Cycled Or Just The Beginning Of Cycling?

Ok so I've been cycling fishless my new 40 gal. using prime, stability, plants from established tank and ferts, as well as old media and mulm from established tank. My readings this morning are:
Nitrate - 0-20 (slight pink)
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia 0

I still haven't seen an ammonia spike so either it hasn't been cycled or my plants are taking care of the ammonia?

I'm questioning the cycling cycle now because I'm seeing Nitrate in there...is it safe to put in my 3 adult mollies or wait for different readings? WC first then put mollies in or WC first then read again tomorrow morning.

Am I just being impatient because I feel like I am lol.

 

How long has it been cycling for? Adding mature media can greatly expedite the cycle process and plants prefer ammonia over nitrates as well.
I would say boost your ammonia up to about 4ppm and see what it reads the next day. Do this before you do a water change. After that if your ammonia is back to zero, do a water change and add your fish.
Watch your nitrites to make sure you aren't getting a new reading on them. If so, that means you're in the middle of the cycle.

 

I have only been cycling for 4 days! I was quite surprised to see the readings that I did this morning. It doesn't seem long enough but I do know that what I have been doing helps it tremendously. How should I boost my ammonia to 4? I don't have pure ammonia anywhere at the house and unsure of where to get it.

 

You need a source of ammonia to start the cycle... you can get Dr. Tim's Ammonia online Safe & easy to dose.

 

I have some food I have put in there...fish food...algae tabs to be exact 4 of them 2 days ago that are doing a good job of getting nasty, you can see the ammonia film around the piles they have left. That may not be enough?

 

I have only been cycling for 4 days! I was quite surprised to see the readings that I did this morning. It doesn't seem long enough but I do know that what I have been doing helps it tremendously. How should I boost my ammonia to 4? I don't have pure ammonia anywhere at the house and unsure of where to get it.

ACE Hardware in the US. Walmarts have ammonia.

 

How much of this should I put in?

 

Start with like 10 drops and see where you are at, you can always add more, but it's hard to take it back out lol! Didn't realize you were using fish food. It takes longer to start producing ammonia because it has to be broken down first. The nitrate readings could be from your water source so I would check it to make sure.

 

The problem with using fish food is that there is no way to accurately 'dose' the amount of ammonia. It will make your life much easier (and not make your tank all gunky) if you can dose pure ammonia to get a specific result when cycling your tank.
Just be sure to get the kind that has nothing else added to it - no cleaners or scents, that kind of thing. It's cheaper to buy the 'cleaning' type of ammonia at the store, but you have to be 100% certain it is free from any other additives. I got some crappy advice on that a long time ago, and ended up killing everything in my tank Hence why I recommend Dr. Tims - completely safe for your tank, and it has specific dosing directions.
If you are in the US, you can get it on Amazon for like $6.

 

I just checked my water source and the Nitrates barely show...it was darker pink from the tank. I will look into Tim's...my husband is going to kill me for having to buy ANOTHER thing for the new tank

Also, is it worth buying for this one thing?

 

Ok so I've been cycling fishless my new 40 gal. using prime, stability, plants from established tank and ferts, as well as old media and mulm from established tank. My readings this morning are:
Nitrate - 0-20 (slight pink)
Nitrite - 0
Ammonia 0

I still haven't seen an ammonia spike so either it hasn't been cycled or my plants are taking care of the ammonia?

I'm questioning the cycling cycle now because I'm seeing Nitrate in there...is it safe to put in my 3 adult mollies or wait for different readings? WC first then put mollies in or WC first then read again tomorrow morning.

Am I just being impatient because I feel like I am lol.

What you did was instantly cycle this tank. If I were you I would go ahead and move the fish to this tank so they can keep all the bacteria you moved over fed. The plants and media from an established tank should have been loaded with bacteria.

Without an ammonia source all that good bacteria will eventually die off.

 

That's what I was wondering....I know if I was to move the whole filter over I would need to move the fish with it, but I just did the mulm and rinse the media in the water so I wasn't sure if it was safe to move fish over with that as well

I should add I just did the mulm and media in the new tank yesterday

 

That's what I was wondering....I know if I was to move the whole filter over I would need to move the fish with it, but I just did the mulm and rinse the media in the water so I wasn't sure if it was safe to move fish over with that as well

That is a little different. How long ago did you set this tank up?

 

This will be the 4th day.

 

This will be the 4th day.

