I went to the local fish store and they gave me this bacteria solution and said to add a cap full every other day and do it like 3 times and my water should be good . i bought a test kit to see the levels of my water but what should should i be looking for to see if my tank is cycled ?
new tank water cycle
- Thread starter hayden58
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I wouldn't trust that stuff. AA has a tank cycling site posted. It will take about a month to cycle
if you follow the instructions. You will be testing for Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate spikes. Take your time it will save you a lot of grief. Good luck.
if you follow the instructions. You will be testing for Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate spikes. Take your time it will save you a lot of grief. Good luck.
Not knowing what they actually gave you, I can't say how well it works. But a fully cycled tank will read 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites ideally. Nitrates no more than 20 (this is what is removed with weekly water changes).
Of course your tank can go into a mini cycle too. Meaning, that even after your tank is cycled, if the ammonia input increases (ie feeding more than usual creating more food waste, or adding fish creating more fecal waste) and more bacteria needs to establish to deal with the increased amonnia levels.
Hope this helps, I know that water testing confused the heck out of me when I started. I'm still pretty new, so hopefully someone else can back up my statements (or tell me I'm wrong XP)
Of course your tank can go into a mini cycle too. Meaning, that even after your tank is cycled, if the ammonia input increases (ie feeding more than usual creating more food waste, or adding fish creating more fecal waste) and more bacteria needs to establish to deal with the increased amonnia levels.
Hope this helps, I know that water testing confused the heck out of me when I started. I'm still pretty new, so hopefully someone else can back up my statements (or tell me I'm wrong XP)
Oh! And your pH should be whatever is recommended for your fish of course. I only add this because on my first tank, all of my water perameters looked perfect, but turned out my tap water is super super soft, so the pH eventually hit rock bottom. Some of my fish were okay, and some I lost 
before I realized why.
before I realized why.Similar threads
