Cycle Journal Part 2

[HayzH]

i havent the faintest what mine are doing....

 

[CezzaXV]

If you ever need to add powders to a tank your best bet is fill the water bucket add the full tank does to bucket stir well and add the water to the tank wee ensure a good diulte

Why has this idea never occured to me before?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

If you ever need to add powders to a tank your best bet is fill the water bucket add the full tank does to bucket stir well and add the water to the tank wee ensure a good diulte

Why has this idea never occured to me before?

I was going to say someting like im really clever blah blah, then i looked back and saw the gazillon spelling errors in my post lol

 

[CezzaXV]

Did a 100% full dose last night (what I thought was a full dose the night before turned out to only be about 3ppm). 12 hours later ammonia is still at 0.5ppm and nitrite is off the scale. My bacteria have got a bit of catching up to do! Fingers crossed that nitrite will be 0 by tonight.

 

[CezzaXV]

Testing early tonight since I'm going out in a bit and won't be back til late. Nitrite is still at 0.5ppm but it'd probably be at 0 if I waited til 8.15PM.

 

[friendlyfishy777]

You are getting there CezzaXV!

 

[CezzaXV]

I certainly hope so!

Beginning to look at plants now as I'll be looking to get some very soon. The ideal situation would be to get plants early next week and fish late next week, but I'm prepared for the eventuality that it may be plants late next week and fish the week after.

I'm unprepared for the eventuality that something may go horribly wrong and fish are still ages away. I think I'd cry. It really feels like long enough now. Fingers crossed though! As I said in a previous post, it's doing what it needs to be doing, it's just a case of waiting for it to do it quicker.

 

[CezzaXV]

Ammonia is disappearing after 12 hours now but the nitrite still has to catch up. Measuring 5ppm this morning, even though I dosed early last night. Do you think if I played some romantic music it would encourage the bacteria to breed?

Didn't manage to get to the LFS yesterday so I'm going today to get a few bits and have a look at what fish they've got.

 

[CezzaXV]

I've just come back from the LFS. Got some filter floss and some tiny shells to put in my filter to see if they make a difference to my hardness. It was £1.60 for a bag (just couldn't afford a £30 of crushed coral or similar), so not a big deal if it doesn't make much difference.

Also, I'm the legal owner of some fish now! They only had 6 leopard cories left (at first I thought they only had 5 and was about to cry! But one was hiding), so I paid for them and am going back next week to pick them up. So, I'm getting fish next week even if I have to fish-in the rest of my cycle. Hopefully by next week I'll be somewhere in my qualifying week so it won't matter anyway. I'm sure I read somewhere that to be cycled you only need to be clearing the ammonia and nitrite in 24 hours, but we go for twelve to be on the safe side. Mine is clearing in less than 24 hours now so everything should be well.

 

[CezzaXV]

Shells and filter floss are in my filter now. I didn't bother crushing the shells because they're already pretty tiny. I've added some filter floss into the input bit before the sponge as well, as it may help keep the water extra clean and maybe reduce the flow a little bit, which won't be a bad thing. I had a bit of mature media in the form of floss given to me back along and it's absolutely filthy now, but don't want to remove it if the bacteria are growing on it.

 

[CezzaXV]

At an estimate, I'd say my nitrite is clearing in about 16 hours now, though I'm working for the next 4+ days so can't do a mid-afternoon test like I have for the last few days. Yesterday it was at 0.5ppm 16 hours after redosing. I'd like to get at least one or two 12 hour zeroes before getting fish, which I think is a real possibility. Not a massive issue if not, but I'd feel more comfortable. It's looking like I'm getting fish next Wednesday or Thursday now.

 

[HayzH]

hope the fishies are ok in the LFS tanks My recent cory's came in a bag with 0.25 of nitrite in it???!!

 

[CezzaXV]

I hope so too. I did wonder what would happen if one or more of the fish I paid for died before I went back to pick them up, but I'm sure that won't happen. The LFS they're from, they don't always give the best advice (but what LFS does?) and at least two of the types of plants they've got for sale I'm pretty sure are non-aquatic, but I've never seen a sick or dead fish in their tanks.

 

[CezzaXV]

Feeling slightly unsettled today as the ammonia wasn't quite at 0 this morning and nitrite was higher than yesterday morning. Gonna put it down to pH and move on though.

Should know my days off work for next week today, then I'll know exactly what day I'm getting my fish on!

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Just be a little careful on how long you prove your 'Double 0's before the fish go in. I was a little too impatient during my first cycle on the small tank and put them in 2/3 days into my Qualifying Week, which resulted in a NitrIte spike a week later and daily water changes.. you've come this far, try not to rush it .

Terry.