# 20G Fishless Cycle Journal



## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

Here is my 75 Gallon Fishless Cycle Journal.
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18397

Day 1 (Friday, November 12, 2010):

Set-up my 20High for a Fishless Cycle

Connected all wiring and placed Gravel, Decor, Heater, HOB Filter, Undergravel Filter, Lighting, Air Pumps and 20 Gallons of Water.

Added Aqua Plus Tap Water Conditioner.
Setup Fluval E50 to 32 Celsius = Actual Water Temp 19.5 Celsius
Aquaclear 50(yes 50) has 2 x of AC 30 (yes 30) Foam, and 2 x of AC 30 (yes 30) Carbon.
The way i placed the first AC30 Foam is upright nudged to the impeller side, second AC 30 foam vertical at the bottom. THe remainin space i placed 2 X of AC30 CarbonFront and back and not top and bottom. (I know, I know............I am not supposed to put Activated Carbon during Cycling)
Air Master Dual Outler Air Pump powering 2 x Tube for the undergravel filter.
1 x 15" Aqua Glo T8 Fluorescent Bulb
Substrate = Mixed: - 90% Black Gravel with 10% Blue Gravel (alsmost like it was just speckled)
2 pieces of driftwood and lots of plastic plants and resin decor

the AC50, plastic plants, driftwood and resin decor has been placed as squatters in my 75G for over a week to prep for seeding.

after the setup...added 10 drops of ammonia.

quite concerned as the surface is frothy...i'll see on day 2.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*Day 2*

Day 2 (Saturday, November 13, 2010):

Actual Water Temp is 30.5 Celsius

Surface is still FROTHY and noticed random pea sized "thick" bubbles dropping from the AC50 down flow to the middle of the tank that doesn't want to pop (this, is why i describe it as "thick", if there is a name for that, i would like to know please) these bubbles would dance around mid-tank and float to the surface but still won't pop.

removed the canopy and the surface, especially the sides where glass and water meet is really frothy.

before adding today's 10 drops of ammonia, i did a 50% water change but did not add Water Conditioner this time.

Water is really cloudy too.

did a water test and here are the results:
Water Test #1 (2:00 PM)
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0.25 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm
Ph: 8.0

really concerned about frothiness and cloudiness of water.

could be i put way too much water conditioner??????????

i'll leave it for now and not add any ammonia today.

i'll check it tomorrow.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*Day 3 - Quite Concerned*

Day 3 (Sunday, November 14, 2010):

Actual Water Temp is 27.5 Celsius (It's really cold in the living room and the Fluval E50 can't keep up).
I am targeting a 30 Celsius Temp for my fishless cycling. I'm thinking about adding 1 or 2 Hagen Radiant 50 Watt heaters just to keep the temp at 30 degrees.
This E50 alone should be fine after the fishless cycling when I try to maintain a water temp between 25 to 27 degrees.

Did not add ammonia on Day 2 so it would be interesting what results I get today.

Water is still cloudy but not as much as Day 2. I am planning to put some API Accu-Clear after my water test to see if it helps clear the water out.

Water Surface is still frothy but not as bubbly as Day 2.

Water Test #2 (8:00 AM)
Ammonia: 0.5 ppm
Nitrite: 0.00 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm
Ph: 8.0

My PH is still high but will hold off on PH Adjuster, perhaps until Week #2, as I need to worry about my Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate first.

Without adding Ammonia in Day 2, I was expecting my Ammonia to be ZERO if there were any NITROSOMONAS in my tank (bacteria that processes Ammonia to Nitrite).

When I saw that my Ammonia is .5, it went UP from DAY 2?!?!?!?!?!?!? I did not add Ammonia, there is NO FISH in my tank and I wasn't putting any food in there. I really don't know what to think about this.

When I looked at my NITRITE reading at 0.00 this reinforced my fears that I do not have NITROSOMOSAS in my tank. But then again, it's only DAY 3 so I should not worry, as this is the purpose of Fishless Cycling, to build up my Nitrifying Bacteria.

But then again, the Nitrite reading of 0.25 from DAY 2 to 0.00 for DAY 3 may have been from the NITROSOMONAS from my SEEDING this tank&#8230;.so this leads me again to believe that they are there somewhere, just not at the level that they should be yet.

I looked at my NITRATE reading, and at 5.00ppm, they have been constant from DAY2. This tells me I have a healthy batch of NITROBACTERS (bacteria that processes Nitrite to Nitrate).

My NITROBACTERS from my seeding had successfully processed the NITRITES from DAY2 from 0.25 to 0.00.

I am just worried that I will starve my NITROBACTER if my NITROSOMOSAS don't produce NITRITES fast enough. This will lead me to a mini-cycle within a cycle should my NITROBACTERS starve.

I am going to place 10 drops of Ammonia after breakfast today and re-visit it tomorrow.

I will constantly monitor the cloudiness and froth but will not and cannot do anything about it.

