My Cycling Journal

[SexyFishKeeper]

Hi,

Well, following on from my first thread on the forum... http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=210561

I started my cycling on 27/08/2007 and have done regular water tests from when Ammonia first showed up (5 days)

At first I put 4 frozen prawns in a laundry tablet bag and here's a list of the test results...


---DATE--------pH----Ammonia----Nitrite----Nitrate
================================
01/09/2007----6.6-------1.0----------0----------0
02/09/2007----6.6-------1.0----------0----------0
03/09/2007----6.6-------1.0----------0----------0
04/09/2007-----NO TEST AS OUT ON POP-------
05/09/2007----6.6-------1.0----------0----------0
06/09/2007----6.6-------1.0----------0----------0
07/09/2007----6.6-------2.0----------0----------0 (Note: Added a further 3 prawns)
08/09/2007-----NO TEST AS OUT ON POP-------
09/09/2007----6.8-------4.0----------0----------0
10/09/2007----6.8-------4.0----------0----------0

Guess everything is going ok, just a shame that no nitrite has some up yet!!

Is this going slow or is this the usual pace?

 

[rdd1952]

After 10 days with no bacteria present to start processing ammonia, I'm not so certain I wouldn't do a 100% water change and start over. You should have definitely seen some nitrite by now. And what do you mean by a "laundry tablet bag "? Is that something that has contained detergent? If so, it could prevent the tank from ever cycling and also kill fish even if the tank does eventually cycle.

Also, in looking at your other thread, I see you are considering tiger barbs. Keep in mind that they are not good community fish as they are extremely aggressive and will even attack and harass much larger fish. Smaller, slow moving fish are very susceptible to them.

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

what do you mean by a "laundry tablet bag "? Is that something that has contained detergent? If so, it could prevent the tank from ever cycling and also kill fish even if the tank does eventually cycle.

The laundry bag never had any detergent in it and was properly soaked in a bucket for a day before going into the tank.

Also, in looking at your other thread, I see you are considering tiger barbs. Keep in mind that they are not good community fish as they are extremely aggressive and will even attack and harass much larger fish. Smaller, slow moving fish are very susceptible to them.

Yup, dont worry have read up on tiger barbs

 

[fry_lover]

This is great, i love seeing the figures, nice to see some detail, keep it up, you got my attention!!!!

something deffo gone strange though, i use prawns all the time to cycle tanks and record results (quite enjoy all the testing!!!)

It shouldnt take 8-9 days to get to 4mg/l Ammonia, for me i normally get 8mg/l+ after a couple of days

Unless you been buying Asda's new "ammonia free" prawns, i hate them things

 

[fry_lover]

I would guess you didnt use enough prawns?

Its been a while, but trying to think..... last time i cycled a tank it was a 36x12x15 i think, i always use King Prawns as nothing but the best for my cycling tanks LOL, no seriously its King Prawns i use, same diff though, i reckon i put about x6 in the 36" tank to start it off, so thats probably the equivilent of about 12-15 of those tiny little value ones

make sure you got a firm lid or your house / room will start to stink LOL

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

This is great, i love seeing the figures, nice to see some detail, keep it up, you got my attention!!!!

something deffo gone strange though, i use prawns all the time to cycle tanks and record results (quite enjoy all the testing!!!)

It shouldnt take 8-9 days to get to 4mg/l Ammonia, for me i normally get 8mg/l+ after a couple of days

Unless you been buying Asda's new "ammonia free" prawns, i hate them things

I think I didn't put enough prawns in at the start. Then when I put the next lot in the bag, I chopped them up and they had an immediate impact to take it upto 4. So maybe, the ammonia came out straight away of the ones I had then its just stayed constant until I put some more in. On reflection they are rather small prawns and really should talk in grams of prawns rather than the number of them.

I doubt the prawns are "ammonia free" or there wouldn't be ammonia showing up?

 

[fry_lover]

Sorry, just kidding about the "ammonia free" prawns, i am over-tired!!!

I think the small / value type prawns are 95% water or thats what they taste like anyway LOL thats why i dont bother with them, i also tend to put my prawns in hot water (but not boiling) for 30 mins or so, to start them breaking down quicker, although i am sure there is no scientific need for that, in terms of cycling your tank.

However i've done it, its always worked for me, i can usually stock a fish tank at least 50% full straight away, having done a prawn cycle for about 14 days, sometimes taking a bit longer, the next time i do one, i will do a journal for it, but i have so many tanks and mature filters now (external) that if i set another tank up, i dont need to "cycle" it, i just take some mature filter from other filters and put new media in those filters (well i take about 25% mature media out of each filter as a maximum, so i dont mess up my other tanks!!!)

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

I would guess you didnt use enough prawns?

Its been a while, but trying to think..... last time i cycled a tank it was a 36x12x15 i think, i always use King Prawns as nothing but the best for my cycling tanks LOL, no seriously its King Prawns i use, same diff though, i reckon i put about x6 in the 36" tank to start it off, so thats probably the equivilent of about 12-15 of those tiny little value ones

make sure you got a firm lid or your house / room will start to stink LOL

That might be where i went wrong then, so the time line will take a bit longer.

I've already bought an automatic air freshner (which isn't any where near the tank to upset the water!) so it doesn't pong that bad yet.

 

[rdd1952]

The number of prawns has nothing to do with the fact that the ammonia has not been processed. Even adding just ne prawn would have led to ammonia which bacteria should have started to work on. It's no different than cycling with fish and only adding 3 small tetras to bgin with.They won't produce much waste but it will begin to build and the bacteria should start to form to break the waste down. It only takes an ammonia source, regardless of how low the level is, to start the cycling process.

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

PS: My temp is at 30C

 

[rdd1952]

It wouldn't hurt to raise the temp a little more. Upper 80s to low 90s (31 to 34) is best.

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

It wouldn't hurt to raise the temp a little more. Upper 80s to low 90s (31 to 34) is best.

Ok, will turn up the clicks a few times.

Might see if I can pop to a friends to get some filter squeezes. How do you do them? Is it worth it?

 

[rdd1952]

If he has sponges only, I don't know that he can help you much unless he's willing to cut his sponge. If he has media sucha s carbon or ceramic rings, get some of them and add to you filter. That will give your bacteria jump start. It won't hae any negative effect on his tank as bacteria can double in about 24 hours or less so his bactria colony would be back to full strength in a day or less.

 

[fry_lover]

It wouldn't hurt to raise the temp a little more. Upper 80s to low 90s (31 to 34) is best.

Ok, will turn up the clicks a few times.

Might see if I can pop to a friends to get some filter squeezes. How do you do them? Is it worth it?

I wouldn't bother, unless you can get some actual mature media for your filter, you're on the right track mate, just takes time,

 

[SexyFishKeeper]

This morning I woke up and found something fluffy (can't really properly describe it) growing on the top of my sunken ship. Its on both parts but not on any other ornaments. Its white in nature. Not noticed it before.

Although, it looks similar to the white fluffy stuff that was attached to my prawns.

Is that a good sign?