Warehouses Fishless Cycling Log

[Warehouse]

It doesn't particularly sound like you want advice on getting rid of snails. We should probably just leave you to watching them for a few days.

Yeah the snails are releiving the boredom until the cycle is finished, so they can stay for a while yet. The assassins are coming though!

 

[Warehouse]

Day 51: Ammonia 0: Nitrite 0: PH 7.6 PH High 8.2

Redosed to 5ppm. If it's all zeros tomorrow evening then it looks like 12 hour testing begins soon.

 

[Warehouse]

Did my first 12 hour test today. Ammonia looking good but Nitrites still got to catch up.

Day 52 am: Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 5

 

[Warehouse]

Day 53's 12 hour test showed that the PH had bombed for the 3rd time, so another couple of teaspoons of bicarbinate of soda went into the tank to raise it up again. Otherwise the ammonia is completely clear in 12 hours, but the Nitrite is still at 5 after 12, but 0 after 24 hours.

 

[Tizer]

I demand updates!

 

[Warehouse]

I demand updates!

Apologies Tizer, I've been away with work so it's been a bit of a struggle to get online at all, let alone update, but here's what's been happening:

Ammonia has been addedd at 7pm daily, whether I've been there or not, (the wife is now fully trained). Here are the daily 12 hour results:

Day 54: Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 5 PH = 8
Day 55: Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 2 PH = >8
Day 56: Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 5 PH = >8
Day 57: Not test
Day 58: Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 5 PH = >8

I am very concerned now that I seriously need to make a big water change as the PH simply won't hold up, no matter how much bicarb I'm dumping in there. Trouble is, the past weekend was killed off because of work, most evenings this week are out, and I'm away this coming weekend. The snails are taking over, green and brown algae is everywhere, the glass needs serious cleaning, some plants are obviously dead and there's not a thing I can do until I have a chunk of time, which I don't! It's all happening at the wrong time and all I can do is chuck ammonia in in the evening before the nights activities, take a test before I run off to work in the morning and repeat.

However, being this busy is unusual, I have Friday off to fit a towbar then I can concentrate on the tank. I'm going to remove anything that isn't growing well, empty the water down to the sand, refill, (warmed and de-chlorinated), and move on with the cycle. On the positive side the ammonia bacteria are working great, and one Nitrite 12 hour test was down to 2, so we're close. It's just that the water quality must now be so poor that it's actively stopping improvement.

Right, off to update post 1!

 

[Tizer]

Fishless cycles are so much more hard work than fish in cycle

 

[Warehouse]

Fishless cycles are so much more hard work than fish in cycle

...and that wins my award for post of the month. Having gone through the whole process so far I can honestly say that if I could go back to early February I would definately not do a fishless cycle, but slowly build up a steady stock of fish with all the water changes and testing that is required. Absolute no brainer, despite the work to keep the fish and water in a good place.

 

[nehpets81]

Fishless cycles are so much more hard work than fish in cycle

...and that wins my award for post of the month. Having gone through the whole process so far I can honestly say that if I could go back to early February I would definately not do a fishless cycle, but slowly build up a steady stock of fish with all the water changes and testing that is required. Absolute no brainer, despite the work to keep the fish and water in a good place.

I'm afraid to say that I'm inclined to agree with you. I've lost (almost) all enthusiasm I had for the tank three months ago (or however long ago it was, seems that long) and I've stopped even thinking about what to stock the tank. I've got a holiday coming up and I's stressing about adding ammonia over that time too. Not sure it's all worth it....

 

[Tizer]

Thats also a an even bigger problem with a fish in cycle, you simply cant miss more than one days water change, or the old ammonia just goes too high.

I can understand the lack of enthusiasm totally, but it is worth trooping on because it really is great once its all set up

 

[nehpets81]

Thats also a an even bigger problem with a fish in cycle, you simply cant miss more than one days water change, or the old ammonia just goes too high.

I can understand the lack of enthusiasm totally, but it is worth trooping on because it really is great once its all set up

True, but I can't help thinking I may have been pretty much done if I had fish in cycled (or at least controlled the addition of stock so that I was settled) after quarter of a year...

 

[waterdrop]

Being brand new or getting back into the hobby without the benefit of running tanks that you can steal mature media from leaves you between a rock and a hard place. Neither type of cycle is easy or fun.

I think the reason many of us older guys who did fish-in cycles in the past are so interested in fishless cycles now is really a pretty subtle difference: in my opinion it's the fact that fish show no or few symptoms in the initial stages of permanent gill and/or nerve damage - this is what gave us and still gives us squiggle room to just sort of ignore (or of course many beginners are just not aware of) the possible harm that is going on in a fish-in when and if it gets a little out of control.

All of this also just underlines the difference between being a "hobbyist" versus being just a busy parent setting up a tank for the kids too. Keeping fish is really a pretty bothersome thing that requires time and fussing! Doing it right is not for everyone. I'm just another guy who doesn't fall clearly into one camp or the other myself...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Tizer]

1 month of slacking?

 

[Warehouse]

Well just a bit of an update. Since the cycle finished in April I've added Neons, Cory Pandas, Harlequin Rasboras and a couple of Dwarf Gourmies, (apologies for spelling). Not a single fish lost to date. Lots of shrimp running around, plants thriving, all tests looking good with regular maintenance. Biggest shock was seeing so many shrimp in the filter when I did a filter clean in August, (the first one).

Fishless cycles are as boring as watching paint dry, but they are just so good for the fish, (as proved by me), that it's criminal not to.