Am I Done Yet?

[cloretta]

I know -- patience is a virtue. I've heard that it's a fish keeper's best friend, especially during cycling. However, this is the first tank I've ever tried to cycle, so I'm looking for an experienced aquarist to help me analyze what point I'm at in my cycle! I'm doing fishless, and I have 3 Anubias.

I used the Aquarimate App, which tracks all of my PWC, doses, maintenances, feedings, parameter checks, etc. It also lets me analyze all of that data, so I have attached a picture of my water parameter history. Any idea how far I am into cycling?

I have NOT been dosing with pure ammonia, I've been using BettaMin Tropical Medley fish flakes. I've done 3 PWC (1 30%, 2 50%) with the Python No Spill Clean & Fill -- meaning I have used the siphon feature of it on my substrate to remove unsightly debris and maintain water clarity. There's also one pest snail that's grown from the size of a sunflower seed to the size of my thumbnail.

Any thoughts are welcome, and I'd be happy to give you more information if you need it! Thank you!

 

[Upstate TBarbs]

This might help, see section 7

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice

 

[dalto]

You are not done yet but you are getting there. Ammonia and nitrite need to fall to 0. If you are doing water changes it is better to do the testing before the water change.

 

[cloretta]

Noooow Am I Done Yet?

Okay, I think I might be done cycling. It's been around 2 weeks since I posted my last results, but today I had the miracle of finding ~almost 0 ammonia and ~almost 0 nitrites, after continuously dosing the tank [daily] to 4ppm of ammonia. I did a 50% PWC on Sunday (9/17) after seeing my pH plummet (the results you see are pre-PWC). This is the first time after a PWC where my nitrite levels didn't jump back up to 5ppm. Tonight, I again dosed the ammonia back up to 4ppm and will check tomorrow night to see if my ammonia and nitrites are back down to 0. If they're not, I keep cycling. If they are, I'm done -- right?

What are your thoughts? Do you think it might finally be time?!

A huge thanks to everyone help me through this proccess

 

[V227]

It looks like you are just about there. Just give it a day or two more just to be sure, then the fun begins. Very impressive chart. I'm embarrassed for the unsophisticated, prehistoric manner I've cycled tanks, LoL. Good luck.