mikedj - 20 Gallon Journey

[mikedj]

Almost 2 years ago, I joined the forum and started my research. After getting a little sidetracked, my daughter and I have finally begun the journey with our 20 gallon tank. I think we're ready to add water. Let me know if you agree.

We have a 20 gal long tank with a cover/light and an Aquaclear 50 HOB filter. We rinsed and added gravel, decorations and plastic plants today. Is there anything else we should do before filling it with water? I've been reading up on fishless cycling, so we're anxious to get that started, but I don't want to miss anything. We have a Python, test kit and some dechlorinator ready to go. Is it time to fill it?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mrs.h2012]

Almost 2 years ago, I joined the forum and started my research. After getting a little sidetracked, my daughter and I have finally begun the journey with our 20 gallon tank. I think we're ready to add water. Let me know if you agree.

We have a 20 gal long tank with a cover/light and an Aquaclear 50 HOB filter. We rinsed and added gravel, decorations and plastic plants today. Is there anything else we should do before filling it with water? I've been reading up on fishless cycling, so we're anxious to get that started, but I don't want to miss anything. We have a Python, test kit and some dechlorinator ready to go. Is it time to fill it?

Thanks,
Mike

What kind of test kit? Beware of strips, they are most of the time inaccurate. We all prefer and recommend liquid API freshwater master test kit.

 

[mikedj]

We have the API Master test kit, although I haven't opened it yet.


Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mrs.h2012]

We have the API Master test kit, although I haven't opened it yet.

Thanks,
Mike

Your on the right track then! I don't remember id you said or not, but do you have pure ammonia you can dose to start your cycle with? If you have an ace hardware store around, many here have had success with the ace brand janitorial strength ammonia.

 

[bevoholic]

I just picked up some at my local Ace about 6 hours ago. They were the only place that I could find pure ammonia. Everywhere else all had additives and other stuff in the ammonia.

 

[mikedj]

We do have an Ace near here, so I'll try and get that tomorrow. Is this the right stuff?

Ace® Ammonia - 15 Pack - Industrial Cleaners - Ace Hardware

Mike

 

[bevoholic]

It looks like this:

It cost me about $2.50 at my Ace.

 

[Mrs.h2012]

We do have an Ace near here, so I'll try and get that tomorrow. Is this the right stuff?

Ace® Ammonia - 15 Pack - Industrial Cleaners - Ace Hardware

Mike

Yes thats it, but you should be able to just buy it by the bottle.

 

[mikedj]

Yes thats it, but you should be able to just buy it by the bottle.

If not, I'll be shopping around!

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mikedj]

Got the ammonia - thanks for the tips.

Flooded the tank, dechlorinated and added 10 ml of ammonia, based on Fishless Cycling For Dummies.

I waited an hour and checked the ammonia levels: >8.0. Waited another hour, still >8.0. Did some research which indicated it's not good to leave it that high, so I did a full water change. Waited 30 minutes, now shows about 2.0 ppm.

Then I reread the above article, especially the part where it says you have to calculate the dosage for your setup. Duh. So I checked the calculator, and my setup requires 3.79 ml of ammonia. So 10 ml was clearly too much, but at least I know why my readings were so high.

So, based on the calculator, since I need to increase the ammonia level another 3.0 ppm, I need to add another 2.27 ml of ammonia. Does that sound reasonable?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mikedj]

Wanting to stay conservative, I opted for targeting a 2 ppm increase, which calculated to be 1.5 ml of ammonia. That brought the ammonia level up to 4 ppm, so I think we're on our way...

I've read that a steady pH level is far more important than the actual value, but ours, at 8.2, seems higher than the range most people mention. We're not sure what type of fish we will get yet, but should I be concerned about our pH level or could it change after the tank has cycled?

Mike

 

[librarygirl]

Wanting to stay conservative, I opted for targeting a 2 ppm increase, which calculated to be 1.5 ml of ammonia. That brought the ammonia level up to 4 ppm, so I think we're on our way...

I've read that a steady pH level is far more important than the actual value, but ours, at 8.2, seems higher than the range most people mention. We're not sure what type of fish we will get yet, but should I be concerned about our pH level or could it change after the tank has cycled?

Mike

A PH of 8.2 is fine. Most fish will adapt to your PH as long as it's stable (PH shifts are common during cycling though; after it cycles it should remain steady). Try this article too, it's an updated version of the one you have: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html

 

[mikedj]

Great, that makes me feel better. And thanks for the link, very helpful.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mikedj]

We are 19 days in and still have zero nitrites. Ammonia held steady at 4.0 ppm for about a week then slowly dropped to 2.0 ppm over the last 10 days. Cloudy water (a bacterial bloom?) developed a couple days before the ammonia started dropping and has not subsided. Are we still in good shape? Should we continue to be patient?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[smallfry53]

Remember to keep an eye on your PH. A sudden drop in PH can slow or stall the cycle. If this happens a pwcs should get things going again.

 

[librarygirl]

I'd say wait it out a bit more. Every tank is different. Have you tested PH at all just to make sure it hasn't dropped to much? If it's below 7 (particularly mid-low 6's) it can keep the bacteria from forming. Otherwise I'd just try to wait and see what happens. If you can get some filter media from an established tank that would help things along.

 

[mikedj]

pH has been steady at 8.2. I'm not sure where I would get media, but since the time frame doesn't seem to alarm you, I'm OK with waiting a bit.

Should I expect the cloudiness to subside once the cycle starts?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mikedj]

We are 4 weeks in now and still no nitrites. Ammonia slowly decreased to 1 ppm, so 4 days ago I dosed it back up to 4 ppm. The water has been cloudy for the last 3 weeks, but got even cloudier after I dosed the ammonia.

Here is a chart showing our progress:

Should I continue to be patient?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mikedj]

Any thoughts?

Mike

 

[mikedj]

5 weeks in and still no nitrites. Any thoughts as to why the cycle isn't progressing?

Thanks,
Mike