End Of A Fish Less Cycle Question.

I've been doing a fishless cycle on my new tank for the last 7 weeks (with a raw shrimp). It fully dissolved Wednesday, tested my water and had zero Ammonia or Nitrites but really high Nitrates. Did a water change and they lowered but haven't completely gone away (test said 5.0 ppm), but now I have a higher PH level (Ph-7.6, High PH- 8.0).

Did another water change and just to make sure my tank was taking care of ammonia, I added fish food to the tank and tested the water a few days later to see if it was reading anything and everything for Ammonia and Nitrites comes back zero but the levels for Nitrates and PH all come back the same 5.0 ppm and 7.6-8.0

My question is when do I add fish? I don't want to wait to long and possibly lose the cycle I started but I don't want to kill them either.

Should I wait for everything to lower? Add something?

 

I am honestly not sure why anyone would go through all that. I feel like "the cycle" has been so over emphasized. What type of fish are you planning on? If nothing too sensitive or exotic, just start with a good hearty fish, they'll be fine thorough the cycle. Just do your water tests and changes and keep an eye on it.

 

I've been doing a fishless cycle on my new tank for the last 7 weeks (with a raw shrimp). It fully dissolved Wednesday, tested my water and had zero Ammonia or Nitrites but really high Nitrates. Did a water change and they lowered but haven't completely gone away (test said 5.0 ppm), but now I have a higher PH level (Ph-7.6, High PH- 8.0).

Did another water change and just to make sure my tank was taking care of ammonia, I added fish food to the tank and tested the water a few days later to see if it was reading anything and everything for Ammonia and Nitrites comes back zero but the levels for Nitrates and PH all come back the same 5.0 ppm and 7.6-8.0

My question is when do I add fish? I don't want to wait to long and possibly lose the cycle I started but I don't want to kill them either.

Should I wait for everything to lower? Add something?

It sounds like your tank is cycled! Nitrates are always going to be present in most cycled tanks. You should keep nitrates at 20 or below for most species, lower for some invertebrates and more sensitive fish, and is safe at higher levels for other fish like cold water species and African cichlids. A stable pH between 6.5 and 8.5 is fine for most tropical fish. It might be a good idea for you to test your source water pH and other parameters and compare that to your tank water 72 hours after a water change just to get an idea of how those numbers change as water 'ages' in the tank. Often, a pH will naturally drop after it sits in open air after a day or more because of how water treatment plants adjust and treat it.

 

Ok. Awesome. I have 4 CPD's moving from their small tank to this new one and I didnt want to add them to soon. I have tested my tap water just to make sure nothings weird with it and they all come back normal, so I know it's the tank producing these readings.

 

I am honestly not sure why anyone would go through all that. I feel like "the cycle" has been so over emphasized. What type of fish are you planning on? If nothing too sensitive or exotic, just start with a good hearty fish, they'll be fine thorough the cycle. Just do your water tests and changes and keep an eye on it.

Actually, David Appel "the cycle" is underemphasized especially by retailers who make most of their money selling products to treat sick fish/tanks, feed fish, and correct problems in unstable tanks! It's very inexpensive to cycle a tank. You just need a test kit, a bottle of ammonia and the tank setup. Every lake, stream, swamp and ocean that supports healthy fish has a balanced level of nitrifying bacteria in it. Providing that same environment for captive fish in a closed system is just as essential for ensuring the health of the fish.

Ok. Awesome. I have 4 CPD's moving from their small tank to this new one and I didnt want to add them to soon. I have tested my tap water just to make sure nothings weird with it and they all come back normal, so I know it's the tank producing these readings.

Good job being patient through the process! Post some pictures when you get things going! Keep feeding the tank until you get the fish in there though.

 

Will do! Thanks for the help