New 5.5 Gallon Dwarf Puffer Tank

[fatheadminnow]

Looks like things are progressing nicely.

-FHM

 

[jmiller]

I'm real pleased with it, so far. I hope to be able to switch over to checking every 12 hrs by this weekend.

 

[jmiller]

PH/Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate

Day 1.....7.8/4.0/1.0/5.0
Day 2.....7.8/2.0/5.0/20.0
Day 3.....7.8/ 0 /5+ /20.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 4.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 5.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 6.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /40.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 7.....7.4/ 0 /0.5/40-80....dosed to 4ppm
Day 8.....7.4/ 0 / 0 /80.......dosed to 4ppm/checking every 12 hrs now

Now a question, if I check it in the morning and the ammonia is more than zero do I dose it back up to 4ppm or wait for it to get to zero then dose it? It's only taking 8 drops to get it from zero to 4ppm.

 

[waterdrop]

(not sure if I've got the question right, but) You only ever dose at the 24 hour mark, even if ammonia has dropped to zero at the 12 hour mark. WD

 

[jmiller]

So no dosing in the mornings regardless of readings, got it thanks. Since I'm just checking the levels can I just do the ammonia and nitrite testing at the 12 hr mark and then do all four at the 24?

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, that would be fine. Ammonia and Nitrite(NO2) are the only essential measurements and as you can tell, pH and Nitrate(NO3) are something for which you can just decide yourself how frequently you need to check them to catch something going wrong (ie. pH going to far down, NO3 going too far up.) The problem is that in both cases they do not go wrong gradually necessarily, sometimes it feels quite rapid, in hindsight. They also are the opposite of each other in reliability of testing (pH being the simplest and most reliable of the tests, NO3 being quite unreliable (therefor one benefits from a greater number of NO3 snapshots (possibly,lol) despite what a pain it is to perform the test.)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[jmiller]

PH/Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate

Day 1.....7.8/4.0/1.0/5.0
Day 2.....7.8/2.0/5.0/20.0
Day 3.....7.8/ 0 /5+ /20.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 4.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 5.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 6.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /40.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 7.....7.4/ 0 /0.5/40-80....dosed to 4ppm
Day 8.....7.4/ 0 / 0 /80.......dosed to 4ppm/checking every 12 hrs now
Day 9am... - / 0 / 1 / - ......

 

[jmiller]

PH/Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate

Day 1.....7.8/4.0/1.0/5.0
Day 2.....7.8/2.0/5.0/20.0
Day 3.....7.8/ 0 /5+ /20.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 4.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 5.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 6.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /40.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 7.....7.4/ 0 /0.5/40-80....dosed to 4ppm
Day 8.....7.4/ 0 / 0 /80.......dosed to 4ppm/checking every 12 hrs now
Day 9am... - / 0 / 1 / - ......
Day 9pm...7.4/ 0 / 0 /40.......dosed to 4ppm

 

[waterdrop]

 

[jmiller]

PH/Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate

Day 1.....7.8/4.0/1.0/5.0
Day 2.....7.8/2.0/5.0/20.0
Day 3.....7.8/ 0 /5+ /20.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 4.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 5.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 6.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /40.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 7.....7.4/ 0 /0.5/40-80....dosed to 4ppm
Day 8.....7.4/ 0 / 0 /80.......dosed to 4ppm/checking every 12 hrs now
Day 9am... - / 0 / 1 / - ......
Day 9pm...7.4/ 0 / 0 /40.......dosed to 4ppm
Day 10am.. - / 0 / 1 / - ......
Day 10pm..7.4/ 0 / 0 /40.......dosed to 4 ppm

 

[jmiller]

PH/Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate

Day 1.....7.8/4.0/1.0/5.0
Day 2.....7.8/2.0/5.0/20.0
Day 3.....7.8/ 0 /5+ /20.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 4.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 5.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /5.0 .....dosed to 4ppm
Day 6.....7.4/ 0 /5+ /40.0.....dosed to 4ppm
Day 7.....7.4/ 0 /0.5/40-80....dosed to 4ppm
Day 8.....7.4/ 0 / 0 /80.......dosed to 4ppm/checking every 12 hrs now
Day 9am... - / 0 / 1 / - ......
Day 9pm...7.4/ 0 / 0 /40.......dosed to 4ppm
Day 10am.. - / 0 / 1 / - ......
Day 10pm..7.4/ 0 / 0 /40.......dosed to 4 ppm
Day 11am.. - / 0 /<1 / - ......
Day 11pm..7.4/ 0 / 0 / 40......dosed to 4ppm/ pm testing done by "Neon Girl"

 

[waterdrop]

She's definately good luck

Getting close now, looking good...

WD

 

[jmiller]

Since I've never done one of these before when the Nitrite starts to show less than 1 ppm in 12 hrs what kind of time frame am I looking at, a few days?, a week?, two weeks?

 

[waterdrop]

Statistically I'd say the best answer is a few days to a week or so but of course on the outer edge of the bell curve there's what we call the "sticking problem" where one or the other (usually nitrite) gets down some trace amount below 0.25 and just seems to stick there for a long time. And that's all it is, just that observation that that seems to happen a lot and is definately something I've never been able to explain.

John, I'm sorry if I always seem to be forgetful and too lazy to look back in the thread but you did "seed" this one in some way with mature media, right? Seems too fast for a straight fishless cycle unseeded.

WD

 

[jmiller]

Yes I did. I was able to move a small piece of filter sponge and I cleaned out a very dirty bunch of media from my other AC20 in the tank water.

If that holds true that will work out perfect. I have my plants on temporary hold but would like to be able to release them so they get here toward the middle of next week & the fish could be ordered and delivered at the end of next week.