The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

[Clausura]

Ok after 24 hrs, my pH is remaining at 6.8 - 7. so its looking like it has stabilised. Hope it remains at this level. So after cycling, if I remove the coral, will the pH drop? Or should I just let the coral remain as a fixture in the tank? I am using a mesh bag 15cm x 12 cm and its thickness with the coral is about 1.5cm.

 

[eco23]

In most cases a healthy water change schedule is all that's needed to keep things balanced. There are some cases (like mine) where permanently running a small amount of coral to maintain the kH is needed. I can't remember where your pH starts and how quickly it drops...but of it is fast and dramatic...you may want to consider that as an option. It's really a matter of experimenting and finding a balance where it will hold the pH at the natural tap water value...but not dramatically raise it.

 

[micaiah12]

Help please

Alright I have been cycling for a month now. I have my fish tank pretty well done, but for some reason. It won't convert all the nitrits to no3. It will wipe out the 4.0 daily ammo to nothing, but it is having trouble getting no2 to no 3. Like it won't let the no2 drop below 2.0 ppm.
If you guys could help it would be great.

 

[librarygirl]

Alright I have been cycling for a month now. I have my fish tank pretty well done, but for some reason. It won't convert all the nitrits to no3. It will wipe out the 4.0 daily ammo to nothing, but it is having trouble getting no2 to no 3. Like it won't let the no2 drop below 2.0 ppm.
If you guys could help it would be great.

Has the nitrite spiked and then dropped to 2, or is 2 the highest it's gone?

 

[micaiah12]

no it gets as high as 5ppm but then drops. When it starts getting high my ammo starts getting lower and when it drops to around 2ppm my no3 goes up. It's all normal, but idk why my no2 isn't going down to 0ppm

 

[eco23]

no it gets as high as 5ppm but then drops. When it starts getting high my ammo starts getting lower and when it drops to around 2ppm my no3 goes up. It's all normal, but idk why my no2 isn't going down to 0ppm

So if you had to put it in a 24 hour time frame...say you add 4ppm tonight, what would happen between now and this time tomorrow with your levels? Is your pH level holding steady?

 

[ColtsGuy77]

I'm wondering how much ammonia I would put in to start my cycle in a 55 gallon

 

[eco23]

I'm wondering how much ammonia I would put in to start my cycle in a 55 gallon

Volume wise? As in how many drops? That'll really depend on the brand and strength of pure ammonia you're using. Usually it takes a bit of experimentation where you add a little, let it circulate for a while, test, add more if necessary, circulate, etc...

On the bottom of this page there's a calculator which let's you figure how much to add...you'll just need to figure out the strength of your bottle of ammonia- http://www.fishforums.net/aquarium-calculator.htm

 

[ColtsGuy77]

Awesome thanks allot

 

[Master503]

On the bottom of this page there's a calculator which let's you figure how much to add...you'll just need to figure out the strength of your bottle of ammonia- Calculator

The first field "Unit" , is that mean I choose the "Gallon" like how big my tank is correct? (ie. If my tank is 20Gallons, then it only need 3.98ML to first kick start for 5ppm Ammonia test?)

 

[eco23]

The first field "Unit" , is that mean I choose the "Gallon" like how big my tank is correct? (ie. If my tank is 20Gallons, then it only need 3.98ML to first kick start for 5ppm Ammonia test?)

I've never used it...but that looks right. Remember though that 4ppm is what you're shooting for, so I think you can change that as well.

Also, not all ammonia is the same strength...so you'll want to try and find out what yours is. Otherwise you can just do what I mentioned and add a little bit, test, add more, etc. If you add too much, just do a pwc to bring it down.

 

[Master503]

I will use the Ace Brand Ammonia. Does that sound correct strength? Thanks for helping out.

 

[ChristinaE12]

I will use the Ace Brand Ammonia. Does that sound correct strength? Thanks for helping out.

I've seen that about 8ml of Ammonia (Ace Brand) will raise the level to around 4ish ppm in a 55 gallon tank.

That is what I always dosed with and it appeared to be about perfect.

 

[Master503]

Thanks Christina, seem like around 4ML of Ammonia from Ace Brand sounds correct. I will give it a try then.

 

[micaiah12]

Hey all,
I have been doing weekly water changes and daily doses of ammo. It has been just over a month now, but my tank still won't convert all of my no2 to no3. I really need help. My patience is wearing thin. Idk what to do. My PH is reading at a steady 8.0 ppm.

 

[eco23]

Hey all,
I have been doing weekly water changes and daily doses of ammo. It has been just over a month now, but my tank still won't convert all of my no2 to no3. I really need help. My patience is wearing thin. Idk what to do. My PH is reading at a steady 8.0 ppm.

Just a bit more patience I think . A month is average, so obviously some are a little shorter and others a bit longer. It sounds like you're on the right track. It'll be worth it, trust me.

 

[Elenable]

Hi,
First I'd like to say thanks for your dedication on this post! It's been really helpful to read.

I'm currently mid cycle on my first larger tank (I have a Betta so have only had a 5gal up until now). It's around 90l, so pretty basic size wise. My readings have been going great. I'm up to day 6, and already have had ammonia dropping extremely fast, Nitrites 5ppm/off the chart, and Nitrates have shown up. However it seems to have ground to a halt as of today and I'm not sure whether this would warrant patience or a PWC. Perhaps you could help...

