Am a beginner help with understanding cycling my tank !

[dg98]

I got a baby biorb for Christmas did not realise about fishless cycling, got 3 fish in tank 2 platys 1 guppy lfs said would be ok. After looking on Internet discovered the cycling process. 4 weeks in decided to test water with api test kit ammonia 0.5ppm, nitrite 0.3ppm and nitrate 40ppm. Following lfs advice did 50% - 20% water changes daily until ammonia gone down to 0 and nitrite 0. Have also syphoned media once and rinsed out filter in tank water once. For past 2 weeks or so ammonia has been fluctuating between 0-50ppm and nitrite gone down to 0ppm and nitrate 20ppm. Am I just impatient? But ammonia will not stabilise was under impression once nitrate are high and nitrite 0 cycling process over. Is my tank still cycling? Or is it a problem with stocking, fish waste, or over feeding. Have been feeding 1 flake per fish every other day. Any advice would be much appreciated why ammonia will not stay down?

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[BBradbury]

Fish In Tank Cycling

I got a baby biorb for Christmas did not realise about fishless cycling, got 3 fish in tank 2 platys 1 guppy lfs said would be ok. After looking on Internet discovered the cycling process. 4 weeks in decided to test water with api test kit ammonia 0.5ppm, nitrite 0.3ppm and nitrate 40ppm. Following lfs advice did 50% - 20% water changes daily until ammonia gone down to 0 and nitrite 0. Have also syphoned media once and rinsed out filter in tank water once. For past 2 weeks or so ammonia has been fluctuating between 0-50ppm and nitrite gone down to 0ppm and nitrate 20ppm. Am I just impatient? But ammonia will not stabilise was under impression once nitrate are high and nitrite 0 cycling process over. Is my tank still cycling? Or is it a problem with stocking, fish waste, or over feeding. Have been feeding 1 flake per fish every other day. Any advice would be much appreciated why ammonia will not stay down?

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Hello dg...

The water chemistry in a small tank can change quickly, because there's not much water to dilute the fish waste. Fortunately, you have hardy fish, that have a good chance of surviving the cycling process.

The nitrogen cycle works pretty simply. The waste the fish produce mixes with the oxygen in the tank water and produces ammonia. This mixture creates bacteria that use the ammonia for food. This bacteria produces nitrite. Oxygen and nitrite create bacteria that uses nitrite for food and produces nitrate. The nitrate is removed when you change the tank water. There's no bacteria that uses nitrate.

Your job is to test the tank water every day for traces of ammonia and nitrite. If you have a positive test, you change 25 percent of the water and replace it with pure, treated tap water. You don't change more because you're growing the bacteria that will eventually help keep the water clean for the fish. You test and change the water until several daily tests show no traces of ammonia or nitrite. At this point, the tank is cycled. The process generally takes a month.

B

 

[dg98]

Thanks bb,
Will keep calm and carry on with water changes and only do 25% . You have reassured this is just a waiting game. Was woundering if I could add some java moss I think its called or will this disrupt cycle in anyway. Thanks again you guys on here are amazing this forum will be very useful as I go further with this hobby. Enjoying it

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[BBradbury]

Adding Plants

Thanks bb,
Will keep calm and carry on with water changes and only do 25% . You have reassured this is just a waiting game. Was woundering if I could add some java moss I think its called or will this disrupt cycle in anyway. Thanks again you guys on here are amazing this forum will be very useful as I go further with this hobby. Enjoying it

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

Hello again dg...

Good idea. Add as many plants as possible. Floating plants would be preferable, because they don't need to be planted. Anacharis also called Common water weed is very good. Hornwort and Pennywort are also good. You just drop the stems on top of the water and they'll grow. Plants are natural water filters using all forms of nitrogen for food.

B