Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[snazy]

Tested the water, ammonia is 0, redosed to 0.50ppm.
Nitrite is 2ppm maybe, nitrate is a bit more than 20ppm.

 

[snazy]

I am getting tired of the cycle already. How do you guys keep going for a month or more

On a side note, I was doing a water change on my other two tanks yesterday. It is amazing how friendly the fish that were born with me are compared to the shop bought ones. The moment I put my hands in they bunch up, regardless of whether I have the siphon in my hand. Sometimes it is hard not to suck one in. When I start pouring the dechlorinated water back in, they play in the little waterfall I create, or start biting the bottom of the jug I use.
The shop bought ones, on the contrary, look like they've been hit by an electric shock when I am doing a water change, although I am careful enough not to make too much hassle.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

On a side note, I was doing a water change on my other two tanks yesterday. It is amazing how friendly the fish that were born with me are compared to the shop bought ones. The moment I put my hands in they bunch up, regardless of whether I have the siphon in my hand. Sometimes it is hard not to suck one in.

Funny you should say that was just thing the same. All my apisto will swim around and even nibble my hand and try fly up the syphon but their LFS parents hide like all LFS fish how odd

 

[Prime Ordeal]

I am getting tired of the cycle already. How do you guys keep going for a month or more

It's looking promising though snazy. You're probably on for just over a two week cycle. Not bad if it pans out that way. I only just noticed that your temperature if 27C. Are you deliberately keeping it low for some reason instead of whacking it up to 30C where the bacteria perform better?

 

[snazy]

Funny you should say that was just thing the same. All my apisto will swim around and even nibble my hand and try fly up the syphon but their LFS parents hide like all LFS fish how odd

Yeah, it seems like fish don't overcome stress from the past easily or they start assosiating humans as a threat depending on how they grew up

I am getting tired of the cycle already. How do you guys keep going for a month or more

It's looking promising though snazy. You're probably on for just over a two week cycle. Not bad if it pans out that way. I only just noticed that your temperature if 27C. Are you deliberately keeping it low for some reason instead of whacking it up to 30C where the bacteria perform better?

Well, when I cycled my other two tanks I kept the temperature at 27-ish, 26.5 and it didn't slow down the cycles, so I thought why fix it if it ain't broken.
I know that people raise the temps above this during fishless cycles though

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Well, when I cycled my other two tanks I kept the temperature at 27-ish, 26.5 and it didn't slow down the cycles, so I thought why fix it if it ain't broken.
I know that people raise the temps above this during fishless cycles though

Well as speed is the goal in cycling, and you don't have any fish in, I think you should turn it up. unless your plants would suffer as a consequence.

 

[snazy]

Well, when I cycled my other two tanks I kept the temperature at 27-ish, 26.5 and it didn't slow down the cycles, so I thought why fix it if it ain't broken.
I know that people raise the temps above this during fishless cycles though

Well as speed is the goal in cycling, and you don't have any fish in, I think you should turn it up. unless your plants would suffer as a consequence.

I'll turn it up, why not. Thanks.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

3c is not going to make any nottible diff to timescale in the real word, turning it will do no harm mind as they do like it warmer. As long as your not cycling at 22-23c 27-30 is fine

 

[Prime Ordeal]

3c is not going to make any nottible diff to timescale in the real word

I disagree. It won't make that much difference to snazy now that he's half way through but if starting from scratch the difference between 27 and 30 can knock a day or two off and every little helps.

 

[snazy]

It don't matter, I upped the temp a bit. It won't hurt anyway I guess.
Just tested and it is exactly the same story as last night: ammonia-0, nitrIte-2ppm about, nitrAte-20 ppm
I redosed to 0.50ppm just a few min ago.

At least the nitrItes are not rising any more.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

3c is not going to make any nottible diff to timescale in the real word

I disagree.

Now there's a shocker, buy as said wont do any harm so why not indeed

 

[snazy]

Uploaded pictures and results before I went to work.
The vials seems to have locked on the same colour, although I am adding ammonia every 12 hours. Ammonia has gone down to 0 again, nitrIte is 2ppm, nitrAte is 20ppm+
I accidentally added 2.5ml ammonia this morning though.
Whatever I did with the temp, it only went up to a degree. I have only one 300W heater though, so it may take some time I guess, but I forgot to check if the heater was still on this morning.

The plants are looking a bit dodgy though, well mostly the 2 echinodorus and the cherry leaf plant. With no water changes, no fish they probably have no minerals left, so I might look into adding something but I won't be able to go the the LFS any time soon. I have chinese ferts from Jinlong and flourish excel. Should I add some you think as a temporary solution until I buy better ferts?

 

[snazy]

Boring!!!

My advise is skip a few days reading this

Tested just ammonia and nitrIte, absolutely the same colours, ammonia-0, nitrIte-2ppm.
I am too lazy to shake that bottle 2 of the nitrAtes. Might just test the Ph later on.
I redosed 2.5ml ammonia, which should be about 0.75ppm ammonia. It is hardly identifiable so precisely by colour on the chart, but should be somewhere there.

Edit: I also turned up the temp again, as it only went up to 27.7

 

[snazy]

By the way, if anyone had a look on page1/post 1 the last 4-5 pictures, do you make a difference between the nitrIte colours?

To me it looks the same colour at 2ppm, but I might as well be wrong. Since it first tested 2ppm nitrites, I've added 2.25 ammonia since and it keeps reading the same nitrite level.

Someone here mentioned that 1ppm ammonia converts to 2.6ppm nitrites. So how are the nitrites locked at 2ppm then? It doesn't even turn purple that fast in the test tube.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

You are mid-cycle. You have nitrates, so there is nitrite conversion going on, but not at a rate thta dimishes what the ammonia is producing. So what little bit of nitrite is being converted to nitrites (as nitrite converts to 3.7 or something like that), it is quickly being replenished by the nitrites produced from ammonia.