Tank cycling

[zippy]

I am trying to cycle my tank my new tank. It is a new bare bottom 90 gal tank with one piece of Malayan drift wood in it and no fish. I started this process on 2/25. My PH is erratic runs from 7.6 to 8.0 while testing with a Milwaukee PH tester. Tap water is around 7.8 to 8.0. Yesterday before WC it was 7.6, tap was 7.8. After WC it was 7.6. I just checked it and it is 8.0.

The ammonia after the WC was 0 so I added 1tsp last nite. At that time the Nitrites were 2+ and Nitrates were 40. Today the Ammonia is 0, Nitrites 0 and the Nitrates are 80. This is the first time the Nitrites have been 0 and the highest the Nitrates have ever been. I'm currently doing another WC. I have done about 5 WC since I started back on 2/25.

I'm using 2 large sponge filters and a Aquaclear 110 for filtration. I removed the carbon from the Aquaclear and replaced it with Purigen because the tank always seems cloudy. The tank is still coudy.

Why the PH swings, why is the tank cloudy and do you think the tank has completely cycled yet ?
Thanks for your help,
Zippy

[DJW]

The bumps in the pH are probably from the ammonia you are adding. With hardware store ammonia the pH jumps up right after you add it and settles back down a few hours later.

The bacteria causing the cloudiness have to have a food source. Maybe its something coming out of the driftwood.

If you can add ammonia and get 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite the next day, and see those results a few times in a row, its cycled.

[zippy]

Thanks,
Zippy

[brady]

I am also doing a fishless cycle and I was wondering is this process temperature dependent?
The reason I ask is that the ambient temp of my basement is 58-60F.
I don't want to add a heater if it's not necessary{money].
thanks
Jay

[Akili]

I am also doing a fishless cycle and I was wondering is this process temperature dependent?
The reason I ask is that the ambient temp of my basement is 58-60F.
I don't want to add a heater if it's not necessary{money].
thanks
JayThe bacteria that grow during the cycle process grow quicker in numbers in higher temps, so in lower temps the cycle will take longer to complete,
In my opinion,You will need to get a heater to raise the temperature in order to expedite the cycle process and even at 70 degrees the tank will cycle, but it may take a bit longer.One more thing,if you intend to keep Discus then you will need a heater.Discus need at least 82 degrees F

[zippy]

I am trying to cycle my tank my new tank. It is a new bare bottom 90 gal tank with one piece of Malayan drift wood in it and no fish. I started this process on 2/25. My PH is erratic runs from 7.6 to 8.0 while testing with a Milwaukee PH tester. Tap water is around 7.8 to 8.0. Yesterday before WC it was 7.6, tap was 7.8. After WC it was 7.6. I just checked it and it is 8.0.

The ammonia after the WC was 0 so I added 1tsp last nite. At that time the Nitrites were 2+ and Nitrates were 40. Today the Ammonia is 0, Nitrites 0 and the Nitrates are 80. This is the first time the Nitrites have been 0 and the highest the Nitrates have ever been. I'm currently doing another WC. I have done about 5 WC since I started back on 2/25.

I'm using 2 large sponge filters and a Aquaclear 110 for filtration. I removed the carbon from the Aquaclear and replaced it with Purigen because the tank always seems cloudy. The tank is still coudy.

Why the PH swings, why is the tank cloudy and do you think the tank has completely cycled yet ?
Thanks for your help,
Zippy

After WC change last nite I added 1 1/2 tsp of ammonia. Today at 12:30 I checked the water ...... Ammonia - 0, Nitrites - 0, Nitrates - 80. Just added 2 tsp of ammonia again.
Water is still cloudy,
Zippy

[zippy]

Just checked the Ammonia again at 9:15 and the Ammonia is at 0 already. I had added 2tsp of Ammonia today at 12:30 nine hours later and it is gone already...................... is this normal................ the Nitrites are now .5 and Nitrates are 80+............
Zippy

[Kirbs]

Do you check your ammonia an hour or two after adding it to see what it is at? I am maintaining a cycled 50 gallon and add 1 TBS (tablespoon) and 1 tsp (teaspoon) every day. For a 90 gallon I would add 2 TBS and see where that gets me. I'd measure the ammonia after I add it and shoot for a reading of 4. If it's zero the next day I'd repeat the process or adjust if necessary!

[zippy]

Kirbs,
I added 2+ tsp of ammonia last nite at 10:00 after an hour it was at 4. Today at 11:30 the ammonia was 0, Nitrites 5 and Nitrates 160. The water is extremely cloudy so I'm currently doing a 80gal WC. I believe the tank is cycling and now I will just add 2 or more tsp of ammonia each day until I get my fish. I just wish the water would clear up.
Thanks,
Zippy

[zippy]

After the WC the water is much clearer. The water came directly from the tap and was not aged. I added Seachem Safe as I was filling the tank. The water parameters are now, PH - 7.6, ammonia is 0, Nitrites are 2, and Nitrates are 20.
I'm going to add 2tsp of ammonia to bring it up to 4 and check again tomorrow.
Any thoughts ?
Zippy

[gluedandscrewed]

dont understand the psychotic preoccupation with cycling the tank by some people, i set up a brand new planted tank, one day later put in 10 discus, month later they are healthy,unstressed, hand feeding,, this is my first dedicated discus tank....see guys on here worried about changing the bio load by adding a single fish yet we mess with the bio load every time we change water,, people make this more complicated than it needs to be,,,, strict believer in the KISS principal.....

[Ryan925]

dont understand the psychotic preoccupation with cycling the tank by some people, i set up a brand new planted tank, one day later put in 10 discus, month later they are healthy,unstressed, hand feeding,, this is my first dedicated discus tank....see guys on here worried about changing the bio load by adding a single fish yet we mess with the bio load every time we change water,, people make this more complicated than it needs to be,,,, strict believer in the KISS principal.....

What do you mean we need with bioload with wc?

[Jenene]

What do you mean we need with bioload with wc?

+1 The BB is not in the water column.

Zippy- you are getting there. Once the Nitrites hit zero you are there. Your ammonia is getting processed quickly. The Nitrites take a lot longer. It will happen quickly. One day soon you will test and the tube will be blue. It happens overnight. I believe you were just stuck for a bit awhile back with too much ammonia and too high Nitrates. Think the water changes are helping. You will be fine in time for Kenny's May Shipment notice.

Do you have your Purigen in there yet?

[zippy]

Yes, Purigen is in filter but water is still cloudy. Clears up after water change the gets cloudy in a day or so........
Last nite, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, and Nitrates 40........

[Akili]

Yes, Purigen is in filter but water is still cloudy. Clears up after water change the gets cloudy in a day or so........
Last nite, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, and Nitrates 40........Have you by chance checked the nitrate levels of your tap water?

[zippy]

Have you by chance checked the nitrate levels of your tap water?

No, I will do that and post it....................

[Akili]

In this article read about Cloudy Water in New Aquariums ........................... http://www.firsttankguide.net/cloudywater.php Hope it helps

[zippy]

No, I will do that and post it....................

Nitrates are 0 in tap water............

[MarkGSmith]

For cloudy water, (eg after adding sand) I use JBL SymecMicro fixed using elastic bands to the intake of a spare internal filter. It will clear it but it will also clog up quite quickly.