# My cycle log



## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Just want to keep track, and get opinions, thought this was a good idea.

Day one, added ammonia to tank. Will test results tomorrow.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Ammonia : 0.25
Nitrite : 0

Should I test for anything else ?


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## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

test ur pH and ur gH....ur nitrates will come eventually when ur tank is toward the end of the cycle


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

What is gh ? Sorry not near my test kit so I don't no. I tested ph before the ammonia was added and it was fine, I'll test it again soon.


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

90blackcrx said:


> Ammonia : 0.25
> Nitrite : 0
> 
> Should I test for anything else ?


when i do my water tests i test of
AMMONIA------------more toxic at a higher ph-------------again should be 0 when you have fish ni
PH---------------between 6.2-7.2 perfect
NITRATE--------slightly les toxic but still harmful--------------i very small amout is ok---below .2ppm
NITRITE--------being the most toxic-------best should be 0ppm when fish are in
GH = General hardness of you water..ie soft or hard water
KH=Carbonate hardness---basically this is a bufer for your ph, and contains carbonate/biocarbonate ions...
i think i am right with those but if not then im sure ill be corrected.........


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Also for anyone that did not know, I'm doing a fishless cycle.

Second day, two days added ammonia, will add more after testing

Ammonia : .50
Nitrate: 5.0 , almost looks close to 10
nitrite : 0
ph: 7.6
High Range PH : 7.4


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

On the right track ?


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

still some of the readings are high but you have aded ammonia to the water havent you to speed up the bacteria production..............


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

dezboy said:


> still some of the readings are high but you have aded ammonia to the water havent you to speed up the bacteria production..............


Yes, I'm doing the fishless cyle.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

10 ppm nitrAtes on second day I would say this is straight out of your tap. If i were you i would save the test kits and don't test till the 8th day. You should notice on this day an ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte reading of higher than what you currently have. Than cut your dosage in half and then continue testing daily till complete. Just some personal advise from my own experiences with "fishless cycle"


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Got ya, I just tested these real quick

Ammonia : .50
Nitrate : 5.0 close to being 10


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## nswhite (Mar 23, 2005)

What about nitrite?


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

nswhite said:


> What about nitrite?


I'll test it later, I had to leave. But I think I'm going to wait a few more days and then retest all.


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

Nitrite is more toxic than nitrate............so it is important that you test this..................

when testing you should test ph first, cos if this is wrong then your fish are dead,

then ammonia, then nitrite and then nitrate as this is the nitrogen cycle in order so you will also be ble to see if your bacteria is working......

But in theory you should never get any nitrate in your water when there are fish in as you you should do 30% water change if you see signs of nitrite....


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

dezboy said:


> Nitrite is more toxic than nitrate............so it is important that you test this..................


On average while the "fishless cycle" is running its course a nitrite spike will happen around the 8th day.


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

hopefully, that is if the bacteria is working as it should be......fingers crossed, normally it is though


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

dezboy said:


> hopefully, that is if the bacteria is working as it should be......fingers crossed, normally it is though


Well the 8th day is the 15, so results then


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> hopefully, that is if the bacteria is working as it should be......fingers crossed, normally it is though


Well the 8th day is the 15, so results then [/quote]

Cool. As long as you did not f*ck with the filter and have been putting in 1 drop of ammonia per gallon of water per day, then confidence should be high.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Tank is 125 gallons, putting in 85 drops.

Was going to clean the bottom part of the filter because they're plants stuck but I'll leave it.

Tank is 125 gallons, putting in 85 drops.

Was going to clean the bottom part of the filter because they're plants stuck but I'll leave it.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> Tank is 125 gallons, putting in 85 drops.
> 
> Was going to clean the bottom part of the filter because they're plants stuck but I'll leave it.
> 
> ...


You should be OK with 85 drops as long as you don't plan on a heavy bio load at first once the cycle is complete. What do you plan on stocking in the tank when cycle is complete ?


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

African Chiclids


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> African Chiclids


Cool, if you plan on 40 inches worth of fish or more i highly suggest you up it to 125 drops the next 2 days and then perform a check. When it comes time to cut in half i would stick with 63 drops a day, otherwise continue with what you're doing.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Will start off with small baby baby ones, not many.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Well on a related noted, something is living in my tank now
http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.ph...=126611&hl=

New readings today.