Did you move any of the water from your established tank? If you did that is where the nitrates may have come from. If not I have to think you moved enough bacteria over to instantly cycle the tank. There would have been food for the bacteria in the mulm you added and that is where the nitrates are coming from..

 

Apologies - I guess I missed the part where you added the media from another tank! I was thinking you just added plants & mulm. No need for the Dr. Tims if you can add the fish!
thanks mattgirl for catching that!!

 

Yes, I did a gravel vac and used that with the media filter rinse

 

Yes, I did a gravel vac and used that with the media filter rinse

If this were my tank I would go ahead and move the fish over to this tank. Keep a close eye on the perimeters just in case you experience a minI cycle.

If at all possible I would also take a small amount of filter media from your established tank and put it in the filter on this tank. May not be necessary but extra insurance never hurts.

 

SO should I do a water change before moving fish or just if the ammonia spikes?

 

SO should I do a water change before moving fish or just if the ammonia spikes?

If you don't move the fish or add ammonia there won't be an ammonia spike.

 

Ok so just acclimate the fish and move em, then test water again in morning and if any spikes then 25% wc? this is my first time having 2 tanks, I have cycled my 10 100% wrong lol so I'm trying to do this right and sometimes I feel like I'm over thinking it..

 

If you've put fish food in there, plus the mulm and haven't done a water change in the 4 days, i'd do one and then put the fish in

 

Ok so just acclimate the fish and move em, then test water again in morning and if any spikes then 25% wc? this is my first time having 2 tanks, I have cycled my 10 100% wrong lol so I'm trying to do this right and sometimes I feel like I'm over thinking it..

You may have missed my edit about moving some of the media from the established tank over to the filter on this tank. May not be necessary but just a bit of extra insurance.

Since this tank and the tank the fish are in now probably have water from the same source acclimating really isn't necessary. If the temp is close to the same in both tanks you can just move them from one tank to another. When I move fish around from tank to tank I don't bother with acclimating because I know the water in each tank is the same water.

Move them and check for ammonia in a few hours or at least every day for a while. If you get an ammonia reading remove it with a water change. If you have Prime you can just add enough to treat the full volume of the tank if the ammonia is less than one. If it goes up to one or above do a water change and again add prime.

If you choose to do a water change before adding fish don't vacuum the gravel. You don't want to remove the mulm you transferred over right away.

 

I was thinking about doing the water change to get that nasty food out like mentioned above and rinse my established media again in the new tanks water and move more plants over with the fish...think that would be enough or should I put one of the media sponges from old tank into new tank anyway?

 

I was thinking about doing the water change to get that nasty food out like mentioned above and rinse my established media again in the new tanks water and move more plants over with the fish...think that would be enough or should I put one of the media sponges from old tank into new tank anyway?

If you have added a lot of food then yes, vacuum it out of there before moving the fish. There is a lot of bacteria on the sponges. I would move one or at least part of one over to this tank.

Are these mollies coming out of your established tank? How many are in there right now? The reason I ask is the more fish there is in a tank the heavier the bio-load thus the more bacteria there will be on filter media.

If you remove the 3 fish along with some of the filter media there should be plenty left in the original tank to keep it running smoothly and the extra seeded media in the new tank assures a strong cycle in it as well.

 

I would move the mollies right away... make sure that the temps and pH are matching, then just drop them in... if not matching, then aclimate...

Then keep one eye on the ammonia... you can add Prime to detoxify if ammonia is spiking...

 

What ferts are you dosing, if you're dosing something with nitrate in it, that reading maybe unrelated to your cycle.

 

I have 2 media filter sponges one is the original for the filter for at least 6 months and 3 adult mollies 2 females, one male and 1 larger fry (like teenager, about a month old) and 2 newborn fry. Tank has been established for 5 yrs, with 1 yr of nothing, so my mollies had a minI cycle when I got them but otherwise my tank is cycled and healthy with real plants in there (the extras I have in there now are going into my bigger new tank) the babies I will keep in the 10 gal...I may move the teen over just because I know she (starting to show signs she is a she) won't be eating...the newborns are still small enough to be eaten but have survived because of the over stocking of plants I have in there right now lol

What ferts are you dosing, if you're dosing something with nitrate in it, that reading maybe unrelated to your cycle.

ferts are API Leaf Zone and fourish tabs

 

Right if it's got enough media from an established cycled tank it's probably fine. I missed that part when I skimmed through

 

I would move the mollies right away... make sure that the temps and pH are matching, then just drop them in... if not matching, then aclimate...

