Is my tank stalled or am i close

toecorn · Sep 24, 2026

my tank has been cycling for about 100 days and i am nowhere close to 0 ammonia and 0 nirites. its just getting to a point to where i dont even wanna bother with the tank anymore and just pay attention to my already cycled tank. this has been my readings for the past few days and i put fish food in a couple days ago. ph is 7.4

also my nitrates are around 40-80, i just didnt test them today, since i just wanna know what my ammonia and nitrites are

ruud · Sep 25, 2026

If some decay has been present during those 100 days and conditions have been kept more or less stable, in terms of water sources, additives (or without), etc, and some water movement is in place, then I would assume your tank looks and feels different than it did from day one; aquarium glass on the inside feels a bit slimy, traces of debris and algae are visible, perhaps even some earthy smell. In which case I would consider the tank alive, capable of processing waste, aka. "cycled".

If your tank is 50 gallons and you would introduce an Oscar fish of 1000 grams, no doubt you'd conclude the tank isn't cycled. But if you would introduce 12 tetra's fish of 10 grams in total, the ammonia released per second is less than the amount currently present in your mouth.

I leave the chemistry testing and color circus to those who apply it.

toecorn · Sep 25, 2026

If some decay has been present during those 100 days and conditions have been kept more or less stable, in terms of water sources, additives (or without), etc, and some water movement is in place, then I would assume your tank looks and feels different than it did from day one; aquarium glass on the inside feels a bit slimy, traces of debris and algae are visible, perhaps even some earthy smell. In which case I would consider the tank alive, capable of processing waste, aka. "cycled".

If your tank is 50 gallons and you would introduce an Oscar fish of 1000 grams, no doubt you'd conclude the tank isn't cycled. But if you would introduce 12 tetra's fish of 10 grams in total, the ammonia released per second is less than the amount currently present in your mouth.

I leave the chemistry testing and color circus to those who apply it.

my tank is only 10 gal and i dont feel comfortable adding fish to a tank thats not cycled. and ive always tested my water and never had this much problem with my 6

ruud · Sep 25, 2026

I just gave an example, it doesn't matter if the tank is 10 gal, 50 or 300....

The difference between a medicine and a biohazard is not the compound itself but oftentimes concentration (of the same compound).

I'm pretty sure your tank has cycling capacity after a 100 days in the presence of organics. The question is if the capacity fits your fish. That was my point with the Oscar.

But I understand your point. You want to see the right colors before introducing fish. I'm sure others can help you achieve the right colors. I'm sure they'll be asking for KH, age of the test kit, so communicate about this.

I would also post a picture of your tank. I've seen lengthy discussions in the past with other members. After three pages of discussion, an image is posted and the tank happened to include live plants, which made all previous discussions useless. Again, this is just an example to make a point.

Cheers.

jdhef · Sep 25, 2026

That sounds very frustrating, sorry you are struggling to get the tank cycled.

You could try doing a partial water change to lower the ammonia level and then add some of the filter media from your cycled tank to the tank you are trying to cycle. That should get it jump started.

I myself am a big fan of using Tetra SafeStart+ for cycling a tank. If you choose this route, do a 100% water change with dechlorinated water. Wait 24 hours, then add an entire, well shaken bottle of Tetra SafeStart+. Make sure the bottle of TSS+ is large enough to treat your entire tank volume. Don't worry if the bottle will treat a larger tank, you cannot overdose, but using a partial bottle can lead to underdosing. Right after adding the TSS+ add two small fish and do nothing but lightly feed your fish for the next 14 days. On day 14 test the water and you should be cycled.

One last thought...you test kit hasn't expired by any chance, has it?

Best of luck.

toecorn · Sep 25, 2026

That sounds very frustrating, sorry you are struggling to get the tank cycled.

You could try doing a partial water change to lower the ammonia level and then add some of the filter media from your cycled tank to the tank you are trying to cycle. That should get it jump started.

I myself am a big fan of using Tetra SafeStart+ for cycling a tank. If you choose this route, do a 100% water change with dechlorinated water. Wait 24 hours, then add an entire, well shaken bottle of Tetra SafeStart+. Make sure the bottle of TSS+ is large enough to treat your entire tank volume. Don't worry if the bottle will treat a larger tank, you cannot overdose, but using a partial bottle can lead to underdosing. Right after adding the TSS+ add two small fish and do nothing but lightly feed your fish for the next 14 days. On day 14 test the water and you should be cycled.

One last thought...you test kit hasn't expired by any chance, has it?

