Help With Fishless Cycle

[rousell]

Hope somebody can help me???
Ive been doing a fishless cycle since the 10th. I added ammonia up to 4ppm. I have been testing everyday since and the ammonia is stayimg the same. I've come to test the water tonight (being 7 days I thought I would have seen a reduction) and its still at 4ppm. So I thought I'd check the nitrite and that was zero. I've checked the PH and that is 7.4 and has been all the time. Is this normal or have I done something wrong? I followed all the instructions ie making sure I add dechlorinator etc when I first put the water in. I don't know whether I'm being impatiant or not but I though I might have seen a change by now. The tank is a fluval Roma 90 with a U2 filter and the temp set at 30. Please help.

 

[fluttermoth]

i think you're just being impatient; it can take a long time to get enough bacteria to produce that intial drop. Any chance you could get some mature media to give you a head start? A friend with a tank, or talk nicely to someone at your LFS perhaps?

 

[rousell]

Thanks for quick reply yet again fluttermoth. I'm glad it's my patience... I thought I'd done something wrong. I'll try and get some mature media tomorrow. If I tell them I'm going to buy fish from them once my tank is cycled I'm sure they would donate me some. How much would I actually need from them ? Thanks

 

[fluttermoth]

Any amount would help seed your filter, but obviously the more media, the more bacteria, so as much as they'll let you have

 

[Xraymark]

It takes roughly 2 weeks for the ammonia to drop. Sometimes less sometimes more. Your parameters seem fine.

 

[rousell]

Sweet! Thanks again! I really don't know what I would have done without all you lot. Probably drowned myself in the tank no doubt !!!

 

[BETTY BOO]

hows the cycle going??

 

[-Jo-]

I am on day 35 of my cycle, and its still not quite ready yet! it took me 2 weeks to see a drop in ammonia. It does take a lot of time, but it will get there eventually!

 

[BETTY BOO]

mine took exactly 30 days.some do take longer.your nearly there.

 

[rousell]

I went to my lfs yesterday and explained that i was doing the fishless cycle. The guy who I was speaking to was quite intrigued. He gave me some of his filter media on the promise of me returning and letting him know how it all goes as they had never done a fishless cycle before.
The media he gave me was a cylinder shape so when I got it home I had to cut it up and jam it in my internal filter. I couldnt fit it all in but I put in as much as I possibly could.
I've tested my water this morning and the ammonia does look like its slightly reduced but im not going to trust my eyes today as it was my birthday yesterday and I got very drunk last night.
How long does it normally take to go down using mature media? I just hope that it does it's job.

 

[BETTY BOO]

I went to my lfs yesterday and explained that i was doing the fishless cycle. The guy who I was speaking to was quite intrigued. He gave me some of his filter media on the promise of me returning and letting him know how it all goes as they had never done a fishless cycle before.
The media he gave me was a cylinder shape so when I got it home I had to cut it up and jam it in my internal filter. I couldnt fit it all in but I put in as much as I possibly could.
I've tested my water this morning and the ammonia does look like its slightly reduced but im not going to trust my eyes today as it was my birthday yesterday and I got very drunk last night.
How long does it normally take to go down using mature media? I just hope that it does it's job.

that will be a great help to you and hopefully speed it up a bit.i doubt no one knows exactly how quick it will be but keep testing daily.

 

[fishlove75]

I know it is hard to accept, one impatient person to another. But 10 days really is not anything. I believe it took almost a month, maybe 3 weeks, to get an ammonia drop in my first tank. I was starting from stratch, had no mature media, and it took for ever close to 3 months to fully cycle my 55 gallon tank. Be patient, you are just at the begining.