mimmim7
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi, everybody! I'm new on the forum, and REALLY need some help deciding whether I can salvage the fishless cycle I'm doing or if I need to start over I hurt my back pretty bad a few months ago and decided that since I'm going to be spending more time at home, I might as well get my old tank set up again to have some fishy friends to hang around with me To summarize, I'm on day 17 of a fishless cycle (my first attempt at it-my last tankkeeping was about 10 years ago). I spent a good month online researching fish and all about cycling, and this turned out to be one of my favorite sites!
I'm pretty sure that I WAY overdosed on ammonia at some point last week and didn't realize it and killed off all my bacteria. Here are my stats on what's happened so far:
Set-up: 5 gallon hex-front, undergravel filter, 2 airstones off small pump, 15 or 20 watt heater, temp 83 degrees (though I uped it 2 days ago to 85), aquarium gravel. I am using Jungle's Start Right for my dechlor. I also got some Hagen's Cycle (I know it's a longshot, but I figured it couldn't hurt).
I think a lot of my problems came from using the quick-dip testers and not being able to read them, and I was FINALLY able to get the API master kit this weekend (day 15 of cycle), and it confirmed my suspicions of high ammonia.
Diary of cycle so far:
Checked baselines of tap water after adding antichlor and letting it stand (used both types of tests): Ph 8.4, Alkalinity 40-80, Total Hardness 300+, Nitrite between .5 and 2 ppm (API said .5, and I trust that more), Nitrate 10 ppm, Ammonia trace.
Day 1: Dosed ammonia (household, not pure, no surfactants or additives) up to 5-6 ppm. Dosed Hagen's Cycle. Nothing else til checked again on day 5.
Day 5: ammonia down to .25 (according to dipstick). Nitrite up to 3 (couldn't tell if higher than baseline on stick test). Nitrate 0-20 ppm. Dosed ammonia backed to 5-6 ppm. But again, not sure if put a LOT more in than that, because of problems reading test stick. Water now nice and cloudy white!
Day 7: Ammonia low again, so dosed back to 4 ppm. Nitrites 3-5, Nitrates 0-20 still. Added 1/2 of a Ph buffer tablet-lowered ph to 7.8 and is holding there. Dosed HAgen's Cycle again.
Day 8: Ammonia down again, and nitrites definitely 3, so dosed to 2-3 ppm. But there were still no nitrates, so I started to get suspicious ammonia dosing/testing not correct. Alkalinity started to read on the stick at 120 and has stayed that way.
Day 11: Ammonia still at 3-5, nitrites 3-5. Nitrates started showing up on the SALTWATER scale as a perfect 20, but just over 0 on the freshwater scale!
Day 12: Ammonia still at 3 ppm, nitrites now 1-3, and nitrate definitley showing as saltwater 2-40 ppm. Water still cloudy white, but now I knew something was definitely up. Everything stayed the same through day 14.
Day 14: Readings still the same, but was able to get squeezings from friend's filter to add to tank water and dosed with cycle again.
Day 15: Got API test kit!!! Ph still at 7.8, Ammonia 4-8 ppm (not 2-3 like I thought, so had been high all previous week), nitrite 1, nitrate 10 (both same as tap water).
Day 16: Ammonia 4ppm still, so did 25% water change. nitrites and nitrates the same.
Day 17 (today): Ammonia 2-3ppm, nitrite 1.
So really, is there any way I can save this cycle, or should I just start over??? I'd appreciate any advice, and thanks so much for reading all that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jen
I'm pretty sure that I WAY overdosed on ammonia at some point last week and didn't realize it and killed off all my bacteria. Here are my stats on what's happened so far:
Set-up: 5 gallon hex-front, undergravel filter, 2 airstones off small pump, 15 or 20 watt heater, temp 83 degrees (though I uped it 2 days ago to 85), aquarium gravel. I am using Jungle's Start Right for my dechlor. I also got some Hagen's Cycle (I know it's a longshot, but I figured it couldn't hurt).
I think a lot of my problems came from using the quick-dip testers and not being able to read them, and I was FINALLY able to get the API master kit this weekend (day 15 of cycle), and it confirmed my suspicions of high ammonia.
Diary of cycle so far:
Checked baselines of tap water after adding antichlor and letting it stand (used both types of tests): Ph 8.4, Alkalinity 40-80, Total Hardness 300+, Nitrite between .5 and 2 ppm (API said .5, and I trust that more), Nitrate 10 ppm, Ammonia trace.
Day 1: Dosed ammonia (household, not pure, no surfactants or additives) up to 5-6 ppm. Dosed Hagen's Cycle. Nothing else til checked again on day 5.
Day 5: ammonia down to .25 (according to dipstick). Nitrite up to 3 (couldn't tell if higher than baseline on stick test). Nitrate 0-20 ppm. Dosed ammonia backed to 5-6 ppm. But again, not sure if put a LOT more in than that, because of problems reading test stick. Water now nice and cloudy white!
Day 7: Ammonia low again, so dosed back to 4 ppm. Nitrites 3-5, Nitrates 0-20 still. Added 1/2 of a Ph buffer tablet-lowered ph to 7.8 and is holding there. Dosed HAgen's Cycle again.
Day 8: Ammonia down again, and nitrites definitely 3, so dosed to 2-3 ppm. But there were still no nitrates, so I started to get suspicious ammonia dosing/testing not correct. Alkalinity started to read on the stick at 120 and has stayed that way.
Day 11: Ammonia still at 3-5, nitrites 3-5. Nitrates started showing up on the SALTWATER scale as a perfect 20, but just over 0 on the freshwater scale!
Day 12: Ammonia still at 3 ppm, nitrites now 1-3, and nitrate definitley showing as saltwater 2-40 ppm. Water still cloudy white, but now I knew something was definitely up. Everything stayed the same through day 14.
Day 14: Readings still the same, but was able to get squeezings from friend's filter to add to tank water and dosed with cycle again.
Day 15: Got API test kit!!! Ph still at 7.8, Ammonia 4-8 ppm (not 2-3 like I thought, so had been high all previous week), nitrite 1, nitrate 10 (both same as tap water).
Day 16: Ammonia 4ppm still, so did 25% water change. nitrites and nitrates the same.
Day 17 (today): Ammonia 2-3ppm, nitrite 1.
So really, is there any way I can save this cycle, or should I just start over??? I'd appreciate any advice, and thanks so much for reading all that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jen
Last edited: