insta-cycle???

[tarpon]

I have been at a fish-in cycle for a week now. Nothing has changed. My ammonia has stayes at .25-.50ppm my nitrite-0 and nitrate-5-10 all week. 100% of the gravel in my tank was already cycled gravel from another tank. Could I have insta-cycled it? Or does it take this long to show a change?

 

[Aqua315]

In-fish cycling can take a lot longer than fishless cycling. I was in the exact same boat last week. Many people on this site will tell you not to use instant cycling products. I got about two weeks into my fish-in cycle before I got impatient and added Tetra Safe Start to jump start the cycle. So far it's worked great but I have no idea what may happen in the future. It's really up to you what you want to do with your tank. I'm not condemning or condoning the use of any instant cycle products but if you really want to go that route then Tetra Safe Start seems to be one of the more trusted brands.

 

[mfdrookie516]

You seeded it, looks like it's working. Of course, if you've got like 2 neons in there, I wouldn't hardly call that successful seeding. If you've got a decent bioload, then you're probably going to see the ammonia drop off soon.

 

[tarpon]

I have 3 tiny fish about the size of neons.
I want it to drop off soon bc if there's nitrate then there's some of the bacteria that converts nitrite to trate. And I don't want them to die off without any nitrite

 

[mfdrookie516]

That's a pretty small bioload unless it's a very small tank. What size are we talking about?

 

[tarpon]

Haha.....a 30 gallon. There's also a 2inch pleco in it

 

[hippy guy]

I used insta cycling products in my 10, and ill say I'm pretty sure it worked, its been 8 months or so and no issues

 

[bstnrdsx]

You could try to over-feed for a week and hopefully that decaying food will add to the ammo being produced so you can get a good estimate of how well your bio filter is working. Of course you'd want to keep a VERY close eye on the ammo level and if it jumps up 1) PWC and 2) your tank is not cycled. That's only my guess/advice.

 

[tarpon]

I think I'm just gonna be patient.Keep doin what I'm doin and see if anything changes. Patience pays off

 

[eco23]

Have you tested your tap water for ammonia? If the bio-load is extremely small and not producing enough ammo to show on it's own yet, it's possible the .25-.5 ammo is coming from the chloramines in your tap water. If so...that will show if there is conversion happening or not in the tank.

 

[jetajockey]

I have 3 tiny fish about the size of neons.
I want it to drop off soon bc if there's nitrate then there's some of the bacteria that converts nitrite to trate. And I don't want them to die off without any nitrite

Not necessarily. With cycled gravel/media you also end up transferring nitrates often times, so I'd just judge everything based on the ammonia level. Since it's not moving, I'd say you still have some time.

Even if you use that logic to say that there are nitrite => nitrate bacteria, where did they get the nitrite food source from? It had to come form somewhere.

People tend to not give bacteria very much credit, they've been around much longer than we have, they are good at what they do. They will compensate based on the food available, and with that size bioload, it will likely be a gradual transition into nitrites, so they'll have a gradual buildup as well. It's not going to die off and disappear forever if it doesn't get X amount of nutrients or whatnot.


I would not add fish or extra food to cause a spike, 3 small fish might not make a very large bioload, but they make one, and putting them through a toxin spike isn't going to solve anything.

Just be patient and keep testing, sounds like you are on the right path.

 

[tarpon]

Gasp....my tapwater does have ammonia in it. .5 ppm. What does this mean for my tank? Did my seeded gravel do nothing? And I've also been drinking water out of the faucet for years. Is that bad with the ammonia in there?

 

[eco23]

Gasp....my tapwater does have ammonia in it. .5 ppm. What does this mean for my tank? Did my seeded gravel do nothing? And I've also been drinking water out of the faucet for years. Is that bad with the ammonia in there?

I believe you mentioned before you bought Seachem Prime. If so, it temporarily detoxifies the ammo for 24-36 hours. During that time your bio-filter SHOULD convert it and drop it to zero. Judging by the fact that the number remains constant...it seems to show your tank is not cycled.

Since the ammonia neutralizing properties of Prime are only temporary, I'd advise doing water changes every day (2 days at max) redosing the Prime each PWC.

 

[tarpon]

I did buy prime. And its not cycled its been set up for a week. And how is the biofilter going to form if the ammonia keeps getting supressed? And yeah its not cycled bc the ammonias been.2-.5 all week

 

[tarpon]

And I've been doing water changes every day 25% and 50% one day

 

[eco23]

I did buy prime. And its not cycled its been set up for a week. And how is the biofilter going to form if the ammonia keeps getting supressed? And yeah its not cycled bc the ammonias been.2-.5 all week

Prime doesn't stall your cycle, it converts the ammonia to a non-toxic form which is still available for your beneficial bacteria to consume.

 

[tarpon]

Prime doesn't stall your cycle, it converts the ammonia to a non-toxic form which is still available for your beneficial bacteria to consume.

...prime is so magical

 

[eco23]

...prime is so magical

The fish keepers (and fishes) best friends...Prime, a bucket, a good test kit, patience and commitment.

*a Python is even better than a bucket

 

[tarpon]

The fish keepers (and fishes) best friends...Prime, a bucket, a good test kit, patience and commitment.

*a Python is even better than a bucket

Yeah but I don't have the money for a python right now. The decpration on prime is very bland. I was the stupid consumer and went for the more colorful stuff. And another question. If prime detoxifies ammonia will it still show up when I test?

 

[eco23]

Yeah but I don't have the money for a python right now. The decpration on prime is very bland. I was the stupid consumer and went for the more colorful stuff. And another question. If prime detoxifies ammonia will it still show up when I test?

Yes, it temporarily detoxifies it, but does not remove it. It will still test positive with an API kit.