55 gallong tank cycled...FINALLY!!!

[papa_bear_21]

So, after weeks of water changes, and testing, the tank appears to be done with the cycle. Ammonia and nitrItes are 0, nitrAtes are 0 right now, does that mean there is still more cycling needed? I've never had a nitrates reading in any of the tanks we've had, even after they've been cycled for some time.

I'm glad that the tank is finally getting to the point we can truly begin to plan out our stocking. We ended up moving the fish from the 3 gallon eclipse into the 55 gallon, because they were becoming clamped and overly stressed, as that one is cycling right now as well. We are going to continue cycling it, using the excess fish food that is in the tank.

I dont know if adding the new filter sped up the process, or if the time was right. The new filter is running carbon in it, would that matter? The water is crystal clear, and everyone is doing fine, with the exception of one of the guppies from the other tank.

Thank you to all for the help and support,

Bear

 

[rich311k]

You should have some nitrates. Maybe get another test kit or have the LFS run a test for you. Congrats on the cycle. Keep an eye on the parameters.

 

[papa_bear_21]

I was always told that, and we registered nitrates during the cycle, but once we changed the water they went away, and it wasnt often that they appeared. None of our prior tanks had nitrates, ever...even after a few months of being up...we'll keep an eye on the perameters...

 

[gheitman]

What kind of filter did you put in the 55g tank? If it is one that has good biological media that could help the cycling process but it shouldn't eliminate nitrates. Do you have plants in the tank? Plants use nitrogen as a food source and will 'lock up' nitrates in the plant matter that might otherwise be in the water column. Without plants being in the tank your partial water changes are the only real way to remove nitrates. What are you using to test your nitrate levels? Test strips while convenient are not as accurate as using liquid reagent test kits. I use the first for speed (I have 9 tanks) and the second for accuracy. Also, test strips and liquid test kits do expire after a certain period of time. I definitely recommend taking a water sample in to your LFS. They should be able to give you a definitive answer one way or another.

 

[papa_bear_21]

What kind of filter did you put in the 55g tank? If it is one that has good biological media that could help the cycling process but it shouldn't eliminate nitrates. Do you have plants in the tank? Plants use nitrogen as a food source and will 'lock up' nitrates in the plant matter that might otherwise be in the water column. Without plants being in the tank your partial water changes are the only real way to remove nitrates. What are you using to test your nitrate levels? Test strips while convenient are not as accurate as using liquid reagent test kits. I use the first for speed (I have 9 tanks) and the second for accuracy. Also, test strips and liquid test kits do expire after a certain period of time. I definitely recommend taking a water sample in to your LFS. They should be able to give you a definitive answer one way or another.

We use an API master test kit for freshwater aquariums to test, the kit is maybe 6 months old. All the other tests test fine, and we have seen nitrates in the tank recently during the cycle. I'll keep testing to see if they come, but we've never seen them in a cycled tank. I have been running an AC30 that was already established on my 29 gallon before the upgrade, and an AC50 that had been on the 29 for 3 weeks prior to the switch. About a week ago, a Rena Filstar XP2 was added, and the cycle completed shortly there after using the supplied media. No live plants in the tank, no test strips used at all on the tank. Even on the established 29 gallon, the LFS never found nitrates...any of them...

 

[gheitman]

Well then it sure sounds like you don't have a measurable level of nitrates. Are you doing partial water changes frequently? That would keep the level of nitrates down near zero. And of course a light bio load with little or no fish would help

 

[papa_bear_21]

we have 2 pleco's a common and a gibbi, 4 rasbora's, 1 lyre tail molly, 1 platy, 3 dojo's, 3 khuli's, 1 baby molly and 1 baby guppie...2 black skirt tetra's, maybe a few others...

Water changes about once a week...

 

[7Enigma]

I dont know if adding the new filter sped up the process, or if the time was right. The new filter is running carbon in it, would that matter?

It's the carbon. It will remove the nitrAte and make it look like you have none. Once it loses its effectiveness (probably another week or so) you will begin to see nitrAtes.

 

[papa_bear_21]

I dont know if adding the new filter sped up the process, or if the time was right. The new filter is running carbon in it, would that matter?

It's the carbon. It will remove the nitrAte and make it look like you have none. Once it loses its effectiveness (probably another week or so) you will begin to see nitrAtes.

Now come the really wierd part...the AC30 and AC50 have not had carbon in the since the original packs expired, and the AC30 was in use for months...I'm not trying to argue, but more understand the reasoning behind the lack of nitrates...because everyone has mentioned having them, and I have always never had them...

 

[7Enigma]

And you do or don't have live plants?

 

[papa_bear_21]

no live plants, never had much of a green thumb...fish only, and at times we had 25+ in the previous 29 gallon, and over 40 in the 55 gallon, but that number has dropped dramatically...

 

[7Enigma]

That makes NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sense! You shaking your bottles properly prior to testing the nitrAtes? (AP test kits)

 

[papa_bear_21]

yes, we take the tube, fill to the line. The first bottle gets the right amount of drops, top on and shake the tube. Shake the second bottle for 30 second, add drops to the tube, top on and shake tube. wait 3-5 minutes and look, no change. During the cycle, we read nitrates periodically, and they were 10 to 15, then they would be gone.

It makes no since to me either...that's why I'm so curious...