Fishless Cycling Help!

[mchisholm12]

Hello All,
I'm new to this forum and need some advice from all you experts. I am trying the fishless cycling for the first time and I think I am stuck. I bought a used 30 gallon fish tank with flourite substrate, a used aqueon 30 filter, and a used cascade 700 that all have been used in established tanks. I have both filters hooked up because I read that it would help speed up the cycling, and I also have two heaters keeping the temp at about 85 degrees. I only had fish food as I could not find ammonia without the sufunctant or however you spell it, so I just used flakes. Right now my ammonia is steady at .5 ppm, but my nitrites have been crazy high for about a week, and nitrate is up there too. I use the api test kit and right when i drop the drops into the vile, it turns purple before even shaking it. I have not done any water changes, i just cleaned up a few of the flakes that were sitting at the bottom cause i think i overdosed it on the food at first. Any advice??

Thank you so much! I'm lost!

Michael Chisholm

 

[Wolfsblood]

I would do a water change and then re dose.

 

[Venturer4life]

I agree with doing the water change. The good news is that it is at least cycling! Nitrites and nitrates are waste products of 2 the different bacteria's that you are trying to grow when you are cycling the tank, the first takes the ammonia and produces nitrites, and then the 2nd takes the nitrites and then makes nitrates (you probably already know this, sorry!). The nitrites, you do not have to worry about too much, because it is just fuel for the 2nd bacteria to grow, but nitrates are what you have to worry about. Nitrates are one of the reasons that even a fully cycled tank needs to have water changes, because it just builds up and nothing in the tank is getting rid of them.

In your case, you are growing bacteria, but there is still not quite enough to keep up with the amount of ammonia and nitrites in the tank. You are also working the system pretty hard, meaning that it is pumping out a good amount of nitrates, thus needing a water change. So, any time you are seeing the nitrates rise, do a water change and based on what your new ammonia reading is after the change, you can redose the tank a bit (but not too much because you will just build up nitrates faster and create more work for yourself!).

Another thing that you could do in addition to water changes and slight redosings, is to add some plants. Plants are natural users of nitrates, and can help keep your levels down a bit, though you will still need to do water changes. It is also nice, because live plants are a great asset to your tank, come time you add fish. Plants will continue to keep the nitrates down (which need to be kept as low as possible when you have any living creature in the tank), but will also keep your fish less stressed by adding places to hide and boundaries to create territories with, not to mention just adding a natural feel to the atmosphere of the tank!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[mchisholm12]

So I did the water change yesterday afternoon and I just now tested my water again (I waited a full day) and the ammonia is down to 0 ppm and the nitrite is not purple immediately upon putting the drops in, I have to shake it then it will go to purple (5 ppm) and the nitrate is around 40-80 ppm. i intend on adding live plants like you suggested but I also read that if you do not get your nitrites down that it could damage the leaves of the plants which would then just give off ammonia as it dies away so to wait until ur ammonia is at 0 and nitrite is under control to put in live plants. if that is not true I would love to put in plants right now! but the nitrites are still high, does it just need time? or am i doing okay?

thank you for the responses by the way! incredibly helpful! hopefully i'm getting closer to putting in my fishies!

Michael Chisholm

 

[froggy187888]

I think you should put some live plants in as soon as possible and keep them there. Buy some cheap fast growing plants. The way I do it is to add a stocking full of raw shrimp, plenty of cheap fast growing plants and a good filtration system. I've had a 60 gallon tank cycled in 13 days using this method.

 

[Wolfsblood]

You are getting really close now. Not much longer

 

[mchisholm12]

I don't really need to the shrimp at this point do I? I'm going to run to the store the next chance I get and get some live plants. So exciting!

Michael Chisholm

 

[Venturer4life]

Thats so exciting! Make sure that you keep dosing the tank with a little bit of food even though you are getting close so that the bacteria still have a bit to eat, and make sure that you have some water flow (from filters, aerators, ect.) so that you have new oxygen being introduced into the water! Also, make sure you keep up the water changes, as the ammonia and nitites should always be kept as zero, and the safe level for nitrates is under 40, though lower the better. Congrats on having a new cycled tank (or at least it will be soon), and enjoy you new fishes or what ever you plan on doing with it!!!