kimb

This is the first "seeded" tank I have ever done...so I am not sure what readings should look like!
Day one: set up, dosed with ammonia to 4ppm, added lots of filter media and one scoop of gravel from established tank.
Day two: ammonia 2ppm, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate...upped ammonia to 4ppm and added second scoop of gravel (both scoops hanging in nylon)
Day three: (today)
ammonia: 2ppm
nitrite: 1ppm
nitrate: between 5 and 10

Should I keep upping ammonia or let it fall to 0 then re-dose? I think this all could happen kind of quickly, so I want to be prepared. I know I need to have 0-0-some....water change? I think I am just looking for some confirmation this is what it can look like when using seeded materials. As always, value those more experienced, and thanks in advance.

aquarist48

Good morning Kim. You're surely going in the right direction according to your readings. I'm sorry but I can't tell you how much ammonia to add because I've never used it when seeding a tank. I'm sure some other members that have will help you soon. I'm so glad you have the new tank now I think you'll going to be cycled before you know it.
Hope you're doing well!

Use 100% pure ammonia.
Using a dropper, add 5 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of aquarium water. If you don't get an ammonia reading with your test kit, add some more drops until you start to see an ammonia reading. Keep track of how many drops you've used so you can repeat this process daily. Continue to dose the tank with ammonia until you start to get nitrite readings with your test kit. Once you can detect nitrites you should only add 3 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of aquarium water, or if you added more drops originally to get an ammonia reading cut the amount of drops used in half. Continue this process daily until you get nitrate readings with your test kit. Do a 30% water change and your tank is ready.

Too Kim, increase your tank temperature to 80-82 and it will help to speed it up. I copied the one paragraph (using 100% pure ammonia from this website.)

kimb

Thanks Aquarist....My tank temp is almost 90, and I followed above when I did all my other tanks. What I thought I would see with the nitrite and nitrate readings is 0amm and that has not occured. I think I am over paranoid, thinking that if it bottoms out through the night, will bacteria survive? There is such a range out there of bacteria dying off at different rates from one day to a few hours to....Just anxious I guess, it seems like I have been waiting for this tank for so long
When you seeded...you just added fish to keep up the ammonia?

aquarist48

Hello. Yes I added my fish to my seeded tank right away. However, I also had to do 15 days of 30 to 50% water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite down. It took exactly 15 days to cycle. Using the ammonia as you are should be much easier on you and of course your fish.

Shawnie

whahoooooooo kim!!
now that you have nitrite and nitrate, keep it around 2ppm...dont over load.....no water changes whatsoever.....when you have your ammonia being processed to 0 over night, you would go probably 2 days of that occurance, then do a small water change as sometimes when doing the ammonia method, the nitrites stick until the small water change is done...but no water changes until you have a couple days of the ammonia being processed and you are stuck just in a nitrite / nitrate phase..

kimb

Shawnie, you must have rec'd my "ESP" message to read my post! It was either that or I was going to PM you! I am going to leave ammonia where it is today (2ppm) and see what happens by tonight. The nitrites just showed up last night and nitrates have increased since last night also. I will check tonight. Hoping to move Hermione over on Saturday if possible, if not I will wait this out...she is not going in until ALL is right. Wish me luck!
P.S. for anyone reading this....knowing how MTS takes hold, as soon as you have an established tank, get some sponges, filter floss, whatever and stuff it into filter spaces. This has to be the easiest way to cycle a tank (for us non TSS Canucks)

Shawnie

LOL kim

you are easily covered with our buddy ken

next time, and if you have enough media , you can use it as if it was TSS ...hence keeping plenty of pillow stuffin in your filters hahahah.....

im not sure sat will be enough time to have it settled but its a good goal ...good luck to you and hermione!!!

kimb

Ken is def my go to BP guy! He just wasn't sure of the adding ammonia part. I got my new sponges back into my filters already! I probably did have enough media, but with the tank being so much bigger, adding some ammoniia and waiting was like a double reassurance all would be o.k. I am testing the water so often I'll need a new test kit by the time I'm done LOL. Thanks for input...Happy 4th of July

jdhef

If I'm not mistaken, isn't today Canada's Birthday!!!

kimb

Nope..July 1 is Canada's birthday! But thanks

jdhef

As usual, a day late (and a dollar short! as the saying goes).