ammonia has showed up on the API test. It has gotten more concentrated the last 2 days and we're countering it with 25% (or more) water changes and Prime every other day and Stability each day on the 7 day dosing program.

The water is crystal clear and the fish seem very happy. They all eat as best I can tell and they all stick with their piers most of the time.

I am not worried about the Ammonia right now because of my above efforts but I would like to be seeing SOME Nitrites after 2 weeks.

I wonder how far away I am. And what I would really like to know is when they DO start registering, how long before the cycling process is likely to be over.

Before she got that tank for Christmas, we had two 3" goldfish in a 4g Aqueon cube thing. Once we bought a test kit, we had to do water changes in that thing literally everyday. BUT even then we had Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.

When is our bigger setup going to start moving along?

Some may say the 36g is being over filtered if there is such a thing. It has a Cascade 1200 running wide open and an 8" airstone in the back under the gravel.

I have also decided to stop vacuuming until either the cycle is done or the gravel gets visibly bad.

I dumped a quick start bacteria in on day 2 and that obviously didn't do a thing.

Read more: No Nitrites Yet

 

[shellieca]

Welcome & congrats on the larger tank. In fish cycling can take 6-8 wks, give or take. My 46g bow front if I remember correctly took 6 wks with me doing 50% +/- water changes every 2-3 days depending on test results. Nitrites on this tank showed up about 4 wks into the process. I would recommend vacuuming once a week. I had a 10g tank that didn't get nitrites until week 6 & they lasted for 2 wks. Simply put . . . it takes as long as it takes. Keep testing as you are & doing the appropriate water changes to keep ammonia & nitrites <.5 & nitrates <40.

 

[fltcrew21]

.25 Showed Up This Morning!

I typed this message over coffee this morning and right afterwards I tested the water before a WC.

Guess what.... In the last 24 hours, my blue turned violet!!

.25ppm Nitrites. Yesterday it was light blue with no hint of purple and this morning it was a solid .25.

That will make it 17 days for anyone playing at home and about 8-9 days after ammonia first showed up.

I raised my water temperature from 75 to 79 yesterday evening and it was the 3rd day of using Seachem's Stability. But I'm sure it was just the right amount of time that brought it on. Still I like the idea of having a little warmer water for the process.

So I did a 50% wc and dosed Prime and Stability. Will probably check it again around dinner time so my daughter can help. She is very interested and I like to hear her throw the jargon around my disinterested wife!

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

Hello flt...

I cycled my first 30 G in 30 days. I added a few fish and their waste began the nitrogen cycle. You test daily for traces of ammonia and nitrite. When you have a positive test, you remove and replace 25 percent of the tank water, but no more. You want to maintain relatively safe water conditions for the fish, but you want to grow the bacteria needed to use the ammonia and nitrite once the tank is settled. If you remove the bacteria food source, you slow their growth. It's the same with anything that's living. If you don't feed it, it doesn't grow, pretty simple.

I added a lot of plants to the tank. Floating plants are especially good at providing oxygen and removing dissolved wastes. They help improve the water conditions. I also added a teaspoon of standard aquarium salt to every 5 gallons of new, treated tap water. The salt strengthens the sensitive gill tissue and stimulates the fishes' immune system. It also detoxifies nitrites.
I wouldn't run an aquarium without it.

Again, test the water daily and remove a quarter of the tank's volume when you have a positive test. When you have several daily tests with no trace of ammonia or nitrite, the tank is cycled.

Hope this clears things up for you.

B

 

[shellieca]

Glad to hear there has been movement. Its tough to be patient with it sometimes. Keep us posted.

 

[fltcrew21]

I had 1/1/0 this morning. It was 2/.25/0 twenty-four hours ago.

I found a dead Pleco that had trapped himself in an ornamental plastic stump a day or so ago too. It had been dead about a week.


I read not to run the lights too much during a cycle so I cut WAY back on that today.

Plus I'm seeing a few spots of furry algae on the leaves of a couple if plants.

