Am I done?

[Sapphira]

I'm a little confused. I have kept aquariums in the past but it has been several years. Recently, I caught the bug again and setup a 40 gallon breeder. The setup is as follows: Fluval 206 canister with an Aquaclear sponge over the intake as a DIY pre-filter. Temp is at 78. Ph is 7.4. It is planted with crypts, java fern, christmas moss and stargrass. Current resident are 1 male half moon dragon scale betta and 6 24k white clouds. I am aware that the temp may be too high for the white clouds. I admit that I did not do my research before getting them but they are doing quite well.

Anyway, I set the tank up about 2 weeks ago and let it run for about 3 days. On the 4th day, I added the recommended dose of Cycle and purchased the white clouds. I started with 9 but 3 died within 24 hours. I chose not to replace them because I discovered they are actually cold water fish.

I continued dosing with Cycle per the instructions and added my betta. After a couple days, I saw my ammonia levels start to rise, then nitrites and nitrates. Over the next week, I tested frequently and noted .25 up to .5 ppm ammonia, .25 up to 2ppm nitrites and 5 to 10ppm nitrate. I did water changes as need to keep the ammonia and nitrites in check. However, everything stalled at .25 ammonia, .5 nitrites and 5 nitrates.

I am not a patient person and I don't like doing water changes, so I then added Tetra SafeStart, the entire bottle, per the instructions, for up to a 75 gallon tank. The next morning, I had .25 ammonia, .25 nitrites and 5 nitrate. The next day 0 ammonia, .25 nitrites and 5 nitrates. Today, I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates. I tested twice to be sure. Am I cycled?

All the fish are doing well and Saphira had a nice big bubble nest built in the corner next to his floating log this morning.

 

[jlk]

Hi and welcome!!! One day is not enough to say your absolutely cycled. You also have zero nitrates which makes me question whether you are truly cycled as nitrates are the end product of the nitrogen cycle. Its possible these products you have added are giving you false results but I have no personal experience with them. My suggestion would be to continue to test daily for atleast the next 2wks to be sure your ammonia & nitrite stay at zero and that you see some amount of nitrates. You will still need to do weekly maintainence water changes and water chnages anytime your amm/nitrite are detected. If you get any detectable amm/nitrite, your not cycled yet. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

 

[absolutangel04]

Welcome to the site. I am from WA too.
What kind of test kit are you using?

 

[Phranque]

I am not a patient person and I don't like doing water changes, so I then added Tetra SafeStart, the entire bottle, per the instructions, for up to a 75 gallon tank.

This hobby will teach you patience..... or turn you gray.


I used Tetra SafeStart on my 29g just to give it a try, and I it did help with the cycle, but only by maybe a couple/few weeks. The one thing I noted was that I never saw Nitrites....ever. I went from Ammo straight to Nitrates. I even purchased a second Nitrite kit just to be sure mine wasn't faulty. The only bad news for you was that I still had to do 20%-30% water changes every day for about 5 weeks until the cycle was complete.... period. No way around it.
Once the cycle is complete, you can usually do a 25%-50% pwc once a week, so long as you're not overstocked. Test your Nitrates after a pwc, and then daily after that to see how quickly they climb, and that will tell you your pwc schedule. I do 40% once a week, and that keeps me below 20ppm.

 

[Sapphira]

Thank you for your replies. I am using the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. I know the kit works fine because we have two other tanks in the house. Do I need to do daily water changes even if I test at zero or just if the levels rise? I know I need to do weekly ones. I don't have a problem with that. I tested again tonight and I got the same results. I'll just keep watching it closely for a while and see how it goes. Thanks again.

 

[absolutangel04]

Yeah, since you have a good kit, then you really only need to worry about water changes when the test says levels are high. Hopefully your cycle is about done. Keep up updated.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

In the future I suggest you do fishless cycles. No daily water changes.

 

[James_in_MN]

I know the kit works fine because we have two other tanks in the house.

