Help cycling!

[Fird]

I just checked my levels and everything is back to zero! I went through ammonia, nitrite and nitrate within 5 days. Any suggestions on what I should do next?

[kurtyboh]

If nitrate is zero youre not cycled

[Henry405]

Fird used chemicals to mask the nitrAtes.

All of the chemicals that you've added caused ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte to get stuck onto them and causing your test kit to believe you have zero of all of these. The chemicals altered the chemical make up of the ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte so to consider your tank cycled is technically wrong.

Cycling a tank is to grow a large bacterial colony in your tank that would convert ammonia to nitrIte and then to nitrAte. The added chemicals made the ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte change into a different form and that is why the test kit is saying 0 for all of them. Your tank doesn't actually have the bacteria needed to maintain the tank. If you want to always be dependent on chemicals then you can say your cycled, but the chances of you crashing your tank is much much higher than normal.

Personally, I would change out almost 100% of the water and start over. Sure the wait is dreadful, but having your tank crash and hundreds of dollars wasted is much more dreadful.

[Fird]

I'm not sure of you guys are understanding me... My levels spiked and dropped on their own with no filtration system whatsoever. When everything was said and done I was left with high nitrate. I then realized that I had nothing filtering my water. I then added filtration to my media basket which made my nitrate disappear.

[kurtyboh]

We are understanding perfectly fine, pwc's or a large microalgae colony are the only way to remove nitrates from your system

[kurtyboh]

Go back to the second post in the thread and read the article melosu linked. Unless you had a large amount of lr theres no way you cycled in five days. You may appear tobe cycled because of the chems that were added but youre not there yet.

[Fird]

5 days? I've had these rocks in water for about 7 weeks already. I've added 2 shrimps a week apart, then I added ammonia. This didn't happen in just 5 days.

[kurtyboh]

Originally Posted by Fird

I just checked my levels and everything is back to zero! I went through ammonia, nitrite and nitrate within 5 days. Any suggestions on what I should do next?

I dont know how i would assume you think you cycled in five days...

[mlanda]

Originally Posted by Fird

5 days? I've had these rocks in water for about 7 weeks already. I've added 2 shrimps a week apart, then I added ammonia. This didn't happen in just 5 days.

Wow that's new, just add water and rocks, for 7 weeks and that's all!!! You will need to put a fish or a source of ammonia, and even with that you will need to wait some time (4 to 6 weeks). The chemical part bad idea, worst when it is a new tank. Cheers....

[Fird]

Originally Posted by mlanda

Wow that's new, just add water and rocks, for 7 weeks and that's all!!! You will need to put a fish or a source of ammonia, and even with that you will need to wait some time (4 to 6 weeks). The chemical part bad idea, worst when it is a new tank. Cheers....

Read my earlier posts, multiple ammonia sources involved.

[Henry405]

Sorry for the miss understanding. If ammonia and nitrIte went away before you added the chemicals, then I would consider your tank cycled. If you want to be 100% sure, add about 1ppm of ammonia and if it goes away in 24 hours, then your good.