Azra’s 90-gal Thread
- Thread starter MetalRavioli
- Start date
After a few days, ammonia doses, and a whole lot of bacterial dumps, the ammonia is down lots! We’re getting closer! Could it be a miracle?
Update: pure insanity. I think we are getting close. Lord have mercy.
Update: nevermind. The cycling seems to have slowed down somehow, and readings are going back to being 1 after a 2-3ppm dosage. Is this safe for fish to be put in? Or should I keep going?
What is your pH? If you have a low kH water the process of converting ammonia to nitrite uses up CaCo3 and can lower the pH. When the pH goes well below 7.0 the process can slow down. When pH reaches 6.0 it comes to a screaming halt. I had this happen to me recently. Re-established the pH and cycling renewed.
Hm. That makes sense, when the pH was higher, it was cycling quicker. But it’s gone back down now, and now it’s slower. Huh. How would I safely and permanently raise the pH? I’ve been using the buffer that you recently recommended to me, and it worked, but I’d have to dose on a consistent bases to keep the pH steady.
I guess I’d like to be able to adjust my pH in a way that won’t harm my fish.
I originally did my cycle with ammonia dosages, but found it to be too hectic. I haven’t read your thread, but I suggest just adding a couple pellets in their instead. Cycling is probably the worst part. It will happen naturally overtime.
At this point in the cycle, could you get some established media and be done with it? Ik its fish in cycle but man was it easy when I started my new tank. I checked twice a day for 2 weeks and never saw an ammonia spike or nitrites. Good luck with the cycle
Partial water change. I think I may have missed the part where there was fish in the tank originally. I would not do buffering with fish in the tank. I only do this when cycling with no fish. Partial water changes done gradually should help restore the pH and not shock your fish.