Will consider drastic steps when I enter Week 2 and by drastic, I mean taking everything down, boiling everything and re-do everything, as I am thinking, because of the unusual frothiness (which really concerns me), the cloudiness in DAY 3 and my weird readings PLUS my high PH&#8230;it might be required, but we'll see how this week goes first.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. Also, if you have any questions, let me know and I can add it here.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*Day 3 Continued...*

At 10:00 am: 
added 10 drops of Ammonia (5 drops per 10 gallon rule)
added 40 drops of API Accu Clear (2 drops per 1 gallon instructions)

...crossing my fingers and waiting...


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## grafx (Nov 13, 2010)

Looks like your nitrite went up on day 2 because you have NO nitrites breaking it down. hmm im not sure though.

also, do we NEED to put water conditioner in the tank during a cycle?


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

grafx said:


> Looks like your nitrite went up on day 2 because you have NO nitrites breaking it down. hmm im not sure though.
> 
> also, do we NEED to put water conditioner in the tank during a cycle?


...to your first point, perhaps...let's wait and sew what happens next.

...to your 2nd point, IMHO, Chlorine will be well taken care of in the days you are cycling, by the time you pur the fish in, the chlorine has been long gone...not sure about chloramines though....

to all reading this journal, drop in your 2 cents about water conditioner during cycling, would love to hear pros, cons and different angles about it.

I wouldn't mind NOT using water conditioner when I setup my 30 gallon planted tank (when I have added my stock to this 20G). I will also start a journal here.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*Day 4 Fully Cycled Tank!!!!! *

Day 4 (Monday, November 15, 2010):

Water Test #3 (10:00 AM)
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm
Ph: 7.8

Tank is Fully Cycled in 4 Days!
Please see pictures.

Did a 25% water change.
Actual Water Temp is 25.0 Celsius
Added Aqua Plus Tap Water Conditioner

Added Stock: Acclimated for 30 minutes
4 X Giant Zebra Danios
This is a Temporary Stock while I look for 20 Neon Tetras.

Will Set the Heater now to aim and maintain 25 Celsius Temp

I can now start my 30 Gallon Fishless Cycle.
I have my AC50 running in my established 75G to help seed.
Will be planning to use UGF and HOB AC50 only.
Wanted this to be a planted tank and perhaps to have a few snails, shrimps and Neons or Cardinals.
I will post some advise-seeking threads in the Planted Tank Are of GTAA for advise.



Thanks!


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## grafx (Nov 13, 2010)

4 days? wow nice. 

i just redid my tank completely last night.

put in sand from a someones aquarium so it smelt like fish so it had the bioload. should speed up my cycle. i added ammonia last night. so today im going to test it.

didnt turn on filter yet since sand had to settle. hope mine cycles as quick as yours

your pic looks like your ammonia is reading .5


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

grafx said:


> 4 days? wow nice.
> 
> i just redid my tank completely last night.
> 
> ...


Thanks! 

Here is my 75 Gallon Fishless Cycle Journal.
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18397

If there is any help you need, please let me know, I will try my best to help.

Just before someone jumps in: I am not claiming to be an expert. Would give advise based on my experience, rightly or wrongly.
Thanks.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*Quite Perturbed.*

Saturday, November 20, 2010:

Water Test #4 (8:00 AM)
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 20 ppm
Ph: 8.0
Actual Water Temp is 25.5 Celsius

Again, quite concerned about these results because I just did a 25% water change yesterday at around noon and also added some live plants as well.

There are only 4 Giant Zebra Danios in the tank to temporairily feed the tank with Ammonia as I look for Neons or Cardinals.

I was expecting 0 Ammonia and a Lower NitrAte reading.

Let's see neext week.

I will do a 25% water change again on Friday but instead of testing the water on Saturday, I would do it on Sunday.


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## margolow (Sep 2, 2010)

*Changed my mind*

after getting the readings from my 75 Gallon water test, i decided to do water changes today.

50% for my 75G and 25% for my 20G.

will re-test either tomorrow or Monday.

any thoughts are welcome.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

How big was your Dainos? Stable cycle doesn't happen over night (er .. or in 4 days), it will go into multiple mini cycles and micro cycles with each introduction of fish. That's why weekly water change is healthy for new tanks. Regardless of how fast you can cycle your tank, it takes about 3 months (some times 6 months) for your tank to become really settle and mature. Aside from the 3 key bacteria that make up the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle, there are probably hundreds maybe even thousands of other difference kinds of bacteria in your tank. Many of which we don't really care unless they are making your fish sick. These can alter the chemistry of your tank. One other sign I look for is the algae bloom. Some times it show up early some times late. But that one shouldn't harm your fish. This is because of the excess of other undetectable chemicals in your tank.

Nitrate up take isn't instantaineous for plants. Did they grow new leaves. How short did you cut the roots when you plant them. When planting a plant, I usually cut them to about 1-2 inch of roots left and plant them this way. It's easier this way and I don't have to worry about rotting roots. Either what, a newly planted plant will spend a few weeks (1 or 2) developing it's root system first before blooming it's leaves. So the uptake of nitrate will be from the gravel/soil. This will remove very little nitrate from the water column.
The only exception of course are floating plants.

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