Cycling Question

[ns2d]

Hey guys,

I've got a new tank. 180litres. It has about 40KG of plant substrate and a large (70+cm) piece of driftwood.

It's been up for two weeks.

The temp is set high at about 30 degrees C.

I initially put a piece of salmon in there to decompose and I also fed the tank with fish flakes regularly, but afterwards I read somewhere that this wasn't the right thing to do. I also removed some water from my existing tank and emptied its filter cartridge into it and immersed the filter sponge in this water - the water was full of debris and opaque green. I then emptied this into the new tank. After a week I tested and got some ammonia but no nitrite present. I repeated the process again the next week with the filter debris from the existing tank, and today I tested again and found basically no ammonia and no/low nitrite. I also found medium levels of nitrate (but I assume this comes from the water from the existing tank).

Is it possible that the some of the bacteria from the existing media has colonised the new tank or is it unlikely only two weeks in?

 

[Uriel]

Hey guys,

I've got a new tank. 180litres. It has about 40KG of plant substrate and a large (70+cm) piece of driftwood.

It's been up for two weeks.

The temp is set high at about 30 degrees C.

I initially put a piece of salmon in there to decompose and I also fed the tank with fish flakes regularly, but afterwards I read somewhere that this wasn't the right thing to do. I also removed some water from my existing tank and emptied its filter cartridge into it and immersed the filter sponge in this water - the water was full of debris and opaque green. I then emptied this into the new tank. After a week I tested and got some ammonia but no nitrite present. I repeated the process again the next week with the filter debris from the existing tank, and today I tested again and found basically no ammonia and no/low nitrite. I also found medium levels of nitrate (but I assume this comes from the water from the existing tank).

Is it possible that the some of the bacteria from the existing media has colonised the new tank or is it unlikely only two weeks in?

It's possible but very hard to guage as it is hard to tell how much ammonia the salmon/fish food is putting into the water. Generally a tank is concidered cycled when it can process 4-5pmm ammonia to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite in 12 hours. Do you have access to Pure ammonia(You can buy it from bigger boots stores over the counter or order it to smaller ones in uk). This would give you a more conclusive answer as if you dosed 5ppm ammonia to the water and tested 12 hours later and got 0 ammonia- 0 nitrite you would know the tank is cycled.

Most people want there tank to be able to do this 7 days in a row and it's refered to as a qualifying week.

 

[ns2d]

It's possible but very hard to guage as it is hard to tell how much ammonia the salmon/fish food is putting into the water. Generally a tank is concidered cycled when it can process 4-5pmm ammonia to 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite in 12 hours. Do you have access to Pure ammonia(You can buy it from bigger boots stores over the counter or order it to smaller ones in uk). This would give you a more conclusive answer as if you dosed 5ppm ammonia to the water and tested 12 hours later and got 0 ammonia- 0 nitrite you would know the tank is cycled.

Most people want there tank to be able to do this 7 days in a row and it's refered to as a qualifying week.

Ah ha, I understand completely. Obviously by sticking things in to decompose it will be hard to gauge when they begin producing ammonia and at what rate it's being processed. I will head to Boots forthwith. Thanks very much.

 

[Uriel]

One other thing to concider is acidic water makes it harder for the a and n bacteria to reproduce very acidic can stall the process. I'm not sure what your PH is but it's worth testing your tap water and also you tank water as the piece of driftwood may make it harder for you to cycle as it will probably drop the ph of the tank add to this the fact that the process of converting ammonia -> Nitrate can create some nitric acid and drop the ph more and you may be in for trouble.

 

[Aqua Tom]

I will head to Boots forthwith. Thanks very much.

If you find your local store does not stock Ammonia in-store. Here is a link to the online store. You can get it delivered free to your local shop & just go pick it up.

http/www.boots.com/en/Boots-Household-ammonia-500ml_923908/

Good luck with the cycle

 

[ns2d]

One other thing to concider is acidic water makes it harder for the a and n bacteria to reproduce very acidic can stall the process. I'm not sure what your PH is but it's worth testing your tap water and also you tank water as the piece of driftwood may make it harder for you to cycle as it will probably drop the ph of the tank add to this the fact that the process of converting ammonia -> Nitrate can create some nitric acid and drop the ph more and you may be in for trouble.

I just tested the PH, it's at 7.6 - 7.8 in the tank, which is in the same range as the tap water, so it doesn't appear to have altered much as a result of the driftwood. It's a piece of ADA dark iron wood if that info makes the slightest bit of difference.

I will head to Boots forthwith. Thanks very much.

If you find your local store does not stock Ammonia in-store. Here is a link to the online store. You can get it delivered free to your local shop & just go pick it up.

http/www.boots.com/en/Boots-Household-ammonia-500ml_923908/

Good luck with the cycle

thanks for the link, it's quite a large Boots where I live, so they may have it. I was too late today, but I'll go tomorrow.