Fishless cycle am I doing it right?

[y2klovebug]

So following the fishless cycle post we dosed up our new 64l tank with 4ppm ammonia, waited for it to come back to near 1 then dosed up to 4pom ammonia again. However the ammonia is very slowly coming back down but the nitrites don't appear yo be going up - have I done something wrong or am I just being impatient?

Also it may or may not be related but there's white wispy bits coming from the bottom of my tank (sound ridiculous but looks like little ghosts rushing from the gravel) any idea what this is/if it's ok or need to do anything? I have had cloudy water from bacteria bloom before but this isn't the same.

Thanks for any help

 

[Rivercats]

Be patient as your nitrites will start showing.

A picture would be helpful. Is it detritus or some type of bug/worms?

 

[y2klovebug]

Not sure how well this pic will show it but here you go:

 

[Fishperson]

Yeah, it's just some type of fungus or something, it occurs in a lot of new tanks. It's completely harmless and will go away on its own.

 

[Jeremy Z]

So following the fishless cycle post we dosed up our new 64l tank with 4ppm ammonia, waited for it to come back to near 1 then dosed up to 4pom ammonia again. However the ammonia is very slowly coming back down but the nitrites don't appear yo be going up - have I done something wrong or am I just being impatient?

Also it may or may not be related but there's white wispy bits coming from the bottom of my tank (sound ridiculous but looks like little ghosts rushing from the gravel) any idea what this is/if it's ok or need to do anything? I have had cloudy water from bacteria bloom before but this isn't the same.

Thanks for any help

Hi Lovebug! How long has your tank been cycling and how many days has it been since your ammonia dropped? What is the temperature set at? What test kit are you using?

It's very common to go several days once you see ammonia drop before you start to see nitrites. Just be patient, they will come and when nitrites start to show, they will increase rapidly. Just keep dosing ammonia to 4ppm anytime ammonia gets to 1ppm or below. You should aim to keep the temperature between 80-86 degrees F. I found that 84 degrees works perfectly for me. As far as the test kit, if you are using the strips, don't trust them. The strips tend to be very inaccurate. I would recommend the API Master test kit, which has the liquid drops. This is the most widely used and trusted.

Just be patient, it's a natural process that WILL happen.

 

[Rivercats]

Are you using a product such as Stress Coat? Sometimes these type products can cause this when too much is used. It is however a harmless fungus that usually goes away with time but if it bothers you too much it can be spot treated with H2O2.

 

[y2klovebug]

Thanks for the replies. No we haven't used anything in the tank other than ammonia, tiny sprinkling of fish food to feed the bacteria and tap safe when we filled the tank up. I shall just try and be more patient lol.

 

[Rivercats]

If fish food sits on the bottom of the tank it can actually grow mold/fungus. Since your using ammonia you don't need to use anything else.

 

[y2klovebug]

Okey spoke, I was just following the fishless cycle guide - I shall not bother with the fish food for the rest of the cycle. Thanks!

 

[Fishperson]

Well although that's true the BB need some traces of nutrients like phosphate, that are found in fish food. That often causes a stalled cycle. However, fish food is not absolutely necessary to do that; a water change will do it as well.