Kate's Fishless Cycle

[KateT]

I was looking through the forum and noticed that it seems to be desperately lacking in cycling logs so here's mine:

Set up: Juwel Rekord 96. Eheim 2215 external filter. Fluval M100 heater. Large piece of wood. Sand substrate. One Anubias Nana on rock (pinched from Betta tank... okay, I'm not the noobiest of noobies to tank cycling!) Temp: 29 degrees c.

Tap water parameters:
Straight from tap:
Ammonia: .25ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm
PH: 7.2
PH High: 7.4

After standing for 12 hours:
Ammonia: .5ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 5ppm
PH: 7.2
PH High: 7.4

Day 1 (10.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 4ppm PH: 6
Day 2 (11.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 4ppm PH: 6 (added bicarb)
Day 3 (12.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 4ppm PH High: 7.4
Day 4 (13.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 3ppm (lighter than 4ppm but not quite 2ppm)
Day 5 (14.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm (added bicarb)
Day 6 (15.03): 11:00 Ammonia: 2ppm PH: 7.6
Day 7 (16.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm
Day 8 (17.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm (partial water change to try and lessen tannins!)
Day 9 (18.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 1ppm (W.C of 50% - tannins again!)
Day 10 (19.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm
Day 11 (20.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm
Day 12 (21.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm
Day 13 (21.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm Nitrite: 0ppm ( )
Day 14 (22.03): 00.30 Ammonia: 2ppm
Day 15 (23.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 2ppm
Day 16 (24.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 1ppm
Day 17 (25.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 1ppm
Day 18 (26.03): 23:30 Ammonia: 1ppm
Day 19 (27.03): 23:00 Ammonia: .5ppm Nitrite:.25ppm
Day 20 (28.03): 23:00 Ammonia: .25ppm Nitrite:.50ppm
Day 21 (29.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 2ppm (re-dosed ammonia to 3-4ppm)
Day 22 (30.03): 23:00 Ammonia: 1ppm
Day 23 (31.03): 23:00 Ammonia:.25ppm Nitrite: >5ppm
Day 24 (01.04): 00:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: >5ppm (re-dosed ammonia)
Day 25 (02.04): 23:30 Ammonia: .5ppm Nitrite: >5ppm
Day 26 (03.04): 00:30 Ammonia: 0ppm re-dosed Ammonia
Day 27 (04.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 5ppm Nitrate: 40ppm re-dosed ammonia
Day 28 (05.04): 23:30 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: 30ppm
Day 29 (06.04): 23:00 Ammonia:.25ppm Nitrite: 1ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 30 (07.04): 23:00 Ammonia:.25ppm Nitrite:.25ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 31 (08.04): 23:30 Ammonia:.25ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 32 (09.04): 23:00 Ammonia:.50ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 33 (10.04): 23:00 Ammonia:.25ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 44 (11.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 1ppm Nitrite: 0ppm
Day 45 (12.04): 23:00 Ammonia: .5ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Had performed 60-70% water change earlier in the day)
Day 46 (13.04): 23:00 Ammonia: .5ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 47 (14.04): 23:00 Ammonia 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm
Day 48 (15.04): 23:00 Ammonia:.25ppm Nitrite:.50ppm
Day 49 (16.04): Did not test, was away.
Day 50 (17.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 51 (18.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 52 (19.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 53 (20.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 54 (21.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 55 (22.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)
Day 56 (23.04): 23:00 Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)

12 Hour Testing:

Day 57 (24.04):
11:00 - Ammonia: .50ppm Nitrite: >5ppm (Performed 90(ish)% water change)
23:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)

Day 58 (25.04):
11:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: >5ppm
23:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)

Day 59 (26.04):
11:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: >5ppm
23:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite:.25ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)

Day 60 (27.04): No tests as I wasn't home, but tank was re-dosed as normal.

