PH crashing during fishless cycle.

C

Cityfish

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Aug 13, 2006
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I am struggling to keep my tanks alkaline. The carbonate hardness it my tap water is 0dkh.
Yesterday morning my 36 gallon completed its first cycled. I almost screamed when the NitrIte tested 0. I joyfully retested the nitrites and dosed the tank W/ 4ppm ammonia.
This morning NitrIte .3 mg/l
Amon 2ppm
PH 5/ minimum scale

I have two tanks cycling a 36 gallon ¼ round & a 150 gallon tall. The 150 was started first and has already crashed & restarted its cycle once. I have seeded both tanks from My very heavily planted 29 gallon tank & the 150 I have seeded twice.

The Ammonia source I am using is “Ace hardware” pro-strength 10% Ammonia hydroxide. I have also added a small amount of flakes and a small amount of flourish to provide micro nutrients.

I have added some baking soda and I have added crushed coral to the filters on the 150. I have been trying to add as little baking soda as possible as I do not want to take my tanks water parameters too far from “Tap” standards.

Am I back to square one & the first day?

During the cycling process should I add B-soda any time my ph is below a certain level?
Remember my KH is below 1dkh.
Am I back to square one & the first day?

All suggestions and advice on raising PH & fishless cycling would be appreciated. This is my first attempt at cycling a aquarium.


:OT: :OT: BTW… I did not get my Fahaka :sad: … I respect the previous owners need to let the first cycled/ qualified tank & caretaker have him. My tanks are simply far from ready, I also get the feeling that the previous owner does not believe in fishless cycling :duh: ….

Now… what to do with this Big-ol’tank…. Seen some small Mbu’s but they get too big for this cage….maybe a community maybe planted, but I’d have to take out a 2nd mortgage for the lighting. :rolleyes:
 
i just set up my tanks with all decorations, gravel, filter/equipment, etc and let them cycle by themselves (no fish). let nature do it. takes 4-6 weeks. it doesn't cost anything either and you don't have this headache.

in my opinion, attempting to speed up nature is risky. patience is your key to success.
 
Nope.
 
Pallen81 said:
Nope.
Click to expand...
then your tank isnt cycled. you need to give the bacteria that get rid of ammoina something to feed on. if you do not add a source of ammoina like straight ammoina or fish food, then your tank wasnt cycled.

your alkalinity is fluctuating because the baking soda that you are adding only works temporarily on raising the pH and alkalinity.
 
then how have all my tanks cycled correctly?

when i took readings they registered for ammonia, nitrite, etc. explain that
 
Pallen81 said:
then how have all my tanks cycled correctly?

when i took readings they registered for ammonia, nitrite, etc. explain that
Click to expand...

There was something rotten in your tank….

I only started adding baking soda after the first PH crash in the 150 several weeks ago.
Its my understanding that the nitrogen cycle creates acid so I assume this combined with the lack of alkalinity in my water(KH) is causing a fatal crash and killing the nitro bacteria.

What is the best way to balance the PH long enough for the tanks to cycle and remain cycled. I adde about ½ a pound of crushed coral split between the two filter on the 150. Should I add more crushed coral and just wait for its effects?
Should I add crushed coral & baking soda to help fight acid indigestion wile the tank is cycling…. Should I add charcoal?
 
i think it may be this and I'm not sure about this...

i may have gotten ammonia in my tank from using my tap water conditioner. I have chloramine bonds in my tap water (thanks to the water company), now when I used the tap water conditioner it breaks that bond. this produces ammonium and chlorine or something like that. not 100% sure.

anyway, I add water to top off the tank from evaporation or do small water changes every other week. this may have been where the small amounts of ammonia that my tank needed to start cycling. this is why I have never noticed a problem with missing ammonia when cycling.

Does that make sense? Because i've never had fish loss or anything like that from cycling my tanks and they were all brand new and sparkling clean so nothing was rotten in there. I think the water chemistry may hold the answer.
 
What is the best way to balance the PH long enough for the tanks to cycle and remain cycled. I adde about ½ a pound of crushed coral split between the two filter on the 150. Should I add more crushed coral and just wait for its effects?
Should I add crushed coral & baking soda to help fight acid indigestion wile the tank is cycling…. Should I add charcoal?[/QUOTE]



I don't know anything about that. I think I got a little off topic. I've never heard of putting baking soda in a tank.
 
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