Need help with first fishless cycle

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Well,when I went to dose the ammo last nite, force of habit kicked in, and before i knew it, I dosed to 4 ppm :ermm:

The good news is that the readings tonight are:

ammo = 0

nitrites = 0

nitrates = 140

ph = 8.2

I went ahead and dosed back up to 4 ppm tonight as well.

If it zero's out again tomorrow night, I was hoping to do a huge wc,
and then possbly add fish Saturday ?

What do you think jlk ?
 
Thats great!!! Ok, I forget if your temp was turned up. This will answer whether if your good to go if it zeres out again tomorrow.
 
What temp do you plan on keeping the tank at? Drop it 2-3 degrees tonight & more tomorrow morning if you need it lower. Then, if all is well tomorrow night (zeroes), you will need to do as close to a 100% wc as possible. Make sure you temperature match & properly condition the new water. Wait 15-20mins after refilling & then check your nitrates. If they are not at your tap level for nitrates, you will need to do another big wc, wait & retest. Ideally, you want to drop your nitrates down to your tap level. Dont be discouraged if it takes more than one (or two) big wcs! If your not familiar with drip acclimation, check out U-Tube for how to videos. Thats about it other to monitor your parameters for atleast 2wks after adding fish to make sure everything is staying stable & so you have an idea how fast your nitrates are rising over the course of week. Dont hesitate to ask if you have any more questions! :)
 
I dont plan on needing a heater at all once this is done, as I will be keeping goldfish in the tank.

When I very first set the tank up and ran it without a heater for a couple of days before starting the cycle, the temp seemed to hover right around 76, even though it was 73 in the house.

I guess the best plan would be to drop it 3 degrees tonight and then just unplug the heater in the morning ?
 
Ah-ha! I did not know this! I thought it was going to be a tropical tank. Ok, you might as well turn it off tonight/remove it & let your tank cool overnight. That way we will know if your bb can handle the lower temp with the present dose of ammonia. My suggestion would be to dose again tomorrow night & consider getting fish on sunday instead. What type of goldies are you considering?
 
Here's the deal :)

I have a beautiful 4 to 5 inch common goldy that has been living outside in a half whiskey barrel w\liner, complete with lilly pads, fo two years now. He actually came from a bait shop !

My plan all along for this tank was to bring him inside. Now, yes, since I've been reading on the forum, I do now realize that they can get huge, and that they belong in a pond, which is something I dont have ! I do however , think he will be happier in this 90 gal tank, than in the barrel, which is 16 gal I believe ?

If and when he outgrows the tank, I will have to make other arrangements at that time. I have also thought about getting a couple more goldies of some kind to keep him company. I really kind of like some of the black ones, but not too crazy about the bulging eyes .

And there you have it !:)
 
Well, you are doing a wonderful thing!!! It's time for him to move out of the barrel! If he does outgrow this tank, you can address the situation as it requires. Def let us know how things look tomorrow! :)
 
OK !!!

The readings tonight were:

ammo = 0

nitrites = 0

nitrates = 130

ph = 8.0

Couldnt stand to wait any longer !! Did one 95% wc and still had 10 ppm nitrates, while the tap water has 5ppm. Sooo, am in the middle of a second 95% wc now. Fish going in tomorrow....WoooooHoooo !!!
 
I hope your guy is happy!!!! That's great that you did this for him! Just make sure you keep an eye on your parameters because newly cycled tanks can be a bit tempermental. If you need any help, just ask! Hope to see pics!! :)
 
Ooohhh noooooo !!!

:(:(:(:(:(:(

I am devistated.....About five minutes after my last post lastnight, I suddenly realized that in my excitement over being so close to finaly moving my fish in, I had forgotten to add Prime to the tank before filling the tank back up on the first water change and starting up the filters. As a matter of fact , at the point that I realized it, I was already half way done with draining the tank for the second water change. So, unfortunately, the chlorine had pleanty of time to wipe out all of my BB.

Just thought I would let you know why there are no pictures today. It is a sad day.:( Nothing like starting over again on the seven week journey...live and learn i guess.

Thanks for all your help though jlk !:)
 
Oh no! Dont despair yet! You wont know how much of a hit your bacteria took until you dose ammonia. Cross your fingers!!!
 
Well, it appears that the BB took a pretty big hit...It has taken 55 hours for the ammonia levels to go from 4ppm to 1ppm.

In order to jump start my "re-cycling", I have ordered two "active" sponges from Angelsplus, one for each canister filter. They should arrive Wednesday.

It sounds like a lot of people have had good luck with sponges from them...we will see !!:)
 
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