Day 10 no nitrates

[AmyD]

Sorry title should say nitrites! day 10 of my fishless cycle and no nitrites yet. I'm pretty sure ammonia's no higher than 4ppm, by the chart it seems to be betwen 2&4. I was thinking do a pwc to bring it down slightly and see if things get going? Good or bad idea?

 

[Deckape]

Hi, the best and only things you should do now is wait and wait.

Just follow the guide in my signature and you will find success. Maybe you can do some planning and homework on what kinds of fish you want to keep in the interim.

 

[Deckape]

If you want to speed things up, then try to find some used filter media from a fish store or even some established substrate in a nylon or mesh bag to help seed your tank. Please consider NOT using the instant cycling bottles. Some people have had luck with them but more have had bad luck with them. I am one of the bad luck guys.

I do not want a debate started over this, as it is a subject that gets some people stirred up. That is my experience and opinions.

 

[AmyD]

Yeah i thought should be more patient but how long is too long to be waiting for the nitrites to show?

 

[Deckape]

Yeah i thought should be more patient but how long is too long to be waiting for the nitrites to show?

It depends, did you start fresh or did you have any seed material? You should start seeing nitrites in a week if you didn't have any. What size is your tank? What type filters are you running?

 

[AmyD]

I didn't have any seed material, i have a 60 litre biorb

 

[Deckape]

I didn't have any seed material, i have a 60 litre biorb

Yea about a week. Save your test liquid. Don't check for nitrates until a week or so after you get nitrites. Ask a friend for some seed material or a LFS. Its a good way to get to know how the local fish stores roll. If you find one that will give you an old, stinky piece of filter media, then do buisness with them. Most places won't give you their established media. It's that valuable.

 

[AmyD]

The ammonia doesn't seem to have dropped yet, does it always drop before nitrites show?

 

[Deckape]

The ammonia doesn't seem to have dropped yet, does it always drop before nitrites show?

No. I read an article saying basically that the ammonia to nitrite ratio is about 1:3. It's a scientific article and a scientist I am not. The nitrogen cycle is very interesting though.

 

[AmyD]

Thanks for your help, i guess i'll just sit tight and wait some more

 

[Deckape]

Thanks for your help, i guess i'll just sit tight and wait some more

You can do it. Hang out here and talk about fish. There are some intersting things you can learn whilst waiting.

 

[marchmaxima]

Ahhh patience. An essential but elusive attribute during the cycle.

Do note that 'around a week' is typical but every tank/experience is different. I had one of my tanks not show up Nitrite for closer to two weeks rather than the 8-10 days I would normally see.

Stay the course

 

[librarygirl]

Hi! Day 10 isn't really that long of a time, you've got some more waiting to do. It can take up to 2-3 weeks for ammonia to start dropping and then nitrites should follow (not always in that order, as Deckape said). A typical fishless cycle can take up to a month on average, sometimes longer. If you can get some seeded media it will help a lot. Some people (myself included) have had good luck with buying a pre-seeded active sponge filter from this site (make sure it says "active" if you get one, otherwise it'll be an unseeded filter). Good luck.

 

[AmyD]

Thanks guys, i'm so impatient! I'll just try to keep busy and try to keep my mind off it for a while, need to research how many fish i can have before the tank's ready

 

[Deckape]

Thanks guys, i'm so impatient! I'll just try to keep busy and try to keep my mind off it for a while, need to research how many fish i can have before the tank's ready

There ya go... it helps to stay occupied elsewhere...

 

[AmyD]

Finally have nitrites showing up! Brilliant

 

[librarygirl]

Finally have nitrites showing up! Brilliant

Awesome! It's great seeing that tube changing to a color other than blue, isn't it? In a little while you're going to be wishing for it to turn blue again.

 

[AmyD]

It certainly is didn't think i would get so excited!