Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I have started cycling my system with ammonia and testing with a cheap test kit until the good one arrives tomorrow.
My question is this; how long into cycling my system should i start to see nitrites and nitrates?
I have been cycling by adding one cap full of ammonia a day. The NH3 stays at about 3 ppm the ph stays about 7.4. I'm curios to see what the api test kit will show.
thanks for the help.

depends on system size and conditions. But good to figure around 3-6 weeks.

Don't add anymore Ammonia.

Thanks CJ.
-mr. damage, I should probably also note that i have some small sprouts in the grow bed. I know the ammonia is going somewhere, as the tests show that the nh3 is staying steady and not rising. Is there a reason why I should stop adding ammonia? Everyone i have talked to has generally stated that as long as the levels are not rising above 6ppm to continue adding a small amount of nh3.
Thanks for the knowledge.
E

Do you not have any fish yet? Are you doing this hydroponically?

No fish yet. The only local fish are from wal-mart and I'm weary of using them. Also I don't like going to wal mart for a laundry list of reasons.
Anywho, I started with a fish less cycle as I became impatient!
I was also thinking about catching fish from the local golf course but then again i refer back too the thought of unwanted disease, chemical and what not.

How large of a system is this? I agree with Mr. Damage. I wouldn't add ammonia. What you want to do is either to start with some simple fish (small initial weight) and feed them... As they grow and start producing soluble nitrogen, add your veggies accordingly. Monitor N levels so you know what biomass of veggies to go for.

The key is monitoring the water quality.

But since you have no fish now, I would just let your system cycle for a while so as to naturally grow your nitrifying bacteria that you need. Which from what I can tell you have some in your system as the Ammonia level is not rising as you add more. This means they are converting it into another form of N, first nitrite and then nitrate.

I think its time you add fish... WM is not the best I would agree. But its better than nothing. That is if you want to do this aquaponically, if not, continue adding fertilizers for your plants and call it hydroponics haha

Well you were right about the NH3. I just tested with the api master kit(I was using some cheap one) and the NH3 was off the chart. Yikes. So now I'm thinking about your suggestion of just letting it run for a while, let the system do its thing.
Knowing is half the battle.
Thanks

Hi KS... I was in rush when I wrote that response, so didn't have the time to go into detail, but I suggested it for two reasons:

Firstly, it just didn't make sense at the time, that you were adding a capful of Ammonia everyday and it wasn't rising, so is suspected there was an issue with your test kit.

Secondly, an Ammonia reading of 3ppm is more than adequate for cycling, and if it was actually 3ppm then no further Ammonia was required. I cycle all my own systems with Amm levels of only 0.5pp - 1.0ppm... and suggest my customers cycle theirs with an absolute maximum Amm level of 2.0ppm... going any higher doesn't speed up the cycling process and can actually inhibit the bacteria development. In most cases cycling will stall at an Amm level of around 7.0 or 8.0ppm... and not restart until the Amm level is physically reduced through partial water changes.

Cheers!

Adding ammonia will also raise your pH so don't forget to watch that too!

Thanks for the info Mr. Damage,
Forgive me as I am new to this and tend not to follow advice without some logical sounding information.
It was good to learn that the cycling stalls at high NH3 levels. I did leave room in the tank to add a few more gallons of water. So, I'll take your advice and try small water changes.


It was what it was, until it changed, now it's something else.

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