cycled or not?

[pstrew]

ammonia 2.0ppm
nitrite 5.0ppm
nitrate less than 5.0ppm


im thinking i just need to do water channges tell the nitrites are gone now. fish in cycle for over a week than added a udes filter pad and this is were im at

 

[heyheyitsrae]

Definitely not cycled. You said you had fish in? I would do a water change until ammonia and nitrite were around .25

 

[pstrew]

yes fish in...an i was thinking water changes tell they level out from this point and would be ready for my fish are we on the same page?

 

[RedNeck]

Those are pretty high ammonia and trite readings for a fish in cycle. I would do some big water changes to get those numbers down....When I fish in cycled I didn't let my ammonia get above .25 and changed the water soon as the trites changed from blue to purpleish haze. Your cycle will be done when ammonia and trites are 0. Hope this helps!

 

[pstrew]

ok thanks..if im not mistaken by me adding the old filter should sppen the cycle up considerably if not skip it all together is this corect?

 

[RedNeck]

I added an angel plus active filter when I was cycling my 90gal. It helped it finish the cycle in a week. You still MUST test your water and play by the rules. Just because the filter is in there does not mean it is cycled. From the numbers you gave you are deff. NOT cycled!

 

[pstrew]

ok well water change everyday from now tell wednesday ...just take a guess would it be done by then or close i put a fish on layaway tell then ....iv clearly gotten some bad advise from what im hearing

 

[RedNeck]

Wait....do you have fish in there now?

 

[pstrew]

yes i have five feeders in there with an activ filter the filter has only been in a day an a half so can i do more than one water chnge a day? Its looking like i might need to see if the cn let me wait a little long at the pet store to get my fish...im getting a freshwater eel and i know how sencative they r so ill wait tell water is right but still in a hury

 

[RedNeck]

There is no rushing the cycle. You must be patient. I would hold off on the fish and eel. Yes, you can do more then one water change a day, just make sure the temp is matched and you use a good dechlorinator like prime.

 

[pstrew]

ok i agree no rushing but wont the filter i added with the bb alredy in it speed the cycle up considerably....

 

[pstrew]

i agree with no rushing...but wont the old filter i added speed the cycle up considerably?

 

[RedNeck]

yes it should

 

[Nimo]

The filter you added will help a lot. It depends on how much good bacteria is in it as to how much it will help.
Keep testing your water if you are reading any nitrite or ammonia do 25-30% water change. You can do more than one water change pr day as stated before I recommend using prime with all water changes.
You are cycled when your readings are zero ammonia zero nitrites and less than 40ppm nitrates 24 hours after a water change, I recommend waiting 48hrs after ammonia and nitrites zero and test again before you add any fish. Once you get cycled add fish slowly so you don't spike your ammonia

 

[librarygirl]

Um, what size tank is this? I hope it's a large one LOL I'm not sure some feeders will provide enough ammonia to sustain an eel. It's hard to say withot knowing more about your setup though. Also it depends how much media you put in; if you put in a small amount it might not have enough bacteria to sustain a heavy fish load. Definitely do water changes to get those levels down though. These links might help:

Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?! - Aquarium Advice