Cycling or not.

[Moby]

Just started cycling my new tank.Added Dr Tim’s ammonia at 2.0pmm and tetra safestart.On day 5 and there’s no cloudyness .Never had this before.Am I being a bit too impatient?.also using soft rainwater.
Thks in advance.

 

[Essjay]

Cloudiness has nothing to do with cycling, that's a bacterial bloom and these bacteria do not 'eat' ammonia or nitrite, they eat organic carbon based things in the water.

To judge the progress of a cycle you need to go by the ammonia and nitrite readings. What are yours right now?

Very soft water takes a lot longer to cycle than hard water. The bacteria we want to grow do so faster at high pH and they need inorganic carbon, which is measured as KH. If you find ammonia is not dropping, there are things you can add to increase the pH and KH temporarily during cycling which will be removed by the big water change at the end of the cycle.

 

[Moby]

Thks ,readings are 2.0 PPM ammonia and nitrite 0.

 

[Essjay]

Tetra Safe Start, like other bacterial starters, does take time to work, though it can make the cycle faster. But I think your main problem is going to be the water - rainwater has no KH. What is the pH of the water?

Can I ask, do you add anything to remineralise the rainwater? Most fish do need some mineral content in the water.

 

[Moby]

Tetra Safe Start, like other bacterial starters, does take time to work, though it can make the cycle faster. But I think your main problem is going to be the water - rainwater has no KH. What is the pH of the water?

Can I ask, do you add anything to remineralise the rainwater? Most fish do need some mineral content in the water.

Ph is about 7.5 I don’t add anything.When I do water changes it’s normally 3/4 of rainwater 1/4 of warm tap water to equalise temperature.I add small amount of tap water conditioner.Temperature 25c.Also added some plants and driftwood from my existing tank.

 

[Essjay]

If you are using 100% rainwater, you don't need to use water conditioner There are 2 reasons to use it, to remove chlorine and to bind metals, and there shouldn't be any of either in rainwater.

So for cycling you can use bicarbonate of soda to boost the KH. You may already have some in the kitchen; if not it's in the home baking section of the supermarket. Scoop out a bit of tank water and add bicarb to that at the rate of 1 level 5 ml spoon (or teaspoon) per 25 litres tank water, and when it's all dissolved pour the water back into the tank. Cycling makes a lot of acidic things (nitrite & nitrate) and these will cause the pH to fall as the cycle progresses. Bicarb will stop this, but it could get used up so it's safer to test pH whenever you test for ammonia & nitrite. If the pH starts to drop, add more bicarb at the same rate.
At the end of the cycle, a large water change is done to remove all the nitrate made during the cycle and this will also remove the bicarb before you put fish in there.


Then it's just patience.

 

[Moby]

If you are using 100% rainwater, you don't need to use water conditioner There are 2 reasons to use it, to remove chlorine and to bind metals, and there shouldn't be any of either in rainwater.

So for cycling you can use bicarbonate of soda to boost the KH. You may already have some in the kitchen; if not it's in the home baking section of the supermarket. Scoop out a bit of tank water and add bicarb to that at the rate of 1 level 5 ml spoon (or teaspoon) per 25 litres tank water, and when it's all dissolved pour the water back into the tank. Cycling makes a lot of acidic things (nitrite & nitrate) and these will cause the pH to fall as the cycle progresses. Bicarb will stop this, but it could get used up so it's safer to test pH whenever you test for ammonia & nitrite. If the pH starts to drop, add more bicarb at the same rate.
At the end of the cycle, a large water change is done to remove all the nitrate made during the cycle and this will also remove the bicarb before you put fish in there.


Then it's just patience.

Thks.I will check reading’s tomorrow.Then I might take a patience tablet.

 

[FroFro]

Just started cycling my new tank.Added Dr Tim’s ammonia at 2.0pmm and tetra safestart.On day 5 and there’s no cloudyness .Never had this before.Am I being a bit too impatient?.also using soft rainwater.
Thks in advance.

Do you know anyone with a healthy tank that can spare some filter media? I’ve used this method to seed new tanks by cutting off portions from my sponge filters in my large tank and putting them in the back of the HOBS of my betta tanks.