Fishless Cycle Q!

[wwpecker]

Hi folks

After reading posts on here, I decided to take plunge, buy a second tank and carry out fishless cycle..

stats are:

13/6/07 added 5ml ammonia to get reading of 8ppm
15/6/07 Ammonia 6ppm Nitrite 0 ?
16/6/07 Ammonia 4ppm Nitrite 0.5ppm
17/6/07 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 5 - added 4ml Ammonia.(this raised Ammonia up to 4ppm again)
18/6/07 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 4. Added 4ml Ammonia - tested PH = 8.4
19/6/07 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 4. Added 4ml Ammonia...
20/6/07 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 4+ ...

My question is how long do I add ammonia, ?? until the Nitrite is 0? I don't understand how the Nitrite will return to zero if I keep adding Ammonia? Am I missing something??

Any help appreciated

 

[stuhyde]

WHat are your nitrAte readings?

 

[wwpecker]

Hi there
NitrAte reads about 5ppm... To be honest Ive not been testing for this as I thought it was irrelevant until Nitrite goes to 0

Is this good?

 

[Christine1014]

Eventually beneficial bacteria will develop that will process your nitrIte, and which will give you a higher nitrAte reading. This part of the cycle is the slowest, but it's a good sign that you've got a little nitrate already. Just keep adding the ammonia and in another week or two your nitrite will probably start dropping.

 

[stuhyde]

Yes mate, that is good.

After reading up on the nitrogen cycle some more, this part you are waiting for will usually take twice as long as the amonia to drop to 0.
Keep adding the Ammonia like you have been, eventually the NitrIte will go off the scale on your reading equipment, but then fall to 0 almost overnight.

Then do a 85-90% water change, then add your fishes.



Oh something else Ive read that may help, is to whack the temp of the tank up to mid to high 80's, once the cycle has completed, drop back to 77 or whatever BEFORE adding the fishes LOL

 

[wwpecker]

Thanks Christine
I was not sure whether to tail off amount ammonia I was using, but I will keep adding 4ml, testing until Nitrite drops 0 (Hopefully

 

[wwpecker]

Temp is on 30c at moment, I think we both read same thread. I will drop it back down again when cycle finishes - I'm pleased it's going OK up to now

 

[rdd1952]

As you said, keep adding ammonia every time it drops back to zero until the nitrite also drops to zero. It generally takes the nitrite about twice as long to drop as it initially did the ammonia. Since you already have an established tank, the best thing to do is move some of the filter media from it into the filter on the new tank. You will have instant bacteria and the cycle will be much quicker.

 

[doresy]

Hey, BELIEVE me.....it can take what seems like forever before the nitrItes go to zero.

Ammonia can drop pretty soon into a fishless cycle and that sort of gets you going......then the nitrItes go through the roof which is good......then nitrAtes start to show which means the whole process is going.

Then the looooooooooong wait for the nitrItes to go to ground zero

It will happen (took mine 8 weeks) then it's PARTY TIME Sorry, mines just cycled, can you tell?

 

[Amunet]

You keep adding ammonia b/c that is your bacterias food source.
So even when nitrite and ammonia reach 0, which means your tank is cycled, your fish are going to go into the tank and produce waste which will release ammonia into the water and that will feed the bacteria
You just have to keep adding in ammonia if you don't put the fish in right away so you can keep them alive until you do add fish.

GL with your cycle!