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Cycle question


arielroxi
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I have tried to find my answers in the form but not with much luck. I'm doing a fishless cycle. 30gal. Added plants and used Seachem Stability for 4 days, I have not seen an ammonia spike. It has been 2 weeks. Lots of hair algae and brown algae. I clam it off and it's back the next day. I have not done a water change. This weekend will do a 30% change. I test the water once a week. The plants are doing well. 

  1. Should I be testing it daily?
  2. Should I add Seachem Stability after I do the water change? Or not at all?
  3. Should I clean the algae before I do a water change? Or let it continue to spread?
  4. Should I wait a month before adding fish or snails?
  5. Am I totally lost?

Thanks,

Angie

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Did you add anything that will produce ammonia, or ammonia in liquid form? Ammonia will not spike on its own, you have to add a source for it, it may be liquid, pure ammonia or any organic matter (fish food) that will rot and produce it. I recommend Dr. Tim's ammonia, easy to dose and thus easy to control how much you need.

I've done 3 fishless cycles with it dosing to 2ppm and doing water changes at soon as I start getting nitrate.

Edited by HenryC
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I have had this tank set up since early November and have had fish in it since the beginning. I measured the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate everyday. Here is a graph of what that looked like.

Nitrates were high initially likely from fertilizer the plants brought in with them, but this faded.

graph.PNG.6b91eae93819c619f14603aa42750d62.PNG

742359785_Eco5-7.PNG.e576674903a9e8211e71693cf1f00da5.PNG

After a few days the ammonia and nitrites began to increase.

1451508838_Eco8-10.PNG.7e75c3950ae2ef681641cde03c406917.PNG

And then the ammonia and nitrate held steady for a few days.

1225424523_Eco11-13.PNG.5939f134a30daff67c35ad21f8178b84.PNG

Then the ammonia peaked on the 14th followed by a peak in nitrites the next day. Nitrates began to rise after that.

39434241_Eco14-16.PNG.d504e1560db91aa99dd87583c9163b55.PNG

And now everything is falling back down again.

652651810_Eco17-18.PNG.3a1bb0b597a845269d45c516246bfe3c.PNG

 

 

 

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Just now, Daniel

I have had this tank set up since early November and have had fish in it since the beginning. I measured the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate everyday. Here is a graph of what that looked like.

Nitrates were high initially likely from fertilizer the plants brought in with them, but this faded.

graph.PNG.6b91eae93819c619f14603aa42750d62.PNG

742359785_Eco5-7.PNG.e576674903a9e8211e71693cf1f00da5.PNG

After a few days the ammonia and nitrites began to increase.

1451508838_Eco8-10.PNG.7e75c3950ae2ef681641cde03c406917.PNG

And then the ammonia and nitrate held steady for a few days.

1225424523_Eco11-13.PNG.5939f134a30daff67c35ad21f8178b84.PNG

Then the ammonia peaked on the 14th followed by a peak in nitrites the next day. Nitrates began to rise after that.

39434241_Eco14-16.PNG.d504e1560db91aa99dd87583c9163b55.PNG

And now everything is falling back down again.

652651810_Eco17-18.PNG.3a1bb0b597a845269d45c516246bfe3c.PNG

 

 

 

And I'm willing to bet that if/when you add more fish, you will see another cycle similar to this. Probably with shallower peaks & valleys, but similar. At least that's what I've experienced.

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16 hours ago, Daniel said:

I have had this tank set up since early November and have had fish in it since the beginning. I measured the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate everyday. Here is a graph of what that looked like.

Nitrates were high initially likely from fertilizer the plants brought in with them, but this faded.

graph.PNG.6b91eae93819c619f14603aa42750d62.PNG

742359785_Eco5-7.PNG.e576674903a9e8211e71693cf1f00da5.PNG

After a few days the ammonia and nitrites began to increase.

1451508838_Eco8-10.PNG.7e75c3950ae2ef681641cde03c406917.PNG

And then the ammonia and nitrate held steady for a few days.

1225424523_Eco11-13.PNG.5939f134a30daff67c35ad21f8178b84.PNG

Then the ammonia peaked on the 14th followed by a peak in nitrites the next day. Nitrates began to rise after that.

39434241_Eco14-16.PNG.d504e1560db91aa99dd87583c9163b55.PNG

And now everything is falling back down again.

652651810_Eco17-18.PNG.3a1bb0b597a845269d45c516246bfe3c.PNG

 

 

 

Wow Daniel that is quite the tracking you have. I will start checking daily as soon as I get the ammonia to add. Now my only problem is with the algae that is going out of control. Thank you for sharing. 

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