16 Gallon cycling help

[Rosso961]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently cycling a 16 gallon tank, which is my first tank with 4 zebra danios. They're healthy and other than one being isolated at times which I think is due to numbers, they do very well.

My current water parameters are

0.25 ammonia
0 nitrites
0 nitrates
pH is a bit high I imagine 7.8-8.0 usually but I hear messing with pH causes more problems than it helps.

for 8 days I've added Seachem Stability, 1 capful, 2 on the first day. I use Prime during water changes or if ammonia gets to high. I do about 2 water changes a week between 20-25% and the ammonia has never gotten higher than .50 ppm.

The tank temperature is 76F I could lower it if needed.

they get fed every other day at the moment a mix of bloodworms and flakes, and I scoop out any uneaten food.

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks with the fish in there and I know patience is a virtue but am I doing this all right? The baby blue Nitrite color has always been as clear as the sky and I follow the directions perfectly. I was skeptical about Stability but I figured I'd try it but it really hasn't made a difference

Do I just need to be more patient and keep doing what I'm doing?




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[Rpeinhardt]

Hey, Rosso, congrats on your new hobby!

Water changes will actually slow the process of cycling down. By changing the water, you are removing ammonia which is what the bacteria need to multiply.

The problem you're in is that you HAVE to change the water for the sake of your fish.

You can jumpstart the cycle by seeding your tank with filter media from an established tank. It'll have colonies of the nitrifying bacteria already established.

As pH rises, ammonia becomes more toxic. I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as it's stable. That's more important.

Have patience and good luck!

 

[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

Hello Ross...

Briefly, you test every day for traces of ammonia and nitrite. If you have a positive test for either, you change one-quarter of the water and replace it with treated tap water. Test daily and change the water when needed. When you reach the point you have several daily tests with no traces of the above toxins, the tank is cycled. The nitrogen cycle takes roughly one month. Your situation may take a bit longer, because your fish numbers for cycling are a bit low. Ideally, you use 4 fish for every 10 gallons of tank volume. But, this number will eventually work.

Add some floating plants like Hornwort to help steady the water chemistry and make the fish more comfortable.

B