*Ammonia: 0 * 
*Nitrite: 5.0 * , looks a little lighter then that but not as light as 2.0
*Nitrates: 20*, maybe 10 but more 20
*PH: 7.6
High Range PH: 7.8*

So what should I do ? Reading the fishless cycle, I would say I'm almost done, if not done.

I'm happy


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Anyone.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> Well on a related noted, something is living in my tank now
> http://www.piranha-fury.com/pfury/index.ph...=126611&hl=
> 
> New readings today.
> ...


Cycle going along great. Your bacteria that eats up ammonia is now fully established but now you just need to wait for the bacteria that converts nitrItes into nitrAtes to colonize. Cut your dosage in half and i will say within 4 days you are done. Congratulations is in order. As far as those white things in the other thread I have experienced those in every tank that is freshly started. Don't ask me why, but the way to get rid of them is through diligent scrubbing, vacs, water changes, and adding mechanical filtration. Obviously you do not want to mess with the water until cycle is complete. Those white things are not harmless they are just a nuisance.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Ok, I'll cut it in half, then test. What am I looking for on the next test though ?

Thanks for the congrats, I'm proud of myself because I was really worried I would mess something like this up.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> Ok, I'll cut it in half, then test. What am I looking for on the next test though ?
> 
> Thanks for the congrats, I'm proud of myself because I was really worried I would mess something like this up.


What you want to do is wait 3 days before testing. So for 3 days do your ammonia dosage at half and on the 4th day around the time that you would dose, check your params before dosing. You are looking to have a test that shows 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and a higher nitrAtes reading. This will indicate that cycle is complete. You will need to continue daily dosages until you are ready to stock your tank. Before acclimating the fish you want to change as much water as possible and replace with same temp water and coditioner that treats chlorine and chloramines. For the next few days you will notice nitrItes getting lower and nitrAtes getting higher if you choose to test. IMO this is actually very easy method as you can see and you do not need to worry about parasites and disease.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Ok, I have a few questions.

When I change the tank water I will be using a garden hose, can I put all the water in, then the stress coat ( which gets rid of chlorines and metal ? ) or should I put it all in like a bucket first ?

Also you said to continue daily half dosage until fish are ready to go in, well that will be a problem because since I'm buying the fish online, its going to be hard to tell what exact day they are coming. So if I drain the tank water and change 75% , how long can it sit with out me adding ammonia ? I would say 2 to 3 days would be the average time my fish take to arrive.


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

i fish cycle is so much easier IMO......................

putting water in a bucket and letting it sit for 48hours will get rid of chlorine and chloromine is the cheapest way....

but adding stress coat will be the fastest way of doing it...............


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> Ok, I have a few questions.
> 
> When I change the tank water I will be using a garden hose, can I put all the water in, then the stress coat ( which gets rid of chlorines and metal ? ) or should I put it all in like a bucket first ?
> 
> Also you said to continue daily half dosage until fish are ready to go in, well that will be a problem because since I'm buying the fish online, its going to be hard to tell what exact day they are coming. So if I drain the tank water and change 75% , how long can it sit with out me adding ammonia ? I would say 2 to 3 days would be the average time my fish take to arrive.


After you drain as much water as possible add the conditioner to the tank before adding water. No need for the bucket. Don't worry about when the fish are coming, just do half dosages daily. You can drain most of the water the day your tank is completely cycled, refill with conditioner, and place your order afterwards. Just continue with your ammonia dosages at half dosage to keep the bacteria population intact. I would not stop from adding ammonia. You will see on the day that it is completely cycled that after you add the ammonia and test the next day before adding again that you will have zero ammonia and nitrItes. If you are ordering from our sponsors it will most likely be next day delivery depending on your location and barring any issues with the sponsor. As far as what dezboy says here


> putting water in a bucket and letting it sit for 48hours will get rid of chlorine and chloromine is the cheapest way....


 This statement is only partially true. Chloramines do not go away sitting in a bucket over time. Only chlorine after 24 hours. Since your tank is 125G this is definitely what you don't want to do.
If you are worried that you will add ammonia and your fish arrives you have basically 2 choices. Either add your ammonia later in the day after you know no delivery will be coming or you can do your large water change when the fish arrives.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Yeah, adding water to a bucket is hard, I don't have any big enough buckets or enough. So drain 75% of tank then add the stress coat, ok. Then keep adding half dosages of ammonia till fish arrive.

I will test and report back in 2 days, please check back.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> So drain 75% of tank then add the stress coat, ok. Then keep adding half dosages of ammonia till fish arrive.
> 
> I will test and report back in 2 days, please check back.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Wait, I forgot. I should add the stress coat to the 25% of water in the tank, then fill up right ?

