Si's Fishless Cycle

[waterdrop]

 

[PDSimon]

pH has dropped considerably to ~6.8!

Going to add bicarb

 

[PDSimon]

If you're doing a big water change and you put the filter in a bucket of conditioned water do you leave it off or turn it back on?

 

[kaivalagi]

If you're doing a big water change and you put the filter in a bucket of conditioned water do you leave it off or turn it back on?

I leave it off, is the water matching the temp of the tank? The bacteria needs to be submerged in water but with no ammonia or nitrates in the water having it on wont help any...

 

[PDSimon]

If you're doing a big water change and you put the filter in a bucket of conditioned water do you leave it off or turn it back on?

I leave it off, is the water matching the temp of the tank? The bacteria needs to be submerged in water but with no ammonia or nitrates in the water having it on wont help any...

Alright...I'd just put it in tank water then.

I was just wondering, probably won't even do a water change

 

[PDSimon]

I'm soooooooooooo impatient now. I think I'll do a 90% water change tomorrow....

I was just wondering about water temp, obviously I have no fish sly but to keep the filter above 20 degrees would it be ok to use hot water? I've read the only problem with hot is the metals but obviously conditioner sorts those out now, so its fine right?

 

[kaivalagi]

I'm soooooooooooo impatient now. I think I'll do a 90% water change tomorrow....

I was just wondering about water temp, obviously I have no fish sly but to keep the filter above 20 degrees would it be ok to use hot water? I've read the only problem with hot is the metals but obviously conditioner sorts those out now, so its fine right?

Jury is out on whether the metals are handled by dechlorinator...I did think this was the case but have stopped doing any big water changes with the hot tank for now after discussions on it with waterdrop. I am waiting for a copper test kit so I can see whether hot water from the tap has any affect, but then I have an old style gas bioler system, with a big copper tank.

If you have a combi boiler that heats water as you need it, then copper wont be a problem, and you can go right ahead and use it without concerns.

 

[PDSimon]

I'm soooooooooooo impatient now. I think I'll do a 90% water change tomorrow....

I was just wondering about water temp, obviously I have no fish sly but to keep the filter above 20 degrees would it be ok to use hot water? I've read the only problem with hot is the metals but obviously conditioner sorts those out now, so its fine right?

Jury is out on whether the metals are handled by dechlorinator...I did think this was the case but have stopped doing any big water changes with the hot tank for now after discussions on it with waterdrop. I am waiting for a copper test kit so I can see whether hot water from the tap has any affect, but then I have an old style gas bioler system, with a big copper tank.

If you have a combi boiler that heats water as you need it, then copper wont be a problem, and you can go right ahead and use it without concerns.

I'll just use some boiling water then lol as my heater is slow - I imagine it will stall for a day but hopefully speed up afterwards with improved conditions

our water is heated up in a big tank or emersion if the water heater has no hot water so probably copper

 

[PDSimon]

90% water change.

nitrite still 5+ppm as expected
also added 1.5ppm of ammonia just to feed the hungry bacteria

i think i might start naming the bacteria i'm getting to know them so well

see first post for more info.

 

[PDSimon]

and also if 5-10% of the water left in the tank still had 5ppm thats 90-95ppm of nitrites.. It doesn't seem like they've been processing at all!....

 

[waterdrop]

I've never felt that the nitrites and nitrates were necessarily completely evenly distributed in a tank. I don't have any evidence for it but my hunch from reading various things is that those two substances and the many organic molecules that they may have slight charge attractions with are in turn possibly charge (or otherwise) attracted to biofilms or other organic molecules that are close to or attached to the substrate in an aquarium. (ie. chemically, they have reasons to hang more closely in gravel or other subsrate areas than to be evenly distributed throughout the water column.)

I don't think it would be a terribly significant thing but just that it might mean that one might not be able to think about lowering concentrations of these substances in a simple mathematical volumetric way when one is performing water changes. Instead, the extent of the gravel cleaning and the unknowns of the organics in the substrate (which could vary wildly in different people's tanks.. tanks that have different histories and chemistries) would have a bearing in how much nitrite or nitrate went out with a water change.

It might even be true for ammonium ions too, haven't thought too much about the difference between NH3, NO2, NO3 with respect to how many chemical charge associations they make with other molecules relative to each other. I assume it would be a complicated chart and of couse one rarely sees a chemical analysis of the water in a freshwater tank.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[kaivalagi]

Sounds like something for the scientific section, if someone can take samples from different places in a tank during cycling...still waiting on my copper test kit so I can know what the situation is with hot water from my boiler

 

[waterdrop]

Haha! None of my stuff is scientific enough for the scientific section. If you want to experience scientific just read some of the Bignose posts in that section, lol. WD

 

[kaivalagi]

Haha! None of my stuff is scientific enough for the scientific section. If you want to experience scientific just read some of the Bignose posts in that section, lol. WD

I remember the blur of reading one such post and got scared off

I think you need to do chemical engineering or marine biology to get that stuff I think....or just read books for the next year to get your head around it all

 

[PDSimon]

It did cross me that the chemicals might prefer specific places but I swirled the water up so much with the syphon, removing the water wise it would've been fairly equal. testing wise I normally take the water from about 10cm below the surface... I'd rather I found less nitrites though waterdrop not more Although I may try testing from the bottom see if it makes any difference.



Had a read of the science section, I expected there to be much more confusing science talk. I'm a bit disappointed now

Cheers for the help guys