Then keep one eye on the ammonia... you can add Prime to detoxify if ammonia is spiking...

Temps are same maybe a degree or two off, pH are the same...hardness is about the only thing different, the tank they are in currently (10 gal) the hardness is 150 and in my new 40 gal the water is soft at 25 (I also have driftwood in my 10 gal, if that makes a difference.)

 

If you have a specimen box, place the fish with their own water in it, then hang it inside the new tank - it will temp acclimate in 15-20 minutes, then dump the whole thing (fish+water) in the new tank.

 

If you have a specimen box, place the fish with their own water in it, then hang it inside the new tank - it will temp acclimate in 15-20 minutes, then dump the whole thing (fish+water) in the new tank.

If you are going to do that, you can also add spoonfuls of the water they're going into every few minutes. Will help acclimate them to any changes in hardness.
I hope we're getting a few nice pictures of these lovely fish once they're moved into their new home!

 

If you are going to do that, you can also add spoonfuls of the water they're going into every few minutes. Will help acclimate them to any changes in hardness.
I hope we're getting a few nice pictures of these lovely fish once they're moved into their new home!

I don't have a box...just baggies. Oh yes pictures will come once I get them in I do appreciate all the help and advice!!

 

I have 2 media filter sponges one is the original for the filter for at least 6 months and 3 adult mollies 2 females, one male and 1 larger fry (like teenager, about a month old) and 2 newborn fry. Tank has been established for 5 yrs, with 1 yr of nothing, so my mollies had a minI cycle when I got them but otherwise my tank is cycled and healthy with real plants in there (the extras I have in there now are going into my bigger new tank) the babies I will keep in the 10 gal...I may move the teen over just because I know she (starting to show signs she is a she) won't be eating...the newborns are still small enough to be eaten but have survived because of the over stocking of plants I have in there right now lol


ferts are API Leaf Zone and fourish tabs

Since you are just leaving the fry in the original tank I would move the majority of the media over to the bigger tank with the adults and the teenager. They will have a much bigger bio-load than the babies. By doing so you really shouldn't have a glitch in your cycle.

That is the beauty of having a cycled tank. With a bit of pre-planning one NEVER has to go through the long drawn out cycling process again.

I keep 2 dual sponge filters running in my close to overstocked 55 gallon tank. I can pull one of more of those sponges any time I need to set up another tank. With the heavy bio-load in that tank those sponges are heavily seeded with bacteria and can instantly cycle another tank.

 

Ok I have them in the tank and my big momma still looks like she has clamped fins (she was acting strange and looked like this before I moved them I was thinking because she was stressed with being crowded with the plants but I don't see much of a change with her other then being more active). The open spot will be sand and that decor will be moved, I plan on getting some juliI Cory's so I wanted a pool of sand for them to play in. And of course I had to take a pic of my teenager who is loving the open space. My fry babies are loving the tank without the big fish and acting like little puppies lol.

 

Alright it's been a while since my last update. Since then I got an oto sucker and another molly I couldnt resist because shes so pretty. Cant tell in the pic but dalmatuon lyretail and her tail is long and flowy she has big under fins that are flowy as well. I also added sand and a bit of moss. Will be getting some corys soon. I'm thinking juliI or sterbai, not sure yet....any recommendations? I'm also waiting for the sand to settle. I may do a small water change to help ...any suggestions with that as well? Juvenile molly is growing like a weed and so are my fry in my 10 gal. I am looking into getting some fry food as well as more moss and hornwort for the big tank so hopefully fry can hide better so I don't have to remove from main tank. My big momma molly still is acting weird and no one can give me answers or good suggestions on what to do so I'm at a loss and hope she gets better. I have tried posting short vids on here but it won't let me. Anyway, just wanted to show my updated tank, anyone who knows a lot about mollies I'd love to talk with you and try to show you a video of what she does. I want to know!

 

thank you for the update

sometimes I wonder if giving birth to so many little fish just takes a lot out of moma fish and maybe that is why she is acting like she is.

If you don't already have some in your filter you may want to consider running some poly-fill (yep, that same stuff we use to stuff pillows) in your filter. It does a good job of polishing the water. Since we don't normally depend on it for bio media it can be replaced daily if necessary. I usually replace mine twice a week.