Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Tank Cycling Revisited

Cycling of a new tank is an interesting challenge and just when I thought I was through it, I found out I was not...

The data of the first 62 days

Days Before/After Ammonia Nitrirte Nitrate pH GH KH Phospate FE Chelated FE


UV

Water Change TAN NO2 NO3


PO43−

TDS ORP rH

Startup








142


9 NO WC 0 0 0 6.8 300 35 0





9



7.2








10



6.8
35


475


16
0 0 0 6.8 265 50 0.25





23 Before
0 0 6.8 180 25






24 Before 0.25 0 0 6.4 300 25 0

551


24



7.0








25
0.25 0 0

50






26
0.5 0 0









27
0 0










28
0.25 0










29
0.25 0
7.2








30 Before 0.5 0 0 7.6








30 After 0.5

7.0








31
0.25

7.0
35






32
0.75

7.0








33
1

7.0








34
4 0
6.4








35
4 0
6.6








36
4 0
7.0








37
4 0
6.6
50






37 again… 4 0
7.0 380 50






38
4 0
6.6








39
8 0
7.0








40
4 0
7.0








41
4 0
6.8








42
6 0 0 6.6




510 150 25.20
43
6

7.2
35



125 25.56
44 After 4 0 0 7.0 220 35 0.25 0 0 460 118 24.92
45
4

7.0





125 25.16
46
4

7.0





82 23.70
47 Dark 4 0
7.0





95 24.14
48
4

6.8




470 86 23.44
49
4

7.0





75 23.47
50
4

7.0





100 24.31
51 Before 4 0 5 7.0 340 35 0.25 0 0 512 108 24.58
52 After 4 0
7.2




550 80 24.03
53
4

6.8





67 22.80
54
4

6.6




567 75 22.67
55
3.5

7.0





61 22.99
56
3.5

7.0





85 23.80
57
3.5

7.0





87 23.87
58 Before 3 2 20 6.8 400 35 0.25 0.5 0.5 660 90 23.57 UV
59
0.5 2 40 7.0


0 0.1
88 23.91 UV
60
0.5 2 40 7.0





88 23.91 UV
61
0.25 0 40 7.0





85 23.80 UV
62
0 0 40 7.0





76 23.50 UV

TAN= Total Ammonia Nitrogen (i.e. NH3 + NH4)
TDS = Total Dissolved Solids
ORP = Oxidation Reduction Potential
rH = Relative Hydrogen Score

Here's what it looks like

29 Gallon tank on day 57


What it might mean...

I started this tank very slowly, very deliberately, and the experience is suggestive of one thing in particular: First hand confirmation that plants do in fact compete with the filter for nutrients, which may have caused the slow cycling and the ammonia build-up. Carl Strohmeyer of AAP also came to that conclusion on the forum Everything Aquatic, when I shared my results there. But, as you can also see, eventually, once the nitrification cycle set in, things went pretty fast, and now I have a healthy tank, so my main takeaway is that both the nitrogen cycle is indeed more complex and less linear than we once thought, but mostly, the usual estimates of 4-6 weeks are misleading, it can be at least two months. As I publish this, it's day 62, and my ammonia and nitrite are 0, so nitrate, more plants, and water changes are the main worry now.

At first I had only the potted Wisteria, which had some gravel from the old tank that it came from, with the deliberate purpose of bringing in some bacteria culture from the old tank, but not too many plants, but by week three I brought in the two Amazon plants.

Diana Walstad, in her book The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium takes the view that a natural aquarium is one in which the balance between the plants and the fish is kept without any artificial filtration. That is one line of thought, and perfectly viable, but it is not where I want to be. It amounts in effect to the creation of an extremely small pond, whereas the addition of  power filters creates a simulation of a larger body of water, with more biological capacity, and I do not see anything wrong in that. I still feel that the plants to me are as important as the fish, but I like the luxury of adding some more fish.

However, the experience with starting this aquarium may indeed suggest that you might be better off starting the filter first and perhaps doing the deliberate cycling with ammonia before you ever add fish or plants, so that the filter is solidly started up before you ever introduce any plants or fish. I would still prefer to get the plants settled before the fish, even though I won't have species that attack the plants.  

Right now, I am going to continue with just five amano shrimp, and 4 pygmy cories, and I will be adding more plants and do another invert invasion soon. And I am watching my water parameters like a hawk, and in active dialog on the Everythng Aquatic forum.

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