Fishless tank Cycle

[lt1fj40]

Ok I followed the post in DIY forum and right now (day 8) I am getting readings Ammonia 8.0 PPM Nitrite 5.0 PPM and Nitrate 4.0 PPM.

Now I realized I didn't do the recipe correct as on the first day I put in the amount of ammonia to get the tank to 5.0 PPM (60 ML) and then I added that amount (60 ML) of ammonia every day to the tank well after 5 days I realized that I was not doing it correct I was suppose to keep the tank at 5 ppm and only put in the amount of ammonia needed to keep it there...well I left the tank at 8 or greater (my test kit only goes to 8) for 4 days and now this is what I am getting for readings.

I am not seeing the ammonia go down yet...should I do a water change or let the tank keep going?

Thanks!

Rob.

[Iceturf]

Ok I followed the post in DIY forum and right now (day 8) I am getting readings Ammonia 8.0 PPM Nitrite 5.0 PPM and Nitrate 4.0 PPM.

Now I realized I didn't do the recipe correct as on the first day I put in the amount of ammonia to get the tank to 5.0 PPM (60 ML) and then I added that amount (60 ML) of ammonia every day to the tank well after 5 days I realized that I was not doing it correct I was suppose to keep the tank at 5 ppm and only put in the amount of ammonia needed to keep it there...well I left the tank at 8 or greater (my test kit only goes to 8) for 4 days and now this is what I am getting for readings.

I am not seeing the ammonia go down yet...should I do a water change or let the tank keep going?

Thanks!

Rob.

I'm by far no expert in this field, but I would change a large portion of the water (%50). If the water is at 8ppm of Ammonia, should half it; at the very worste you have to add a bit more ammonia, test afterwards for fluxuation. Its not like a water change is gonna kill off developing bacteria colonies (someone correct me if I'm wrong with that statement). At the same time, the ammonia bomb isn't costing you anything so you could just leave it work itself out.

Edited July 2, 2009 by Iceturf

[snaggle]

Stop adding ammonia if you still are is the first and most important thing. You Should da a water change to get he levles down a little, not so much the ammonia but the nitrate.

If you dont see the ammonia levle go down within a week then I would scrub every thing and try again.

[BettaFishMommy]

i would just leave it as is and wait for the bacteria to do their work. if you don't see changes within a week, i wouldn't go scrubbing stuff, as this will remove any bacteria that have had a chance to build up so far. just a large water change if no change in parameters in a week.

large water changes will not affect the bacteria btw, as they live on surfaces and not in the water column.

[Vallisneria]

I"d do a water change(50% or more) and then measure the ammonia. IF its still off the charts you can do another water change, or just leave it and it will eventually come down on its own, it will just take longer.

Dont' worry I did the same thing when I tried fishless cycling for the first time. I added so much ammonia that my ammonia and nitrite levels were sky high. After 3 weeks of them being off the charts I did a 100% water change. Then I added my 5ppm of ammonia and it was gone within 24hrs, so I added 5ppm then next day to make sure and it was also gone. So my tank was cycled for 5ppm, it just needed a water change to remove all that excess ammonia/nitrites.

[fish4fun]

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fishless_cycling.php

[randy]

Too Much Ammonia?

"It IS possible to add too much ammonia to the tank (generally several times the amounts suggested in either recipe), as some individuals discovered by mistake (thanks Boozap). What happens in this case is that the ammonia will spike very far off the chart, then the nitrite will spike as well (also way off the chart), and it will continue to spike for a very long time. Why? There are a couple of possibilities. The first is that the filter media and surfaces in the tank or oxygen levels are simply insufficient to grow and maintain a bacterial colony massive enough to convert all of the ammonia and all of the nitrite to nitrates. Another likely possibility is that the ammonia levels are high enough to inhibit growth (through a biofeedback mechanism) of the bacteria rather than promoting it. The solution is quite simple, however. If you realize that you've added way too much ammonia, simply do a water change, or if necessary a series of water changes, to bring the ammonia and/or nitrite levels back into the readable range on your test kit. Then proceed as normal with daily additions of ammonia until the tank is cycled."

source http://malawicichlids.com/mw01017.htm

Edited July 3, 2009 by randy

[T Dawg]

Ok I followed the post in DIY forum and right now (day 8) I am getting readings Ammonia 8.0 PPM Nitrite 5.0 PPM and Nitrate 4.0 PPM.

Now I realized I didn't do the recipe correct as on the first day I put in the amount of ammonia to get the tank to 5.0 PPM (60 ML) and then I added that amount (60 ML) of ammonia every day to the tank well after 5 days I realized that I was not doing it correct I was suppose to keep the tank at 5 ppm and only put in the amount of ammonia needed to keep it there...well I left the tank at 8 or greater (my test kit only goes to 8) for 4 days and now this is what I am getting for readings.

I am not seeing the ammonia go down yet...should I do a water change or let the tank keep going?

Thanks!

Rob.

A water change that keeps the filters and decorations wet will not cause issues or slow the cycle, and it will keep everything in the readable ranges for your testkits. To keep the math simple, I'd do a 50% change then test, test again and change the needed percent to get you back to 5PPM.

[lt1fj40]

OK! I am all good, I have no ammonia, no Nitrite after 12 hours..and the nitrate is low so my tank is all done!! YAY!

So it is an 80 gallon and I haven't had a chance to pick out all my new fish. So I have 14 fish in there they are all young about 1/2" in size. My question is should I be putting in some ammonia in so I don't lose my bacteria before I get a chance to buy all my fish?

[Vallisneria]

No dont' add any ammonia if there are already fish in there.

Fishless cycle is best when you add all your fish right at the start.You've spent all this time growing a bacterial colony to handle large amounts of ammonia. If you only add part of your fish at the beginning, the extra bacteria will die off. Since you added 14 fish already and are waiting to add the rest, you will have to add the next batch in small amounts. You'll have to add them in small batches a few weeks apart, like you would a regular "with fish" cycle. Add them a few at a time(if they are also 1/2" you can add more then if they were larger) and then monitor your ammonia.