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  1. #1
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    Cycling, Please Help!

    Hi Everyone,
    I am in the process of cycling my first system. I have been doing readings with an API kit everyday for 10 days now and I have
    ph 8.2
    amm. 3.0ppm
    nitrite 0
    nitrate 0
    (My 75 gallon tank is on a constant flow to two half barrels, water temp 76, and I have a whisper 300 blowing bubbles. I added stress zyme to help initiate bacteria growth. I should add that I have six small tilapia in the tank.)

    The ph has been like this since day 1 and I was wondering if adding spagmum peat moss is the best organic way to lower it.
    I have been changing about 6 gallons of water every day and stopped feeding the fish for 2 days but the ammonia level is still very high. Any thoughts about this?

    Any suggestions of how I might lower the ph and ammonia, and get the nitrates up?

  2. #2
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    don't add anything else.. the cycling will start, don't feed till the am drops,, you can't force nature

    after the nitrification process really gets going, your ph will drop (unless your media is raising the ph - have you tested it?)

    i'm not sure what benefits of peat moss, but i imagine it would stain the water.. i though i read somewhere that it was acidic but i could very well be wrong about that..

    BE PATIENT, it will start, and i'll say it again, don't add anything else..

  3. #3
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    Ok, thanks for the quick reply! How long can I go without feeding the fish? I am using hydroton so I don't think it's the culprit for the high ph. Rather the water out of the tap is high to begin with. But, you think that once the bacterial growth starts and the ammonia goes down, that the ph will follow?

  4. #4
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    hydroton won't cause any ph issues.. you can go several days with no feeding, some folks "purge" their fish for a week before harvesting (no food at all) so i'm sure it won't be a problem for the fish

  5. #5
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    Good, thanks Keith. I'll post an update in a few days.

  6. #6
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    Untreated peat has a pH of about 4 it will lower Ph and to a small extent soften the water. It will probably not aid in cycling the tank. Yes it does tint the water a tea color, but then a closed system is yellow to brown anyway.
    Some pet shops use to give away small amounts of gravel from their tanks with undergravel filters. Two week cycle is fast a month is more like it.

  7. #7
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    Ooops, I just realized I never responded to your post.

    Thanks for the info about the peat, I will hold off for now.

  8. #8
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    Your pH is good for the bacteria, which is what you want right now.

  9. #9
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    The tilapia would not appreciate the peat anyway, they prefer hard alkaline water.

  10. #10
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    Re: Cycling, Please Help!

    Good, so a ph of 8.2 is ok for my tilapia? What about the plants? From what I hear, they like a ph to be much lower.

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