Didn't cycle!

[cobb12]

So about a week ago i bought a 10 gal fish tank bought gravel, plastic plants, dechorinator, a male betta, fish food, and a filter. I washed all the ornaments and sediment put it in the tank. Then filled in with water, hooked up my filter, and put decholrinator in. The next morning i put in my male betta. The problem is that i didnt even know that there was such thing as a nitrogen cycle.

Today i found out about it and bought a test kit that test for nitrites, ph,nitrates,and water hardness but not ammonia. good ol petsmart didnt have a seperate test kit just for ammonia and for the giant kit that has test tubes and evry thing cost too much. sooo i figured id just test for no2 and no3 to see if the cycle was working. it showed that i have general harness of 180, a carbonate harness of 240, a ph of 7.5 the no2 was at 1, and the no3 was at40.

I was hoping you guys could help me out and tell me if those numbers are good or bad for 1 week in and if bad tell me how to fix it. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Sum22]

Nitrite at 1ppm seems a little high. You might want to do a 50% water change to get the level down to .5ppm. It will be better for your betta that way.

Nitrates at 40ppm? Have you tested your tap water for nitrates? Either way 40ppm is considered the high side for acceptable levels of nitrate (usually 10-40ppm is good), so doing a 50% water change would also help bring that down.

The hardness and ph don't matter, so long as they are stable. If you get a disease outbreak or fish start dying, then you would want to check the pH levels to see what is going on. Otherwise, stable pH, no matter how high is better than trying to adjust it.

 

[cobb12]

Thanks for the reply. So how far along in the cycle does that mean i am?

i just tested my tap water and its nitrites lvl is 0-.5 and its nitrates are about 20

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

If its has only been 1week and you did not get some filter media/decorations/gravel from another aged fish tank that has been running, then you have a couple more weeks to go.

It took mine 8weeks to cycle but others are more like 5weeks.

I assume you are using test strips, most prefer the liquid test tube test kits, you can find them online for $15, instead of like $30 at a store.

Dont worry about the nitrates yet as its prob a false reading(in the tank), sometimes the test are not accurate below 20ppm and sometimes not accurate when NitrItes are present.

 

[new2betas]

It took my original 10g tank about 3-4 weeks to cycle and I am cycling one now for red cherry shrimp, but it will not take as long because I have been using some used filter media from some of my other tanks. In fact, I just tested my water and my nitrites are testing between 2-5 (those colors are hard to separate for me...lol) and I still have ammonia, but needed to add a little more this morning. I am only a week into this cycle....it took me a good 2-3 weeks the first time I cycled my other 10g with no used filter media to get to this point. So, hopefully, I am only about a week away from getting my shrimpies...yay!

 

[CatatonicBug]

Cobb,
You'll definitely want to get that larger test kit. I know it's a bit pricey, but it will really help in the long run. You will need at least the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate liquid kits. Don't even bother with the strips (if that's what you have). The easiest way to tell that your tank has cycled is when you add ammonia (though you can't do this when cycling with fish in the tank), and after 24 hours, it's all gone, and the nitrites are gone too. You are not cycled until Ammonia and Nitrites are all at zero. Cycling with fish will take a lot longer, since you can't keep the Ammonia levels very high, to support fast growth of the new bacteria colony. I would suggest raising the temp in the tank a bit and turning up the air flow if possible. The fish can handle slightly raised temps, as long as it's done slowly. These two things help the bacteria grow. Watch the ammonia and Nitrite levels, because these are the two things that kill fish fast. As far as the Nitrates go, both Summ and Speed above are correct, so as long as Nitrites are there, it can mess with the reading. Eventually, you will want to try to keep Nitrates at or below 20ppm.

Always be sure to use a good dechlorinator for all PWCs though. Prime is a favored product around here, and I find it's a good deal, since it's so concentrated. Keep us updated.

 

[roka64]

This is a decent starter kit:
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit
You definitely want an ammonia testing kit, ammonia and nitrItes are highly toxic to fish and inverts.

 

[MisticX]

This is a decent starter kit:
Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit
You definitely want an ammonia testing kit, ammonia and nitrItes are highly toxic to fish and inverts.

doesn't ship canada.

i'd buy a lot of stuff from them if i'd have an account ;(

 

[cobb12]

Yes i am using test strips.

I would get that online product but i am only 14 and do not hae a credit card, and as far as i know thats the only way to buy it online.

 

[CatatonicBug]

Yes i am using test strips.

I would get that online product but i am only 14 and do not hae a credit card, and as far as i know thats the only way to buy it online.

No problem. That kit is carried in every LFS I have ever been into. It's usually about $30-$35 though. Definitely make that your next purchase.

 

[cobb12]

alright thanks