Fishless Cycle Confusion!

HI everyone,

I’m new on here & a newbie to fish keeping I’d like some advice on my fishless cycle please as I’m getting very confused!

My aquarium is 5 gal, filtered, heated (to 29 degrees). I have gravel, an artificial plant & a Betta log in place. I have a bubble stone & Tetra air pump. I am cycling for a single Betta.

Everything in the tank has been turned on since 9th June (except the light which I leave turned off). I had a bit of a slow start due to some poor advice from my LFS & after doing some research commenced a fishless cycle by using fish food as the ammonia source as I couldn’t get hold of any pure ammonia quickly. The tank was getting pretty messy so I started to use a nylon sock to hold the food. In the mean time I ordered some pure ammonia, TTS & an API testing kit. These are my readings since the first bit of ammonia showed in the water & I received my test kit. I was trying to cycle to 4ppm ammonia as I read this was a good amount on another forum.


15/6- 2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
16/6- 3ppm ammonia
19/6- 4ppm ammonia, 0 Nitrites, PH 7.6
20/6- ammonia 6ppm (50% water change)
21/6- 4ppm ammonia
23/6- 4ppm ammonia, PH 7.6
24/6- 6ppm- removed food/ 50% water change. 0 nitrites, added Tetra safe start
25/6- 5ppm- 50% water change & re-added safe start. 0 nitrites
26/6- 2ppm ammonia
27/6-2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
28/6- 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites. Added another dose of TSS.
29/6- 3/4ppm ammonia.
30/6- 3/4ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates. PH 7.6.

Unfortunately there was a big delay the delivery of the pure ammonia (I’m in the uk & it’s very hard to get). Now I’m in a position where I haven’t added any ammonia source since 24th June when I removed the food yet the level is staying constant & even rising.

I don’t understand this unless the TSS is creating a false high reading?

Also I don’t understand how I can have a 5ppm+ Nitrate reading when I haven’t seen any Nitrites or drop in ammonia? Could I have missed the Nitrite spike?

I’m concerned that if it is a false positive ammonia reading from the TSS I could be starving the good bacteria by not adding an ammonia source?

As you can see I’m in a bit of a mess now & don’t know what to do next. Any help would be much appreciated please. Thank you

 

HI everyone,

I’m new on here & a newbie to fish keeping I’d like some advice on my fishless cycle please as I’m getting very confused!

My aquarium is 5 gal, filtered, heated (to 29 degrees). I have gravel, an artificial plant & a Betta log in place. I have a bubble stone & Tetra air pump. I am cycling for a single Betta.

Everything in the tank has been turned on since 9th June (except the light which I leave turned off). I had a bit of a slow start due to some poor advice from my LFS & after doing some research commenced a fishless cycle by using fish food as the ammonia source as I couldn’t get hold of any pure ammonia quickly. The tank was getting pretty messy so I started to use a nylon sock to hold the food. In the mean time I ordered some pure ammonia, TTS & an API testing kit. These are my readings since the first bit of ammonia showed in the water & I received my test kit. I was trying to cycle to 4ppm ammonia as I read this was a good amount on another forum.


15/6- 2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
16/6- 3ppm ammonia
19/6- 4ppm ammonia, 0 Nitrites, PH 7.6
20/6- ammonia 6ppm (50% water change)
21/6- 4ppm ammonia
23/6- 4ppm ammonia, PH 7.6
24/6- 6ppm- removed food/ 50% water change. 0 nitrites, added Tetra safe start
25/6- 5ppm- 50% water change & re-added safe start. 0 nitrites
26/6- 2ppm ammonia
27/6-2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
28/6- 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites. Added another dose of TSS.
29/6- 3/4ppm ammonia.
30/6- 3/4ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates. PH 7.6.

Unfortunately there was a big delay the delivery of the pure ammonia (I’m in the uk & it’s very hard to get). Now I’m in a position where I haven’t added any ammonia source since 24th June when I removed the food yet the level is staying constant & even rising.

I don’t understand this unless the TSS is creating a false high reading?

