Cycling Your Aquarium
- Thread starter 125gJoe
- Start date
Well, they do suggest 5ppm or higher ammonia, and I very strongly disapprove of that unless the water is alkaline (high KH) as the tank may pH crash during the cycle development, plus concentrations >5ppm do tend to extend the cycle time significantly. This is especially true when they suggest adding the same qualtity of ammonia daily, without checking the existing titer at all - very poor IMHO. They suggest nothing about pH or KH checking, which IMHO are needed. They say nothing about temperature, and 80-85F will maximize the rate of bacterial growth.
But the biggest complaint I have is they say nothing about doing a large-volume water change after the cycle before fish are added. That is a bad omission to me. Adding fish to a high-nitrate tank is very poor practice.
So, at best it is fair advice, a long way from great to me.
But the biggest complaint I have is they say nothing about doing a large-volume water change after the cycle before fish are added. That is a bad omission to me. Adding fish to a high-nitrate tank is very poor practice.
So, at best it is fair advice, a long way from great to me.
Unfortunately, when Chris started this current practice of fishless, he was not, nor was I or any of the others first pushing this on the web, working with soft water. None of us thought of the potential problems until they started showing up on the boards. I do think that soft tap water is the definite minority, but for those who have soft water and pH crash, that is poor consolation.
But it is still sooo much better than cycling with fish that it is fairly impressive to me to see a commercial site pushing fishless. Their article is no worse than the originals, but to Chris' defense, none of us knew the pitfalls then.
But it is still sooo much better than cycling with fish that it is fairly impressive to me to see a commercial site pushing fishless. Their article is no worse than the originals, but to Chris' defense, none of us knew the pitfalls then.
soft water, slightly alkaline
O, now that I read your threads, I wonder, for a new tank, what can I do to harden my water, if I am fishless cycling, I have soft tap water, and pH of 7.6
What can I add to harden the water, and NOT raise the pH even more. I have a 10 gallon that I want to fishless cycle for my daughter to put a few neons in, and since I am cycling my other tanks with fish, have not ventured into fishless yet.
Thanks
momopoms
O, now that I read your threads, I wonder, for a new tank, what can I do to harden my water, if I am fishless cycling, I have soft tap water, and pH of 7.6
What can I add to harden the water, and NOT raise the pH even more. I have a 10 gallon that I want to fishless cycle for my daughter to put a few neons in, and since I am cycling my other tanks with fish, have not ventured into fishless yet.
Thanks
momopoms
What is your KH?
The pH and KH can drop quite rapidly in soft water fishless cycling, so it is not a matter of increasing your pH/KH as it is of supporting it to avoid pH crashes. There have many reports from soft water tanks (KH <1-2 degrees) of pH well below 6, which stops the multpication of the bacteria needed.
You only need to monitor the pH/KH is soft water cycling. Sodium bicarbonate will increase the KH and pH if the KH/pH are falling rapidly due to the heavy nitrification in high-titer fishless cycling.
The pH and KH can drop quite rapidly in soft water fishless cycling, so it is not a matter of increasing your pH/KH as it is of supporting it to avoid pH crashes. There have many reports from soft water tanks (KH <1-2 degrees) of pH well below 6, which stops the multpication of the bacteria needed.
You only need to monitor the pH/KH is soft water cycling. Sodium bicarbonate will increase the KH and pH if the KH/pH are falling rapidly due to the heavy nitrification in high-titer fishless cycling.