Fishless cycling (again)

[Penfold]

Hello,

New to fish keeping and have done a fair bit of reading, probably to my detriment! I’m working through the fishless cycle and have:

1. Added water and tank contents (bar fish) with pump running, heater at 26C
2. Added API tap water conditioner
3. Waited 24h and added API Quick start as well as some fish flakes
4. Added API stress zyme on a few occassions
5. After a few days of no change to chemistry but a bacteria bloom (cloudy water) started adding Dr Tim’s ammonia
6. Added two marimo moss balls
7. Planning on adding 4 Anacharis stems when they arrive.

I’ll keep testing and adding ammonia to keep the levels up, but some silly questions:
- Do I keep adding ammonia until I add fish?
- Do I keep putting in stress zyme/quick start or equivalent to encourage bacteria or just leave alone now?
- Do I remove the fish flakes?
- Anything I should be doing with regards to my plants?
- Any other advice?


Thank you very much,
Penfold

[Gingerlove05]

Hello and welcome Penfold
How is DM doing?
You do need to keep adding ammonia, but only when it hits 0ppm. If you dont top it up the bacteria/munchers die off. The ammonia munchers will produce nitrites.
Heres a guide to fishless cycling:

http://www.aquariumforums.co.uk/guides

You dont need to keep adding stress zyme as its a water conditioner if I remember correctly, so it only needs to be added to water your using to refill the tank when doing water changes.
The quick start might help with establishing the bacteria but the bacteria in the bottle can die off when the ammonia level is above 1ppm. So it might be worth hanging onto until you finish your cycle, and use it when you add your fish just to help prevent spikes
And i would remove the fish flakes if your using ammonia as they wont really add anything except mess.
Plants are ok through cycles and will take up ammonia, nitrite (both highly toxic) and nitrate. Clip the roots to a couple of inches to make planting easier. You might find some leaves melt (go yellow/brown) after first planting. Just clip these off or remove them. This is normal while the plants adapt and establish their root system, removing dying leaves helps this as the plant uses the energy it would use trying to repair the leaf to grow roots and new leaves instead.
Anything else i cant think of right now

[Penfold]

Can’t comment on DM, he’s self-isolating at the minute...

Thank you for the advice, fits what I was thinking. Just a question of being patient now I guess.

[Gingerlove05]

Patience is key in fish keeping

[Martinspuddle]

Greetings.

Patience is key in fish keeping

Rome was not built in a day, it was completed after 30 to 40 days and a lot of testing!

[plankton]

Welcome to the forum.

[Penfold]

Thanks again all, just playing chemistry (as my wife puts it) everyday and sitting and waiting. Bit of a theme at the minute for everyone I guess.

[Andys temperate tank]

My little lad thinks I'm making potions when o do water tests.

[Penfold]

10 days in and first signs of nitrites appearing. Only low ppm so far, but encouraging. The water has just started to go cloudy again, possibly a green tinge to it, but could be imagining that.

I’ll keep you posted as it progresses.

Should add for any other curious noobs like me, I’m using the API freshwater master test kit. Easy enough to use and a lot more accurate than standard test strips (it’s a wet chemistry set) from what I’ve read online.

[Martinspuddle]

The water has just started to go cloudy again, possibly a green tinge to it, but could be imagining that.

Sir! You must be sober when view your aquarium water, if not ...you haven't got the dreaded lurgy have you?!

On the serious side ...As @Gingerlove05 said, patience is the key, new life is slowly building it's blocks in your new aquarium.