Need help with my tanks cycling

[Kierant809]

Hi I would like to start by saying this is my first tank.
I have a basic understanding of the nitrate cycle.

I've had the tank set up for 4 days now. I started by ghost feeding the aquarium for ammonia.

I've test everyday and it still shows nothing.
My tap water ph is around 6 to 6.5. When I'm testing the aquariums water it's reading around the same. I've been using stability for bacteria. To try quick start the cycling.

When I went to my LFS he said i shouldn't ghost feed it and after using stability for 7 days just throw in some tetras. But I don't want to end up harming or killing fish because the tanks not cycled.

Am I better to just buy bottle ammonia or am I missing something.

 

[MaloK]

Yes, getting ammonia would be the way that gives you the most control and would also be the fastest.

Check the "simplified fishless cycling instruction" for a quick start.

Cycle Your Tank! A Complete Guide For Beginners

Fishless cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ Silent or plant cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/planted-silent-cycling.470400/ Fish-in cycling...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Essjay]

Don't listen to the LFS. They all tell you to add a bottled bacteria and add fish, then end up doing a fish-in cycle.

Stability contains the wrong species of nitrite eaters because use of the correct species is copyrighted. If you want to use bottled bacteria try Tetra Safe Start (or Dr Tim's One & Only but you'll need to buy that on-line)

The problem with using food is that it has to decompose to make ammonia. And you cannot know how much ammonia so you can't know just how many bacteria have grown - enough for a whole tankful of fish or just a few fish? Using ammonia, you know exactly how much you've added and if you follow the method on here you'll have grown more bacteria than a tankful of fish needs. Overkill, yes, but better to have too many bacteria than not enough.

Ammonia is getting hard to source but there is Dr Tim's ammonium chloride available on Amazon and eBay. The bottle says add so many drops per US gallon - there's a calculator on the forum to covert between US gallons and nitrites litres if you prefer to use litres.

Your pH is on the low side for cycling, it takes longer than with higher pH. In Scotland you probably have very soft water with low KH, and the bacteria also need inorganic carbon in the form of carbonate to grow quickly. One thing you could try is using bicarbonate of soda (as found in the baking aisle at the supermarket). This will increase both KH and pH. But only during cycling. It's not good for fish. Once the cycle has finished, a big water change is done and this will remove the bicarb and reset the pH to tap water level. Once you have fish (soft water fish for your water), the pH may possibly drop lower. This is not a problem for soft water fish. Try using 1 x 5ml spoonful bicarb per 25 litres tank water to start and keep an eye on the pH when you test for ammonia and nitrite.



In case you haven't found it yet, we have a step by step guide to cycling.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Kierant809]

Don't listen to the LFS. They all tell you to add a bottled bacteria and add fish, then end up doing a fish-in cycle.

Stability contains the wrong species of nitrite eaters because use of the correct species is copyrighted. If you want to use bottled bacteria try Tetra Safe Start (or Dr Tim's One & Only but you'll need to buy that on-line)

The problem with using food is that it has to decompose to make ammonia. And you cannot know how much ammonia so you can't know just how many bacteria have grown - enough for a whole tankful of fish or just a few fish? Using ammonia, you know exactly how much you've added and if you follow the method on here you'll have grown more bacteria than a tankful of fish needs. Overkill, yes, but better to have too many bacteria than not enough.

Ammonia is getting hard to source but there is Dr Tim's ammonium chloride available on Amazon and eBay. The bottle says add so many drops per US gallon - there's a calculator on the forum to covert between US gallons and nitrites if you prefer to use litres.

Your pH is on the low side for cycling, it takes longer than with higher pH. In Scotland you probably have very soft water with low KH, and the bacteria also need inorganic carbon in the form of carbonate to grow quickly. One thing you could try is using bicarbonate of soda (as found in the baking aisle at the supermarket). This will increase both KH and pH. But only during cycling. It's not good for fish. Once the cycle has finished, a big water change is done and this will remove the bicarb and reset the pH to tap water level. Once you have fish (soft water fish for your water), the pH may possibly drop lower. This is not a problem for soft water fish. Try using 1 x 5ml spoonful bicarb per 25 litres tank water to start and keep an eye on the pH when you test for ammonia and nitrite.



In case you haven't found it yet, we have a step by step guide to cycling.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

Thanks very much. I just done a KH test and it's 3. So I will pick up some bicarbonate of soda

 

[Essjay]

My KH is also 3 and I had a pH crash during a fishless cycle. Bicarb solved the problem.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

When it comes to jump staring a cycle by using bottled bacteria, the best place to put Stability is in one's toilet. Stability is a bottle of spores and the nitrifying bacteria do not form spores. The reproduce by binary division- they dived in two.

The teo reliable products on the market are Dr. Tim's One and Only or Tetra's Safe start or Safe Start Pus.

Not only does dr. Tim sell ammonium chloride from cycling bu so does Fritz.- They sell something cqlled fishless fuel which is ammonium chloride. I have their really gian jug of ammonium chloride which I have to mix with my RO/DI watae, Byt the fuel is in liquid form and is very similar to Dr, Tim's product which I have also used.

At you pH you are goingf to take a lot longer to do the fishless cycle as most of the ammonia in your tank will me in the form of ammonium. The bacteria want ammonia but can use the ammonium. But they do so much less effiiciently and that make the cycle take a lot longer.

So you have two options here. One is to leave your pH alone and be extra patient. The other is to raise the pH to complete the cycle and when it is done to allow the pH to go back down. You need to be sure that the fish you ultimately choose will be OK in acid water (under 7.0).