How long will It take my water to cycle?

[rutherford_3]

So I'm Wondering how long will it take for my water to cycle. on the 19th I bought a new tank it's 75 gallons I got everything set up but I let my sand settle and then today i turned on my filter it is a cascade 1000 it filters up to 100 gallons and I put cascade Bio-rings in the filter. So I was just wondering how long will it be for all of the water to cycle because I have never had a tank this big before.

 

[SherLar]

You'll need to add a source of natural ammonia periodically to initiate cycling. Typically, it can take from 4 to 6 weeks for a good colony of nitrifying bacteria to build up in your filter. After adding ammonia a few times, you'll need to start doing water tests. First, you'll see high ammonia levels, then your nitrites will spike, followed by nitrates. Gradually, as bacteria builds up, you'll noticed by drops in your ammonia, then nitrite, and lastly, your nitrate levels. When your ammonia and nitrite both test at 0 ppm, and your nitrates test <40 ppm, you'll be ready to add fish. It can be a slow process, and it isn't easy to be patient.

 

[BBradbury]

rut...

Here's one method of cycling your tank, and you have the advantage and enjoyment of having fish in it from the beginning.

Here are the steps:

Once the tank is set up and running, add some individual stems of a floating plant like Hornwort, Water sprite and/or Anacharis to help steady the water chemistry between water changes. Add 3 to 4 small to medium sized fish for every 10 gallons of water you want to cycle. Feed the fish just a little every couple of days. They don’t need much during the cycling period. The dissolving fish waste (ammonia) combines with oxygen from the outside air and begins to grow the bacteria colony. Test the water daily for traces of ammonia and nitrite. If you have a positive test, remove a quarter (25 percent) of the tank water and replace it with tap water treated with an additive that removes chlorine and chloramine and detoxifies the three forms of nitrogen. Don’t remove more water, you’ll starve the bacteria and slow the process. Test every day and remove and replace the water when needed. When several daily tests show no traces of ammonia or nitrite, the tank is cycled. Once cycled, in a month or so, you change out half or more of the tank water every few days to maintain good water conditions.

Have fun!

B