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Cycle... Getting worried -.-

3K views 80 replies 11 participants last post by  bettaluver14 
#1 ·
OKAY now I'm getting impatient with my 10gal cycle. Today is day 62........ meaning tomorrow marks day 63=9 WEEKS of cycling! I'm getting quite frustrated my ammo isn't going to 0 in 24hrs it is still going to 1ppm and me having to dose it back up.
my nitrites have been staying at 0 for the past week. my nitrAtes staying at a steady 80ppm. so things look great except for that stupid Ammo! What can i do/is there ANYTHING i can do to speed up my cycle NOW?!?!
 
#3 ·
Have you done any water changes? yah, I have done 3 water changes.Have you checked your Ph? Yep, stays at 7.3 (infact i just tested it around 10mins ago) How often are you testing & what kind of test kit are you using? daily and the API master test kit (drops not strips) Have you done anything with the filter media? no i thought i leave the media alone to allow it to build up BBs...?

extra question: do PWCs hurt a cycling tank? and if not how many should i do? i didn't wanna disturb the cycle but on the other hand i hope i didn't stall it by not doing enough PWCs.:shock:

 
#4 ·
When fish less cycling you do very few water changes. Only do a water change if Ph drops too low or the other parameters are off the charts. If you're using a good water conditioner your cycle wouldn't be effected by a PWC. I'm stumped on why you're still showing ammo. How long have the nitrates been at 80? High nitrates for more than a week could stall the cycle. You may want to do small (<50%) water changes daily to get the nitrates to 20 or less.
 
#5 ·
i'm stumped and angry too!! my nitrates have been at 80ppm for 20 days now :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry: :evil: UGH my dad is getting mad too he was like: this stupid cycle isn't going anywhere; just give up. UHM i will never give up on this since i have 5 neon tetras and a male betta waiting for a beautiful tank!
i notice 20 days of high nitrates could be the problem. i never knew i had to do a PWC to keep them down i thought them being high was good sign for the cycle! :c
 
#8 ·
A series of small water changes will get them to drop but it can take a while since your tank is newly cycling. I have a 46g, when the nitrates spiked it tooke me a couple of weeks to get the nitrates down to normal. Now they stay around 10. You can do 50% water changes so long as you're using a good water conditioner. I know its frustrating, I have a 10g I've been cycling for 2 months now, can't get it to test good yet while the 5g I started around the same time has completely cycled but I'm doing a fish in cycle. I've learned to not over think it & just let it do its thing.
 
#11 · (Edited)
SeaChem Stability

Okay, I'm gonna jump right in. :lol: I know a lot of people think such additives are pure bunk but it worked for me.

I used SeaChem Stability after my 5-gallon tanks had been cycling for less than two weeks. You do a full dose on day one and a half dose for six or seven days thereafter.

Within that time, the parameters stabilized and have remained stable for almost three months. I haven't redosed as directions say you can.

I have one Betta and 15 shrimp in each tank. I do partial water changes once or twice a week of about 10% (shrimp are easily shocked so I keep the changes small). The only additives in my tank are SeaChem Flourish and Excel (half-dose because of the shrimp) and Prime when I change water.

Hokum or not, I will use Stability with each new tank.
 
#12 ·
Im on day 11 of a fish in cycle...been doing partial water changes every 2-3 days or so and testing diligently. my numbers are a little wonky too. ima test my tap water and see if thats the culprit.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Not really. Your tap water has no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate (Safe Water Drinking Act regulates them). You are trying to build a beneficial bacteria (BB) bed for your fish.

To put it simply, cycling is finished when there's enough BB to neutralize ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. If you have a friend who has an established aquarium, you could get some gravel from them to help speed up the cycling by using their BB. Or, your LFS or pet store might let you have some.

It is very frustrating, I know. Good luck and don't give up; two weeks isn't that long. If you Google general concensus is four to eight weeks average.

Have you read the Stickies on cycling? The authors explain the hows and whys so well.
 
#18 · (Edited)
It is possible to have ammonia in tap water. Mine does. It always reads .25 straight out of the sink.

Not sure if this would make a difference but are you using prime as a conditioner? It does something to detoxify ammonia, nitrites and nitrates but I dont know if that makes any difference to the cycle or not. Or if it messes with the test results.

Cycling can take a while. I have heard some people say it took over 2 months for them. I dont now about the fishless cycle but for the fish in - you dont want to do too many water changes because you need some of the ammonia and nitrItes for the bacteria. On the other hand, you don't want to let their levels get to high either.