I'm also seeing some tea tinting from the Mopani wood. I boiled a TON of dark water out and I don't mind at all. In fact, I was counting on it. My pH is about 7.6-7.8 anyway so a bump down would be welcomed too.

I dosed with a capful Prime and another of Stability but did not do a water change today.

I'm gonna vacuum a little tomorrow and take it down 25% then dose again.

To be honest, I am just assuming my Nitrates were 0 since the "rites" just showed up but I'm gonna verify that tomorrow morning too.

 

[fltcrew21]

10ppm Nitrates already?!

Ammonia showed up about 10 days ago. Nitrites just read .25 yesterday and I was excited. They rose to .5 then 1-2ppm in the next 24 hours.

Tonight just because I was bored, I decided to verify there were no Nitrates yet and I got a reading of about 10-20ppm.

Can that be right? I mean, I know the reading is right. (API Master Test) but I was not expecting them to register so soon. Thought it would be about a week.


Thoughts on what is going on?

 

[ashleynicole]

Sounds like your cycle is cranking up. I would keep with the daily water changes and dosing prime. The length of time it takes to drop the nitrites to zero can take a while. If the bacterial additive is any good it may speed things up.

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[fltcrew21]

Coming Along!

My Nitrites have doubled in each of the last 2-3 days and the Nitrates are 10-20; I can't tell. Those 2 colors are the exact same to my eyes.

The ammonia is decidedly dropping in sync with the raising nitrites.

I wonder if finding and removing that dead Clown Pleco a few days ago is the reason for the lowering Ammonia or if it can be 100% contributed to the BB.

Looking back, I think my ammonia showed up about the time that Pleco would have died but it could be a coincidence.

Regardless, I have raising 'trites and some 'trites. I just hope there is enough ammonia to keep it going. If you look at the test tubes in the attached picture, the ammonia is barely .25 now.

I did a 20% WC (with a little vacuuming) and dosed it with Prime and Stability this morning. I'm only going to run the lights for 4-5 hours today too.

 

[fltcrew21]

Not enough Ammonia?

OK,

I have had an exciting few days of watching my water quality change during the cycle.

But I have a question based on how things are going in the last 24 hours.


My ammonia has been steadily dropping (testing twice a day) and the Nitrites WERE increasing (if not doubling) at the same time. Sounds good right? Then Nitrates showed up even better right?

But after a 50% water change this morning, I just now tested the water (5pm Saturday) and the ammonia was 0, the Nitrites were 0 and the Nitrates were only about 10ppm.


This is a FISH IN cycle. The following are in the tank:

2 small goldfish
6 Cory Cats
7 Black Phantom Tetras
2 Clown Plecos.

Surely this is enough stock to produce enough ammonia to cycle a tank.

I thought it was going fast and by the book over the last 4-5 days but with the 0/0/10 reading, I don't know.


Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[ashleynicole]

There is a possibility the rotting pleco boosted the cycle enough to grow a big colony of bacteria and now that it is out you may be completely cycled with your current stock.

Check parameters again tomorrow and see where its at.

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[ashleynicole]

Also if anyone hasn't already mentioned, goldfish are coolwater fish and dont really belong with tropicals. They also produce a huge amount of ammonia. They need temps of 72-75 and tropicals need 78-82.

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[fltcrew21]

Goldfish with Tropicals

Ashley,

I know the goldfish like it cooler. They are not part of the long term plan (or even midterm) but we have them and there they are.

I had the tank at 75 and decided to boost it up to 79 to help the BB grow. I really think it helped and the GF don't seem to mind. (although I don't know how I would tell if the DID!)


I really with I hadn't done a 50% WC this morning. The ammonia and nitrites were not very high and was only 24 hours into a dose of Prime. I would have been fine skipping the WC today or just doing 10%. That was a failure in judgment I'm afraid.


I plan on keeping the tank at 75 after it's cycled.

Tomorrow's readings are going to be much anticipate.

I guess I should be hoping for 0/0/20+?

