Fishless Cycling Record

[southcity]

I started a fishless cycling record last week, I have a 10 gallon tank, I slightly lowered the water level to make lots of water movement. I keep the temp a constant 84 degrees Fahrenheit. I was thinking after a week (which is today) I would see some drop in the ammonia, but as you can see from my numbers below it hasn't moved even slightly. I am using a bio wheel filter with ceramic rings.

Wed. Feb. 23/2011 9:30am Thurs April 7 am & pm ammonia 0 re-dose 4ppm
Day 1
PH 7.6 low range Friday April 8 am &pm ammonia 0 re-dose to4ppm
PH 8.0 high range
ammonia 5ppm Sat April 9 am & pm ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
nitrite 0ppm
nitrate 0ppm Sun April 10 am ammonia 2ppm
GH 60
KH 240 Mon April 11 am ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Mon April 11 pm ammonia 2ppm
Wed. March 2/2011 11am Tues April 12 am ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
PH low range, slightly greater than 7.6, probably 7.8 Wed April 12 am ammonia 2ppm
PH high range 8.2 Wed April 12 pm ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
ammonia 5ppm Thurs April 12 am ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
nitrite 0 Thurs April 12 pm ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
nitrate 2.0 Fri April 13
GH 120
KH 240

GH and KH tests are done with strips.

Wednesday March 30/2011 9am
Ammonia 0ppm - re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite 5+ off the chart
Nitrate 1.ppm
PH 8.3 - 8.4
Temp 84

Thursday March 31/2011 10am
Ammonia 0ppm - re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite 5+ off the chart
Temp 84

Thursday March 31/2011 10pm
Ammonia 2ppm.

Friday April 1 2011 10am
Ammonia 0 re-dosed to 4ppm
Nitrite 5+ off the chart

Friday April 1 2011 10pm
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite 5+ off the chart
Nitrate 100ppm - 160ppm kind of hard to tell

Saturday April 2 2011 11am
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite 5+ off the chars

Saturday April 2 2011 11:30pm
Ammonia 1ppm re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite 5+ off the chart

Sunday April 3 2011 11:30am
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .25ppm

Sunday April 3 2011 11:30pm
Ammonia 0ppm re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

Monday April 4 2011 11:30am
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

Monday April 4 2011 11:30pm
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

Tuesday April 5 2011 11:30am
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

Tuesday April 5 2011 11:30pm
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

Wednesday April 6 2011 11:30am
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

Wednesday April 6 2011 11:30pm
Ammonia 0 re-dose to 4ppm
Nitrite .10ppm

 

[waterdrop]

No, it probably just means you happen to have a water supply with particularly low levels of Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira cells floating about. It varies a lot how many of these bacteria happen to reach a particular house on the water line, although there will virtually always be a few present in even the cleanest of water supply systems. It just means it may take a little longer for things to get underway to a level your tests can see.

I'd say the greatest number of fishless cycling cases we see will experience significant drop in ammonia around the end of the first week, some cases will take two weeks and we've seen a very few that have taken 3 weeks to get started. (And none of this changes the overall estimates that that most fishless cycles take between a month and 2.5 months to completely finish up.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Gvilleguy]

My first ammonia drop was 26 days, so hang in there! It will happen.

 

[southcity]

OK, thank you both for the replies

 

[southcity]

Getting a bit discouraged here, just 2 days short of 3 weeks since I set this tank up and still the ammonia is reading about 3ppm from the initial dose. It doesn't appear to be coming down too fast at all. This certainly is taking a very long time to begin the cycle process.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Just to review, it sounds like your tank temperature is in the area of 84F (good), the pH is running around 8 (good). Let's check some other setup questions on your tank:

1. Is there light hitting the actual media in your bio-wheel filter, or is the media covered? Sometimes direct light shining in a filter can slow down the process, particularly if algae is growing in there.
2. How is the aeration on the tank? Good surface agitation? Lowering the water level an inch or so can increase the bubbling from a hang-on-back filter, which is good for growing bacteria.
3. Which test kit are you using to test for ammonia?

 

[southcity]

No light on the tank at all, it's on the far wall of the room where the sun does not hit it and the canopy light has not been turned on at all.
I did drop the water level on about the second day and I am definitely getting lots of action in the surface water.
My test kit is the API freshwater master test kit, (the liquid one)

 

[Gvilleguy]

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right so far.

 

[southcity]

I'm trying to be patient here, and I will not be adding fish until this tank is completely cycled. But I just wish it would show some movement so I get a glimmer of hope

 

[waterdrop]

Sometimes I like to think in terms of two weeks for each of the three phases, although as we all know it varies wildly from that all the time. WD

 

[southcity]

Well it's been 27 days now since I first set up this tank. Initial does of ammonia is still sitting at about 3ppm, water temp. is 84, nitrate is 1ppm, and nitrite is slightly showing at about .10ppm.
This is taking so very long to show any sign of the tank cycling, I read all the other logs on new tanks and no one seems to be facing this problem where the ammonia just doesn't even show signs of dropping for weeks. I don't know what I am doing wrong!!

 

[Gvilleguy]

I defer to Waterdrop - my cycle was long - but yours appears on track to take longer. Would it be much trouble to post up a picture of the tank setup and the filter? That might trigger something in our minds that you could change.

 

[southcity]

No problem
The tank

I replaced the charcoal insert with ceramic rings the day of purchasing this filter

 

[Wend]

Hello. Im far from expert here but have read many times in a situation like this that to add a wee drop fish food can get things moving??

 

[southcity]

Willing to try anything at this point, in went some fish flakes!