Cycling 3 gallon quarantine tank - confused

[SNorlin]

Hi all, I have been trying to set up a quarantine tank, but I am confused by the readings after 5 days: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 10 nitrates. This should good, but it has happened so quickly and I saw the high ammonia, but never saw the high nitrates, is it possible that the nitrites spiked and disappeared while I wasn't looking? Here is what I did:
-filled 3 gallon with water treated with conditioner
- old gravel that had been cleaned with hot water and then dried ( from my tank).
- placed 1 ornament and 3-4 plants from my current tank
- new power filter with new media insert
- sponge filter which I placed some gravel from my current tank into the bottom where you are supposed to place charcoal ( but I don't need charcoal as it will be a quarantine tank).
- heater turned up high to promote bacterial growth, no light ( got to 85 degrees).
- then on first day took a dead snail and placed in stocking and placed it into tank floating for 3 days.
- I then checked and the ammonia spiked, so I removed the snail and started only placing a small piece of food at night.
- 2 days later, I tested again, and 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 10 nitrates.

Have I done something wrong? Or really right? Don't want to kill any fish by accidentally placing them in a nun cycled tank. I have continued to place a small piece of fish food in the tank, just in case.

Please let me know what you think....


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[trennamw]

How high did the ammonia spike?

I've cycled really small tanks several times, some just for the heck of it as I try to understand the process (and the claim out there in some places that tanks under 5 gallons don't cycle).

I find they do cycle very rapidly, in just a few days. And I've missed the nitrite spike too unless I check it twice daily.

Since at one point you saw ammonia I think you did it. You're probably fine, IMO. Good call on the gravel where the charcoal goes.

I am really new to all this so I could be wrong ... but I experimented a lot. My best recollection of what I've done at home is ...

I gallon "mini bow" ... I put a 1" square of filter floss pad on top of a new filter cartridge and dosed to 3ppm with ammonia. Within 24 hours I had nitrite and in 48 ammonia was gone. I kept dosing it to 3ppm for 3 weeks and it was always at 0 ammonia the next day. This tank hadn't previously cycled on its own after it was occupied for 3 months.

Did the same as above with a little gravel instead of filter floss. It went fast enough I missed the nitrite spike that time.

3 gallon tank ... The "now that I know better" rescuing a sick betta from his gallon tank. I cut a piece of filter floss pad half as big as the new cartridge in the new filter. The floss came from a healthy 30 gallon, nothing came from the sick 1 gallon. I never saw ammonia or nitrite, just nitrate.

10 gallon ... Same as above. Added one betta, never saw ammonia or nitrite just nitrate.





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[SNorlin]

The ammonia went to 4! The measurements have stayed the same: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and about 20 nitrates now even after having added 2 of my danios over for a few days ( going to be moving them back over soon, they hate the small tank poor things). The small tank now has a number if snails in it to maintain the cycle (ramshorn snails - have tonnes of them in my main tank for my yoyos). Thanks for the support and info.


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[ScotJudd]

It just goes to show that piece of seeded filter media kick starts the cycling far faster and more reliably the any bottles of 'live bacteria'.


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[FWFishTanks]

I run a sponge filter in one of my show tanks, and when I have new/sick fish, I just fill the quarantine, and plop the filter in.

 

[SNorlin]

Cool. I was thinking of that too, less work. But now it looks like I will need it as my corydora a have placed eggs all over the tank, phew!


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