new tank and fishless cycle (is it working?)

[glenna]

okay so I got a lovely 125 gallon set up in the living room (it is built into a big custom bookshelf and some pics are on www.plantedtank.net if you look at my albums. my name on that site is glennagrider@earthlink.net. I am sorry for being so technically challenged, but just got the digital camera and have not figured out how to upload pics yet. I also have them on photobucket. I will get better with the pictures. I don't blame you if you don't want to go to another site,...will get some pics up soon here, if I do not get slammed at work this week)

anyway, I have been following the sticky on fishless cycle and have been adding ammonia for the past couple of days. I am getting nervous because it seems like I am adding a LOT of ammonia (12 ml per day!!!) and the reading is barely going up at all - the jungle dipstick says 0.5 ppm and the API liquid based kit is only a little higher. My tetra safestart has probably starved to death by now. or could it be that "soft water" is changing something???
The ingredients on the bottle say ammonium hydroxide and soft water.
parameters this am are pH 7.2, KH 100, GH 75 NO2-, NO3 -, NH3 is barely 0.5 ppm.
thoughts?

[Diana]

A 125 is a big tank. Add 10 times that much ammonia, and bring the reading up to 5 ppm. Then see how long it takes to see a change in the reading. If the bacteria are barely getting started then it may not change for a day or two, but as the population grows you may have to add that much ammonia daily.
With Tetra Safe Start in there, I would expect they could remove 5 ppm in just a day or so.

Also, check for nitrite. When the nitrite is showing, you do not want to add quite so much ammonia. The bacteria that remove ammonia will turn it into nitrite so fast the nitrite level can get too high, too fast. If NO2 gets higher than 5 ppm the bacteria that remove NO2 have a harder time.

Check for nitrate. If the Tetra Safe Start has really gotten going, then the ammonia and nitrite might get used up overnight, but the nitrate level will be climbing fast. It can reach the hundreds, if you do not do any water changes.

Try this, test, and post back with the results:
Test NH3/NH4, NO2, NO3
Add enough ammonia to bring the reading to 5 ppm. Do this just once.
Test daily, all three, and post 2-3 days worth of tests.

I am expecting one of three possibilities:
a) Tetra Safe Start bacteria are getting off to a great start. Ammonia will show only for the first day, and be dropping,and nitrite will barely show, but nitrate will be very high.
b) Tetra Safe Start is getting off to a slow start. Ammonia will drop slowly, nitrite will climb slowly, nitrate may show just a bit.
c) All the bacteria is dead. Ammonia will not change much, if at all. No nitrite, no nitrate.

[glenna]

Thanks Diana, it is just a bit scary ADDING ammonia to ones tank!
I'll follow those instructions, collect some data and let you know how the numbers play out in a few days.

[Diana]

Yes, it sounds like a lot of ammonia, but if the amount you have been adding is only testing out as .5 ppm, then you need to add a lot more to feed the poor, starving bacteria!
Ammonia is available in different concentrations, and you might have one of the more diluted ones.