20 Gallon fully cycled after only 4 days?

[Sarah E]

Hello! My 20 Gallon tank has been cycling for 4 days, and it says that all the levels (the PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate) are all fish safe and livable... I checked it this morning, and it was questionable, then I added some of those bacteria supplements and it's been running all day.

Is it safe to put my fish in tomorrow evening? I'm going out tomorrow and I'm planning/hoping to buy my 6 Cory Catfish, 1 Amano shrimp and 1 Mystery snail for my 20 Gallon tank.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jetajockey]

It really depends on how you define 'safe and livable'. Also, what kind of cycling did you do to the tank? Did you add seeded media? Adding a bacteria supplement is not a guarantee for anything, it's definitely not something I would rely on anyhow, so at this juncture I'd probably still give it more time to make sure the biofilter is truly stable.

 

[ashleynicole]

ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels at zero does not mean your tank is cycled. You have to add ammonia of some sort and it has to be converted to nitrite and then nitrate by bacteria to be cycled. Fish produce waste, which is in the form of ammonia, bacteria convert that ammonia to nitrite and then more bacteria convert nitrite to nitrate. So therefore when you see the ammonia and nitrite levels consistently reading zero, with a steady increase of nitrates, THEN your tank is cycled. Unless you have live plants which can impact your nitrate readings.

It takes weeks to cycle a tank, the only exception is if you use seeded filter media which can speed it up significantly depending on what kind of media and how well seeded it is and how much you add, and it also depends on your ammonia source.

If you haven't added any ammonia for 4 days, and there are no fish, of course all of your levels would be zero, but this does not mean the tank is safe to add fish.

 

[Sarah E]

I have not added any ammonia, and I haven't seeded my media. I have 3 live plants and a moss-ball in my tank. This morning, when I tested my water I got a reading of "PH 7.6 Ammonia 0.25 ppm, Nitrite 0ppm and Nitrate 5.0 ppm" however tonight, when I used a basic strip test, it said that they were all in the safe zone, except for my water being a little hard.

 

[ashleynicole]

Test strips are considered to be a tad bit inaccurate and unreliable. Your tank is not cycled, I am sorry to say, and no it is not safe to add fish. There is a possibility that your tapwater has ammonia or nitrate in it. The plants and mossball will utilize ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate as well so that may be why they went down to zero.

Have you ready any of the articles on the website about the nitrogen cycle?
Here is a good one=
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling

 

[Sarah E]

Ahhh alright... so, don't add fish yet. *nods* Should I take the mossball and plants out to help get my tank cycled faster? I must say, it's a little hard to wait when you're so excited.

*sigh* but, it's better to wait then have your fish go belly-up.

 

[ashleynicole]

Ahhh alright... so, don't add fish yet. *nods* Should I take the mossball and plants out to help get my tank cycled faster? I must say, it's a little hard to wait when you're so excited.

*sigh* but, it's better to wait then have your fish go belly-up.

did you read the article? Do you understand that you have to add a source of ammonia on a daily basis in order to cycle a tank?

You have to grow bacteria.
The bacteria need food.
The bacteria you are trying to grow eats ammonia as food.
Fish pee is ammonia which will be food for the bacteria once it grows. ammonia is toxic to fish so the bacteria is necessary to eat the ammonia so it doesn't hurt the fish.

 

[librarygirl]

You can leave the plants in there, it's fine. I'm not sure where the nitrates are coming from if this is a new tank; does your tap water have nitrates in it? The live plants could have introduced them too.

I'd do as the others say, get a pure ammonia source and follow the fishless cycle guide. Your levels are low now b/c there isn't an ammonia source in there. If you added fish, they would excrete waste (ammonia) which would build up in the water b/c there isn't any beneficial bacteria in the filters to remove the ammonia. You'd be then doing daily water changes for 3-8 weeks to keep the fish alive. It's really best to be patient and it's worth it in the end. Use a good liquid test kit, get a bottle of pure ammonia and follow the fishless cycle guide. Good luck.