well here goes

[chrisnolan]

Surface agitation is very important, the bubbler will help, but it's beneficial to have a filter that provides it, as well

What's the temp of the tank?

temp is holding steady at 26C

 

[Slaphppy7]

Beneficial bacteria will grow faster at higher temps, turn up your heater to get to around 28C

 

[chrisnolan]

So, I am feeling a little silly right now having just discovered that the outlet pipe from the internal filter actually is adjustable duhh. The water is now skimming across the surface of the tank. I put it down to Old Lady Syndrome

 

[Slaphppy7]

So, I am feeling a little silly right now having just discovered that the outlet pipe from the internal filter actually is adjustable duhh. The water is now skimming across the surface of the tank. I put it down to Old Lady Syndrome

Better late than never

 

[Myraan]

4. Do NOT do any water changes whilst the fishless cycle is ongoing, doing a water change may disrupt the cycle which basically means you may be restarting the cycle process every time you do large water changes, could even stall the cycle whci is worst case scenario.

IMO not doing a water change might disrupt the cycle due to excessive pH swings and excess nitrite poisoning the very bacteria that are feeding it. Or have we indeed found that the filter bacteria live in the water after all? In a sense you may have to start again as you will have to add new ammonia, but your filter media and tank surfaces have retained the beneficial bacteria, so you won't have lost any days of the cycling process. Whether you change water or not will surely depend on what your test results are showing you.

 

[Ch4rlie]

IMO not doing a water change might disrupt the cycle due to excessive pH swings and excess nitrite poisoning the very bacteria that are feeding it. Or have we indeed found that the filter bacteria live in the water after all? In a sense you may have to start again as you will have to add new ammonia, but your filter media and tank surfaces have retained the beneficial bacteria, so you won't have lost any days of the cycling process. Whether you change water or not will surely depend on what your test results are showing you.

Beneficial bacteria does not live in the water column as far as I know, mainly because these bacteria needs to attach to any surfaces in the aquarium, including plants, substrate and decor etc and the bacteria thus then produces a bio-film that protects them.

A very knowledgeable and respected former member of this forum, TwoTankAmin, wrote the cycling article and states - "In a cycled tank the nitrifying bacteria does not live free floating in the water"

If you give the bacteria all they need, they will multiply. Even more importantly, they will produce a bio-film which they use to attach themselves to surfaces in your filter and all over your tank and which protects them. In a cycled tank the nitrifying bacteria do not live free floating in the water.

Quoted from the Fishless cycling article - https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

The only times one should change tank water during the fishless cycling process is when one runs into difficulty such as mistakenly adding too much ammonia or perhaps if the pH changes drastically, then partly changing the water will reduce ammonia levels or increases pH back to desired levels and yes indeed, Myraan is correct in this won't disrupt the cycling process too much because as you say, most of the beneficial bacteria will already have be retained having been formed on surfaces including in the filter.

In worst case scenarios is when the cycle has stalled or crashed, then the answer is the to restart the whole cycle again is by doing as close to 100% water change as possible.

Not doing a water change should not disrupt the cycling process nor excessive pH levels swings as long as there is sufficient water surface agitation for oxygen exchange and water temperature at optimum levels of 24-29C (75-85F).

Large pH level changes can be down to a number of factors such as having crushed coral in substrate, certain peat/wood decor can reduce pH levels, even adding certain chemicals that alters pH/kH levels.

But most keepers will find that pH naturally drops in small increments over time but not so much of a drop over 6 weeks or so of the average cycling process timescale that it causes concern to change the tank water usually.

There are exceptions of course, but generally speaking most aquarist should not have to change tank water during the fishless cycling process.

 

[chrisnolan]

I will be following the fishless cycling article so I shouldn't have to do water change until right at the end, unless anything drastic happens. At the moment I am trying to be patient and researching the fish suitable for me (never knew there was so many different sort). I thought I had a large tank to start off with (my husband wanted a 90L but I talked him into the 180L) but there are so many fish to choose from maybe I should have gone even bigger. I can certainly see why lots of members here have more than 1 tank.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I will be following the fishless cycling article so I shouldn't have to do water change until right at the end, unless anything drastic happens. At the moment I am trying to be patient and researching the fish suitable for me (never knew there was so many different sort). I thought I had a large tank to start off with (my husband wanted a 90L but I talked him into the 180L) but there are so many fish to choose from maybe I should have gone even bigger. I can certainly see why lots of members here have more than 1 tank.

Multiple
Tank
Syndrome

I see it in your future...

 

[chrisnolan]

Is it usual for pH to increase after the first addition of amonia. Did my first test after starting cycle. Added the amonia to 3ppm, waited 2 days then tested as instructions. Amonia dropped to 1ppm, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, pH up from 6.4 to 6.6
I have added some more plants and another filter to try and clear the water a bit, looks like tea atm, guess I didn't soak the wood enough

 

[Slaphppy7]

Is it usual for pH to increase after the first addition of amonia. Did my first test after starting cycle. Added the amonia to 3ppm, waited 2 days then tested as instructions. Amonia dropped to 1ppm, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, pH up from 6.4 to 6.6
I have added some more plants and another filter to try and clear the water a bit, looks like tea atm, guess I didn't soak the wood enough

Yes

Ph will fluctuate during a cycle

 

[chrisnolan]

Yes

Ph will fluctuate during a cycle

Thank you, i'm guessing the disappearing amonia is being used by the plants as not showing in nitrites (this is all very confusing), will keep going following the instructions and hopefully will come out the other end with a functioning tank

 

[Slaphppy7]

Thank you, i'm guessing the disappearing amonia is being used by the plants as not showing in nitrites (this is all very confusing), will keep going following the instructions and hopefully will come out the other end with a functioning tank

Just follow the cycling instructions, and don't over-think the process...you'll get there

 

[Essjay]

Plants do change the way a fishless cycle proceeds.
If you have a lot of plants you may not see any nitrite or nitrite. If ammonia drops to zero with no nitrite I would add another 3 ppm despite the instructions saying only to add more when nitrite is over 2 ppm. If that ammonia also drops to zero with no nitrite or nitrate, it will be the plants removing the ammonia.
Depending on just how quickly the plants remove the second dose of ammonia, it may be possible to start getting fish - a few at a time.

 

[chrisnolan]

Major disaster, just come home to a leaking tank and water all over my new lounge carpet, seems the front seal has gone on the front left side. All plants and filters are now in the bath. Too late to do anything tonight. I see and emergency trip to LFS in the morning. Hope I can salvage the plants, they were expensive

 

[Ch4rlie]

Aw no!

Hate when things like that happens. Super annoying and a lot of hard work to put everything right again.

Hope you mange to sort things out quickly.