Cycling Question

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Vixan

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 8, 2012
Messages
13
Location
Tampa
So the last time I cycled a tank was 2002. The newfangled notion of using filter media was pretty novel. Ive always done a fish-in cycle.

I'm 48 hours into this cycle and seeing ZERO nitrite and ammonia. This seems extremely odd to me.

Set up is EcoComplete gravel, moderate to lightly planted, Aqueon QuietFlow 55/70 filter and 8 cherry barbs in a 50g bowfront.

The only thing Ive done different from the past is ask 3 LFSs for some filter media but all declined. Instead I bought a sword plant from petco and put the sponge from the plant into the filter.

I should be seeing some nitrite readings right? I'm a little worried my nitrite test kit is defective. Do plants/filter media jump the cycle that much or is the barbs alone not producing enough waste?
 
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So the last time I cycled a tank was 2002. The newfangled notion of using filter media was pretty novel. Ive always done a fish-in cycle.

I'm 48 hours into this cycle and seeing ZERO nitrite and ammonia. This seems extremely odd to me.

Set up is EcoComplete gravel, moderate to lightly planted, Aqueon QuietFlow 55/70 filter and 8 cherry barbs in a 50g bowfront.

The only thing Ive done different from the past is ask 3 LFSs for some filter media but all declined. Instead I bought a sword plant from petco and put the sponge from the plant into the filter.

I should be seeing some nitrite readings right? I'm a little worried my nitrite test kit is defective. Do plants/filter media jump the cycle that much or is the barbs alone not producing enough waste?

What test kit do you have? Is it strips or liquid?
 
Liquid. API Master Test Kit.

Hmm... I'm wondering if maybe the sponge from the plant you got happened to have enough BB on it that basically instantly cycled your tank? Are you really shaking the bottles before using them?
 
My only idea is that the barbs may not be producing enough waste since you have a pretty large tank, or either since it's a larger tank the toxins haven't had time to build up? I would keep testing to see if you see any changes, if you don't in a week or so I would try maybe adding a fish with a larger bioload, like a platy or molly so it will be able to withstand the cycling process.
 
Well that was the plan with the sponge, but for it to have enough for 8 barbs off the bat? It just seems suspect. I shook them well and repeated the test twice over the course of an hour.

If ive got a full colony of bacteria Ill be a happy camper.
 
Well that was the plan with the sponge, but for it to have enough for 8 barbs off the bat? It just seems suspect. I shook them well and repeated the test twice over the course of an hour.

If ive got a full colony of bacteria Ill be a happy camper.

I'm no expert but I Completed a fish in cycle on a 10g myself in September 2012. I completely understand your suspicion though. Did the plant you got come out of a tank or out of a package (I've never dealt with live plants and have seen them in packages at petsmart, sorry if the question sounded dumb!) If it came out of a tank, did the tank have any fish in it?
 
I picked it from the healthiest fish tank I could find :)
 
I picked it from the healthiest fish tank I could find :)
I think since it had fish in it already I'm sure that sponge had quite a bit of BB on/in it, especially it it was in a little 10g that they have most fish in. My guess would be that since it was more than likely a smaller tank with a large bioload it had more BB because it Didn't take long at all for toxins to build up, but in your tank it would be the opposite (i would think anyway, again I'm no expert by any means!) since your tank has much more room and doesn't build up toxins Near as quickly. Like I said earlier I would keep testing and if you get these readings consistently for a week or so, I would get a hardy fish with a larger bioload; since you have a 55 it's not like getting this one fish will get you overstocked, I think it's worth a try anyway! Not to mention having live plants helps any cycle along so it also could be that the sponge had almost enough BB to handle barbs bioload and the plant could be what has done the trick too.
 
The sponges I've seen on plants aren't typically very big so unless the one you got is big I doubt it'll have much effect on the cycle, it won't hurt though. As stated it can sometimes take time for ammonia to build up & 48 hrs isn't very long. Make sure you're using the ammonia test correctly, both bottles. I've used bottle #2 first before & had to start over. Be patient it'll get there.
 
I agree, 48 hours isn't long particularly with small fish in a large volume of water. It's probably too early to tell one way or another.
 
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