Has my tank cycled or not?
- Thread starter Duppu
- Start date
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Evansimp
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yeah! 
And If you plan on upgrading soon, Which I'm sure you will, do a lot of research on what you want! I have a 40 gallon that I wish I would have made into a planted tank, but it's to late now! Patience is key in this hobby, which sadly Is something I lack haha
And If you plan on upgrading soon, Which I'm sure you will, do a lot of research on what you want! I have a 40 gallon that I wish I would have made into a planted tank, but it's to late now! Patience is key in this hobby, which sadly Is something I lack haha
eduguy
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2012
- Messages
- 975
This may not help but if your stocking your tank this helps: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor
Okay!! So started from scratch...I emptied my tank; cleaned the decos and gravel, changed filters. I've added water from the tap; added 5ml of api stress coat+. I will be starting a fishless cycle. I'm sure I cannot find ammonia in my neighborhood...so I ordered rTim's Aquatics Ammonium chloride for Aquarium: from amazon and also got the api master kit. I should get them in a couple of days and will start cycling. I found a very useful step by step guide in the forum...so this should not be very difficult. Will keep you all posted about the progress.
rTim's Aquatics Ammonium chloride for Aquarium: from amazon and also got the api master kit. I should get them in a couple of days and will start cycling. I found a very useful step by step guide in the forum...so this should not be very difficult. Will keep you all posted about the progress.In the meantime...I'd like suggestions for stocking my tank. I love fishes that are colorful 
and visible...I dont want to stock a dozen
....I'd be happy with just 4 in my 10 gallon tank as far as they are visible and colorful and most important happy
and visible...I dont want to stock a dozen....I'd be happy with just 4 in my 10 gallon tank as far as they are visible and colorful and most important happy
librarygirl
Look It Up
A few things:
-- even in an uncycled tank the fish shouldn't have died within a few hours. If nitrites were that high I'm suspecting your tap water or something else going on. Test your tap water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to see where you're starting from. The cycle can't start without an ammonia source (letting the tank run without one doesn't cycle it) and I'm not sure how nitrites could be present without ammonia unless your tap has nitrites or the bacteria starter you added caused them. Or the live plants (can't remember if you added these before nitrites showed)
--get your own liquid test kit (API Master). Most LFS use strips which aren't accurate and it's best to be able to test your own water when needed in an emergency
--Don't trust the LFS for stocking advice. Danios are active fish and need a tank larger than 10 gals.
--what filter is on the tank? YOu mentioned high water current...
--what temperature is the tank? Do you have a heater? An in-tank mercury thermometer is recommended to double-check the heater temp
Here are some links for you:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice
Stocking for a 10 gal is somewhat limited but do-able. Here are some options when you're ready (also browse local fish stores to see what's available to you, write down fish you like and then research them and ask here)
--A single betta (lots of personality given the right conditions)
--two dwarf puffers
--A school of 8 nano fish like ember tetra, chili rasbora or celestial pearl danio.
--3 or 4 guppies
--4 or 5 endler's livebearers
Those are just some options. Good luck.
-- even in an uncycled tank the fish shouldn't have died within a few hours. If nitrites were that high I'm suspecting your tap water or something else going on. Test your tap water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to see where you're starting from. The cycle can't start without an ammonia source (letting the tank run without one doesn't cycle it) and I'm not sure how nitrites could be present without ammonia unless your tap has nitrites or the bacteria starter you added caused them. Or the live plants (can't remember if you added these before nitrites showed)
--get your own liquid test kit (API Master). Most LFS use strips which aren't accurate and it's best to be able to test your own water when needed in an emergency
--Don't trust the LFS for stocking advice. Danios are active fish and need a tank larger than 10 gals.
--what filter is on the tank? YOu mentioned high water current...
