cycled tank?!

[duckkbutter]

i finally recieved my Aqua Farmaceuticals Freshwater Master Kit test. My 20 gal tank has been cycling for about 3 weeks. Here are my readings:

PH - 7.7
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm

The 0ppm i believe either to be zero or just a small amount that that test doesnt pick up. Is my tank cycled? What is my next step(s) to follow?

 

[FawnN]

Your tank is not cycled until you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrIte and a reading of NitrAtes. Normally after a cycle around 20-40 ppm for nitrates.

It doesn't look like it has begun cycling. Are you cycling with or without fish?

 

[Bhunsucker]

Nope not yet

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Are you cycling with fish? I believe in a previous post you said you were using neon's, but I'm not for sure.

 

[duckkbutter]

Here are my readings:

PH - 7.7
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm

The 0ppm i believe either to be zero or just a small amount that that test doesnt pick up. Is my tank cycled? What is my next step(s) to follow?

i meant to say Nitrates-10ppm not zero, sorry

 

[talloulou]

well in that case you are cycled. yeah!

 

[FawnN]

If you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrItes and 10ppm Nitrates, then it does mean you're cycled.

Now you can add your fish very, very slowly.

If you cycled without fish, you will need to do a 50% water change before adding any fish.

Good job and have fun!

 

[Jherr]

Sorry to butt in, but my tank is reading:

0 - Ammonia,
0.25ppm - Nitrite
5.0 - Nitrate

I used Bio Spira, does this seem right? I had my Nitrates at 10ppm 2 days ago, now it went down? 8O

 

[FawnN]

You are certainly on the right track Jherr. Usually after a NitrIte spike, it will take a couple of days for it to level off and zero out. Once that occurs, your NitrAtes will be between 20-40.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Preferable Nitrate readings are 20 and below (but above 0). Anything over 20 needs a partial water change so they don't get out control.

 

[FawnN]

Yes, that is true for an already cycled tank that has been established, but I find that right after a cycle has completed, it is higher.

 

[Jherr]

Well, I have two penguin 150b biowheels on my 29 gal, and all I have for fish are 2 bosemani rainbows, 3 albino cory cats, and a few ghost shrimp, so my bio-load isnt very high, which could be why my nitrate reading isnt either :/

I havent decided on what schooling fish I want to add to the tank yet, and I cant find any MTS out here to throw in there to sift my sand around

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You don't have to have MTS, you can just manually sift the sand at every water change. Just run something through it. I only have MTS in the 29 gal tank, but that's only beacuse I don't want to risk running a rod through the sand and puncturing one of our eels. The others I just do manually.