Day 61 (28.04):
11:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 1ppm
23:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm (Re-dosed ammonia)

Day 62 (29.04):
11:00 - Ammonia: .25ppm Nitrite: 1ppm
23:00 - Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm

- Holiday for two weeks. Tank re-dosed daily by cat-sitter, and one water change performed -

Day 76 (13.05):
11:00 - Ammonia: .50ppm Nitrite:.25ppm

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

They tend to be spread through out a topic or in seperate topics or in cloud documents as in my link in my sig below.
Have a look at peoples signatures as thats where they have the links to their logs.

Have you read the info in the beginners resource center and Gvilleguy has created some great info in one of his topics - a step by step guide.

Post your setup details and tap water stats as well.

Good luck!

 

[KateT]

They tend to be spread through out a topic or in seperate topics or in cloud documents as in my link in my sig below.
Have a look at peoples signatures as thats where they have the links to their logs.

Have you read the info in the beginners resource center and Gvilleguy has created some great info in one of his topics - a step by step guide.

Post your setup details and tap water stats as well.

Good luck!

I was being sarcastic; I've seen LOADS of cycling logs! I hope nobody minds one more! Will add tank and tap water details to the first post now, thanks.

 

[KittyKat]

I definitely don't mind another one, especially if you let me use your log for a project I want to do

 

[KateT]

I definitely don't mind another one, especially if you let me use your log for a project I want to do

Absolutely

 

[Gvilleguy]

Kitty Kat - care to share about what the project might be??

 

[BIG BAD BARRY]

They tend to be spread through out a topic or in seperate topics or in cloud documents as in my link in my sig below.
Have a look at peoples signatures as thats where they have the links to their logs.

Have you read the info in the beginners resource center and Gvilleguy has created some great info in one of his topics - a step by step guide.

Post your setup details and tap water stats as well.

Good luck!

I was being sarcastic; I've seen LOADS of cycling logs! I hope nobody minds one more! Will add tank and tap water details to the first post now, thanks.

Flew right over that one!
Better go and have that coffee now!

 

[KittyKat]

Kitty Kat - care to share about what the project might be??

Not really sure which direction it will take, but generally analyzing trends, crashes and, hopefully, usefulness/uselessness of different cycle aids.

 

[KateT]

Day 6: 12 hour test - Ammonia: 2ppm

Coming down nicely

My tank looks horrendous though. Very, very brown! I love my piece of wood though so I'm hoping to stick out this tannin lark.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi Kate, you of course don't need to test at 12 hours yet unless you are just curious. Usually just testing at the 24-hour mark is good enough for the whole first and second phases and is really only needed in the third phase. Nice to be seeing a drop so early!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KateT]

Hi Kate, you of course don't need to test at 12 hours yet unless you are just curious. Usually just testing at the 24-hour mark is good enough for the whole first and second phases and is really only needed in the third phase. Nice to be seeing a drop so early!

~~waterdrop~~

I know, I am curious and impatient by nature

 

[waterdrop]

OK, that's good. I find that those who keep a good detailed log in both their aquarium notebook and here in their fishless cycling thread tend to be able to read trends better and tend to get better advice from the members, not to mention problems being spotted sooner. When the cycling data is trickled out during post discussions, the members usually don't notice the problems as easily.

Is the model 96 a 96L volume tank? Volume is another good thing to list since there are us lazy advisors from different countries where the manufacturers and model lines are different.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KateT]

Yes it's 96l, but I'd assume it's a fair bit less than that when taking into account the massive bit of wood that's in there.

 

[Gvilleguy]

It's nice to see that ammonia starting to drop so quickly. And thanks for updating your original post with the log info - much easier to read that way.

 

[KateT]

I did a small (about 10%) water change yesterday to try and dilute the tannins in my tank which were pretty horrendous. It didn't do much, so I did another, bigger change today (about 40-50%). In hindsight, I should have checked my Ammonia level before I did that, but I didn't. I did check it after though and I'm down to 1ppm. Is this because of the water change? I've taken ammonia out of the water? Should I top it back up to 4ppm, or let it carry on from where it is now?