Fish-In Cycle Near Completion Question???

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tjohanso

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
28
Location
Antelope. CA
Set-up 8/16/11 & ran for 1week w/o fish but UNAWARE of cycling. Bought fish 1 wk later due to LFS advice stating water was perfect per there test strips.
2 weeks later a lot of dead fish & found out Ammonia sky high & found Cycling.

Stock as of today(10/11/11) 1 Spotted Hi Fin Pleco(in process of rehoming), 1 albino cory, 2 Long Fin Red Tetras, 1 Angel, 6-10 Ghost Shrimp, 3 Mollies(1M/2F).

Tap Water API Test done and has high nitrates & PH.

Have been doing twice daily 50% PWC for 2 wks now. Ran out of Prime last night & money so here is my question. NO PWC'S CHANGES TODAY DUE TO OUT OF PRIME OR ANY WATER CONDITIONER.

API Test 10/11/11 10:30am Temp 78, PH 7.6, High Range PH 8.0, Ammo .25, Nitrite .25, Nitrate 10.
10/11/11 6:15pm Temp 80, PH 7.6, High Range PH 8.0, Ammo 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, Nitrate 5.0 ppm.

Am I getting close to a complete fish in cycle? I have read and read some more on cycling but it's a lot more clear about dosing more ammonia when you think your done to test the bacteria.

I am trying to literally scrounge up enough change to get the smallest bottle of Prime which is $6.99 at my lfs. That's the cheapest too. I'm not being a drama queen either, I lost my job to downsizing & I have 2 sons so money is really tight right now so even $8 bucks right now is hard to come buy.
 
Hi! Take a deep breath and relax a bit! You have been doing a great job with the pwcs and your fish thank you for it!!! How are your test results today (this is very important)?? As long as amm & nitrites stay at zero and your nitrates are at or below 20ppm (check daily), you should be ok to relax on the pwcs. That doesnt mean you get stop doing them but 1-2x week should be ok as long as your numbers are fine. To be safe, i would continue daily checks of your water to make sure there are no spikes for the next 3 wks (if theres a spike, time for more pwcs!). If there are no spikes and your numbers remain at zero for amm & nitrite consistently, then i think its safe to say your cycled. Then you can scale back to water checks when you do pwcs 1-2x wk to make sure everything is doing well. When in doubt, its ALWAYS safer to do a pwc!!! I hope this helps!
 
To JLK;
My ammo & nitrite was .25 & nitrate at 10 today at 10:30am. Param's at 6:15pm today was ammo & nitrite 0 & nitrate 5. I did not do ANY pwc's today ONLY because I ran out of Prime & I have absolutely no money to buy any for at least a day until my hubby gets paid. I am worried that no pwc's are going to put a hitch in my progress. But after seeing my 2nd param's I started to think I might be ending the cycling process. I actually do NOT mind doing pwc's. I have never had a clearer aquarium & my fish are definitely happy.
Patience in this hobby are VERY hard to practice BUT it's necessary.
Thanks for the response. I will take your advice. :)
 
Good luck!!! Doing or not doing pwcs will not affect your cycling process so dont worry! The pwcs are all about your fish and keeping them alive and stress-free and happy! Just keep monitoring everything (and doing as i suggested above)and i believe all will turn out for the best! I did fish-in cycling with my 2 smaller tanks and it did seem to take forever! Your right on track! :)
 
I agree, if ammonia and nitrite went down to 0 on their own without a water change that is a very good sign. I'd still test the water daily for at least a week to make sure they stay at 0. If they do, no need to continue doing daily water changes. You can just do your weekly maintenance. So you can either do one water change per week of about 50% or 2 smaller water changes per week of about 20-30% each. Just keep an eye on nitrate and don't let it get above 20, but if you keep up with your weekly water changes that shouldn't be a problem at all. Just curious, what size tank is it? You've done a great job. :D
 
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