Tank cycling.

[Justsmarti]

Hello all, I'm a newbie and after some advice on cycling our 30 gal tank. We didn't get started off on the right foot but soon after it was set up I found a thread on here about using ammonia to cycle a tank fish less. My question is if I got the ammonia little strong around 5.0 will I need to start over? After the dose of ammonia a few days later it got real cloudy and that lasted a few days then cleared up been checking ammonia still 5.0 and nitrite zero I'm into it about 2 weeks now do I just need to stay patient? Been checking every 3 days.


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[docpark]

Hello all, I'm a newbie and after some advice on cycling our 30 gal tank. We didn't get started off on the right foot but soon after it was set up I found a thread on here about using ammonia to cycle a tank fish less. My question is if I got the ammonia little strong around 5.0 will I need to start over? After the dose of ammonia a few days later it got real cloudy and that lasted a few days then cleared up been checking ammonia still 5.0 and nitrite zero I'm into it about 2 weeks now do I just need to stay patient? Been checking every 3 days.


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No, an ammonia of 5ppm won't stop your cycle, although it could slow it down a bit. That high a concentration of ammonia can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria. I wouldn't add any more at this point until you see it start to drop and/or you begin to get nitrite.

if possible, bring the water temperature up into the 80s (F) and add some aeration to the tank (if you have an air pump). That can help encourage the growth of the beneficial bacteria.

I would check ammonia daily until you start to see a drop.

Patience is the key!

 

[Justsmarti]

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No, an ammonia of 5ppm won't stop your cycle, although it could slow it down a bit. That high a concentration of ammonia can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria. I wouldn't add any more at this point until you see it start to drop and/or you begin to get nitrite.

if possible, bring the water temperature up into the 80s (F) and add some aeration to the tank (if you have an air pump). That can help encourage the growth of the beneficial bacteria.

I would check ammonia daily until you start to see a drop.

Patience is the key!

I have a good ripple in the water from my pump and will turn up the heat. Thanks for the advice!


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[StandbySetting]

Personally I'd do a 20% water change to bring it down a touch.

 

[flchamp89]

Personally I'd do a 20% water change to bring it down a touch.

Agreed. 5 is typically the threshold. 3 to 4 if you can hold is what id recommend.

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[Justsmarti]

I actually did take out 2 gallons 2 different times to dilute the ammonia. The green shades I think are tough from 4 to 5 but my kids and I agreed we are closer to 4 now than 5 I might test tonight if it's still the same level I'll take out another 2 gallons tonight. I turned the heater up to 82 last night also! Appreciate all the input!


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[Justsmarti]

******************************************
No, an ammonia of 5ppm won't stop your cycle, although it could slow it down a bit. That high a concentration of ammonia can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria. I wouldn't add any more at this point until you see it start to drop and/or you begin to get nitrite.

if possible, bring the water temperature up into the 80s (F) and add some aeration to the tank (if you have an air pump). That can help encourage the growth of the beneficial bacteria.

I would check ammonia daily until you start to see a drop.

Patience is the key!

I checked parameters tonight, ph8.2, ammonia 2.5, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, the ph is a whole point higher than straight out the tap.



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[Justsmarti]

******************************************
No, an ammonia of 5ppm won't stop your cycle, although it could slow it down a bit. That high a concentration of ammonia can kill off some of the beneficial bacteria. I wouldn't add any more at this point until you see it start to drop and/or you begin to get nitrite.

if possible, bring the water temperature up into the 80s (F) and add some aeration to the tank (if you have an air pump). That can help encourage the growth of the beneficial bacteria.

I would check ammonia daily until you start to see a drop.

Patience is the key!

Ok, ammonia is down to .75 but still no nitrite is that par for the corse? I'm into this about 21 days now.


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[Mrscmurray]

Have you got plants at all? I'm just wondering if maybe they are taking up the ammonia.
I would dose again and bring it back up to 3ppm and keep testing

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[Justsmarti]

Have you got plants at all? I'm just wondering if maybe they are taking up the ammonia.
I would dose again and bring it back up to 3ppm and keep testing

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No plants! There is one rock that had some dried algae on it. It was out of the tank 5-6 yrs ago and all I did was just rinse real good with tap water. It's not growing at all! It's just like a stain.


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[Liv15]

Where could someone get ammonia from and which product is the best in the U.K. for fish-less cycling?


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[Gruntle]

It's a bit concerning that your ammonia is disappearing without the expected increase in nitrites.

I'd suggest checking your nitrates now. Make sure you shake the daylights out of the second bottle of nitrate tester, as the indicating chemical is a powder and it settles out of the liquid quite quickly (I assume you're using a liquid test kit). The bottle recommends shaking for 30 seconds, you'll get a better reading if you shake it for 2 minutes, and you can bang the bottle on a table or something to make sure the powder is well and truly incorporated into the liquid.

Failing that, pump your ammonia back up to 3ppm and test again in two days.

As for ammonia sources in the UK, I am not sure, but there are a few options ranging from ebay (search for fishless cycle ammonia) or there are some ammonia sources available as janitorial cleaning fluids. If you use them, make sure there are no soaps or prefumes, shake the bottle and see if any bubbles form.

I hope that some UK people on here can help you out, I am in Australia where ammonia has been deemed A BAD THING and we can't get it any more (I have a small supply of cycling ammonia that I've hoarded - please do not alert the authorities).

 

[Justsmarti]

It's a bit concerning that your ammonia is disappearing without the expected increase in nitrites.

I'd suggest checking your nitrates now. Make sure you shake the daylights out of the second bottle of nitrate tester, as the indicating chemical is a powder and it settles out of the liquid quite quickly (I assume you're using a liquid test kit). The bottle recommends shaking for 30 seconds, you'll get a better reading if you shake it for 2 minutes, and you can bang the bottle on a table or something to make sure the powder is well and truly incorporated into the liquid.

Failing that, pump your ammonia back up to 3ppm and test again in two days.

As for ammonia sources in the UK, I am not sure, but there are a few options ranging from ebay (search for fishless cycle ammonia) or there are some ammonia sources available as janitorial cleaning fluids. If you use them, make sure there are no soaps or prefumes, shake the bottle and see if any bubbles form.

I hope that some UK people on here can help you out, I am in Australia where ammonia has been deemed A BAD THING and we can't get it any more (I have a small supply of cycling ammonia that I've hoarded - please do not alert the authorities).

I read the instructions and did shake the heck out of the fluid of nitrate tester and tested a few days ago and it was 0 but I will test again and add ammonia to get it back to 3 ppm and cross the fingers.[emoji106]


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[Justsmarti]

I read the instructions and did shake the heck out of the fluid of nitrate tester and tested a few days ago and it was 0 but I will test again and add ammonia to get it back to 3 ppm and cross the fingers.[emoji106]


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Nitrate still 0 as is nitrite!


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[Justsmarti]

Nitrate still 0 as is nitrite!


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Ok guys, what the heck is going on here? My ammonia is back down to less than 1.0 ppm still have never got any reading on nitrite but I do have a minor reading on nitrate maybe 2-3 ppm. On the 8th I added Ammonia tested on the 9 th it was 3.0, with crazy schedule it was today the 12th that I tested since the 9th, could I have missed a nitrite spike? This is my first time ever cycling a tank I have no idea what to expect.


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