Around day 4 is when the ammonia dropped completely, nitrites reached 5ppm, and the nitrates were at 40ppm. However over the past two days the nitrates seem to have gone down according to the test. The only thing I can think of is that the ammonia is dropping too fast and the bacteria are being starved, but is there something else I'm missing before I do a PWC? And how much water should I take out?

Thanks, sorry for the slightly newbie-ish questions!

 

[librarygirl]

Hi,
First I'd like to say thanks for your dedication on this post! It's been really helpful to read.

I'm currently mid cycle on my first larger tank (I have a Betta so have only had a 5gal up until now). It's around 90l, so pretty basic size wise. My readings have been going great. I'm up to day 6, and already have had ammonia dropping extremely fast, Nitrites 5ppm/off the chart, and Nitrates have shown up. However it seems to have ground to a halt as of today and I'm not sure whether this would warrant patience or a PWC. Perhaps you could help...

Around day 4 is when the ammonia dropped completely, nitrites reached 5ppm, and the nitrates were at 40ppm. However over the past two days the nitrates seem to have gone down according to the test. The only thing I can think of is that the ammonia is dropping too fast and the bacteria are being starved, but is there something else I'm missing before I do a PWC? And how much water should I take out?

Thanks, sorry for the slightly newbie-ish questions!

Hi and welcome. Are you doing the nitrate test correctly? It's the easiest one to get wrong (I once did it exactly as how I always do it and thought I timed the shaking correctly and still received an inaccurate reading). Nitrates don't leave the aquarium on their own, so unless you have a lot of live plants in the tank my first guess would be a testing error. Try it again and bang the bottom of the bottles on a hard surface before shaking; bottle #2 has a reagent powder in it that can clump and cause inaccurate readings. If you're dosing ammonia to 4 every day and it goes to 0, the bacteria are in no danger of starving at all (if you didn't dose the tank with ammonia for a good 5+ days then I'd say they were in danger of starving).

What's your PH, out of curiosity? I'd start with re-doing the nitrate test and shake and bang both bottles, particularly #2 for a full 30 seconds and shake the tube after both tests are in it for a full 60 seconds then wait 5 minutes for the results. You can do a pwc, but this early it shouldn't be needed at all, although doing one won't hurt anything. Are you using seeded media from another tank? Your rate of conversion for 6 days is quite impressive!

 

[Elenable]

Hi and welcome. Are you doing the nitrate test correctly? It's the easiest one to get wrong (I once did it exactly as how I always do it and thought I timed the shaking correctly and still received an inaccurate reading). Nitrates don't leave the aquarium on their own, so unless you have a lot of live plants in the tank my first guess would be a testing error. Try it again and bang the bottom of the bottles on a hard surface before shaking; bottle #2 has a reagent powder in it that can clump and cause inaccurate readings. If you're dosing ammonia to 4 every day and it goes to 0, the bacteria are in no danger of starving at all (if you didn't dose the tank with ammonia for a good 5+ days then I'd say they were in danger of starving).

What's your PH, out of curiosity? I'd start with re-doing the nitrate test and shake and bang both bottles, particularly #2 for a full 30 seconds and shake the tube after both tests are in it for a full 60 seconds then wait 5 minutes for the results. You can do a pwc, but this early it shouldn't be needed at all, although doing one won't hurt anything. Are you using seeded media from another tank? Your rate of conversion for 6 days is quite impressive!

Thanks for the quick reply! It's very possible that the readings were wrong. I do have a few live plants in the tank, but not enough to warrant such a fluctuation in the reading. I will make sure to bang the bottle etc tomorrow (no more energy left for more tests tonight) as I've just been shaking it, so sounds like it could be that being the problem.

I have indeed been dosing ammonia to 4ppm every 24 hours, and it has been reaching 0 by the next day. So from what you say, starving bacteria is out of the question it seems Phew!

I've yet to test the pH as I was waiting until after the first PWC after the nitrates go off the chart, but obviously now that the readings are abnormal I will test pH too and get back to you with the result tomorrow.

I'm using seeded media from a friend and decorations/gravel from the 5 gal, I was pretty shocked myself to see it go so fast still though! Maybe it's just slowed down after such a speedy kickstart, and like you say the Nitrate test has been innacurate or something. So, pH and crazily banged and shaken Nitrate tests here I come. Thanks again!

 

[eco23]

Thanks for the quick reply! It's very possible that the readings were wrong. I do have a few live plants in the tank, but not enough to warrant such a fluctuation in the reading. I will make sure to bang the bottle etc tomorrow (no more energy left for more tests tonight) as I've just been shaking it, so sounds like it could be that being the problem.

I have indeed been dosing ammonia to 4ppm every 24 hours, and it has been reaching 0 by the next day. So from what you say, starving bacteria is out of the question it seems Phew!

I've yet to test the pH as I was waiting until after the first PWC after the nitrates go off the chart, but obviously now that the readings are abnormal I will test pH too and get back to you with the result tomorrow.

I'm using seeded media from a friend and decorations/gravel from the 5 gal, I was pretty shocked myself to see it go so fast still though! Maybe it's just slowed down after such a speedy kickstart, and like you say the Nitrate test has been innacurate or something. So, pH and crazily banged and shaken Nitrate tests here I come. Thanks again!

I agree the pH is most likely the culprit here...especially if you were progressing so fast and suddenly hit a stall. A large water change should get things moving again until you're able to test it. The bacteria uses alkalinity much in the same way that it feeds on ammonia to grow. Once the alkalinity is gone...the pH plummets and the cycle stalls. Let us know how it's going