--what temperature is the tank? Do you have a heater? An in-tank mercury thermometer is recommended to double-check the heater temp
Here are some links for you:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
Guide to Starting a Freshwater Aquarium - Aquarium Advice
Stocking for a 10 gal is somewhat limited but do-able. Here are some options when you're ready (also browse local fish stores to see what's available to you, write down fish you like and then research them and ask here)
--A single betta (lots of personality given the right conditions)
--two dwarf puffers
--A school of 8 nano fish like ember tetra, chili rasbora or celestial pearl danio.
--3 or 4 guppies
--4 or 5 endler's livebearers
Those are just some options. Good luck.
The cycle begins
Hey everyone! After over 10 days wait, I got my stuff to start the actual cycling....I was patient all along not touching my clean aquarium much and just let it be.
I tested my dechlorinated water with the Api Master Kit before adding ammonia and the results read as:
pH : 7.6
high range pH : 8.2
Ammonia : 0.25 ppm
Nitrates and nitrites : 0
I see I've got a more alkaline water and wondering if that had actually killed my fishes earlier
If any of you think that might be the reason, I'd love to hear some solutions either in the form of a product or choice of fish.
I've now introduced ammonia to bring the level upto 4ppm this morning. I also added some crushed fish food to boost the water nutrients. I think I should be checking the ammonia levels again after a couple of days.
Also, my apartment gets hot in the afternoon...and it crosses 86F I guess. Is there any solution to cool the tank or is that not necessary?
Hey everyone! After over 10 days wait, I got my stuff to start the actual cycling....I was patient all along not touching my clean aquarium much and just let it be.
I tested my dechlorinated water with the Api Master Kit before adding ammonia and the results read as:
pH : 7.6
high range pH : 8.2
Ammonia : 0.25 ppm
Nitrates and nitrites : 0
I see I've got a more alkaline water and wondering if that had actually killed my fishes earlier
If any of you think that might be the reason, I'd love to hear some solutions either in the form of a product or choice of fish.I've now introduced ammonia to bring the level upto 4ppm this morning. I also added some crushed fish food to boost the water nutrients. I think I should be checking the ammonia levels again after a couple of days.
Also, my apartment gets hot in the afternoon...and it crosses 86F I guess. Is there any solution to cool the tank or is that not necessary?
eduguy
Aquarium Advice FINatic
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2012
- Messages
- 975
The high ph is fine. Don't try to lower it because stability is more important then the perfect PH.
Help! Help! Help!
It has been a month into cycling. I've been adding ammonia and checking levels from time to time. Never had it drop below 1 ppm.
But I've not seen any traces of nitirites or nitrates yet. Tank temperature is 82F and tank is well aerated with air stone . I only add dechlorinated water when the water level drops down by evaporation. I'm seeing some green traces of algae(?) on my decorations. But have not tried to clean anything in the tank. I also added ground fish food twoce during the process hoping it would set nitrites to go high...but in vain till now
ph has remained stable at 8.2
What should I do? Just wait??
It has been a month into cycling. I've been adding ammonia and checking levels from time to time. Never had it drop below 1 ppm.
But I've not seen any traces of nitirites or nitrates yet. Tank temperature is 82F and tank is well aerated with air stone . I only add dechlorinated water when the water level drops down by evaporation. I'm seeing some green traces of algae(?) on my decorations. But have not tried to clean anything in the tank. I also added ground fish food twoce during the process hoping it would set nitrites to go high...but in vain till now
ph has remained stable at 8.2
What should I do? Just wait??
tropicalfishlady
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Best advice is to be patient,its been only a,month my 1st fishless cycle took around 6 weeks and that was with some seeded material from an established,mature tank,when it happens its kind off quick,you have these high ammonia readings up to about 2.0 or 4.0 then you will see the Ammonia coming down and nitrite rising slowly,i think mine got to around 1.0ppm then dropped until 0ppm then ammonia was same,it might take another month yet,its worth it in the end really it is,i didn,t do fishless with 1st time round and i payed the price,lost loads of fish and could never get my water right ever.
