lilmingo

I could use a few expert opinions on whether or not my tank is cycled: I set up my 5-gallon tank about two weeks ago and let it run for a few days in order to ensure that the temperature would remain stable, etc. (I also attempted to jump-start the biological filtration by "feeding" the tank flake food a few times a day, but I don't know how effective this was, since I hadn't purchased water test kits yet). I purchased three cherry barbs from the LFS, and monitored ammonia levels...I didn't test the nitrites/trates because I was waiting for an ammonia spike before those appeared. Two days after putting the fish in, the ammonia got to about .25, which I didn't consider a "spike," so I didn't start testing nitrites. However, the next day ammonia was back down to zero, and when I tested nitrites and nitrates that day, they were also at zero. In the next week an half, two fish died (I think they were sick when I bought them--at any rate, my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels were zero the entire time, so I know that wasn't to blame!). I have since purchased two more cherry barbs from a more reputable business, and all three are thriving. I continued monitoring my levels after adding them, and the ammonia got to about .25 again, followed by really high levels of nitrite that necessitated a 25% water change. That was yesterday; when I tested the water today, all levels are at zero again! Did I completely re-start the cycle? Apart from that lone water change, I haven't messed with the filter media or anything else that's harboring the bacteria...are the rules of cycling different in such a small tank? My plan is to keep 6 cherry barbs (and ensure their health with lots of water changes--don't worry! :-) )--would it be safe to gradually start adding them?

lilsoccakid

welcome to fishlore!

your in a tricky situation right now, with fish already in the tank. I would go out and by a product called prime immedietly. this product makes the ammonia and nitrite non-toxic to the fish.

the bacteria take abot a month to six weeks to completly settle in. the tank is cycled when u have 0 ammonia and nitrite at ALL TIMES. Nitrate will go up and down depending on when u change the water. if u ever see ammonia or nitrites, your not cycled.

it looks like ur tank is at the very beginning of the cycle. it will take longer to cycle, because u hav to remove some ammonia and nitrite to keep the fish alive.

i would keep the levals for these low, add prime, and be very careful.

also, i would say 4 cherry barbs are the most for a 5 gallon. i would suggest a shrimp or 2 for the bottom!

good luck, feel free to ask questions, and READ READ READ!

kra-z-fishmumm

Prime is good. What you are doining is cycling the tank with fish. This requires daily water testing and with it being a small tank (I have two 2.5g that I have to do water changes usually twice a week and test for amm. and nitrites daily),and frequent water changes (trying not to mess with the gravel anymore than you have to to let the bacteria settle in) If you think your fish are stressed (hiding, loss of color, not eating) do a water test. I would not add any more fish until your readings stabalize (IMO). So, I hope this helped some. I am new with a small size tank and was surprised at how fast amm. and nitrites can build up!

lilmingo

Thanks for the quick replies! My fish are doing great--bright colors, fully fanned fins, and lots of activity (yay! haha), and I'm doing tests every day and water changes if needed (which has only happened once). Both replies mentioned waiting until my tank stabilized, but that's kind of what's confusing me: given what you know about the (minor) fluctuations that have occurred in my ammonia/nitrite levels, would readings of "0" for, i.e., the next ten days be indicative of a fully cycled tank or one that hasn't started yet?

Lucy

Hi lilmingo, Welcome to Fishlore,
I'm fairly new myself. To be fully cycled your readings would be 0 ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing.(5-10?)

Good luck with your tank, cherry barbs are pretty.

chickadee

Could you please let me know what you are using to test your tank? Are you using the test strips or the liquid reagent tests like in a test kit with a test tube and all? I am not doing more than asking so I do not give information that is not needed but this would help as the strips have a real problem with not being accurate a lot of the time. Sometimes you can get false negatives or false positives even. The liquid tests are only really accurate if you shake the solutions good before you use them and a lot of people do not realize this. I had gotten some false readings from some of them and found out that unless you shake the bottles before using them it can be that some of the solution is not mixed in very well and the results can be different.

I have not heard of anyone's tank cycling in two weeks or less unless they used Bio-spira or Turbostart700 or Turbostart900 (in the case of a saltwater tank). It usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks or longer even with the method you are using. The other problem is that usually only one or at the most two fish are used to accomplish the cycle when fish are used. Otherwise the bioload is such that sometimes the bacteria just cannot keep up and just die off as fast as they form. The job is just too big for the tank until it gets established. This is why the method you are using is just hardly done anymore. It is hard on the fish and does weaken them even if they are considered "hardy" fish, but also the balance needed to actually accomplish the cycle is so delicate that you may end up losing fish or not ever really accomplishing what you want to (a cycle).

I will have to say that in a 5 gallon tank the capacity for fish is very small. You should not consider more than about 2 Cherry Barbs in that size tank as the general rule is 1 inch of adult fish size for every gallon of tank size. This is if the tank is a regular rectangular tank. If you have a different shaped tank like a Hex tank for instance, it may not even be that many inches that you have to work with. Surface area has a great deal to do with it. Shrimp or snails or any invertebrates are definitely out as they are tremendous waste producers for the most part and will overload your tank to the place where you have NO room for fish at all.

The small tanks are nice looking and a lot of people do not have room for a big tank or the money involved in getting one. They do look lovely when they are set up and they are relaxing to view, but they are also gallon for gallon much more work than a large tank. The smaller the tank the more fragile the cycle is. The more maintenance is required the smaller the tank. When I had a 3 gallon, 3 - 5 gallons, and a 12 gallon tank going I spent more time on the 3 gallon tank in a week than the other 4 put together. It just took more looking after. Now I have a 5 gallon hospital/quarantine tank, a 9 gallon tank, 3 - 12 gallon tanks and a 25 gallon tank....and you guessed it....the 5 gallon is the one that takes the time in a week. It is always needing the water changed and cleaning done and it seems that it gets algae more often.

You sound like you have the beginnings of a very nice tank and a good idea for the most part. You will need to trim the fish population expectations down a bit but it can be very nice.

Your cycle will progress normally if you do a 25% water change when you need to so do not worry. Even if you did a bit more than that it will not hurt it. Just never do more than 50% without an absolute emergency as it will probably totally stop the cycle.

I would only test for Ammonia and Nitrites on a daily basis just yet. Then test for Nitrates like every third day until you start to get more than 20 and then go to doing all three tests every day.

When you get to:

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
before a water change then your cycle is complete.

Nitrates are not controlled with a cycle, only with a water change or with live plants or chemicals (don't use those they are dangerous IMO). The easiest ways to lower your nitrates is to change the water and to use live plants. (they use the nitrates as fertilizer)

If you have not read the article about the Nitrogen Cycle yet I would suggest it and here is the link. It is pretty good and explains the process better than I can.

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Rose

lilmingo

Thanks for the great advice. I'm using liquid test kits, but I haven't been shaking them (unless advised to, like on the nitrate test)--I'll definitely start, though!

I would love to get a bigger tank, but I live in the equivalent of a 5-gallon apartment, so this little one is all I have room for :-) (It's probably a good thing, too--I'm already sensing multiple-tank-syndrome setting in, which does not go well with my grad student budget!) Based on your experience with your smaller tanks, once my cycle is completed, would once-weekly 50% water changes and tests be appropriate?

HatchetHaven