Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 26, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 I'm doing a fishless cycle on my new 75g tank. Starting yesterday, I filled it with water, added a bucket of rotted fish-food to create ammonia, and got the level up to about 2.5ppm ammonia. I turned the heater up to 30 degrees C, to create the optimum temperature for the bacteria to breed. This morning (15 hours after adding the ammonia), I tested the water again. 0.25ppm ammonia, and 1.3ppm nitrite... Can this be right? It's too quick for the bacteria to have formed a colony isn't it - I though it should be about 3 days. Any idea what may be going on in there? It's a large, Eheim cannister, which will cope with up to 150g tanks - so I know it'll cope with a 75, but still - for that many bio-bugs to have formed so quickly.... I don't think so. Signed: Confused! <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member JDMac2006 Posted October 26, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 mine took about 3 days or so but i only used a pre established filter, you on the other had used a whole bucket of ammonia, which might have hd something to do with it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 26, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 Well, I just checked the filter, and everything seems to be in place and happy! I was checking the seals inbetween the layers of media as the tank doesn't seem to be clearing at all - the water is really murky and semi-opaque. The only problem is when I put the filter back in and gave the return pipe a quick suck to siphon water back into the filter, I got a mouthful of the tank water! It ain't exactly the finest chardonnay! Oh well - back to watching the temperature creep up and down by half a degree... I know this will feel like forever while I wait for the cycle. My other half keeps asking how it's going, as she fancies a goldfish shopping spree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member may Posted October 26, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 Weren't you going to add some packaged bacteria with it? If so, it's definitely possible that they're working already. That's what they're supposed to do! Otherwise, maybe you were already getting a little bit of nitrite forming in the bucket with the food... unless you checked nitrite after adding the food, and it was 0... in which case you've got amazing super-fast-replicating bacteria. Congrats either way.. good luck with being patient, lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 26, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 Originally, my plan was to use the ready-packaged bacterial colony (called Bactinetts for your info) - but I was told that for a 75g, I would need 8 shots at ?4.99 each - Well in my money - that's nearly ?40, or $65 so I thought I'd do it the natural way! No nirites last night, so maybe super-bugs are here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 26, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 Ammonia now up to 0.5ppm, and Nitrite holding steady at 1.3... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Melle Posted October 26, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 Icky, what were you sucking on with your mouth?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin koko Posted October 26, 2003 Admin Share Posted October 26, 2003 This can be normal for a tank, You might be a lucky one to get a jump start but the ammonia in a few should go away and then the dreaded nitrite levels trying to get them to go to 0 will take some time. That will be the longest part of it all so far your doing great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 26, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2003 Just managed to get my thermostat on the heater exactly where I want it! It was 31.4 degrees all day, but I've just had another go, and it's now 30.2 degrees to 30.4 degrees. PERFECT.... I'm still trying to bring the ammonia levels up a little, to set up the filter quickly, but then a thought struck me - when the tank has cycled, and I stop throwing all that food in to rot, and just have the 2 fish for the first couple of weeks (while the next pair are in quarantine together) - will all the bugs die as there won't be anywhere near as much food added to the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member may Posted October 27, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 27, 2003 Yup, that will happen... so don't worry about adding so much ammonia. You'll go through a mini-cycle every time you add more fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Lachfa Posted October 27, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 27, 2003 Yum, dirty fish water - my daughter laughs at me everytime I get a mouth full! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 27, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 27, 2003 That's about right - my other half stood shaking with laughter as I gagged and spat! I'll get my revenge one day!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member may Posted October 28, 2003 Regular Member Share Posted October 28, 2003 By boyfriend was once kind enough to start a suction for me, and he ended up with a mouthful of water, and remembered that I was treating for ich... so he runs to the bottle of rid-ich, reads out loud "formaldehyde" and sprints into the bathroom to brush his teeth. It still makes me laugh remembering it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Incandisco Posted October 28, 2003 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 28, 2003 Heh! Formaldehyde! What a horrible taste (The smell is bad enough!). Glad I'm not alone! Ok, well just done my tests on the water for today. Looking rather good I think (although still very cloudy!)... Ammonia: 3.0ppm Nitrites: 1.6ppm (Coming up!) Nitrates: Too much nitrite to measure. pH: 7.5 Tank is 29.8 degrees, and hopefully well into it's cycle! Piccys are on the way - I've got 101 things to do, so as soon as I've had a chance to edit them from 500k each, I'll post them up! Not very exciting though, a big tank with cloudy water, and a temperature gauge - no gravel (or fish or plants of course) until the cycle completes in the filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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