Wierd cycle...

[Marx]

Ok heres my progress..

sept 1 setup tank (filter and media were used in established tank but sat with little to no water for 1-2 week!!)

sept 2 added plants

sept 5
temp 78
ph 7.1-7.2
ammonia 4.5-5ppm

sept 6 added more plants
Temp 78
ph 7.3-7.4
ammonia was low so topped it up to 3ppm
nitrite 0.5-.1ppm

sept 7
temp 78
ammonia was low so topped up to 3ppm
nitrite .1ppm
nitrate ~5ppm or less

[Marx]

any thoughts on this??

[BigDaddy]

Keep going until ammonia registers 0 24 hours after your last top up to 3 ppm.  Your nitrite should also be at zero.  Nitrate should be low (because of plants) but measurable.

You are setting up a planted tank with established media.  In reality, your "cycle" is really a formality, since you already have two things that speed up a cycle/minimize cycling impact on livestock

1)  Established media
2)  Plants

Maybe this will help you quell your fears.  I have had MY new 75 gallon planted tank setup since Sept 1 (moving day).  I used media from my old tank (some AC sponges) and all my plants.

I added all my livestock the same day.  I keep German Blue Rams, which are NOTORIOUS for demanding EXTREMELY good water, and my Rams have never looked better.  I also have apistogramma panduro in the tank, and they too wouldn't fair well in a tank with nitrites or ammonia.. but both of them are fine.

My ammonia is zero, my nitrite is zero, and I have to add nitrate for the plants.

[Marx]

but my filter media wasn't covered in water for like 2 weeks..

it was sealed in canister filter tho.. with a bit of water on the bottom (fluval 404)

[DARKPHREAK]

The filter media would have dryed out enough to kill the biobugs. I've read thataround 2 hours is MAX for filter media.

[luvfishies]

Nah, you're fine. The biobugs can and will go dormant if they are kept damp, not dry.

I've used months-old dried out sponges in new tanks, a few plants, a few fish, and not experienced a cycle at all. Give our little bioboogers a little credit!

[Marx]

ok sept 9th update

temp 78
ammonia 2.4-3ppm (it was below 1.0ppm before i added more)
nitrite 1.0-1.6
nitrate 110??

is that normal??

[BigDaddy]

Yes.

I think you might want to do a partial water change.  Luvs... correct me if I'm wrong... high nitrite will stall a cycle... will high nitrate?

[Marx]

also how am i supposed to do 90% water change in a 75gal tank when there no way for me to set out 65 gal of water to adjust to proper ph and same lvl stuff as tank??

[dpatte]

you are OVER worried . i wouldnt b other with a water change, but if you do one just remove some and replace it with tapwater that has had the choline neutrized

[luvfishies]

Yes.

I think you might want to do a partial water change.  Luvs... correct me if I'm wrong... high nitrite will stall a cycle... will high nitrate?

Nah, nitrATE won't stall a cycle, but it's heck on fishies!

Marx, why are you messing with pH etc? I do minimal pH/KH manipulation here, and let additives in the filters take care of softening/hardening my water.

Remember, even if the tapwater and tankwater are 1.0 pH difference, you will only get a net difference of about 0.5 if you do a 50% w/c, which most fish can handle. It's the KH they have more of an issue with. As you're doing a fishless cycle, this isn't an issue at all.

[Marx]

ahh im not playing with ph.. its lower cause of driftwood...

[ambushman2j]

you need to be more like me, I don't even test my cycle, I chuck a used sponge in new tank whip some fish in and a way I go, then I move fish from tank to tank without floating them or disinfecting my nets..I don't have problems..tho I wouldn't be so uncareful if I didn't have africans

[Marx]

hehe.. well i can't stop adding ammonia..

Also my plants are starting to look like crap.. all going see threw and falling apart..

I think its the ammonia.. i hope my cycle finishes soon..

[BigDaddy]

Marx:

The process has started and your cycle has moved along enough that you really shouldn't need to be adding ammonia anymore.

If your plants are suffering, it's probably because they aren't getting the nutrients they need.

Stop adding ammonia... what for ammonia to be 0, do a water change and add your fish and your ferts.

Seriously buddy, at this point you are being WAY too cautious.... now at the expense of your plants.

[dpatte]

BigDaddy, I disagree with you.

The cycle requires a constant supply of ammonia. I would insure i gets bumped upi every day until you are ready to add fish

The whole concept is that you are trying to prepare the tank to be able to consume up to 3PPM of ammonia per day. Thats what the process is for.

[dpatte]

Keep adding ammonia every day to bring it back to 3PPM. then when it can consume that amount of ammonia and its resulting nitrIte within 24 hours (ie: when they both read 0 within 24 hours) then you know your tank has an active-enough nitrogen cycle that is strong enough to support fish that might produce 3PPM of ammonia.

[dpatte]

as for ammonia not being good for the plants heres the sccop

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all good for plants. they are all nitrogen , the N part of NPK - the three main ferts plants need to survive. (NPK is also used on garden plants - thats what the 6-12-12 type numbers are on garden and lawn fertilizers)

[Marx]

ok cause my plants are taking the beats.. some look great tho.. i think because thwy came from c02 tanks...

also today my nitrites are threw the roof!!!! (Spike)
and my ammonia was .6ppm when tested..

[BigDaddy]

We are talking about a planted tank with established media already present.

As long as the initial fish load isn't huge... the cycle will be minimal at best.

I agree, a fishless cycle is important if you have no media from another tank and/or you are not heavily planting the tank.

But given that the tank is planted and he has media from another OVAS member... most of us are reading this and thinking the poor guy is paranoid if he doesn't do this all his fish will die, when we all know that won't be the case.