And once you are cycled do not overstock,stock slowly,as it can take up to 6 months maybe more for tank to become fully mature.
Good luck,you will get there !!!!
Good on you doing a fishless cycle tho
And once you are cycled do not overstock,stock slowly,as it can take up to 6 months maybe more for tank to become fully mature.
Good luck,you will get there !!!!
Good on you doing a fishless cycle tho
tropicalfishlady
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I have a diary of my fishless cycle,ill post you it when i find it ok.
But like i said i luckily had some seeded filter media from another tank,this can help to cycle a bit faster if you can get some.ill post my fishless cycle for you soon tc
But like i said i luckily had some seeded filter media from another tank,this can help to cycle a bit faster if you can get some.ill post my fishless cycle for you soon tc
librarygirl
Look It Up
Hm, something seems a bit off. I would think by now you'd at least be turning over ammonia fairly quickly. Have you overdosed the ammonia at all? Levels over 5 can stall the cycle. Your PH is fine, so a PH crash hasn't stalled anything. API Stress Coat *should* dechlorinate the water enough, unless maybe your water has very high concentrations of cholorine or chloramines. You might try switching to Prime; it's more concentrated so it'll last longer and it might be better at detoxifying whatever is in your water. You could also try adding a double-dose of dechlorinator. Let's try this: do a full water change, wait an hour or two, test the water. If ammonia is 2-4, leave it be (and if it is that high then that means you overdosed). If it's 1-2, leave it be and let's see if we can get it to drop. If it's <1, try redosing only to 1-2. Also use a double-dose of dechlorinator when you do the water change. Let us know what happens in 24 hours.
tropicalfishlady
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I found my fishless cycle diary.
Over 4 weeks it cycled.
At 1st i added some media from a established tank i had before changing to this new one.I used Interpet filter start that came with the tank.
I use API stress coat as a dechlorinator,i didn't use Ammonia but i did add sprinkles of fish food at certain intervals.
2 weeks into cycle :
Ammonia- 0.50
Nitrite- 0.25
Nitrate-0
Temp-28 degrees (put it high for bacteria to multiply)
Ph-7.0
Then ammonia i think went up to about 1.0 then Ammonia started to come down and Nitrite went up to about 1.0,then after this around 2 weeks later my Ammonia was 0.25 and nitrite was same,PH stil 7.0 and temps still around 28 degrees.
Within nxt couple of weeks all the zeros happened so i gave it another 2 weeks monitoring water and stil all 0 and broughy temp to 24 degrees.
So it took about 6 weeks then i added fish.
I think maybe your Ammonua should be starting to drop and Nitrites starting to rise.Don't add any more Ammonia and start to monitor for Nitrites rising keep adding small sprinkles of fish food and whatever filter start you are using,there are a few bacteria start helps out there,API Stress Zyme,Prime,nutrfin cycle,Biomature etc.
Hope things go ok and once Ammonia starts dropping then Nitrites will rise then fall until they both reach zero,then monitor to make sure they stay stable then u can add fish.
Library lady above has good points
Over 4 weeks it cycled.
At 1st i added some media from a established tank i had before changing to this new one.I used Interpet filter start that came with the tank.
I use API stress coat as a dechlorinator,i didn't use Ammonia but i did add sprinkles of fish food at certain intervals.
2 weeks into cycle :
Ammonia- 0.50
Nitrite- 0.25
Nitrate-0
Temp-28 degrees (put it high for bacteria to multiply)
Ph-7.0
Then ammonia i think went up to about 1.0 then Ammonia started to come down and Nitrite went up to about 1.0,then after this around 2 weeks later my Ammonia was 0.25 and nitrite was same,PH stil 7.0 and temps still around 28 degrees.
Within nxt couple of weeks all the zeros happened so i gave it another 2 weeks monitoring water and stil all 0 and broughy temp to 24 degrees.
