Wet Green Thumb Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 So i've been SL aqua cycling a mr. aqua 25 gallon cube for about 2 months now and I still have an ammonia reading of 1 ppm, and a nitrite reading of 0.5. Ill begin from the beginning and give some details about the tank. I started the tank beginning of January by sprinkling the magic powder across the substrate and filling to the height of the soil with RO water and 40ml of purify. 3 days later (school consumes a lot of time) I flooded the tank with RO remineralized with Blue Wizard and began running my dual sponge filter and Eheim 2213 and heater set as high as I could get it to go running constantly, I achieved around 80 degrees. I let the tank run like this for 15 days added the additional large 250ml dose of purify. At around the 30 day mark I received my first shipment of buce clumps and moss and decided to drop the heater temp to 71 where Ill be leaving it for my Taiwan Bees and moss. I had massive quantities of biofilm on the substrate and even more on a spider wood branch. I removed the branch for about an hour to tie moss and buces. When I replaced it most of the biofilm had began to sluff off and float around I figured this would be fine and maybe seed more biofilm or at worst feed the good bacteria. I performed a 10 gallon water change the next day with reminaralized RO, and also again one week later and added the water change dose of purify 10ml each time and a few squirts of TM1. Anyway now im at around 60 days and getting these readings : TDS = 148 PH = 6.0 nitrate = 5.0 ammonia = 1.0ppm nitrite = 0.5 GH = 5 KH = 0 Temp = 71 f does anyone have a recommendation or should I just continue to wait it out, I understand that nitrifying bacterias do not colonize well in the low ph and low temperature makes it even slower by lowering dissolved oxygen im just wondering if im missing something. side note: im considering adding some purigen to the canister next water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 which soil are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Green Thumb Posted March 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 meant to add that lol, Brightwell, which I believe to be the same as Controsoil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 keep up with the water changes, can you still see magic powder on the substrate? would love to see a photo of the tank! (leaving for japan lowkeys store opening in a mater of minutes so try to do what i can) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenteam Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 Hope you an Han take tons of pics! svetilda 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Green Thumb Posted March 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 I haven't seen any of the magic powder since about day 30 it all seemed to clear up at once almost like when I lowered the temp the biofilm subsided with it in the second picture you'll see that you can barely make out some remnant bits of the magic powder but not much, I've even considered adding more magic powder or maybe doing a 10 gallon water change and adding the 250 no dose of purify again. Hey Eric I keep meaning to ask, the purify is essentially a source of nitrifying bacteria correct, or is it a food source for nitrifying bacteria? Anyway on to the pictures Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 I've read of people, even shrimpy daddy, adding something to buffer the ph and kh until the tank is cycled, but I've never done it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wet Green Thumb Posted March 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 I considered buffering up, but I really wanted to keep the parameters in the same range I want to keep my Taiwan Bees so that my plants can adjust. since the temperature ended up being necessity with the mosses I kinda figure it was worth a try to cycle there considering I gave the tank atleast 30 days at or above 80 degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 I considered buffering up, but I really wanted to keep the parameters in the same range I want to keep my Taiwan Bees so that my plants can adjust. since the temperature ended up being necessity with the mosses I kinda figure it was worth a try to cycle there considering I gave the tank atleast 30 days at or above 80 degrees. You can setup another container. Get it to 86F, 7+ pH Add Seachem matrix, ammonia source, airstone and bacteria booster. In about 2 weeks, transfer media into canister. Lyana 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyana Posted March 3, 2016 Report Share Posted March 3, 2016 You can setup another container. Get it to 86F, 7+ pH Add Seachem matrix, ammonia source, airstone and bacteria booster. In about 2 weeks, transfer media into canister. This is genius! Great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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