Also I don’t understand how I can have a 5ppm+ Nitrate reading when I haven’t seen any Nitrites or drop in ammonia? Could I have missed the Nitrite spike?

I’m concerned that if it is a false positive ammonia reading from the TSS I could be starving the good bacteria by not adding an ammonia source?

As you can see I’m in a bit of a mess now & don’t know what to do next. Any help would be much appreciated please. Thank you

Keep the source of ammonia and try and get a beneficial bacteria supplement. Or ask the fish store for cycled sponge (if you have a sponge filter) or cycled media.

 

HI everyone,

I’m new on here & a newbie to fish keeping I’d like some advice on my fishless cycle please as I’m getting very confused!

My aquarium is 5 gal, filtered, heated (to 29 degrees). I have gravel, an artificial plant & a Betta log in place. I have a bubble stone & Tetra air pump. I am cycling for a single Betta.

Everything in the tank has been turned on since 9th June (except the light which I leave turned off). I had a bit of a slow start due to some poor advice from my LFS & after doing some research commenced a fishless cycle by using fish food as the ammonia source as I couldn’t get hold of any pure ammonia quickly. The tank was getting pretty messy so I started to use a nylon sock to hold the food. In the mean time I ordered some pure ammonia, TTS & an API testing kit. These are my readings since the first bit of ammonia showed in the water & I received my test kit. I was trying to cycle to 4ppm ammonia as I read this was a good amount on another forum.


15/6- 2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
16/6- 3ppm ammonia
19/6- 4ppm ammonia, 0 Nitrites, PH 7.6
20/6- ammonia 6ppm (50% water change)
21/6- 4ppm ammonia
23/6- 4ppm ammonia, PH 7.6
24/6- 6ppm- removed food/ 50% water change. 0 nitrites, added Tetra safe start
25/6- 5ppm- 50% water change & re-added safe start. 0 nitrites
26/6- 2ppm ammonia
27/6-2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
28/6- 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites. Added another dose of TSS.
29/6- 3/4ppm ammonia.
30/6- 3/4ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates. PH 7.6.

Unfortunately there was a big delay the delivery of the pure ammonia (I’m in the uk & it’s very hard to get). Now I’m in a position where I haven’t added any ammonia source since 24th June when I removed the food yet the level is staying constant & even rising.

I don’t understand this unless the TSS is creating a false high reading?

Also I don’t understand how I can have a 5ppm+ Nitrate reading when I haven’t seen any Nitrites or drop in ammonia? Could I have missed the Nitrite spike?

I’m concerned that if it is a false positive ammonia reading from the TSS I could be starving the good bacteria by not adding an ammonia source?

As you can see I’m in a bit of a mess now & don’t know what to do next. Any help would be much appreciated please. Thank you

Your nitrate reading could be from ur tap water I am in UK also and mine has at least 20ppm. If u still have an ammonia reading just leave it til u get a nitrite reading. Although some people on here do say tss can give a false reading I am halfway on my first fishless cycle it is so frustrating.or u could just empty all your tank water and start dosing with ur bottled ammonia get it to 4ppm to start with then keep checking for ur nitrite spike.

 

Your nitrate reading could be from ur tap water I am in UK also and mine has at least 20ppm. If u still have an ammonia reading just leave it til u get a nitrite reading. Although some people on here do say tss can give a false reading I am halfway on my first fishless cycle it is so frustrating.or u could just empty all your tank water and start dosing with ur bottled ammonia get it to 4ppm to start with then keep checking for ur nitrite spike.

Thanks for your reply. Yes it’s a very frustrating process!! I’ve tested my tap water for nitrates & it's reading 0... really confused! If I do the large water change will the TSS still be effective? Thanks

 

Thanks for your reply. Yes it’s a very frustrating process!! I’ve tested my tap water for nitrates & it's reading 0... really confused! If I do the large water change will the TSS still be effective? Thanks

Think u are not meant to do a water change for a week or 2 with tss I have never used it

 

HI everyone,

I’m new on here & a newbie to fish keeping I’d like some advice on my fishless cycle please as I’m getting very confused!

My aquarium is 5 gal, filtered, heated (to 29 degrees). I have gravel, an artificial plant & a Betta log in place. I have a bubble stone & Tetra air pump. I am cycling for a single Betta.

