Fishless Cycling Question?

[robyngunston]

It is the first time I have tried a fishless cycle and I added the specified amounts of Ammonia to take it to between 5 and 6 ppm. It has been 7 days however the Ammonia does not seem to have dropped at all? Is this normal or could I be doing something wrong? I added some bottled bacteria at the start as well to try move things along? Could I have put too much Ammonia in to start off with?

 

[Tolak]

It should be dropping soon, as long as you dechlorinated the water. What do you have for filtration, & what temperature is the tank?

 

[robyngunston]

It should be dropping soon, as long as you dechlorinated the water. What do you have for filtration, & what temperature is the tank?

I am using the internal filter (Rena Filstar) that came with my new tank (Rena Aquarama 60) and the temperature is currently at 81, I was told that it would be better to keep it higher than normal? I also have an airstone in the tank and sand?

 

[mark.w.jones]

It is the first time I have tried a fishless cycle and I added the specified amounts of Ammonia to take it to between 5 and 6 ppm. It has been 7 days however the Ammonia does not seem to have dropped at all? Is this normal or could I be doing something wrong? I added some bottled bacteria at the start as well to try move things along? Could I have put too much Ammonia in to start off with?

Sounds fine to me. Give it time. Good things come to those who wait. Keep testing water stats daily. If nothing happens for another week it could be there is something wrong in the filter department.

 

[Nick Sw]

Mines the same I started last Sunday and it`s still not dropped, I was actually unsure to keep adding each day even though it was not dropping , I have now done so and my temps set to 89 do you think this is too high?

 

[D4N]

on those filters they have a little knob on the top did u turn it???

 

[mark.w.jones]

Mines the same I started last Sunday and it`s still not dropped, I was actually unsure to keep adding each day even though it was not dropping , I have now done so and my temps set to 89 do you think this is too high?

Sounds fine. Just keep up the daily water tests and as soon as your ammonia levels drop down near 0 then bump them up to 5ppm again. I was adding ammonia daily after about a week. Just to make you feel better, it takes twice as long for the nitrites to drop . Good luck.

 

[Nick Sw]

Mines the same I started last Sunday and it`s still not dropped, I was actually unsure to keep adding each day even though it was not dropping , I have now done so and my temps set to 89 do you think this is too high?

Sounds fine. Just keep up the daily water tests and as soon as your ammonia levels drop down near 0 then bump them up to 5ppm again. I was adding ammonia daily after about a week. Just to make you feel better, it takes twice as long for the nitrites to drop . Good luck.

Thanks Jonesy I think I am actually getting somewhere yesterday I checked Nitrites and it registered a definate 0.25, when my ammonia drops to zero I have vowed to do a Peter Crouch robot celebration !

 

[robyngunston]

Mines the same I started last Sunday and it`s still not dropped, I was actually unsure to keep adding each day even though it was not dropping , I have now done so and my temps set to 89 do you think this is too high?

Sounds fine. Just keep up the daily water tests and as soon as your ammonia levels drop down near 0 then bump them up to 5ppm again. I was adding ammonia daily after about a week. Just to make you feel better, it takes twice as long for the nitrites to drop . Good luck.

Thanks for all the advice! Just to confirm.....I was only supposed to add Ammonia the first day to take it to 5 or 6ppm and wait until it drops to about 1.....right I'm not supposed to be adding Ammonia every day?

on those filters they have a little knob on the top did u turn it???

Knob?

 

[Nick Sw]

Mines the same I started last Sunday and it`s still not dropped, I was actually unsure to keep adding each day even though it was not dropping , I have now done so and my temps set to 89 do you think this is too high?

Sounds fine. Just keep up the daily water tests and as soon as your ammonia levels drop down near 0 then bump them up to 5ppm again. I was adding ammonia daily after about a week. Just to make you feel better, it takes twice as long for the nitrites to drop . Good luck.

Thanks for all the advice! Just to confirm.....I was only supposed to add Ammonia the first day to take it to 5 or 6ppm and wait until it drops to about 1.....right I'm not supposed to be adding Ammonia every day?

on those filters they have a little knob on the top did u turn it???

Knob?

I think the idea is you find out how much ammonia it takes to reach 5ppm then add the same amount each day until Nitrite spikes then half the amount. Whether or not just leaving it at 5ppm works or not I`m not sure I didn`t add for the first few days (I found a small fry miraculously) then started adding.

 

[Joanna69]

I thought you were meant to get the ammonia to 5ppm then wait for the nitrites to go up (spike) and fall the ammonia to drop back down below 1. Once the ammonia was back at this low level add in another load of ammonia to 5ppm and repeat the process with the gaps between adding ammonia, seeing the nitrites spike then fall and adding more ammonia becoming less and less until the day comes when you find yourself adding ammonia every day with your nitrites at 0 and high nitrates - thus cycled and needing a water change to rid yourself of the high nitrates?

Confused. Am I meant to be adding ammonia every day then as soon as it drops? Mine hasn't dropped yet - been going 5 days. I do have 0.25 of nitrites though so something is happening! But I have definitely been given advice that contradicts putting in ammonia every day. Definitely told to wait for it to drop below 1 before adding more:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=144401

 

[Nick Sw]

I thought you were meant to get the ammonia to 5ppm then wait for the nitrites to go up (spike) and fall the ammonia to drop back down below 1. Once the ammonia was back at this low level add in another load of ammonia to 5ppm and repeat the process with the gaps between adding ammonia, seeing the nitrites spike then fall and adding more ammonia becoming less and less until the day comes when you find yourself adding ammonia every day with your nitrites at 0 and high nitrates - thus cycled and needing a water change to rid yourself of the high nitrates?

Confused. Am I meant to be adding ammonia every day then as soon as it drops? Mine hasn't dropped yet - been going 5 days. I do have 0.25 of nitrites though so something is happening! But I have definitely been given advice that contradicts putting in ammonia every day. Definitely told to wait for it to drop below 1 before adding more:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=144401

OK either way is correct so don`t worry , read the topic on fishless cycling on Jonesy`s signature above it explains it really well.

 

[Joanna69]

I thought you were meant to get the ammonia to 5ppm then wait for the nitrites to go up (spike) and fall the ammonia to drop back down below 1. Once the ammonia was back at this low level add in another load of ammonia to 5ppm and repeat the process with the gaps between adding ammonia, seeing the nitrites spike then fall and adding more ammonia becoming less and less until the day comes when you find yourself adding ammonia every day with your nitrites at 0 and high nitrates - thus cycled and needing a water change to rid yourself of the high nitrates?

Confused. Am I meant to be adding ammonia every day then as soon as it drops? Mine hasn't dropped yet - been going 5 days. I do have 0.25 of nitrites though so something is happening! But I have definitely been given advice that contradicts putting in ammonia every day. Definitely told to wait for it to drop below 1 before adding more:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=144401

OK either way is correct so don`t worry , read the topic on fishless cycling on Jonesy`s signature above it explains it really well.

Phew, ta!!

 

[robyngunston]

OK either way is correct so don`t worry , read the topic on fishless cycling on Jonesy`s signature above it explains it really well.

Second that notion! Thanks, I will try be more patient.