I suggest that you take some filter material from one or both of the other tanks (assuming they are cycled) and put it in the filter of your new tank to help cycle it.

 

[Sapphira]

The other two tanks are my daughters and they are not fully cycled yet either. They were setup before mine using Hagen Cycle only and they are still showing high levels of Nitrites with 5ppm of Nitrates. They are also smaller tanks, a 5 gallon and a 29.

Update: I tested my tank again this morning and got the same results. 0 ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrate results are yellow with a slight tint of orange, so not 0 but not to the 5ppm level (this is actually the same reading I got before). Also, Ph is steady at 7.4.

How long do I need to get these consistent readings before I can consider it cycled? Thanks again.

I have to say that, at this point, I am highly impressed with the Tetra SafeStart. It is actually the freshwater version of Instant Ocean BioSpira.

 

[absolutangel04]

Some people have luck with Safe Start, some don't. It is not always reliable, but it looks like you are getting some good results with it, so thats good.
Just watch it for a couple days and then I would consider it cycled. Then, watch it carefully when you add more fish to make sure there isn't an ammo spike. But, that shouldn't be a big deal if you just add a few at a time. Your current stock isn't going to supply enough ammo to keep a large bacteria colony alive.

 

[Phranque]

Just watch it for a couple days and then I would consider it cycled. Then, watch it carefully when you add more fish to make sure there isn't an ammo spike. But, that shouldn't be a big deal if you just add a few at a time. Your current stock isn't going to supply enough ammo to keep a large bacteria colony alive.

Excellent point.... Many people who do fish-in think that once their tank is cycled with 4 fish, they can go out and add 20 more, and then wonder why everything just died. Your tank is cycled to the bioload you have present, and no more. Everytime fish are added, the beneficial bacterial colonies must expand to facilitate the additional load, which takes a bit of time. A couple/few fish every few weeks is a good schedule, just remember to test for a few days after any additions to ensure that everything is going smoothly.... a few back-to-back water changes may be in order due to a mini-cycle while the BB catch up.

 

[Sapphira]

Just a quick update. I am still getting zero ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in my tank. About three days ago, I added 5 Otocinclus and 3 Angelicus loaches. I had a tiny spike, not even to the .25 level of ammonia, and it went back to normal the next day. All fishies are eating and acting normally.

My daughter was having trouble getting her 29 gallon tank to cycle. Ammonia was at .25, Nitrites were up to 2ppm and Nitrates .25 to .5ppm for the last week. She has been doing daily water changes to keep the levels down because she has a few danios in there. She added the small bottle of SafeStart yesterday and this morning her readings are all zero.

I think part of our success with this product may be the fact that both tanks had high levels of nitrites and some ammonia for the bacteria to feed on immediately. Also both tanks are heavily planted so I'm pretty sure that is where the nitrates are going. I'm not sure we would have had the same results with this product adding it during initial tank setup.

 

[absolutangel04]

Good to know.
The issue with products like Safe Start is that the bacteria in the bottle need certain conditions in order to survive n the bottle and those conditions are not always met during shipping and while at the store before purchase so often times people just end up buying a bottle of dead bacteria. Good to know it worked out for you though.
I would still expect some nitrates after you added more fish. You probably know this, but you have to shake the nitrate bottle pretty darn hard to get it the reaction going. Assuming you are doing that, then the plants must be eating up the nitrates since its heavily planted and relatively lightly stocked.

 

[Phranque]

About three days ago, I added 5 Otocinclus and 3 Angelicus loaches.

Watch your Otos carefully. It's generally recommended that they not be purchased until a tank is well established - roughly 6 months or more. It can be one of the most difficult things to do, but research before each fish purchase.... don't impulse buy. You will have a much healthier & happier tank.

Here's some good info on them:

www.otocinclus.com - Home of the Dwarf Suckermouth Catfishes


They are a fairly sensitive fish who need good water quality and a steady diet of algae, something the newly established tank lacks. I extended my light cycle to purposely encourage algae growth so mine stay fat & happy.