Everything in the tank has been turned on since 9th June (except the light which I leave turned off). I had a bit of a slow start due to some poor advice from my LFS & after doing some research commenced a fishless cycle by using fish food as the ammonia source as I couldn’t get hold of any pure ammonia quickly. The tank was getting pretty messy so I started to use a nylon sock to hold the food. In the mean time I ordered some pure ammonia, TTS & an API testing kit. These are my readings since the first bit of ammonia showed in the water & I received my test kit. I was trying to cycle to 4ppm ammonia as I read this was a good amount on another forum.


15/6- 2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
16/6- 3ppm ammonia
19/6- 4ppm ammonia, 0 Nitrites, PH 7.6
20/6- ammonia 6ppm (50% water change)
21/6- 4ppm ammonia
23/6- 4ppm ammonia, PH 7.6
24/6- 6ppm- removed food/ 50% water change. 0 nitrites, added Tetra safe start
25/6- 5ppm- 50% water change & re-added safe start. 0 nitrites
26/6- 2ppm ammonia
27/6-2ppm ammonia, PH 7.4
28/6- 2ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites. Added another dose of TSS.
29/6- 3/4ppm ammonia.
30/6- 3/4ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5ppm nitrates. PH 7.6.

Unfortunately there was a big delay the delivery of the pure ammonia (I’m in the uk & it’s very hard to get). Now I’m in a position where I haven’t added any ammonia source since 24th June when I removed the food yet the level is staying constant & even rising.

I don’t understand this unless the TSS is creating a false high reading?

Also I don’t understand how I can have a 5ppm+ Nitrate reading when I haven’t seen any Nitrites or drop in ammonia? Could I have missed the Nitrite spike?

I’m concerned that if it is a false positive ammonia reading from the TSS I could be starving the good bacteria by not adding an ammonia source?

As you can see I’m in a bit of a mess now & don’t know what to do next. Any help would be much appreciated please. Thank you

Because you have nitrates in your tank and your tap is testing 0 ppm for nitrates, it looks to me like your tank may be cycled. I'd suggest doing a big water change to get your ammonia to less than 1 ppm, recheck your ammonia level 24 hours after the water change. If ammonia drops to 0ppm redose the tank to 1ppm ammonia and retest ammonia & nitrites again in 24 hours. If ammonia drops back to 0ppm in that time, you're cycled. The lack of measurable nitrites is common when you're using TSS and no concern.

 

What I've noticed on a lot of "tank cycle" posts here, and I had the same experience, when starting to cycle a tank and using an API master kit, it seems that the nitrate level initially reads 5ppm even if the tap water reads 0ppm. Could that just be the nature of the kit when reading water with ammonia and other starter chemicals in the tank? Should the 5ppm simply be ignored until it reaches 10ppm? Since you have never seen nitrites, I think that your tank is not cycled yet. Patience and testing is my advice. Keep the ammonia at 2-4ppm and let it cycle.Just my feeling.

 

I'd suggest doing a big water change to get your ammonia to less than 1 ppm, recheck your ammonia level 24 hours after the water change. If ammonia drops to 0ppm redose the tank to 1ppm ammonia and retest ammonia & nitrites again in 24 hours. If ammonia drops back to 0ppm in that time, you're cycled. The lack of measurable nitrites is common when you're using TSS and no concern.

Not to hijack the thread but I have a question directly related to this. I think I see the reasoning behind this advice. You want a beneficial bacteria load that's able to deal with 1ppm ammonia in 24 hours. The advice above tests that the filter is able to do this. If this is the case, why dose to 4ppm to begin with? Assuming there's a good reason for the 4ppm starting point, why not let the bacteria bring the ammonia to zero and then re-dose to 1ppm to test the load capability of the bacteria?

 

Not to hijack the thread but I have a question directly related to this. I think I see the reasoning behind this advice. You want a beneficial bacteria load that's able to deal with 1ppm ammonia in 24 hours. The advice above tests that the filter is able to do this. If this is the case, why dose to 4ppm to begin with? Assuming there's a good reason for the 4ppm starting point, why not let the bacteria bring the ammonia to zero and then re-dose to 1ppm to test the load capability of the bacteria?

