My Fishless Cycle Log

[waterdrop]

I just plunge my arm in and plant plants, have never particularly needed to take out any water although I could see doing that for planting a lot of small stuff perhaps. Trim the tips off the roots and make a deep hole, bring the substrate back around the plant and then gently raise the plant so that the crown is barely above the substrate line. This pulls the roots upward a little, helping them point downward more. If your new plants cover less than 50% of the total substrate area then its unlikely they'll have an effect on the readings you're taking for the fishless cycle. (When plants -do- have an effect, what they do is lower the ammonia and nitrate readings potentially, sometimes leading you to false assumptions about how much is being accomplished by the bacteria you are trying to grow in the filter.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[lee.barros]

Waterdrop, from the stats of the filter I gave you, what would you say could be the problem? Or should I stop being impatient?

 

[waterdrop]

If I remember a comment correctly from OM47, the Interpet PF line are decent filters although they lack flexibility for media types that could be put in (the job of some filters is to lock you in to buying a particular brand of media, just as the job of some computer printers is to lock you in to buying particular toner cartridges.)

You might try a PM to liverbird36, who I think has/had a PF filter and did a fishless cycle here recently. Likewise if you do a search on this subforum with "interpet PF2" keywords you can probably find other fishless cycling threads where this filter was used. I believe liverbird had the ammonia drop to zero ppm the first time on day 15, for what that's worth.

I don't see anything wrong with what you are doing right off. You could try a 90% water change and recharge the ammonia.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

It turns out that I have never owned an Interpet filter. If it is one of the kind with throw away proprietary cartridges then I can well imagine having said something like that based on a picture. As WD suggested, a person from the UK who has actually seen an Interpet filter would be a better reference.

 

[lee.barros]

I will see if I can send him a PM shortly, got to head to work in a few minutes When I got home from work I might just try the large water change (90%) and let it run again for a day then test ammonia levels, then top up to around 3ppm where necessary.

Another long day at work is about to start Wish me luck!

 

[waterdrop]

Another thing you could try Lee is to add a couple of teaspoons of sodium bicarbonate (common kitchen baking soda (not baking powder)) after you do the water change and when you are re-adding the ammonia. Am I getting it right though that you are only on day 16? If so, then you'd only be a day longer than when liverbird reached first zero with a PF2. It might just be being slow (you might just not have as many of the autotrophic bacteria in the water you drew from your town's water supply. These bacteria are everywhere in water but the amount varies.))

WD

 

[lee.barros]

Ok, done an 80% water change, cleaned the filter sponges in the tank water, and replaced with treated tap water. I turned the flow deflector uptowards the top of the tank which is now creating a pleasing rippling effect (And surface agitation).

I am letting the water settle and get back to its normal temp of around 28-29c then will do a test for Ammonia. Baking soda will be added if ammonia is required, which I would imagine it would do due to the water change.

Gave the tank a quick clean on the outside to get rid of the water run marks caused during the water change too

 

[Liverbird36]

Hi lee, has ent you a message. One thing I forgot to mention though; on the front of the filter just underneath the return flow nozzle there is a small blue lever which moves left and right. Ensure that you have the lever switched fully to the left as this will ensure maximum filtration capacity and will enable the filter to eventually, once cycled, manage a heavier bio load.

 

[lee.barros]

Hi Liverbird36 - The nozzle is already as far left as it can go, made sure it was like that before it was switched on, maximum power

 

[Liverbird36]

Thats cool.

 

[lee.barros]

Updated the cycle chart which can be found on the first post of this thread Ammonia readings looked lighter tonight, maybe 2-3ppm

 

[waterdrop]

About time! good news Lee. I noticed in one post you were setting out for a long day at work and it was 3am my time. I thought, wonder where he is? And it looks you're over there on the Firth of Clyde just west of where I touched down at the Glasgow airport one time, so I can sort of picture it! I thought Scotland was really beautiful. WD

 

[lee.barros]

I will test ammonia again tomorrow and see what the results are, its definitely lighter than previous results, maybe the water change helped?

Glasgow airport is about half hour from my house, you may have seen signs for Greenock coming out of the airport

 

[waterdrop]

Yeah, whenever we get frustrated we water change

 

[lee.barros]

Out if interest, what does the baking soda do and how often should it be added?