Question about cycling the aquarium... what should i do after 1 month...

[dominicOv]

Hello,

It's been a month since the tank is up and running, i have no Nitrites and Nitrates read @ 25.

My filtration:
1. 50 Liters of moving bed filter media (changed color to a nice brown)
2. Diy Algae Turf Scrubber with 12 hours 50w Cob running during the night. (its still new so only brown stuff for the moment)
3. Underwater plants and floating plants

I started the initian cycle with Dr tims ammonium 2ppm and tropic marin probiotic (very good stuff to start the cycle) and now the question comes:

Should i dose again 1 or 2 ppm of ammonium to keep the bacterial population healthy or should i start adding the diy food that i prepared to get the bacteria used to the protein that i will be using?

Thank you!

[Mando]

How fast does it take to convert the ammonia to nitrates? If you're showing nitrates, you should be cycled. What's stopping you from adding fish? I would continue the dosing the ammonia until your fish arrive.

[danotaylor]

With nitrates present your cycle is complete. BB don't consume protein, they consume ammonia produced by uneaten food of all types and fish waste/respiration. Keep dosing the ammonia at the same rate (2ppm) to ensure the BB colony is adequately fed, and do a large water change the day of or before your fish arrive.

[dominicOv]

With nitrates present your cycle is complete. BB don't consume protein, they consume ammonia produced by uneaten food of all types and fish waste/respiration. Keep dosing the ammonia at the same rate (2ppm) to ensure the BB colony is adequately fed, and do a large water change the day of or before your fish arrive.

I just dosed again 2 ppm of ammonia. If i understand correctly, the proper dosing regimen should be every time i see 0 No2, is that correct?

How fast does it take to convert the ammonia to nitrates? If you're showing nitrates, you should be cycled. What's stopping you from adding fish? I would continue the dosing the ammonia until your fish arrive.

I have no ideea how long it takes to convert but a week ago, before i left in vacation i was reading a lot of no2 and no3. Yesterday when i came back i was reading around 15 ppm NO3 and 0 No2. I dosed 2 ppm of ammonia just now and i will test again tomorrow. The transport from Germany comes once every 2 months so i have to wait till next month to get the fishes.

[danotaylor]

I have never done a fishless cycle, but everytime your ammonia goes from 2ppm to 0 there should be a correlating rise in nitrate. Whilst waiting for your shipment just keep feeding the BB and do a 100%water change with aged water the day your fish arrive.

[cooper666]

+1 to the above, keep dosing until the fish arrive. The filter needs constant feeding. Get those nitrated down via large water change (70%+) 24 hr before you add fish, if they're discus. Otherwise, 20 ppm isn't so bad for most fish.

I cycled my tank by feeding dry cat biscuits and a chunk of raw chicken. Bit stinky LOL

[dominicOv]

I dosed yesterday 2ppm ammonia to the aquarium and did 2 separate tests. After 12 hrs and 24 hrs, both tests show no No2 and i see almost the same amount of No3. For testing i use tetra strips and Salifert No2 and No3.

I am a little confused now... If i see no No2 after 12 h or 24h, should i just dose Ammonia every day and maybe half the dose?

[cooper666]

I'd keep up the 2ppm daily dose, the bacteria will build up to a point where they process it before its measurable.

[dominicOv]

Hello again, i am experiencing a delay with the fishes so i need to keep the tank cycled for a bit longer. The problem is i have only half bottle of Ammonia left and i dont have time to order another bottle.

Would it be safe to put a dead shrimp in the filter sponge so i keep the bacteria alive and well?

[danotaylor]

I personally would be reluctant to do that. If you have some dry pellets or flake you can put that in a stocking and place it in the tank. Uneaten food breaks down into ammonia. I just think that's a safer option for you future discus.

[dspeers]

Dom, I take it you are outside the reach of Amazon. The problem I see is that the breakdown of any protein source (shrimp, flake) to ammonia involves bacterial action so you would be growing additional species of bacteria. Some of these might be pathologic to fish, something that does not apply to bacteria involved in the NH3 cycle. No one actually addressed one comment above. You would not expect to see NO2 after the original spike. The NH3 is a spike dose when you add, but then the bacteria metabolize over a period of time so the NO2 is generated over several hours, not all at once. As a result, it is then metabolized almost immediately, so no or only trace measurable increase in NO2. I would probably 1/2 dose the remaining NH3 and keep the colonies limping along till fish arrive. Unfortunately finding non-surfactant ammonia is difficult.