Help Needed With Cyling!

[kenkat]

I started cycling my tank last Wednesday. I set everything up (sand, plants, driftwood, filter), added conditioned water, and some powdered ammonium chloride, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OTH5TAQ/?tag=ff0d01-20. I waited for a few days and the ammonia testing read 8ppm so I did a 75% water change and got it down to 3ppm and the temperature inside is around 78 degrees with a ph of 6. I also added FritzZyme Turbo start, and a sponge filter from an established tank (https://angelsplus.com/products/active-sponge-filter). As of now, the water still does not have any nitrites or nitrates. Is it because I added the sponge filter with bacteria already established? Or is it still the lingering impact of the high ammonia at the beginning? How come it is taking so long for nitrates and nitrites to show up?

 

[FishBearer9845]

How did the sponge arrive? Dry? Damp? Have you tested the ammonia again?

 

[kenkat]

How did the sponge arrive? Dry? Damp? Have you tested the ammonia again?

It did arrive damp and the ammonia is still at 2ppm but still no nitrates or nitrites.

 

[FishBearer9845]

My only guess would be that there’s still not enough bacteria, even for a cycled sponge, although I do have concerns that it would have bb after being in transit. Although you do get the bottles of bacteria. I think temperature might affect bb too?

 

[Ch4rlie]

You have to give bacteria time to colonise.

That’s if the sponge you have has indeed the correct bacterias needed. There are many types of bacterias actually!

There are two mains types of bacterias that the fish tank needs in order to have a system that can cope and maintain livestock health.

First there must be one type of bacteria to form that will consume ammonia and this in turn makes nitrite, this bacteria is usually quite quick to form. Anything from a few days to a couple of weeks as long as there is a source of food (ammonia).

Second batch of bacteria that has to form is the nitrifying bacteria which consumes nitrite which in turns makes nitrate. These nitrifying bacteria take much longer to form than the first bacteria into large enough numbers to be noticeable on test kits.

So obviously means the nitrifying bacteria cannot form until there is a source of nitrite. And therefore the nitrite must come from the first colony of bacteria that consumes ammonia to nitrite, hence there is a waiting game for both sets of bacteria’s to form and colonise into numbers that will consume both ammonia and nitrite.

This is why we add ammonia to the tank, to feed the first batch of bacteria, 3ppm ammonia is plenty, anything more than 5ppm ammonia is dangerous to the cycle and can cause the cycle to stall or crash so please ensure you add 3ppm ammonia accurately every time the dosage is required.

The fishless article explains when you need to check when you need to add ammonia. It’s confusing at first but you will soon get the hang of it and start to understand more in time to come

 

[kenkat]

So I measured my parameters today and it came out to be 2.0ppm for ammonia 0ppm, nitrite and 5.0ppm nitrate. Is it weird that there is no nitrite? What should I do if these readings seem off?

 

[kwi]

You may have killed your bacteria with 8ppm ammonia.

 

[kenkat]

What should I do next?

 

[kwi]

Well not killed but seriously stalled, the bacteria should catch up eventually, are you making sure there is plenty of surface agitation/have an airstone on the go? Also what is your KH, don't bacteria also need carbonates as well as O2?

It's easier to use a solution to calculate your dosing, you can either make one up using the powder or buy a solution.

 

[kenkat]

Well not killed but seriously stalled, the bacteria should catch up eventually, are you making sure there is plenty of surface agitation/have an airstone on the go? Also what is your KH, don't bacteria also need carbonates as well as O2?

It's easier to use a solution to calculate your dosing, you can either make one up using the powder or buy a solution.

I do have an airstone, I will update you on the KH after I find out, but I know it was on the lower side.

 

[kenkat]

The only other thing I have read is that since there are two types of bacteria, the one that converts ammonia to nitrites and the one the converts nitrites to nitrates, I may have more of the former hence the low nitrite reading. But I am not sure.

 

[kwi]

There is Nitrate in the NYC water anyway, but not that much.

 

[Ch4rlie]

You may have killed your bacteria with 8ppm ammonia.

kenkat says he did see 8ppm ammonia after a few days but quickly did a 75% water change to reduce this down to 3ppm.

There won’t have been much bb to be killed off after just a few days so doubtful if this will have a big impact as it’s just the very start of the cycling.

Well not killed but seriously stalled, the bacteria should catch up eventually, are you making sure there is plenty of surface agitation/have an airstone on the go? Also what is your KH, don't bacteria also need carbonates as well as O2?

It's easier to use a solution to calculate your dosing, you can either make one up using the powder or buy a solution.

Water surface agitation from the filter and from air stone will be of great assistance in exchanging oxygen into the water column, that’s perfect for helping the bacteria during the cycle process.

Carbonate is just an element that stabilises or acts as a buffer for the pH.
Bacteria for cycling the tank does not particularly need carbonate.

The only time one really needs carbonate is if the pH fluctuates wildly and having very low kH.

However, having inorganic carbon (which is a carbonate) in your filter can be useful to keep kH level secure during the cycle process. Not essential if tap water kH is ok but useful.

This cycle has only been going for less than a week and already his ammonia level is down to 2ppm from 3ppm, this is good.

There should be some nitrifying bacteria forming very soon and a reading of nitrite will be coming anytime now.

So no further assistance is needed at this point, carry on doing ammonia and nitrite tests every two or three days, the next point is to add exactly 3ppm ammonia when the ammonia is below 0.75ppm and nitrite at or over 2ppm.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[kenkat]

kenkat says he did see 8ppm ammonia after a few days but quickly did a 75% water change to reduce this down to 3ppm.

There won’t have been much bb to be killed off after just a few days so doubtful if this will have a big impact as it’s just the very start of the cycling.



Water surface agitation from the filter and from air stone will be of great assistance in exchanging oxygen into the water column, that’s perfect for helping the bacteria during the cycle process.

Carbonate is just an element that stabilises or acts as a buffer for the pH.
Bacteria for cycling the tank does not particularly need carbonate.

The only time one really needs carbonate is if the pH fluctuates wildly and having very low kH.

However, having inorganic carbon (which is a carbonate) in your filter can be useful to keep kH level secure during the cycle process. Not essential if tap water kH is ok but useful.

This cycle has only been going for less than a week and already his ammonia level is down to 2ppm from 3ppm, this is good.

There should be some nitrifying bacteria forming very soon and a reading of nitrite will be coming anytime now.

So no further assistance is needed at this point, carry on doing ammonia and nitrite tests every two or three days, the next point is to add exactly 3ppm ammonia when the ammonia is below 0.75ppm and nitrite at or over 2ppm.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

So its been stuck at 0 ppm nitrite, 5ppm nitrate and 2ppm ammonia for a few days now. What should I do?

 

[Essjay]

How long since you added ammonia? It took 3 weeks for my ammonia to drop and nitrite show up.