Am I cycled??

[librarygirl]

I agree with JLK for what it's worth; PH at 6 is going to stop the nitrification process. WIthout fish in the tank there's no worries about fluctuations right now, just get it higher. IF it keeps dropping, adding some crushed coral or argonite to the filter will help keep the PH stable; my water is very soft and I have some CC in my filter to keep it stable. IT's sold at most pet/fsih stores in the saltwater section (unfortunately it comes in large bags and you won't need much). Here's some info on PH and nitrification:

pH

The optimum pH range for Nitrosomonas is between 7.8-8.0.
The optimum pH range for Nitrobacter is between 7.3-7.5
Nitrobacter will grow more slowly at the high pH levels typical of marine aquaria and preferred by African Rift Lake Cichlids. Initial high nitrite concentrations may exist. At pH levels below 7.0, Nitrosomonas will grow more slowly and increases in ammonia may become evident. Nitrosomonas growth is inhibited at a pH of 6.5. All nitrification is inhibited if the pH drops to 6.0 or less. Care must be taken to monitor ammonia if the pH begins to drop close to 6.5. At this pH almost all of the ammonia present in the water will be in the mildly toxic, ionized NH3+ state

From Nitrifying Bacteria Facts​

 

[Gollom122]

Can I just add limestone chippings from my local builders merchant and is there a way to calculate how much to add?

 

[jlk]

Just make sure you thoroughly wash it in hot water first (no soap). Start with 1-2tablespoons in a mesh bag or piece of clean pantyhose in your filter after a water change to bring ph up to your tap level. You will need to closely monitor your ph every 24hrs- if it drops, water change & add another tablespoon & check again in 24hrs. Continue to do this until you reach a stable ph in your taps range. If it jumps too much, remove some & check again in 24hrs. Its a bit of trial & error to figure out the correct amount.

 

[Gollom122]

Thanks, I am going to try this with a bowl of tap water and some chippings and test every 24 hours to see what effect it has before introducing to the tank. That way I should be able to better estimate how much to add.

 

[librarygirl]

Thanks, I am going to try this with a bowl of tap water and some chippings and test every 24 hours to see what effect it has before introducing to the tank. That way I should be able to better estimate how much to add.

That probably wouldn't be too accurate as there's much more water dilution in a larger tank compared to a bowl. Since there's no fish in the tank I wouldn't worry about just adding some, waiting a day, testing, adding or removing more as needed, etc.

 

[Gollom122]

Can I use crushed Oyster Shells - these are easier for me to get. The local Bird shop sells these.

 

[jlk]

They should work.

 

[Gollom122]

Ok,
Bought a tub of coarsely crushed Oyster Shell from the bird shop. Rinsed, Boiled and rinsed until water clear.
I have added a good hand full tied in unused and unwashed pantyhose to the filter (after the sponges before the pump) of my tank.
What PH am I aiming for? Ammonia still taking 2 days to drop from 4ppm to 1ppm and have stopped the pwc's.

OOPS - just re-read your recommendation of a couple of tablespoons - quickly re-adjusting the size of the bag.

 

[jlk]

Your tap is 6 so I would aim for @6.6-6.8 (or even 7 but no higher). We will see how this works! Once your ph is stable in a slightly higher range, you should see the rate your ammonia is being processed speed up. Once there are fish in here, you will need to do smaller but more frequent water changes to limit ph swings instead of a single big water change weekly. Keep us posted!

 

[Gollom122]

Ok - I have my PH steady at 6.8 now for the last 2 days - I guess 2 Tablespoons of shells was exactly what was needed. My ammonia was down to 1ppm so I have reseeded with ammonia to bring it back to 4ppm.
Lets see what happens tomorrow.
Nitrite still reads zero.

 

[jlk]

Thats great!! Keep us posted!

 

[Gollom122]

The last few days have been fairly consistent until today. My ammonia leves have taken 2 days to slip from 4ppm to 1ppm but this morning my ammonia crashed from 4ppm to 0.25 overnight. My Nitrite reads zero and my nitrAte reads 40ppm with PH still steady around 6.8.
Should I perform water changes now?

 

[jlk]

No water changes needed yet! Your ph is staying stable and your ammonia is starting to drop on a more steady basis. This is good! The nitrate levels are not an issue and do not need to be addressed until your cycle is complete. Just redose your amm to 4ppm & lets see how things progress!

 

[Gollom122]

OK Re-dosed. Lets see what happens tomorrow.

 

[Gollom122]

It's dropping from 4ppm to 1ppm Ammonia every 24 hours now. Have I got much further to go? The cycle has been running for 28 days now !!

 

[librarygirl]

It's dropping from 4ppm to 1ppm Ammonia every 24 hours now. Have I got much further to go? The cycle has been running for 28 days now !!

Looks good. The nitrite phase should be next; once ammonia keeps dropping steadily nitrites will show up, rise and then fall. The nitrite phase is the longest and can take an average of 3 weeks. You'll get there though!

 

[Gollom122]

It's been a while, but here is an update.
Ammonia drops daily which redose to 2ppm. (last 2 weeks)
I have never seen anything other than 0 NitrItes
Tested for NitrAtes today and got 40ppm.

Might I have missed the NitrIte spike? Am I cycled?

 

[jlk]

It sounds like your cycled though only to 2ppm. If you want to take your time & stock slowly, your good to go after a water change. If you want to fully stock your tank, I would work on gradually increasing your ammonia dose by .5 each day until your tank is converting 4ppm ammonia steadily for a few days. Up to you!

 

[Gollom122]

I am going to move them over, however I will also bag up the existing substrate and filter and add this to the new filter system just in case.