U basically want to be able to process at least 2ppm of ammonia in 12-24 hours to build up enough bb in your filters only reason if u only do 1ppm every 24 hours u won't be able to put as many fish in to start with. Even at 2ppm u wouldn't be able to fully stock ur tank so if u can process at least 2ppm it is a good start.

 

Nitrate can come from the water itself.

Second the idea of seeding (asking the lfs for cycled sponge). You may not use sponge filter but I would just suggest just buy the sponge, ask the fishstore to leave in in a healthy cycled tank for a day or two, then take home and put in your tank for few days.

 

Nitrate can come from the water itself.

Second the idea of seeding (asking the lfs for cycled sponge). You may not use sponge filter but I would just suggest just buy the sponge, ask the fishstore to leave in in a healthy cycled tank for a day or two, then take home and put in your tank for few days.

just out of curiosity would 1 or 2 days be long enough for the bacteria to latch on I would think will need at least a couple of weeks to be able to build up enough on the sponge? And am asking coz I am fairly new to the hobby myself and still taking in all the knowledge I can

 

The longer the better, but in my experience, for the long established tank (especially those with gravel) it only takes a day or two to have an doable amount of beneficial bacteria to latch on.

My initial point was not for fully cycling a tank, but to speed up the process as OP already losing time. With what OP is at, and seeding, it would help getting thing up to task in a week.

 

Cool think I could do with some myself to speed things up 4 weeks in can process all ammonia in 24 hour but nitrite will not go down Haha. Good luck with your tank hope it fully cycles soon

 

Not to hijack the thread but I have a question directly related to this. I think I see the reasoning behind this advice. You want a beneficial bacteria load that's able to deal with 1ppm ammonia in 24 hours. The advice above tests that the filter is able to do this. If this is the case, why dose to 4ppm to begin with? Assuming there's a good reason for the 4ppm starting point, why not let the bacteria bring the ammonia to zero and then re-dose to 1ppm to test the load capability of the bacteria?

Hi, you don't really need to dose to 4ppm initially unless you have a big tank and plan to overstock it initially. This OP initially dosed to 2 ppm. I don't know why the ammonia went as high as it did, there could be many reasons. When a cycle has obviously stalled as this one apparently has, it usually is because the nitrogen in the tank has overwhelmed the capacity of the available bacteria to process it. In a tiny tank like this, there is very limited surface area for bacteria and so what bacteria there are, working at capacity will take a long time to process the load. You can not expect a tiny tank with a tiny amount of filter media and substrate to be able to process 4ppm of ammonia overnight. This tank has all the necessary oxidizing bacteria to process nitrogenous waste. Taking the nitrogen load down to what a reasonable load of fish, for this tank, would produce and testing that, will confirm that the tank is cycled.

 

Thank you everyone for all your great advice
Momgoose56 this makes a lot of sense to me. The ammonia initially went out of control because I was using fish food & found it hard to know how much to use. I needed to order the bottled ammonia online & had a big delay in receiving it. I suspect that the current ammonia level is caused by the old particles of food still present in the tank.
So my plan is to do a large 75% water change to hopefully gain more control over the ammonia level. Then retest after a couple of hours & top up to 2ppm with the pure ammonia if needed. I’ll keep testing daily to see if I get a 0 reading for a few days if not I’ll keep dosing to 2ppm until I do.
How does that sound?
Do you think 2ppm would be sufficient for a single Betta?
Many thanks

Hi, you don't really need to dose to 4ppm initially unless you have a big tank and plan to overstock it initially. This OP initially dosed to 2 ppm. I don't know why the ammonia went as high as it did, there could be many reasons. When a cycle has obviously stalled as this one apparently has, it usually is because the nitrogen in the tank has overwhelmed the capacity of the available bacteria to process it. In a tiny tank like this, there is very limited surface area for bacteria and so what bacteria there are, working at capacity will take a long time to process the load. You can not expect a tiny tank with a tiny amount of filter media and substrate to be able to process 4ppm of ammonia overnight. This tank has all the necessary oxidizing bacteria to process nitrogenous waste. Taking the nitrogen load down to what a reasonable load of fish, for this tank, would produce and testing that, will confirm that the tank is cycled.

