Fishless Cycle Starting Today

[JDs4me]

going to start a fishless cycle on my 260 litre tank today. The water has been in for 7 days now and the ext. filter running 24/7 over that time period. tank temperature 76F, pH reading 7.8 - 8.

Took readings of element levels yesterday and this morning...ammonia 0.5-1, nitrite 0.25 yesterday, 0.5 today, and nitrates at 40. These readings verified by 3 other people.

Tap readings show traces for ammonia and nitrite, and a surprise at 10-20 for nitrates; is that normal? I sometimes find the kits difficult and colour-blindness doesn't help! so corroborating results with others to reach a consensus.

will use calculator at top of page to get ammonia to around 5ppm and update here with readings as I go along on a daily basis where possible...and to plead for advice if it seems to be going pear-shaped! somewhat less than 260 litres in there so will adjust down slightly...

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Best of luck with it , you're in the right place for any questions you may have. I'm not too sure on the temperature conversion, but a fishless cycle should be at 30 degrees celsius for best results.

Terry.

 

[JDs4me]

Best of luck with it , you're in the right place for any questions you may have. I'm not too sure on the temperature conversion, but a fishless cycle should be at 30 degrees celsius for best results.

Terry.

thanks Terry, I will up it a little...added 12ml NH3 and thats done the trick, registering around 5-8 ppm... now for the long wait!

 

[FishFanatic04]

I found that there is no reason to dose your ammonia that high. Going to 2-3 ppm of ammonia is enough to cycle your tank.

Good luck!

 

[pdludbrooke]

I found that there is no reason to dose your ammonia that high. Going to 2-3 ppm of ammonia is enough to cycle your tank.

Good luck!

Good luck!!

 

[JDs4me]

thanks pdludbrooke, may do water change then to dilute a little...will see what the reading tomorrow indicates; went by the calculator that this site supplies! I seem to have a trace of ammonia in the water supply so want to be significantly above that I assume.

very impressed with the support here, thanks all!

 

[Aqua Tom]

3-5ppm ammonia is the way forward in stage one.

Tom

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Never let either ammonia or nitrite get over 5ppm during cycling and lower would be better as noted by some above.

Oh, 30C = 86F, btw.

 

[JDs4me]

Never let either ammonia or nitrite get over 5ppm during cycling and lower would be better as noted by some above.

Oh, 30C = 86F, btw.

thanks TwoTankAmin (good name!) but I think with fishless cycling I should expect nitrites to spike off the chart? I am refering to rdd1952's obviously classic post re. the two methods of cycling which I am following like a bible!

With you on the ammonia level which may have gone too high and which I will address with a water change tomorrow

 

[FishFanatic04]

Theres some debate on whether you grow some of the wrong type of bacteria when you allow ammonia or nitrite to go too far off the chart. I did my cycle with ammonia at no more the 3 ppm. I didn't worry over my nitrites though, but I know where TwoTankAmin was going with that. Going higher then 3ppm ammonia doesn't do you any good. It can take your filter longer for the bacteria to multiply to convert that much ammonia, making your cycle longer. Why spend an extra week cycling when your fish won't be producing 5 ppm ammonia when you get them. The extra time you spend cycling is wasted because the extra bacteria you grow will just die back to the level that your fish create. Basically its overkill. 3.0 ppm is overkill but in a safe way.

 

[AXIS]

Colour blindness kicks my #14### when trying to read the tests too, I have to run it by my wife as I can't hardly tell anything myself.

 

[JDs4me]

thanks for that! Did 20% water change this morning; NH3 now sitting at 2-4ppm so feel happier now...just going to do daily NH3 tests now until some movement seen

takes me back to my biochem studies, all this messing about with molecules!!

 

[Welshweeks]

Colour blindness kicks my #14### when trying to read the tests too, I have to run it by my wife as I can't hardly tell anything myself.

I'm not colourblind but currently at day 30 of my fishless cycle and done sooo many tests that I think I may be going colourblind!!!!!

 

[JDs4me]

Colour blindness kicks my #14### when trying to read the tests too, I have to run it by my wife as I can't hardly tell anything myself.

I'm not colourblind but currently at day 30 of my fishless cycle and done sooo many tests that I think I may be going colourblind!!!!!

been watching your post Welsweeks...you are nearly there it seems!! Patience is obviously a virtue...I don't suppose you would like to swap tanks would you, I am twitching at day 2!

 

[Welshweeks]