New 29 gallon tank cycling

[Blueskytechnolo]

I have a new 29 gallon tank setup. I dosed it with ammonia for a fish less cycle to get the ammonia up to 4 ppm. I have been keeping track of it on a spreadsheet. The PH fluctuates quiet a bit. Ids this a normal thing? Also can you guys look at my picture to give advice on if the process looks normal?

29 gallon tank
Natural rock and carib sea flora max
5 live plants and bulbs starting to grow
in setup added API ph 7.0 and prime to the tank
have not changed any water since the date on the spreadsheet
Tied down some java moss to the bottom via craft plastic and rocks
76 degrees constant
Whisper 10-30 filter
2 bubblers (1 rated for 30 gallons) (the other rated for 100 gallons) going into a gang valve and air adjuted from there

I think I covered it all.....

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

Tank Photo

 

[Barliman]

Assuming you've not been adding water every day to you tank, I'd put the Ph spike down to an anomaly in the test kit. I experienced that the other day: almost every day the tests read 7.0-7.2, then one day it was off the charts above 7.6, then the next day back to 7.2. So, pay more attention to the trend.

You're very early in your cycle. Things look fine to me. My only suggestion (and you may already be doing this) is to not add more ammonia until the ammonia test reads zero again. Give time for the bacteria to develop.

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

cycle

Thank you for your response.

I'm not adding any water to it. Also not adding any ammonia since the 1st dose. The PH really threw me off. I have well water here and we don't drink it due to the taste of dissolved minerals in the water. I was afraid that it did not have enough of a buffer to hold the PH. I am a whole 4 days in and it fells like its been 2 weeks. I'm glad I have been charting it so I can see the data. I am glad to know that everything looks normal at the point. I really appreciate you taking the time to take a look at it for me.

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

Tank Photo

 

[Barliman]

Patience is the hardest thing with a fishless cycle, but it pays off.

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

Should I be doing pwc or let it be as long as the water is clear? I notice my live plants really greening up with the ammonia environment.

 

[Barliman]

Just leave it be. As you've noticed, the plants are enjoying it, and the beneficial bacteria they brought with them will help get the cycle going.

 

[billberet]

I've added fish food to speed things up.
it's like stocks, you don't look short time, you have to look at the long run.
you'll have fluctuations, but over time it will steady out and cycle.
as long as you have ammonia and media to hold your beneficial bacteria, you'll end up having a successful nitrogen cycle.


what bio media are you using? they need a nice place to live.

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

I have added a little food. I have a standard whisper 10-30. Filter with the sponge thing in front I've the charcoal filter. I have been looking at canister filters with the api stars in it. Is that a better way to go?

 

[billberet]

what bio media are you using, you still need a place to house your bio media so the beneficial bacteria can grow to start the nitrogen cycle. granted some bacteria will stick to anything in the tank, but you want to start a colony so you need a home for them, you can use hob filters, I've had lots of success with them, you can use canisters, I love those as well, in fact I've never had anything but canister filters filled with sponges and bio media. they are nitrate factories but if you clean them you are good to go.

what filter are you currently using?

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

I just purchased a canister filter (zoo med Macro 50). I has a rough sponge filter on the intake then goes through carbon, bio rings and finally a dense sponge on the output. Previously all I had was the standard filter with no media. Thanks for all of your help. I'm learning as I go.

 

[billberet]

no worries, everyone has to start somewhere.

for a canister filter, all you really need is the mechanical filter (sponge) and the biological filter, which is your bacteria.
so by filling the canister with bio media, the bacteria will have a place to live, and will start your nitrogen cycle.

sponge filters are really only polish filters, they take particulates out of the water column. but they do hold some beneficial bacteria, but only a small amount.
for me I have a few sponge filters in my sump, if I ever have to set up a quarantine tank (hospital tank) I just take one of my existing sponge filters and drop it in with some tank water, and boom, INSTANT TANK.
but to have only a sponge filter as your main source of bio filtration, you'll crash your tank when you add more than one fish.

feel free to keep the questions coming, with 30+ years of fishkeeping I've pretty much seen it all....