one

Cool think I could do with some myself to speed things up 4 weeks in can process all ammonia in 24 hour but nitrite will not go down Haha. Good luck with your tank hope it fully cycles soon

Thank you! I hope yours completes soon. It’s a very interesting but frustrating process lol. I would like to get some seeded media but my LFS is not so local so would be the weekend at the earliest I could do this. Definitely will though if I don’t see some progress soon!

 

Thank you! I hope yours completes soon. It’s a very interesting but frustrating process lol. I would like to get some seeded media but my LFS is not so local so would be the weekend at the earliest I could do this. Definitely will though if I don’t see some progress soon!

Thanks I hope so to sick of looking at an empty fish tank Haha just need my nitrites to start dropping fingers crossed not much longer now

 

Thanks I hope so to sick of looking at an empty fish tank Haha just need my nitrites to start dropping fingers crossed not much longer now

I’m starting to feel like that too now... the Betta is going to be a little pet for my 2 year old & he keeps asking to see the fish haha

 

I’m starting to feel like that too now... the Betta is going to be a little pet for my 2 year old & he keeps asking to see the fish haha

Well let's hope it gets sorted soon so u can both enjoy your new pet

 

Thank you everyone for all your great advice
Momgoose56 this makes a lot of sense to me. The ammonia initially went out of control because I was using fish food & found it hard to know how much to use. I needed to order the bottled ammonia online & had a big delay in receiving it. I suspect that the current ammonia level is caused by the old particles of food still present in the tank.
So my plan is to do a large 75% water change to hopefully gain more control over the ammonia level. Then retest after a couple of hours & top up to 2ppm with the pure ammonia if needed. I’ll keep testing daily to see if I get a 0 reading for a few days if not I’ll keep dosing to 2ppm until I do.
How does that sound?
Do you think 2ppm would be sufficient for a single Betta?
Many thanks


one



Thank you! I hope yours completes soon. It’s a very interesting but frustrating process lol. I would like to get some seeded media but my LFS is not so local so would be the weekend at the earliest I could do this. Definitely will though if I don’t see some progress soon!

One ppm would be more than adequate for a single betta in a small tank as long as you keep nitrates below 40 ppm with water changes . I believe your tank is cycled and would handle 1 ppm fine.

 

Thank you. I hope it has, will see what results I get in the next few days. I topped it up to 2ppm last night after a water change as I wasn’t sure what to do. Will see how much it’s dropped tonight & go from there

One ppm would be more than adequate for a single betta in a small tank as long as you keep nitrates below 40 ppm with water changes . I believe your tank is cycled and would handle 1 ppm fine.

 

What I've noticed on a lot of "tank cycle" posts here, and I had the same experience, when starting to cycle a tank and using an API master kit, it seems that the nitrate level initially reads 5ppm even if the tap water reads 0ppm. Could that just be the nature of the kit when reading water with ammonia and other starter chemicals in the tank? Should the 5ppm simply be ignored until it reaches 10ppm? Since you have never seen nitrites, I think that your tank is not cycled yet. Patience and testing is my advice. Keep the ammonia at 2-4ppm and let it cycle.Just my feeling.

Ahhhh thank you for the clarification.. I too was wondering why my test results were showing 5ppm for Nitrate so soon in a new cycle when no nitrites have shown up yet

 

Thank you. I hope it has, will see what results I get in the next few days. I topped it up to 2ppm last night after a water change as I wasn’t sure what to do. Will see how much it’s dropped tonight & go from there

What is it tonight?

Ahhhh thank you for the clarification.. I too was wondering why my test results were showing 5ppm for Nitrate so soon in a new cycle when no nitrites have shown up yet

Quite often, when you add a bacteria culture like Tetra Safestart or Seachem Stability, you won't see nitrites. That's because the culture contains Nitrate oxidizing bacteria that are consuming the nitrites as fast as they are produced. That oxidation of nitrites produces nitrates. THAT is why you don't see nitrites but do see nitrates.

