Fishless Cycle - Add & Wait (Take 2)

[Little_Nemo]

Slight problem no-ones gonna be around to dose my tank with ammonia on saturday! I'm staying over at the other halfs so i cant do it, and my parents are out til the early hours?! Would it be okay to go without one night of being 'fed' ammonia? Mums dosing it friday night for me though and I'll be back to do it sunday night! To add to everything else, if my tank goes down the double '0' route this week for 5 days - I shant be around to do a water change and stock fish, so will have to dose up until sunday night, water change monday after work, then stock tuesday. Will I still need to add ammonia monday night around 10pm (usual dosing time) even though i would have done a water change?!

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Will be fine.

Its looking good.

 

[Little_Nemo]

No double 0's gonna happen his week! Ammonia 0ppm and nitrite 0.50ppm (grrr!)

 

[Little_Nemo]

If I decide to change my gravel now and introduce my mopani wood would it affect my cycle in anyway? I'm aware the ph could drop by adding the wood.

 

[Little_Nemo]

I think i maybe able to get my fishies soon

 

[ian]

Have you been upto the 'Aquarium', he stocks some really good stock. It might be worth going up there if you can't find what you need.

http/www.aquariumlincoln.co.uk/

 

[Little_Nemo]

Just ordered a number of plants online from Planted Tank, off to Maidenhead Aquatics (Whisby) to see Sam and get some other plants I couldnt find on the net and to see what fishies I can find. Might even check out that place then, I never knew it existed and I live not too far from there aswell!!

 

[Little_Nemo]

Well as last reported in my 'Qualifying week' thread. I decided not to go ahead and get my fish - I just wasnt happy with my results, so it was left to run another week, and still my results are being strange?! Its now showing 0.25ppm (well a teeny tiny bit lighter than that) even though I had my qualifying week

However now my plants have arrived, and my woods been soaking in a bucket for a month or so now, im getting my fish this weekend - doing my water change friday and putting my plants in It'll only be half stocked for the time being, and will check water once every other day i think for the time being - just so i can keep an eye on the tank.

My tank as it stands at the minute

My two buckets ready with plants and wood/slate

Close up of plants

 

[Dodders]

Good luck - glad you got there in the end, I know it's been a long road!

 

[ian]

just off topic a bit, but that Avatar of 'Dodders' makes me lol every time!

 

[Little_Nemo]

Good luck - glad you got there in the end, I know it's been a long road!

Thanks dodders One of those 'hair pulling' long roads haha!

 

[Little_Nemo]

Water change happened yesterday, eek!! Started around 12pm and took me about 6/7 hours to finish! Lol! And it's not even a huge tank!
Took a few photos as I went along to report on progress, and boy does it look so much better with my wood and plants in!
Tested the tank after an hour of letting it settle (as I needed to know everything was okay water wise) didn't want to do a full down to the gravel change and be left with ammonia or something!

Final result (for time being):
AMMONIA 0ppm
NITRITE 0ppm
NITRATE 10ppm
Ph 7.2/6

Nitrate is 10ppm as my tap water already contains this amount.

 

[waterdrop]

Strange how the pH never seemed to vary.

Glad to see you're getting so close LN. Are the plants doing ok? WD

 

[Little_Nemo]

Start of water change - new gravel going in, as the new is smaller than the borrowed gravel i got of my brother.

Filter kept in a bucket of water to keep it wet - didnt want it drying out at all.

Hooray empty at last!!

My mopani wood - 2 small pieces

Filled back up with 'Seachem Prime' dechlorinated water (set to correct temp now)

Plants all positioned

Fish in now - only a few as agreed on here not to push the bioload - although i'd already had my qualifying week, my nitrite was still reading 0ppm, then 0.25ppm every other day?!

And the last pic - my last result during a fishless cycle

............

I will still be testing - just every week for the tim being

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

Congratulations!
That looks fantastic. Love that arched mopani wood.