Best of luck.

i did do a 50% wc more than a week ago to get my nitrates down since they were max for awhile and my nitrites and ammonia went up when i did that water change, and my test kit is not expired

my tank has been cycling for about 100 days and i am nowhere close to 0 ammonia and 0 nirites. its just getting to a point to where i dont even wanna bother with the tank anymore and just pay attention to my already cycled tank. this has been my readings for the past few days and i put fish food in a couple days ago. ph is 7.4

also my nitrates are around 40-80, i just didnt test them today, since i just wanna know what my ammonia and nitrites are

pic of my tank

Dechi · Sep 25, 2026

i did do a 50% wc more than a week ago to get my nitrates down since they were max for awhile and my nitrites and ammonia went up when i did that water change, and my test kit is not expired

This makes no sense. Have you tested your tap water for nitrites and ammonia ? Either your tap water is the cause, or your testing wrong or test is faulty even though not expired. Take your water to a LFS to have it tested if your tap water is fine.

toecorn · Sep 25, 2026

This makes no sense. Have you tested your tap water for nitrites and ammonia ? Either your tap water is the cause, or your testing wrong or test is faulty even though not expired. Take your water to a LFS to have it tested if your tap water is fine.

im not testing wrong and its not faulty or expired. and ive tested my tap so many times and i got nothing from them. idk what else to say because im literally doing everything i can. and i dont live anywhere close to a fish store, i dont live in that kind of area, and not taking it to petsmart or petco because i dont want my test done with strips

jdhef · Sep 26, 2026

Okay, this is very odd. If your nitrates had gotten so high you needed to do a water change, then ammonia is being converted into nitrites and nitrites are then being converted into nitrates.

It might be you are adding so much fish food that the bacteria just cant keep up with the amount of ammonia/nitrite being produced.

It is also odd that a water change would cause your ammonia and nitrite levels to rise, since you have no ammonia or nitrite in your tap water. Where would that ammonia and nitrite be coming from?

toecorn · Sep 26, 2026

Okay, this is very odd. If your nitrates had gotten so high you needed to do a water change, then ammonia is being converted into nitrites and nitrites are then being converted into nitrates.

It might be you are adding so much fish food that the bacteria just cant keep up with the amount of ammonia/nitrite being produced.

It is also odd that a water change would cause your ammonia and nitrite levels to rise, since you have no ammonia or nitrite in your tap water. Where would that ammonia and nitrite be coming from?

i actually barely put any fish good in the last 1-2 weeks, prob less than 10 lil granules. and i have no idea where it would be coming from, its getting to a point to where im about to just forget about the tank cause it should have never taken this long

Dechi · Sep 26, 2026

i did do a 50% wc more than a week ago to get my nitrates down since they were max for awhile and my nitrites and ammonia went up when i did that water change, and my test kit is not expired

When you did the 50% WC, by how much did the nitrates go down ? I’m wondering if your levels are so off the chart that when you do a WC they start to register more on the test, so you think there is more, but in reality there is less.

Can you test it with dilution and see if the results are the same or higher ? If you have a very high amount of ammonia, then your cycle is stalled and it would explain what’s going on.

toecorn · Sep 26, 2026

When you did the 50% WC, by how much did the nitrates go down ? I’m wondering if your levels are so off the chart that when you do a WC they start to register more on the test, so you think there is more, but in reality there is less.

Can you test it with dilution and see if the results are the same or higher ? If you have a very high amount of ammonia, then your cycle is stalled and it would explain what’s going on.i

When you did the 50% WC, by how much did the nitrates go down ? I’m wondering if your levels are so off the chart that when you do a WC they start to register more on the test, so you think there is more, but in reality there is less.

Can you test it with dilution and see if the results are the same or higher ? If you have a very high amount of ammonia, then your cycle is stalled and it would explain what’s going on.

i did 3 50% wc to get my nitrates down to the 20 range, last time i checked nitrates which was a few days ago it was in the 40-80 range

Dechi · Sep 26, 2026

i did 3 50% wc to get my nitrates down to the 20 range, last time i checked nitrates which was a few days ago it was in the 40-80 range

This is not precise enough. Can you do the dilution test ?

toecorn · Sep 26, 2026

This is not precise enough. Can you do the dilution test ?

okay which one am i doing a dilution test on????? cant be ammonia cause my test is only at .50, my nitrates arent maxed out rn since i already got them down below max?

Dechi · Sep 26, 2026

okay which one am i doing a dilution test on????? cant be ammonia cause my test is only at .50, my nitrates arent maxed out rn since i already got them down below max?

Hmm, then yeah, don’t bother. This situation is very puzzling.

toecorn · Sep 26, 2026

Hmm, then yeah, don’t bother. This situation is very puzzling.

yea tell me bout it. thats why im trying to get it sorted out

jdhef · Sep 27, 2026

Have you tried putting some media from your established tank in the filter of the tank that isn't cycling?

toecorn · Sep 28, 2026

Have you tried putting some media from your established tank in the filter of the tank that isn't cycling?

i have already, i think i did that like 3 times maybe

Is my tank stalled or am i close

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