Tetra Safe Start And Cycling My New Tank

[snazy]

Yeah, I think I'll take your advise but I'll start from tomorrow morning.
Or can I just add another bit now?
Should I dose 2ppm every 24hours?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Just leave it for now and redose at 2ppm every 24 hours. Then we'll see how the nitrite responds.

 

[snazy]

OK, done. I redosed another 5ml which should bring the ammonia up to 2ppm+.
No more redosing till tomorrow. Hope it doesn't stall the nitrItes now but I couldn't care less.
That's how people think their tests are faulty when the colour of nitrites does not change at all for days
I may do another 50/50 tank water/tap water test to see where the nitrItes are at exactly, but they don't seem to be off the charts as the last time the test showed 1ppm-ish when I did the same and the colour turns purple gradually.

Just leave it for now and redose at 2ppm every 24 hours. Then we'll see how the nitrite responds.

Too late. I have no patience

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Yeah, dosing the 2ppm now won't harm but don't think that the AOB will starve if they are left for 24 hours without ammonia, they won't, nor will it stall the cycle.

 

[snazy]

Thank you.
Well, it will save me to look at the ammonia bottle all day long at least.
Just tested the nitrites with 50/50 tank/tap water. The result is 2ppm!!

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Blimey snazy have you seen the number of views for this thread...2562!

Obviously there's a lot of interest in cycling with Safe Start.

 

[snazy]

I don't think I am interested in the TSS anymore
I just can't explain what is the problem now. When I went to the shop yesterday I was looking at the bottom and sides of the bottle of TSS and the shop attendant asked me why. I gave out to him that they are not keeping the bottles at the recommended temp and showed him what's on the bottle. He said nothing.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

If you can find the biozyme that I am using you might try it out. The bacteria is freeze dried so temp will not have an affect on it until it hits water. It is essentially the same concept as quality controls in a micro lab, which is why it can be reactivated. Or you could repeat it at a later date on an empty tank. I really think that the plants may be the culprit for your lack of success on this one, especially if it has worked for you in the past.

 

[snazy]

There is no doubt that it did work for me the previous two times. I can't really explain why not this time, but I won't be using it in a fishless cycle again that's for sure.
Your Biozyme thread looks promising though.

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I'm thinking so too as far as the biozyme. My curiosity on that particular product came about because a friend of mine who has been keeping fish for 20+ years swears by it. I had a nitrite problem similar to what Fish Fanny is having on her tank (assuming you have seen her thread) in my Mbuna tank a while back, and because the ammonia in my water, the nitrites kept spiking when i would do a water change. When I spoke to her about it, she basically told me that I would have to let the nitrites take its course and that adding my ammonia water was just going to make it worse and stress the fish doing that many water changes. So she recommended it to me. I started using it one the tank, and within three days, the nitrites were done. I do not know if the product worked, or if the filter caught up. The tank has been stable since.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

If you can find the biozyme that I am using you might try it out. The bacteria is freeze dried so temp will not have an affect on it until it hits water.

That's interesting because to my knowledge there's no way of freeze drying nitrifying bacteria without killing them (and many have tried).

 

[Dieses Madchen]

There is no way to bottle it either, if it the same bacteria as to what naturally grows in a fishtank. I did research after a conversation with Snazy and he was right about the natural bacteria. It cannot be freeze dried. Hetrophic bacteria can be. So I can only assume that Biozyme is theoretically the same stuff that is in the bottles, but stored in a different matter.

Directly from the package: "Biozyme is a revolutionary product utilizing dried cultures of hetrophic bacteria and enzymes fixed on bran"

 

[snazy]

Hope your tank cycle goes fast for you.
And yeah, doing several water changes at a nitrite spike when your tap water contains 1ppm ammonia is not a great idea and will do absolutely nothing but kill fish.
I hate purple colour

 

[Dieses Madchen]

The ammonia content of my water is the reason why i love fishless cycles. I tried to explain it to my husband but he wanted to those mbuna so bad. But to pay him back for the inconvenience of the water changes, I made him help me

 

[snazy]

I am waiting on my Aqueon water changer as otherwise it is a nightmare to do a water change on this tank.
I hope it fits my tap.

P.S. Just uploaded a pic of the ammonia/nitrite. The ammonia looks between 1ppm-2ppm after 2 hours of dosing up to 2ppm. Hope it lasts till tomorrow this time.