Melkor

Hi there, first post, but been reading fishlore a lot over the past 2-3 months *learned a lot, reading hours on end here and a few other sites*. Anyway, so i got a brand new 29g, rinsed it out good and tested it for leaks. Got my hardware in last friday, set it up. So i promptly test my tap water, its 0 for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, pH is 7.6ish. Then i got myself some ace ammonia *10% stuff* and tested it in a 5g bucket, 1ml brought it to about 5-6ppm. So i did some simple math * not a strength of mine, but how hard can something this simple be* and figured 6ml would do the trick. My tank has its filter running on max, temp is about 85 degrees, nothing to seed it with, flexible bubble wand making bubble wall in back and fake decor. Anyway, what is bothering me in the back of my mind is, i have not seen any changes *i know this can take weeks * and it seems wrong to be adding that much ammonia daily. I would imagine even a bit of the nitrosonomas are starting to form, a slight amount of nitrites would be present. Basically i just felt like i should post what i have done so far to make sure i did not miss something or do something wrong so far. Btw, here is my tank diary as of today.

Friday 12th- ph 7.6ish *first day with tank, just set up*

Saturday 13th- ammonia 4-8 PPM
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
Temp holding at about 85 degrees
Added first batch of ammonia at 2pm, 6 ml

Sunday 14th- Ammonia 8+ *test kit only goes to 8, but should be around 10-12ppm*
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 85
2nd batch of ammonia, 6ml at 2pm

Monday 15th- Ammonia 15-18 PPM
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 85
3rd batch of ammonia, 6ml at 2pm


Tuesday 16th- Ammonia 20-24ppm probably
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 85
4th batch of ammonia, 6ml at 2pm

Wednesday 17th- Ammonia off the chart, shows 8, but most likely over 20ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 85
5th batch of ammonia, 6ml at 2pm

Thursday 18th- Ammonia off the chart, shows 8, but most likely over 20ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 85
6th batch of ammonia, 6ml at 2pm

Friday 19th- Ammonia off the chart, shows 8, but most likely over 20ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 85
7th batch of ammonia, 6ml at 2pm

I just do not want to keep on going doing it wrong and find out later i wasted a ton of time that could have been spent enjoying fish!

Melkor

wooza

I found that 4ppm was a sufficient amount of ammonia. I have read that too much ammonia can inhibit the growth of the bacteria. You want just enough to feed the bacteria but not too much to overwhelm it. Also, just have patience, it is easy to get frustrated and feel that nothing is happening, but trust me it is worth it will come good in the end. I was putting in 10 ml into my 45 gallon daily. It took about 5 days for nitrites to show, and about double that for nitrates.

Shawnie

+2 ...great advice wooza

I still wish they sold "patience" in a bottle!

Beth1965

Welcome to Fishlore!! Looks like you're doing a great job.
Beth

harpua2002

Yes, I agree, just back off on the ammonia dosing a bit as too high of a concentration can stall your cycle. You may even want to do a water change to bring the ammonia level down to 4-5 ppm.

Lucy

Welcome to Fish Lore
Great advice above.

Congrats on fish less cyling

Melkor

Thanks for the advice, did a fairly big PWC and will start dosing with less ammonia starting tomorrow.

Melkor

aquarist48

Congrats on the fishless cycle and the new tank! I know you must be excited.