And one more thing, I'm adding half the ammonia dosages, then when the fish arrive just add them, or do I have to drain again ? I of course will test the water before I add them.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> Wait, I forgot. I should add the stress coat to the 25% of water in the tank, then fill up right ?
> 
> And one more thing, I'm adding half the ammonia dosages, then when the fish arrive just add them, or do I have to drain again ? I of course will test the water before I add them.


You need to treat for the amount you are putting in. For example if you did the 75% water change you will add enough conditioner to treat 90 gallons to the tank before pumping water back in. Make sure you also read my response to your question in the fishless cycling 101 thread. When the fish arrives you want to double check your nitrAtes to see if a partial water change is in order. What I would do if I were you is once your tank is cycled and you order your fish, do the large water change, continue at half dosage to keep the bacteria fed, and when your fish arrive just acclimate them to your tank. The day that you did the large water change is the day the following week you want to do 25%.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Ammonia:0
Nitrite: .50
Nitrates:10
PH: 8.0


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

90blackcrx said:


> Ammonia:0
> Nitrite: .50
> Nitrates:10
> PH: 8.0


If I were to drain the tank today and add fish tomorrow would I be ok ? I'm not going to, but want to know if these stay the same if I will be ok. I will probably be draining it Monday, since I'm busy until then.


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

No, with that nitrite #, you are not quite there yet.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

doctorvtec said:


> No, with that nitrite #, you are not quite there yet.


But it was 5.0 and I cut the dosages in half I thought to lower the nitrites, I'm trying to get them to 0 right ?


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

90blackcrx said:


> No, with that nitrite #, you are not quite there yet.


But it was 5.0 and I cut the dosages in half I thought to lower the nitrites, I'm trying to get them to 0 right ?
[/quote]

Yea, but it is not at 0 yet, so you are not quite finished.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Sounds like you will be done by tomorrow. Test before you add the ammonia t'row to confirm and post up.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Ok thanks guys, now I don't think I will be able to do a water change until Monday so should I just keeping adding half the amount ?

Then to make sure I'm totally clear, here is what I'm going to do

Drain 75% of the water then add the water conditioner

Then until fish arrive keeping adding half the amount of ammonia ? Or just stop adding ? Then when fish come, just put fish into the tank, of course testing the water before, and after I add fish.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> Ok thanks guys, now I don't think I will be able to do a water change until Monday so should I just keeping adding half the amount ?
> 
> Then to make sure I'm totally clear, here is what I'm going to do
> 
> ...


You need to continue with the daily dosages of ammonia, otherwise your bacteria will die off and you'll be starting all over again. After draining, put conditioner in tank, refill. Do not use pure cold water, and continue with half dosages until the day the fish arrives. You will need to acclimate him/them properly. Confirm params b4 introducing fish to tank.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: .25
Nitrate: 20-40 hard to tell

So do I have to wait till the nitrite is at 0, or can I do a water change today and add order my fish ?


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

Can I change it now, or wait ?


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

I add my ammonia usually at 8pm or later, yesterday it went in like about 2am. So anyways I just tested the nitrite, its at 0

Time to drain


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

90blackcrx said:


> I add my ammonia usually at 8pm or later, yesterday it went in like about 2am. So anyways I just tested the nitrite, its at 0
> 
> Time to drain
























Just for others to see the difference in "fishless cycling" please post how many days it took to complete from beginning to end.


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

So it was ready to drain ? I thought so.

17 days, tank is 125 gallons


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## Fordfanatic (Feb 2, 2006)

Thanks for documenting this whole thing I will be using in the next week when I start my fishless cycle on my new 75gal. Congrats and good luck with your fish!


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## BLUEDIAMONDRHOM (Jul 19, 2006)

WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU CHANGE THE WATER? DO YOU STILLHAVE TO DO ALL THAT CYCLEING STUFF? WHAT KIND OF WATER DO YOU USE WHEN YOU DO WATER CHANGES?


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## 90blackcrx (Mar 30, 2005)

BLUEDIAMONDRHOM said:


> WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU CHANGE THE WATER? DO YOU STILLHAVE TO DO ALL THAT CYCLEING STUFF? WHAT KIND OF WATER DO YOU USE WHEN YOU DO WATER CHANGES?


From what I have taken from it, you only have to add ammonia when fish are not in the tank.


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