One last cycling question (I hope) near the end.....

[SCFatz]

Ok....ammonia test at zero or just slightly above regularly....

Nitrites have tested at .5 or slightly less for the last few days without a water change.

Nitrates test over zero...somewhere between 5 and 10 (much harder test to read with absolution imo).
So I feel like I'm near the end.

I was advised many weeks ago not to change the filter or clean the gravel due to the cycle and I havn't .But when when should I?

Am I waiting for a specific set of results?what are they?

I'm on the same filter cartridge that came with the set up...about 6 weeks now.

Oh...its a topfin 30 HOB...the kind that has the white charcoal filled bag refill.

The water looks great though and has for the duration.

When should I start my janitorial duties?

[Lonewolfblue]

Is this a fish cycle or a fishless cycle? Basically, you can do gravel vacs after the cycle is complete, but just lightly, for a couple more weeks. Or just do half the tank one week, and the other half the next. This gives a little more time for the bacteria to multiply.

When completely cycled, your ammonia and nitrite will be 0ppm. Then you just do regular weekly PWC's of 20-30% to keep the nitrates under 40ppm. I prefer to keep mine down at 20ppm myself. Some like to keep theirs even lower.

As for the white charcoal, that's zeolite. Not really needed. The only time you need zeolite or carbon is to remove meds from the water after treating for a problem. I would use ceramic rings instead. If using charcoal, it only lasts about a week and it's used up anyways. So no real use, other than maybe surface area for bacteria. But there are possibilities of the carbon releasing some of the toxins it has absorbed as well. But it's not very well documented yet. Another thing, zeolite removes ammonia from the water, which in turn starves the beneficial bacteria, which then prolongs your cycle.

As for the filter cartrige, just leave it in til it's somewhat plugged, then just rinse it out in tank water and reuse. You can do this til the cartrige gets too bad or is falling apart and needs replacing.

But as for the cycle, if you get any ammonia readings, then you are probably not completely cycled yet. Same if you get any nitrite readings as well. Just keep up with the water changes, and check your parameters regularly, til you kow for sure you are 100% cycled.

[SCFatz]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

To answer the questions:
There are fish involved and the charcoal filled cartridge is the normal charcoal (black) that comes with these filters.The "bag" or body of the filter itself is is white.Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks again.

[Andos99]

If you have fish then I would do a small PWC.....probably around 25% for the sake of your fish and then retest the following day just to see where you are at. Like lonewolf said, you need to be at 0 Ammonia and 0 Nitrites to be fully cycled, so don't add anymore fish until you reach this. With most test kits, a 0 reading is pretty conclusive. I like to keep a maintenace log, this way I know the exact rate in which my Nitrates rise and I can time water changes accordingly. I have a pretty heavy bioload so I do PWC's every 6-8 days.

Just a quick note - the charcoal covers the chemical portion of your filter - removing meds, smells, any other chemical contaminants. It is debatable, but I think charcoal is a good thing and doesn't do any harm.