ARG fishless cycle!

[fishymctasty]

ok heres the scoop:

I started a fishless cycle 2 weeks ago. Got the ammonia to 5 ppm as suggested. oddly it hasn't gone down at all in two weeks. and still no nitrites. can anyone tell me whats goin on?

Thanks for your time!

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

whats the temp of the tank?

Patience is a virtue, lol. It just takes time, some longer than others

 

[fishymctasty]

temp is 80 degrees F. Im tryin to be patient! hehe. shouldn't i have some nitrites by now?

 

[Lager]

What kind of test kit? Is the filter running well?

 

[fishymctasty]

API master test kit. filter is running great. aquaclear 50. i also have a smaller HOB filter on it right now for my quarantine tank later.

 

[SpeedEuphoria]

have you done any water changes?

All I have to add is that I did a cycle with fish, it took me 1 month to get Nitrites, then another month to get nitrates

 

[fishymctasty]

no i haven't done any water changes, didn't think i had to with no fish to harm in the tank.

 

[Purrbox]

No need for a water change since it's a fishless cycle. It's probably just taking a little longer for yours to get going. Did you remember to dechlorinate the water?

 

[fishymctasty]

yep im using API stresscoat water conditioner

 

[bluerose]

can you get any helper gravel/filter media/decor/filter gunk from someone else?

that helps lots!

a plant in a pot would do it too i bet (some kinds come in little mossy 'pots'...), if you're going to put plants in.

 

[fishymctasty]

i put some gravel from a healthy tank in yesterday. was hoping i would at least a little nitrite by now. sniffle..... lol just bein a baby.

 

[fishymctasty]

how long should i wait before thinking i did it wrong?

 

[Alaris]

how long should i wait before thinking i did it wrong?

Annoyingly, another 2 weeks or more...

I started my fishless cycle with a bit of used gravel and I saw nitrItes the next day. It then took 2 weeks for the ammonia to go down. I'm on my 5th week and I still have nitrItes and no nitrAtes.

"It'll happen, it'll happen..." It's tiring to hear, but I suppose there's some truth in it and after it does happen for you, you'll be telling the next anxious dude "keep waiting, it'll happen." /sigh

Fishless cycling takes a minimum of 1 month if you don't have an already cycled/established filter. It will more likely take 2 months.

 

[harmy4993]

if i remember correctly it was about 2-2 1/2 weeks before my ammonia started to go down. its hard to do but you just gotta let the process take its course. it can be frustrating and confusing when you wonder why nothing has happened but there is stuff having, just not enough to show up on the test kit.

i read an article somewhere( dont remember where) that said the ammonia eatting , nitrite producind bactira multiply every 8 hours and the nitrite eatting, nitrate producing bactira every 13 hours. from what i understood of the article you start out with a small amount of these bactira's and need millions to effect the test kits.

 

[fishymctasty]

awesome. thanks for the pep talk guys. all i needed to hear was that i wasn't messing it up.