So it took about 6 weeks then i added fish.
I think maybe your Ammonua should be starting to drop and Nitrites starting to rise.Don't add any more Ammonia and start to monitor for Nitrites rising keep adding small sprinkles of fish food and whatever filter start you are using,there are a few bacteria start helps out there,API Stress Zyme,Prime,nutrfin cycle,Biomature etc.
Hope things go ok and once Ammonia starts dropping then Nitrites will rise then fall until they both reach zero,then monitor to make sure they stay stable then u can add fish.
Library lady above has good points
Gravel poisoning
Thanks everyone!!
But I waited for your reply and disappointed with no reply for 3 days. So I went ahead to cycle using tetrasafe bottled bacteria.
Since there is no way fishes are going to die because of cycle issues in just 4-5 hours, I wanted to figure out the problem. It was good that I waited over 6 weeks without changing the water. I found that my gravel (red and black) were giving away into the water even after having thoroughly washing them and having had them for over a month earlier in the tank....it was the red one especially. My calcium deposits on top of the tank was tinted red and when i was discarding the water, I found that the water also had a mild red tinge to it.
I wanted to confirm if this was what that was killing the fishes and also not allowing any bacteria to build up. So I went ahead and cleaned the tank and sundried my deco and filled the tank without adding the gravel. I bought tetrasafe and a male betta the next day after letting the water sit for an hour. I got the betta in and also added more plants and a driftwood.
THE BETTA IS NOW alive in my tank and seems all happy so far after over 2 days. I will check the water tomorrow on day 3.
So the problem all along was the grave(l) I bought at the LFS.
Thanks everyone!!
But I waited for your reply and disappointed with no reply for 3 days. So I went ahead to cycle using tetrasafe bottled bacteria.
Since there is no way fishes are going to die because of cycle issues in just 4-5 hours, I wanted to figure out the problem. It was good that I waited over 6 weeks without changing the water. I found that my gravel (red and black) were giving away into the water even after having thoroughly washing them and having had them for over a month earlier in the tank....it was the red one especially. My calcium deposits on top of the tank was tinted red and when i was discarding the water, I found that the water also had a mild red tinge to it.
I wanted to confirm if this was what that was killing the fishes and also not allowing any bacteria to build up. So I went ahead and cleaned the tank and sundried my deco and filled the tank without adding the gravel. I bought tetrasafe and a male betta the next day after letting the water sit for an hour. I got the betta in and also added more plants and a driftwood.
THE BETTA IS NOW alive in my tank and seems all happy
so far after over 2 days. I will check the water tomorrow on day 3.So the problem all along was the grave(l) I bought at the LFS.
Evansimp
Aquarium Advice FINatic
So glad you figured it all out!!
now you can finally enjoy this hobby!! Haha
now you can finally enjoy this hobby!! Haha
tropicalfishlady
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Duppu said:Thanks everyone!!
But I waited for your reply and disappointed with no reply for 3 days. So I went ahead to cycle using tetrasafe bottled bacteria.
Since there is no way fishes are going to die because of cycle issues in just 4-5 hours, I wanted to figure out the problem. It was good that I waited over 6 weeks without changing the water. I found that my gravel (red and black) were giving away into the water even after having thoroughly washing them and having had them for over a month earlier in the tank....it was the red one especially. My calcium deposits on top of the tank was tinted red and when i was discarding the water, I found that the water also had a mild red tinge to it.
I wanted to confirm if this was what that was killing the fishes and also not allowing any bacteria to build up. So I went ahead and cleaned the tank and sundried my deco and filled the tank without adding the gravel. I bought tetrasafe and a male betta the next day after letting the water sit for an hour. I got the betta in and also added more plants and a driftwood.
THE BETTA IS NOW alive in my tank and seems all happy
So the problem all along was the grave(l) I bought at the LFS.
Glad you now know what maybe was the problem,good luck with your Betta !!
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