Warning essay in coming!
Hello, please could I have some advice on my fishless cycle.
I have a 200l Juwel Lido with the internal filter it came with. Started my fishlsss cycle almost 4 weeks ago. It came with some bio boost tablets so I put them in the filter as I figured it couldn't hurt even if it didn't work. Added my plants (I have about 13 and 5 mosses plus floating one)Cranked temp up to 30 degrees and started dosing dr timms up to 4ppm. After 3 days ammonia started dropping overnight to 1 so dosed back up to 4ppm.
I have measured nitrite and nitrate throughout and have had some readings on both (someone told me this could be from my liquid fertiliser) but generally my nitrate doesn't read and nitrite seems stuck at 0.25 or 0.5 and doesn't go any higher even though I am adding 200 drops per day of Dr Tims as it disappears down to zero overnight. This has been happening for over 3 weeks and still no significant nitrite or nitrate. About 10days ago I added a large piece of bogwood which had been soaking and then a week ago my PH started dropping.
I read that you need to do a pwc to preserve buffers so did that and added prime and my flourish as well and carried on with the Dr tims. I am not through a bottlw and a half of dr tims. Ammonia disappears every night ao I know I have that bacteria but I can't seem to get much nitrite to kick start that part of the cycle no matter what I do. Also now my pH is dropping its stressing me out as I know this can kill your good bacteria. I added some bicarb of soda which stabilised the pH for about a week but now its beginning to drop slowly again.
Any advice would be great. Do I just keep dosing with dr tims forever hoping to one day develop a significant spike in nitrite? What can I do about my PH? Should I take my bog wood out?
Many thanks and sorry for the long post!
Today's readings pH 7/6.8 ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25, nitrate 0/5ppm
Hello, please could I have some advice on my fishless cycle.
I have a 200l Juwel Lido with the internal filter it came with. Started my fishlsss cycle almost 4 weeks ago. It came with some bio boost tablets so I put them in the filter as I figured it couldn't hurt even if it didn't work. Added my plants (I have about 13 and 5 mosses plus floating one)Cranked temp up to 30 degrees and started dosing dr timms up to 4ppm. After 3 days ammonia started dropping overnight to 1 so dosed back up to 4ppm.
I have measured nitrite and nitrate throughout and have had some readings on both (someone told me this could be from my liquid fertiliser) but generally my nitrate doesn't read and nitrite seems stuck at 0.25 or 0.5 and doesn't go any higher even though I am adding 200 drops per day of Dr Tims as it disappears down to zero overnight. This has been happening for over 3 weeks and still no significant nitrite or nitrate. About 10days ago I added a large piece of bogwood which had been soaking and then a week ago my PH started dropping.
I read that you need to do a pwc to preserve buffers so did that and added prime and my flourish as well and carried on with the Dr tims. I am not through a bottlw and a half of dr tims. Ammonia disappears every night ao I know I have that bacteria but I can't seem to get much nitrite to kick start that part of the cycle no matter what I do. Also now my pH is dropping its stressing me out as I know this can kill your good bacteria. I added some bicarb of soda which stabilised the pH for about a week but now its beginning to drop slowly again.
Any advice would be great. Do I just keep dosing with dr tims forever hoping to one day develop a significant spike in nitrite? What can I do about my PH? Should I take my bog wood out?
Many thanks and sorry for the long post!
Today's readings pH 7/6.8 ammonia 0, nitrite 0.25, nitrate 0/5ppm