Liverbird's New Fishless Cycle

[Liverbird36]

Hi Guy's Started my Fishless cycle today and are new to Tropical Fish keeping so any advice would be warmly welcomed. This is my first ever attempt at Aquarium cycling so please feel free to chastise me if I go awry lol. The tank was set up 6 days prior to the start of this Cycling but had to empty about 80% of tank water due to inncorrect Ammonia dosage given to me by P@H. In those 6 days that the tank was running, the temperature was set at 24 degrees and 2ml dose of Filter Start added every other day, and had a very heavy Bacterial Bloom after day 3. The set up is as follows:
Interpet Fishbox 64 litres: Dimensions 24inch length x 12inch width x 27inch height.
Heater = Interpet Delta Therm 150w
Filter = Interpet PF2 500l/h max (three stage bio filtration) also includes an airation pump at top of filter.
Lighting = Daylight Compact bulb on right side of tank and Blue Moon bulb on the left hand side.
Water dechlorinated using Interpet Bioactive Tapsafe and Interpet Filter Start used every other day to aid filter establishment

Cycling using Homebase Household Ammonia 9.5%
Testing using the API Master Test Kit.

TAP WATER TEST RESULTS

Ammonia = 0ppm
Nitrite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 0ppm
PH = 7.6ppm

DAY 1 Temp 26c Ammonia 0.5ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 0ppm. Temp raised to 30c and 2.5ml Ammonia added.

DAY 2 Temp 30c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0.25ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm No Filter Start added.

DAY 3 Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0.25ppm Nitrates 10ppm Ceased the use of Filter Start and 10% water change

DAY 4 Temp 29c Ammonia 3-4ppm Nitrites 0.25ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm

DAY 5 Temp 29c Ammonia 3.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 3.0ppm

DAY 6 Temp 29c Ammonia 3.oppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm

DAY 7 Temp 29c Ammonia 2.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm 10% water change may hae dropped Ammonia levels.

DAY 8 Temp 29c Ammonia 2.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm Added 2ml Ammonia to bring level up after water change.

DAY 9 Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm. Tank no longer smells rancid. Nice tropical house smell.

DAY 10 Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm

DAY 11 Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm

DAY 12 TEMP 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm

DAY 12 Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm


DAY 13 Temp 29c Ammonia 3-4ppm Nitrites 0.25 Nitrates just over 5.0ppm

DAY 14 Temp 29c Ammonia 2.0ppm Nitrites 1.0ppm Nitrates 10ppm PH 8.2ppm

DAY 15 Temp 29c Ammonia 1.0ppm Nitrites 2.0ppm Nitrates 20ppm
2ml Ammonia added as had dropped to 0.25ppm

DAY 16 Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 2.0ppm Nitrates 20ppm

DAY 17 Temp 29c Ammonia 0.50ppm Nitrites 5.0ppm Nitrates 70ppm PH 8.2
2ml Ammonia added as had dropped to zero level now 4.0ppm

DAY 18 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites off scale Nitrates 80ppm
2ml Ammonia added level now 4.0ppm.

DAY 19 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites off scale Nitrates 90ppm
1.5ml Ammonia added level now 2.0ppm-3.0ppm

DAY 20 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 100ppm
1.5ml Ammonia added level now 2.0ppm-3.0ppm

DAY 21 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 110ppm
1.5ml Ammonia added level now 2.0ppm-3.0ppm

DAY 22 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 120ppm
2ml Ammonia added level now 4.0ppm.

100% water change as substrate changed to sand. re-dosed with 2ml Ammonia to
bring level back up.

Tests 1hr after water change Temp 29c Ammonia 4.0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 5.0ppm

DAY 23 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 40ppm
2ml Ammonia added level now 4.0ppm.

DAY 24 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0.25ppm Nitrtates 80ppm
1.5ml Ammonia added level now 2.0ppm-3.0ppm.

DAY 25 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0.25ppm Nitrates 100ppm
1.5ml Ammonia added level now 2.0ppm-3.0ppm.

DAY 26 Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 120ppm
2ml Ammonia added level now 4.0ppm.

DAY 27 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0.25ppm Nitrates 130ppm ish.
1.5ml Ammonia added level now 2.0ppm-3.0ppm

DAY 28 Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 140ppm
2.5ml Ammonia added level now 5.0ppm.
Day 28 8:00pm Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 5.0ppm

DAY 29 8:00am Temp 29c Ammonia 0ppm Nitrites 0ppm Nitrates 140ppm
2.5ml Ammonia added level now 5.0ppm.
DAY 29 8:00pm Ammonia 1.0ppm Nitrites 5.0ppm

 

[Liverbird36]

I'm sooooo confused

My Ammonia has gone up !!! from 1.0ppm to 5.0ppm but my Nitrites are 0ppm Ihaven't added any Ammonia since 8:00am yesterday. Not sure what's going on here ???

 

[Harlequins]

Hmmm seems strange,all i can think is that the nitrite has converted to nitrate which is very high...

The ammonia turns to nitrite and with this being zero its not going anywhere at the moment...

Sorry just me rambling...whats your ph reading at the moment?

Another thought was your test tube clean on testing,might be worth doing another test...

Sorry not much help

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah sounds like a dodgy test to me...

Unless you've got anything rotting?

 

[Liverbird36]

Just tested it again and i'll tell ya I have no idea what's going on lol My Ammonia is now 0ppm and Nitrites are 0ppm Ph is 8.2. Very odd !!

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah, dodgy test the first time I reckon. Do it a third time to be sure. But I bet it's the same as the second.

 

[Liverbird36]

Yeah, dodgy test the first time I reckon. Do it a third time to be sure. But I bet it's the same as the second.

I thought that i'd jinxed myself by doing my stocking list lol Near had a heart attack when I saw the reading. Hope you managed to get all your plants fine

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yeah they all came but I'm concerned what a couple of them are. One I think might be Java Fern and I need to know coz I have to glue that not plant it and a couple don't have any roots atall, they look like twigs and I don't know HOW to plant them!

 

[Harlequins]

Good news on the second test

 

[waterdrop]

When a fishless cycle is a month or under, the numbers jumping around can be either the tests just coming out differently or it can be that the colonies are still not large enough to process ammonia and nitrite as consistently yet as they will in the future. Colonies of live cells doing things do not present nice smooth consistent results day after day like chemistry experiments do. This is why -days- of results, rather than results on any given single day, are the more important thing to be paying attention to.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Liverbird36]

My first double 0 in 12 hrs !!!!

 

[PDSimon]

 

[Harlequins]

fab news...keep going

 

[Twinklecaz]

Yay you'll be nearly then!

 

[Liverbird36]

Initially, I was over the moon that the Nitrite levels were dropping to zero within the 12hr period but now they aren't, I feel like I am on a more reliable cycle now. I never felt completely confident that things were going as they should have. Now things are looking more like they should at this part of the cycle.Things have slowed a little, i'm hoping that this will mean a more successful and stable cycle as a result.