AB

 

[ashleynicole]

Ashley,

I know the goldfish like it cooler. They are not part of the long term plan (or even midterm) but we have them and there they are.

I had the tank at 75 and decided to boost it up to 79 to help the BB grow. I really think it helped and the GF don't seem to mind. (although I don't know how I would tell if the DID!)

They may "look" ok but it will shorten their lifespan.

I really with I hadn't done a 50% WC this morning. The ammonia and nitrites were not very high and was only 24 hours into a dose of Prime. I would have been fine skipping the WC today or just doing 10%. That was a failure in judgment I'm afraid.

The water change was not a failure in judgement. Your fine. The fish are still producing waste.


Nitrates should increase over the week. I would hope they dont go from 10 to 20 in one day. That would mean your making 10ppm of nitrate a day and would be at 70ppm in a week. Ideally you want it to less than 20-30 and do a water change to keep nitrates less than 20 at all times. So if your nitrAtes get up to 20 in 3 days you would need a water change every 3 days. If they get up to 20 in a week you would only need to do a water change once a week. Lower stock, lower biolaod means less water changes.

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[ashleynicole]

Ugh error double post

 

[fltcrew21]

Could be finished cycling.11

My ammonia has been '0' for the last several days but the Nitrites were hanging at .25 for some reason. I mean the test came out a darker blue than '0' but was no where near the violet .25 on the kit so I assume it was somewhere in-between but NOT zero.

I waited a couple of days and yesterday morning, I did just a 10% WC with some vacuuming.

This morning I had 0/0/5

If I had done a significant WC, I would attribute the 0 Nitrites to just being diluted with such a low starting point. (.15-.25) But with only a 10%WC, I think I may be done.

If so, it would have been a 23 day fish-in cycle on a 36g. Unless I get a curveball, I consider that a success.

If you are still reading, I have a question on my Nitrate reading.

The Nitrates have been dropping over the last few days as well. I never reached 40 in the whole cycle process. 20ppm was about the most I think but it is hard to tell. I know I never got a dark red. Just maybe darker orange.

Anyway, the tank has 7 plants.

2 Amazon Swords
3 species of Java Fern
1 El Nino fern
1 very small Anubias

None of them look like they have grown since I put them in. The Swords don't look very good at all. They are getting lighter and lighter green. Everything else is pretty dark green but not growing that I can tell.

I know anything is possible but is it likely that these 7 Petsmart plants :0) lowered my Nitrates from a high of like 20-30ppm to the 5ppm I have today? keep in mind there has been a 50% WC in there since the highest Nitrate reading.

Do you think I can expect my Nitrates to continue dropping to '0'?
As in later this week, I may be looking at 0/0/0 with 15 fish in a 36g?

That sounds like too much to hope for!

Thoughts? Ideas? Advice? Suggestions?

 

[ashleynicole]

Your nitrates probably wont drop to zero but the plants are using them for food. Many of the plants you buy were grown semi emmersed or emmersed so it takes them time to adapt underwater. The swords really need root tabs as they are heavy root feeders and the anubias needs to have its roots tied to rock or wood, if the rhizome is planted it will rot.

You might see some accelerated growth if you dose a carbon supplement like excel.

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[fltcrew21]

I have been doing 5ml of Excel Flourish for the past week. I have some fertilizer tabs. I'll put one next to each Sword.

The ferns and aniubus are recently tied to driftwood.

Thanks for the reply.

You know I cycled with 15-17 fish and I was lucky and very diligent so it went well.

I want Endlers and thinking about 12 of them. 8 males and 4 females. Do you think I could add them at once since they are so small?

 

[ashleynicole]

Flourish and excel are two different things. Flourish is a comprehensive fertilizer and excel is a carbon supplemen.

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[fltcrew21]

Well my bottle says Flourish Excel. I know it's a carbon supplement. I also know there is a producer called simply Excel. But I am using Flourish Excel.

I have fertilizer tabs too but I've moved my plants since I buried them! :-(

I'll have to burry a couple more tomorrow next to the Swords.