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[777james777]

Ok that’s great.
Presumably the plants will be okay if I am adding ammonia?


So…

Test the water for zero zero
Then empty 95% of water
Then add plants and decor
Then fill back up carefully
Then on Wednesday feed with 0.8ml ammonia
Then Saturday fish

Is that okay

 

[Essjay]

Test the water for zero zero
Then empty 95% of water
Then add a bit of water and add plants and decor
Then fill back up carefully
Then on Wednesday feed with 0.8ml ammonia
Then Saturday fish

It's easier to plant the plants if there's a few inches of water in the tank.

 

[777james777]

Ok so 24 hours exactly later, again, thoroughly cleaned and precise amounts and we have 0.50 nitrite and 0.50 ammonium @Essjay

Slightly disappointing as I wanted to get my plants tomorrow

 

[jaylach]

Another tip is, if there is an open area on the substrate, put a plate or something over the substrate and pour the water on this. It will keep the water from 'digging a hole' in the substrate.

 

[Essjay]

With those readings, it isn't cycled yet.

The method says if they are not zero, test every day until ammonia is below 0.25 and nitrite below 1.0. Nitrite looks below 1.0 but ammonia looks above 0.25. However, that could be my laptop screen; you can see that actual tubes.
If both are under those levels, add another 3 ppm (2.5 ml) ammonia and see what they are tomorrow. But if ammonia is clearly over 0.25, add the ammonia once it is below 0.25.

 

[777james777]

Okie dokie. I will test it tomorrow and if they are both below what is required I will add another 2.5ml of ammonia

 

[jaylach]

It also must be remembered that an ammonia test shows both ammonia and ammonium; NH3 and NH4. NH3 is the real bad guy. With my current tank it took months before my API test kit would show 0 PPM on ammonia. The thing is that it wasn't really the killer NH3. Most of the test result is actually showing ammonium which isn't near as bad if really harmful. I was constantly getting test results of either 0.25 or 0.50 PPM ( can't remember which ) on the ammonia test but, using the linked calculator, the NH3 was actually only 0.0004 PPM which is harmless. This may well be different when actually adding straight ammonia as my cycle was done with fish in the tank. I didn't have a choice.

Free Ammonia Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Estimate the free (un-ionized) ammonia (NH3) concentration, given the total ammonia concentration.

www.hamzasreef.com

I am NOT saying that all is cool and go and dump in fish but your actual ammonia may not as high as you think.

Personally I may need a bit of an education here as I don't see why, at your levels, there would be an issue with adding most plants and decorations.

 

[Essjay]

Over the years we've had members saying fishless cycling doesn't work, that as soon as they've put fish in the tank they had readings for ammonia and nitrite. Discussing with them, almost all of them hadn't completed the cycle, they'd had very low readings just not quite zero when they got fish. So now I always advise not to get fish until the readings are clearly zero. In this case, James is so near that it would be a shame to risk spoiling things for the sake of a day or two.

 

[777james777]

Over the years we've had members saying fishless cycling doesn't work, that as soon as they've put fish in the tank they had readings for ammonia and nitrite. Discussing with them, almost all of them hadn't completed the cycle, they'd had very low readings just not quite zero when they got fish. So now I always advise not to get fish until the readings are clearly zero. In this case, James is so near that it would be a shame to risk spoiling things for the sake of a day or two.

@Essjay @jaylach @CaptainBarnicles

After adding the 2.5ml to the tank exactly 24 hours ago and again boiling water / correct measurements etc you can see that I still have nitrite and ammonia

I’d say 1ppm on both (more like 1.5)

 

[Essjay]

What's the pH?

 

[777james777]

What's the pH?

6.4

 

[Essjay]

Ahhh.

That's a bit low for the bacteria to multiply. Can I suggest you look in the kitchen for bicarbonate of soda, or go to the supermarket where you'll find it in the home baking aisle. Take a bit of tank water out and dissolve a couple of teaspoon/5 ml spoons in that bit of water then slowly pour it back into the tank. You'll remove it all when you do the big water change.
All the nitrite and nitrate that's been made in the tank have used up all the small amount of KH in your tap water. Nitrite and nitrate are acidic and now there's nothing left to stop them, they lowered your pH. Once you have fish, you'll be doing weekly 50% or more water changes and that will replenish the KH.

 

[777james777]

Ahhh.

That's a bit low for the bacteria to multiply. Can I suggest you look in the kitchen for bicarbonate of soda, or go to the supermarket where you'll find it in the home baking aisle. Take a bit of tank water out and dissolve a couple of teaspoon/5 ml spoons in that bit of water then slowly pour it back into the tank. You'll remove it all when you do the big water change.
All the nitrite and nitrate that's been made in the tank have used up all the small amount of KH in your tap water. Nitrite and nitrate are acidic and now there's nothing left to stop them, they lowered your pH. Once you have fish, you'll be doing weekly 50% or more water changes and that will replenish the KH.

Unfortunately I don’t have any in the cupboards and as it’s now 5pm on bank holiday I’m going to have to get it tomorrow

Is doing a water change not an option ?

 

[Essjay]

Yes, water change is an option, if you don't mind doing it. Once you've finished add another 3 ppm (2.5 ml) ammonia and test again tomorrow.

 

[777james777]

My parents who live round the corner have got some so I’m going to grab it now @Essjay

So how much water shall I take out and how much bicarbonate of soda should I add exactly