Cycling Question!

[Albz]

So my tank has been cycling for 2 weeks. I have Live fiji pink sand, with Caribsea life rock in it. I added pure ammonia 4 times in the last 2 weeks, the ammonia spiked 4ppm all 4 times. first time it took about 48-52hours to cycle the ammonia to nitrites and than nitrites to Nitrates about 48 hours. in the last few days, it took 48 hours to cycle Ammonia and nitrites to nitrates in 48hours. So currently, my Ammonia and nitrites are all at 0, but nitrates are high which is normal cause i haven't done the big water change. So my question is, Should i still wait and add more pure ammonia or just transfer my two clowns in it.... At the start i used Bio-spira and i used the stability... So what you guys think??

 

[heath]

get in touch with yvet??? on the site, she cycles with ammonia and gave me the directions and it takes 6 WEEKS to cycle with ammonia, don't get a false hope that its done and start adding livestock.. there are a few others here that have rushed the cycle and the tank has crashed...

 

[Dingets]

I'm not familiar with the method you have chosen to cycle, but wondering if adding the Bio-spira at the beginning has been completly negated by the fact you've spiked the amonia a number of times throughout the process. I certainly could be wrong however.


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[heath]

found the info on cycling a tank using ammonia, here it is;

sorry it came through upside down.,, maybe Torx can fix it...

 

[Albz]

yea i followed that plan with it. So in 24 hours my Ammonia from 4ppm goes to 0 and my nitrites too. i will dose another 4ppm ammonia today and let it cycle for another round. thanks for that!

 

[heath]

you are welcome.. good luck with the tank and be sure to post pictures...remember, slow + steady = success...

 

[yveterinarian]

When I cycled I used Prime. BioSpira may cycle faster, I don't know for sure. However, any time the ammonia goes down to zero you must add the same amount of ammonia back in that you put in originally. So, if you are clearing every 48 hours then add ammonia every 48 hours. As the bacteria get stronger and multiply it should start clearing faster. As soon as it reaches zero, add more ammonia. Once it is clearing every 24 hours add ammonia a couple more times to make sure it continues to clear every 24 hours. If you want to go further to every 12 hours that is fine too. I cycle all of my tanks to clear every 12 hours. Do a large water change at that time to reduce your nitrates and you will be ready to add your fish.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[yveterinarian]

I'm not familiar with the method you have chosen to cycle, but wondering if adding the Bio-spira at the beginning has been completly negated by the fact you've spiked the amonia a number of times throughout the process. I certainly could be wrong however.


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No, it won't negate the Bio-spira. Ammonia takes the place of the food breaking down (like the piece of shrimp) that other cycling methods use. As the food and waste break down in your tank it is always converted to ammonia, then nitrites, then nitrates by the bacteria in your tank. The bacteria are designed to feed on ammonia so adding pure ammonia gives you a chance to feed the bacteria you have added and allow them to multiply. The wonderful thing about adding ammonia and watching it clear is that you know exactly what your tank is capable of clearing in 12 or 24 hours. You know for sure your bacteria are capable of handling the ammonia produced when you add your livestock. As an example I cycled a 10 gallon tank to 8 ppm clearing every 12 hours. To this tank I added 100 dwarf seahorses all at once and never had an ammonia spike in that tank. Seahorses are extremely messy eaters and place a huge bioload on a tank. With the conventional method you can't possibly add that many animals at once.

 

[Dingets]

Interesting


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[Albz]

No, it won't negate the Bio-spira. Ammonia takes the place of the food breaking down (like the piece of shrimp) that other cycling methods use. As the food and waste break down in your tank it is always converted to ammonia, then nitrites, then nitrates by the bacteria in your tank. The bacteria are designed to feed on ammonia so adding pure ammonia gives you a chance to feed the bacteria you have added and allow them to multiply. The wonderful thing about adding ammonia and watching it clear is that you know exactly what your tank is capable of clearing in 12 or 24 hours. You know for sure your bacteria are capable of handling the ammonia produced when you add your livestock. As an example I cycled a 10 gallon tank to 8 ppm clearing every 12 hours. To this tank I added 100 dwarf seahorses all at once and never had an ammonia spike in that tank. Seahorses are extremely messy eaters and place a huge bioload on a tank. With the conventional method you can't possibly add that many animals at once.

This is exactly what i did with my 14g biocube. added 6ppm of ammonia at least 5 times and by the last time my ammonia and nitrites would convert into nitrates in 24 hours.. never had a spike after adding my clowns and feeding them like crazy(beginners mistake lol).. But yea this method is best way i found on the internet!