5gal-10gal filtered without live plants:
Water changes of twice weekly for the next 4-6 weeks
Of... 1-50% water only and 1-50% with vacuum in all areas you can reach without moving anything or disruption of plant roots.
*The 50% with vacuum will be the water change schedule for the life of the system to maintain water quality once the nitrogen cycle has established.
Filter media needs swish/rinse in old tank water a couple of time a month

*If you have water test kit-base the water only change on: ammonia, nitrite 0.25ppm or greater.
With a low bioload often you don't need the second water only-I always recommend it when you don't have test kit to err on the side of caution...its the safety net....
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771

Fishless cycle
Process:
This method is where the pure ammonia and the 5mm syringe come into play. Basically you want to dose at 2-5ppm ammonia initially. Ammonia should never be higher than 7ppm, this can stall your cycle. Test for ammonia and nitrite every 2-3 days. Replenish ammonia to original levels as you see it fall down. This is considered the longest part of the cycle process.

Once you see nitrites, you will probably notice they skyrocket up extremely fast, even “off the charts” for your test kit. This is fine and completely normal. Keep dosing ammonia to the required amount. Once nitrites have peaked, it is generally only a few days before they get back down to zero. When you see nitrites going down, start testing for nitrates, which should start appearing.

For your final test, wait until your ammonia is pretty much at zero, and dose to 2ppm. When ammonia falls to 0ppm within 24 hours (or less) your tank is cycled!
Now, do a large water change, 75-85%, and you are ready to add your fish!
 
#19 ·
It is possible to have ammonia in tap water. Mine does. It always reads .25 straight out of the sink.

Not sure if this would make a difference but are you using prime as a conditioner? It does something to detoxify ammonia, nitrites and nitrates but I dont know if that makes any difference to the cycle or not. Or if it messes with the test results.

Cycling can take a while. I have heard some people say it took over 2 months for them. I dont now about the fishless cycle but for the fish in - you dont want to do too many water changes because you need some of the ammonia and nitrItes for the bacteria. On the other hand, you don't want to let their levels get to high either.
yeah Im using prime and thanks for all the info ;) good to know!
 
#23 ·
Read back and saw you're doing a fish in cycle. That is definitely a little easier at times though it does pose possible risks of getting the fish sick if you're not checking the parameters.

You're only about two weeks in though right? So you're about 1/3 of the way through a cycling process. You should be seeing your ammonia come down while your nitrITES coming up soon.
 
#24 ·
yeah Im doing fish in. Im trying very hard to make sure he stays in the safe-zones cuz i love the little booger and Id hate to hurt/kill him. If I notice its high I add a drop or two of my prime then do a partial water change within the next day or so. i've never done this before so I hope Im doing it right....
 
#25 ·
Mea culpa! I miswrote about the ammonia. It's *not* regulated. However, nitrites cannot be over 1 ppm when coming from the tap. If your nitrite levels are above 1 ppm, please contact your local water supplier; your health is important.


<< EPA has set an enforceable regulation for nitrite, called a maximum contaminant level (MCL), at 1 mg/L or 1 ppm. (snip) When routine monitoring indicates that nitrite levels are above the MCL, your water supplier must take steps to reduce the amount of nitrite so that it is below that level. Water suppliers must notify their customers as soon as practical, but no later than 24 hours after the system learns of the violation. Additional actions, such as providing alternative drinking water supplies, may be required to prevent serious risks to public health.>>
 
#26 ·
Wow big conversation going on here:p yeah my ammonia seems to decrease within 2 days from 4ppm-0ppm. Nitrites have been staying at 0. Nitrates are around 40ppm now. I will check my parameters when I get home from 7-11 :lol:
I just hope one of the next days I will check and my cycling will be finished!!! *frustration* there's no giving up I've come soon far and waited so long!!:| :-(
 
#30 ·
so question...when I finally do get this thing cycled its gonna be about time to change my filter media (every 4-6wks right?) I have the tetra whisper one that came with my aquaculture 5g tank kit. will I lose my cycle?
 
#31 ·
You shouldn't really ever change your filter media. If you want to cut the carbon that is inside, that's fine. But all your BB are on your media so taking it out will crash your cycle.

My media has been in the same filter for over a year now. If anything what you should do is during a water change and you have your bucket of "dirty water" (the water you just took out of your tank) you can take your media out(I'm assuming it's the blue or white pad type) and swish it gently once a month. Nothing more than that unless it's falling apart.
 
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