geowashlaw
02-07-2009, 06:26 PM
Okay, I want to know if this 10g tank is cycled. It has been a long and weird process, so I'll try to give it to you from the beginning.
Some dates are estimates from the beginning:
1/2: cleaned out tank from old fish that moved to 46g, set up new gravel. Continued running filter that was running with fish and put in about 1 quart of old gravel in a panty hose. Dosed ammonia to 4 ppm.
1/7: nitrites appeared at about .5ppm, continued dosing ammonia, about 2.5 ml.
1/11: changed filter and removed old gravel in panty hose. I thought there would be enough bacteria in the new gravel to keep cycle going.
1/12 - 1/17: continued dosing ammonia at 2.5 ml. Reading .5 ppm nitrites
1/18: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm -- apparently cycle died!
From then on, I got the following readings and took the following actions:
1/19: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, rinsed filter from 46g in tank
1/20: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/21: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/22: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/23: ammonia 1 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, added 4 ml ammonia
1/24: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/25: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/26: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/27: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, nitrates 0 ppm, pH 6.0
1/28: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/29: ammonia 2 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, added 2.5 ml ammonia, put filter media from 46 g tank behind filter media in 10g tank
1/30: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/31: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
2/1: ammonia 2 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, removed filter media, changed 95% of water (i.e., all except what I couldn't get out of the gravel), added 4 ml ammonia
2/2: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm
2/3: ammonia 2 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, added 4 ml ammonia
2/4: ammonia .5 ppm, nitrite .25 ppm, added 3.5 ml ammonia
2/5: ammonia .25 ppm, nitrite .25 ppm, added 3.5 ml ammonia
2/6: ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, nitrate 5 ppm, added 4.0 ml ammonia
2/7: ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm
So, what do you think? It has been a bizarre process and I just don't know. This is only the second tank I have cycled.
Some dates are estimates from the beginning:
1/2: cleaned out tank from old fish that moved to 46g, set up new gravel. Continued running filter that was running with fish and put in about 1 quart of old gravel in a panty hose. Dosed ammonia to 4 ppm.
1/7: nitrites appeared at about .5ppm, continued dosing ammonia, about 2.5 ml.
1/11: changed filter and removed old gravel in panty hose. I thought there would be enough bacteria in the new gravel to keep cycle going.
1/12 - 1/17: continued dosing ammonia at 2.5 ml. Reading .5 ppm nitrites
1/18: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm -- apparently cycle died!
From then on, I got the following readings and took the following actions:
1/19: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, rinsed filter from 46g in tank
1/20: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/21: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/22: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/23: ammonia 1 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, added 4 ml ammonia
1/24: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/25: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/26: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/27: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, nitrates 0 ppm, pH 6.0
1/28: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/29: ammonia 2 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, added 2.5 ml ammonia, put filter media from 46 g tank behind filter media in 10g tank
1/30: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
1/31: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm
2/1: ammonia 2 ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, removed filter media, changed 95% of water (i.e., all except what I couldn't get out of the gravel), added 4 ml ammonia
2/2: ammonia 4 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm
2/3: ammonia 2 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, added 4 ml ammonia
2/4: ammonia .5 ppm, nitrite .25 ppm, added 3.5 ml ammonia
2/5: ammonia .25 ppm, nitrite .25 ppm, added 3.5 ml ammonia
2/6: ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm, nitrate 5 ppm, added 4.0 ml ammonia
2/7: ammonia 0 ppm, nitrite 0 ppm
So, what do you think? It has been a bizarre process and I just don't know. This is only the second tank I have cycled.