Best Fishless cycle article I've ever read

[valleygurl2004]

Hi,
I followed your advice, but after adding the ammonia and reaching about 5ppm I checked my pH and it's at 8.4. This is my third time draining the tank and adding new water. The last two times, even without adding ammonia, my pH went to 8.4 overnight (my tap water is 7.0-7.2). So I bought new gravel thinking something in it might be causing my pH to rise so high, but it still went back up to 8.4. The only things in my 10gallon tank are a heater,filter,airstone,and the gravel. Do you have any idea what's causing my problem?? I can't continue with the cycle until I get my pH at safe levels and it's driving me crazy...:help:
Thanks,
Stacey

 

[wataugachicken]

why not just cycle the tank first and worry about pH later? it might take longer with the higher pH, but it will happen. And even though it is on the high side, you can either get fish suited to it, or simply get any hardy fish, Most fish can acclimate to a different pH than what is natural for them, and by choosing species carefully, you can make it work to your advantage. What is the pH of the water at the shops where you plan on buying your fish?

Whatever you do, don't buy any chemicals to change the pH. Those almost exclusively do more harm than good. What kind of gravel do you have exactly? Is it a crushed coral, or something for reptiles maybe? Substrates produced for reptiles are generally made up of calcium carbonate, which will raise the pH.

 

[dmopar74]

wow, all that work seems much easier than throwing in some bio-spira and a market shrimp and walking away from it for a week or two!:idea:

 

[Reddog80p]

Hi,
I followed your advice, but after adding the ammonia and reaching about 5ppm I checked my pH and it's at 8.4. This is my third time draining the tank and adding new water. The last two times, even without adding ammonia, my pH went to 8.4 overnight (my tap water is 7.0-7.2). So I bought new gravel thinking something in it might be causing my pH to rise so high, but it still went back up to 8.4. The only things in my 10gallon tank are a heater,filter,airstone,and the gravel. Do you have any idea what's causing my problem?? I can't continue with the cycle until I get my pH at safe levels and it's driving me crazy...:help:
Thanks,
Stacey

I agree with Wataugachicken, It may take a little longer but the higher pH, will be ok. What kind of test are you using? If you are using dip strips, I would go and get a API Freshwater Master test kit. You can get it at petsmart for $13.49. Just go to www.petsmart.com and print out the online price, and go into your local petsmart and ask them to pricematch it for you.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

i am a big fan of dave's articles. it has a little more info.

http://aquafacts.net/wiki/index.php/Cycling_a_Freshwater_Tank

 

[valleygurl2004]

I am using an API Test kit from Petsmart. Also, to answer Wataugachicken, I'm not sure what the pet store's pH is and my new gravel says it is made for aquariums.
Thanks for your input
Stacey

 

[rajseth]

Hi,
...after adding the ammonia and reaching about 5ppm I checked my pH and it's at 8.4.
...
I can't continue with the cycle until I get my pH at safe levels and it's driving me crazy...:help:

When I started my fishless cycle,
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98682
I dosed the Ammonia, to my already high pH (7.4) tap water, and had to go to the high range pH test to find my pH was 8.5 or higher.... NH4OH is an alkali and will raise your pH. However, the pH plummetted fairly quickly as nitrification started.
YMMV :huh:

 

[kwl718]

My tap water is 8.2 and I've been fishless cycling a 15 gallon for 5 weeks now...I've just this week started seeing the nitrites fall (after some water changes to get them down from so high they were unreadable, changing my dosing scheme (1/2 morning 1/2 night rather than all once a day) and putting in some bio spira last weekend. PH is 7.8 now...nothing to lose sleep over and nothing I'm going to mess with.

 

[Reddog80p]

My tap water is 8.2 and I've been fishless cycling a 15 gallon for 5 weeks now...I've just this week started seeing the nitrites fall (after some water changes to get them down from so high they were unreadable, changing my dosing scheme (1/2 morning 1/2 night rather than all once a day) and putting in some bio spira last weekend. PH is 7.8 now...nothing to lose sleep over and nothing I'm going to mess with.

When fishless cycling high nitrItes is not a problem. No need to do a wter change. Just do one big water change at the end of your cycle (75% or so)to get your NitrAtes down to good level. You will know when your cycle is completed when you have no nirtIte, a level of nitrAte, and can convert 2-3ppm of ammonia in under 24 hours.

 

[kwl718]

Yeah, that's what I've been told. I also read, however, that REALLY high nitrites can stall the cycle...which is what seemed to be happening with mine, three weeks with NO change at all, though all the ammonia had been being processed for a month. Mostly, though, I just wanted to get the nitrites into the readable range of the test kit...so I didn't go crazy staring at that really dark magenta for weeks on end! It's moving down now and I can actually see it moving, which makes it easier to be patient!