Is my new tank cycled yet?

[suziparis35]

I purchased a 10G to eventually house my guppies (they are currently in a 3G and need an upgrade) and have been cycling for 5 days now with 3 zebra danios. They all appear in good health and I have been strip testing water every day. My readings are Nitrate 0, Nitrite 0, Hardness 25, Chlorine 0, Alkalinity 40, and pH 7.2.

Most of the posts on here state that fish-in cycling can take 6-8 weeks. My tanks has not even cycled for a week and yet my nitrate and nitrite remain at 0 with no spikes. Does this mean my tank is cycled and ready for more fish or do I need to keep waiting and testing?

Appreciate any and all responses!


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[cmw9787]

probably not. you didn't even mention the first part of the nitrogen cycle: ammonia. You need an ammonia spike to cause a bacterial bloom to start converting to nitrite. Then a second bloom will produce the bacteria to convert nitrite to nitrate. Your tank is cycled when you get nitrate readings above zero with ammonia and nitrite at zero.

 

[phishiephishie]

Strips are usually unreliable. Your best bet would be to get the API freshwater master test kit and be constantly testing water and doing water changes until the tank is cycled

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

Hello suzi...

It can take a little time for ammonia to build up in the tank water. Especially if you have quite a bit of water to dilute the ammonia and not many fish producing the waste. The waste the fish produce dissolves in the water and you have ammonia.

If the tank was mine, I'd add a few more fish. Test the tank water every day for traces of ammonia or nitrite. When you have a positive test, you remove and replace 25 percent of the water. Just replace it with pure, treated tap water. The small water change will help the fish and grow the good bacteria at the same time.

Simply test daily and change the water when needed. When several daily tests show no trace of either of the above toxins, the tank is cycled. The process normally takes 30 days.

You could help the fish by adding some Hornwort or Anacharis. Both are a floating plant that filter the tank water. Add a bit of standard aquarium salt too. A teaspoon for every 5 gallons of water change water. Salt helps calm the fish and reduces the toxic effect of ammonia and nitrite. But, your Zebra Danios are hardy and will likely not care about the less than perfect water conditions that happen during the "nitrogen cycle".

B