Is my cycle crashed or is my equipment not working properly?

[IgsPoke3]

Hey everyone,

I had a couple of freshwater aquarium a couple years back but moving to a new house I decided to start fresh and therefore I’m trying to do a fish in cycle with a betta. I treated the water for chlorine prior to as well as added the api quick start for the beneficial bacteria. I was kinda nervous reading that are some dead bottles and what if mine is? But then after that added the fish the next day and shortly after the dosage from prime sechum to detoxify the ammonia (which was in storage and I know it doesn’t expire but it smells pretty bad)
My latest readings on day 2 are
PH - 6.7
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 0
NH - 0.25-0.50ppm.
Wouldn’t that nitrate be a little higher if the bacteria was doing its job?
Also do you recommend doing water changes and adding more bacteria after the water changes? Thank you!

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

It normally takes around 4-6 weeks (sometimes longer) to cycle an aquarium. If you add a live filter bacteria to the aquarium, it can cycle the tank in a couple of weeks. You are unlikely to get a nitrite or nitrate reading for a couple of weeks. And nitrate readings are the last to occur so testing for nitrates a couple of days after the tank is set up, won't give you a nitrate reading.

If you use a liquid bacteria supplement (live filter bacteria), I recommend adding a double dose every day for a week, then pour the remaining contents into the tank or put it in the fridge. Try to add the bacteria near the filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter where it belongs.