Cycling again.

[Bruna75]

So I am going through another frustrating fish less cycle. I got a fluval spec (5 gallon) the day after thanksgiving, as soon as I got home I opened the box and put the media in my fully cycled 75s filter , then I wrapped my tank and put it under the tree where it belonged until Christmas, so the day after Christmas I put it together, pulled my yucky media from the 75 and put it in the foam block and plugged it in, I dosed ammonia to 3 and when I tested the next day things seemed to be going good, the ammonia was down to 1 , there was a trace of nitrite and a trace of nitrate, when the ammonia fell to 0 I dosed it back up to 3 , after 4 days the nitrites were off the chart, and they have stayed there since:/, the cause of my frustration!!! Last week I did 7 50% water changes within 2 days, and finally got them to a readable level, oh and I stopped dosing ammonia for 10 days hoping to give it time to go down, also my nitrates have been off the charts too, so I know it is processing. Finally 2 days ago it the nitrite was down to .25 so I dosed ammonia again, only to 2 this time, and when I tested the water yesterday ammonia was 0 and nitrites again off the charts, tested today , still off the charts, what now? Do I really need to do more water changes? I know it's only 5 gallons, but it is a pain because I put a path of white sand in black sand so it takes a steady careful hand to get the water in without disturbing it, and that is also why I do 50 % instead of more, stupid tank took me an hour to fill when I first filled it trying not to disturb it, I am ready to just give up on my pretty path! I just don't understand how it is taking so long for the nitrites to go down compared to the ammonia, especially since I started with seeded media. :/ any suggestions?

 

[librarygirl]

The nitrite phase is the longest, typically taking 3 weeks on average. How long have yours been high? SInce you just did a water change I don't see the need to do another; if nitrites are still high in another 4 or 5 days then you can do another large water change(s) to get them down again. What's your PH? PH crashes are common when cycling and if the PH falls to low (mid-low 6's) it can stall the cycle too; water changes should help bring the PH back up if it's that low but if it keeps falling you might need to add a natural buffer like crushed coral or argonite (sold at most fish stores in the saltwater section) to a mesh media bag or clean (never washed with detergent) nylon stocking and add it to your filter to help keep the PH stable.

 

[jlk]

Is there any room to stuff a bit more cycled media into this tank? Or tie a bag on the intake tube? I would do another wc (I know, I know...) to try & get your nitrites back down to a decent level and add some more media. Or squeeze your cycled filters into this tank. Add just a pinch of fish food. I would let things go for a few days until you see the nitrites start to drop then just add a tiny amount of amm (.5) and see what happens. Wait until everythings converting then add 1ppm. Once this is converting, 1.5ppm then 2. You likely dont need to go beyond 2ppm for this size tank. Dont be afraid to squeeze the cycled media into this tank once a day either- it will make a mess but it does actually help! Good luck!

 

[jlk]

The nitrite phase is the longest, typically taking 3 weeks on average. How long have yours been high? SInce you just did a water change I don't see the need to do another; if nitrites are still high in another 4 or 5 days then you can do another large water change(s) to get them down again. What's your PH? PH crashes are common when cycling and if the PH falls to low (mid-low 6's) it can stall the cycle too; water changes should help bring the PH back up if it's that low but if it keeps falling you might need to add a natural buffer like crushed coral or argonite (sold at most fish stores in the saltwater section) to a mesh media bag or clean (never washed with detergent) nylon stocking and add it to your filter to help keep the PH stable.

+1
Forgot about the ph!

 

[Bruna75]

Thanks guys! The ph has been steady at 7.8, I don't think there is any more room for more media:/ the section for the media is small and it's a big foam block that takes up the whole section,with 2 holes, and in one is the bag of carbon that came with it and the other the ceramic rings it came with, it's the ceramic rings That I had in my other filter for a month to seed , I can definitely squeeze some of the cartridges from my main tank over the filter block though,I did that to get my 75 cycled, so I don't know why I didn't think of that. Lol! I was for sure this cycle would be quick and easy since I had the seeded media, but then I went and dosed it to 3 not thinking of the small tank size:/ but that does make sense now that you guys mentioned it:/ I will do the water changes in the morning since it is the betas day for a water change, thanks again for the advice, for a minute I was thinking I just have bad luck with fish less cycles, my other one had me pulling my hair out too! I still haven't decided on another beta or a school of tiny fish yet:/ thanks again oh and any ideas on what would be a good tiny school for a 5 gallon? It's is a kinda long 5 gallon, well to me it seems anyways, it looks bigger than my other beta tank though I know it's not. Lol.

 

[jlk]

Librarygirl would have a better idea than I would of some small fish! Your tank should cycle pretty quickly- no worries! I have been able to recycle my 20 & my pond quickly just using alot of filter squeezings. Makes everything look dirty & gross for a bit but it does actually help! If you run into bumps in the road, just ask!

 

[Bruna75]

Librarygirl would have a better idea than I would of some small fish! Your tank should cycle pretty quickly- no worries! I have been able to recycle my 20 & my pond quickly just using alot of filter squeezings. Makes everything look dirty & gross for a bit but it does actually help! If you run into bumps in the road, just ask!

Thanks! I am happy to say it has cycled! I checked the water Saturday and everything was good, added a drop of ammonia to get it to 1 and tested yesterday and tests were 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and well nitrate off the charts.added another drop of ammo and tested this morning and everything the same!. Ganna do a few water changes tonight and hopefully I will be able to get some fish to tomorrow well if I can decide on what I want lol.

 

[jlk]

Congrats!

 

[Bruna75]

Congrats!

Thank you I am super excited!!!

 

[jlk]

Now, wasnt that easy? Good luck with your new tank!!

 

[Bruna75]

Now, wasnt that easy? Good luck with your new tank!!

LOL! I am for sure done cycling tanks for a while!