 

[Wy Renegade]

I just purchased a canister filter (zoo med Macro 50). I has a rough sponge filter on the intake then goes through carbon, bio rings and finally a dense sponge on the output. Previously all I had was the standard filter with no media. Thanks for all of your help. I'm learning as I go.

These are a nice filter, but in-my-opinion a bit underpowered for that large of tank - but that might just be me. I would ditch the carbon, unless you have meds or tannins you are trying to eliminate from the tank. The sponge will help prefilter and remove any large particles, and you'll be surprised at the amount of debris and gunk you will squeeze out of it when your rinse it (be sure and rinse only in dechlorinated or R.O. water when you clean it out). I like the zoomed media as well, but feel that they include too little in the kit. I always buy extra media and fill the media chamber completely with the ceramic media.

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

our local stores around here do not carry many canister filters. I pulled the mechanical specs on the 50 gallon model and it moves 165 GPH not the 200 advertised. I figured that this would be adequate for my 29 gallon tank. The other filters they had were for 100 gallons plus and over $200. I hope this one works out for me. The media included filled the media chamber over the top. I had to remove quiet a few to get it to close. I do not have any fish in there at the moment so no medication or anything like that. Does the carbon not give a little clarity to the water? Like I say I am new to this and am learning along the way.

 

[Wy Renegade]

our local stores around here do not carry many canister filters. I pulled the mechanical specs on the 50 gallon model and it moves 165 GPH not the 200 advertised. I figured that this would be adequate for my 29 gallon tank. The other filters they had were for 100 gallons plus and over $200. I hope this one works out for me. The media included filled the media chamber over the top. I had to remove quiet a few to get it to close. I do not have any fish in there at the moment so no medication or anything like that. Does the carbon not give a little clarity to the water? Like I say I am new to this and am learning along the way.

If you are not way over stocking your tank, you should be fine. Turtles are notoriously messy, far more so than fish, and the filter is designed for turtles. Generally I see a filter of this size running on a 40 breeder turtle tank that really only holds about 20 gallons of water. One of the factors in term so flow will also be distance from the tank. If you setting the canister below the tank, so the filter is having to pump water up a significant distance, you will loose a certain percentage of flow, vs. having the filter sitting right next to the tank. The carbon is only active for a very short period of time, so only provides benefit if you are going to change it out on a very regular basis (something like once per week), after that it simply becomes a nutrient trap, so most people don't bother to use it unless there is something specific they are trying to filter out short term. If you have tannins or high organic waste, carbon will help for a short time, but there are other products out there that are much more effective.

 

[billberet]

our local stores around here do not carry many canister filters. I pulled the mechanical specs on the 50 gallon model and it moves 165 GPH not the 200 advertised. I figured that this would be adequate for my 29 gallon tank. The other filters they had were for 100 gallons plus and over $200. I hope this one works out for me. The media included filled the media chamber over the top. I had to remove quiet a few to get it to close. I do not have any fish in there at the moment so no medication or anything like that. Does the carbon not give a little clarity to the water? Like I say I am new to this and am learning along the way.

amazon is your friend !!!!!!
it's always good to support your LFS but you can always find it cheaper online

 

[Blueskytechnolo]

I agree I have prime shipping with Amazon. I am a very impatient person and I am learning quickly that you cant be impatient with a tank.

In the last day or so my tank has formed what I guess is a bacterial bloom. I can see a lot of small particles in the water toward the top where the bubbles rise and the spray bar is. It is a whitish color and looks like dust. I have removed the carbon filter from my canister. Do I need to get the drops to make it clear or will this go away when the tank cycles properly?

Today is day 10 and the readings are as follows:
PH 6.8
HR PH 7.2
Amonia 2PPM
Nirates 0
Nitrites 0

 

[Barliman]

Happens with almost all new tanks. It should fade in a few days.