 

Quite often, when you add a bacteria culture like Tetra Safestart or Seachem Stability, you won't see nitrites. That's because the culture contains Nitrate oxidizing bacteria that are consuming the nitrites as fast as they are produced. That oxidation of nitrites produces nitrates. THAT is why you don't see nitrites but do see nitrates.

Thank you!! That makes much more sense than a bonkers test kit

 

What is it tonight?


Quite often, when you add a bacteria culture like Tetra Safestart or Seachem Stability, you won't see nitrites. That's because the culture contains Nitrate oxidizing bacteria that are consuming the nitrites as fast as they are produced. That oxidation of nitrites produces nitrates. THAT is why you don't see nitrites but do see nitrates.

Apologies for the late reply I’ve been having some issues with my internet! I’m really disappointed... the ammonia level has remained at 2ppm both days :-( I’m still getting 0 nitrites & nitrates are still there but have reduced sIightly to I’d guess 3ppm. Probably due to the large water change? I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong! Any advice would be appreciated please. Thanks

 

I didn't read through this whole thread, so hopefully this information will be useful for you.

I just finished cycling my tank; took 25 days!

I used Dr. Tims Pure ammonia and Seachem Stability (bacteria) and Seachem Prime (dechlorinator)

Once the water was filled up with gravel, plants and rock, I added the correct dose of Prime. Waited about half and hour and added the correct dose of stability. I did not add ammonia til the next day. I dosed up to 2ppm with temp at 80 degrees. Literally after 3-4 days, my ammonia dropped and moved straight to nitrates. I kept topping off ammonia to 2ppm every time it dropped. middle of week 2, my nitrites spiked. This literally took the longest out of the whole process. going into week three, my nitrites didn't budge. a member on here advised I do a 50% water change, as my nitrites were through the roof (did a 1/4 dilution test and the color was still showing dark purple). after I changed the water, I was only adding .5 to 1ppm of ammonia every other day (note that my ammonia was dropping back to 0 within 24 hours). By day 25, I tested and nitrites went down to 0. it takes patience for sure, as I thought I was messing something up- which I guess I was with my high nitrites (this can stall your cycle, you definitely want it under 4-5ppm)

 

Apologies for the late reply I’ve been having some issues with my internet! I’m really disappointed... the ammonia level has remained at 2ppm both days :-( I’m still getting 0 nitrites & nitrates are still there but have reduced sIightly to I’d guess 3ppm. Probably due to the large water change? I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong! Any advice would be appreciated please. Thanks

You aren't doing anything wrong. Your tank is just still cycling. Your Nitrates dropped because of the water change. I really think cycling a 5 gallon tank to handle 2ppm ammonia for 1 betta is overkill. Bettas have a very small bioload. I again recommend that you do another 50% water change to bring your ammonia down to 1 ppm, keep it at that level until your tank can process that. There can be problems created by building too large a bacterial colony in a tank.

 

You aren't doing anything wrong. Your tank is just still cycling. Your Nitrates dropped because of the water change. I really think cycling a 5 gallon tank to handle 2ppm ammonia for 1 betta is overkill. Bettas have a very small bioload. I again recommend that you do another 50% water change to bring your ammonia down to 1 ppm, keep it at that level until your tank can process that. There can be problems created by building too large a bacterial colony in a tank.

Thanks again for your advice, I’ll do the 50% change this evening if it hasn’t dropped. I think I just got it in my head that it needed to be cycled to between 2-4ppm or it wouldn’t be enough. I did a lot of reading & that seemed to be the general consensus. Like you say though the size of the tank & eventual bioload needs to be taken into consideration. I’d never consider putting anything else in such a small tank so it should be fine. I’m looking forward to cycling a big one in the not too distant future!
Will keep this thread updated with my progress as I’m sure I’ll need more help along the way.

I didn't read through this whole thread, so hopefully this information will be useful for you.

I just finished cycling my tank; took 25 days!

I used Dr. Tims Pure ammonia and Seachem Stability (bacteria) and Seachem Prime (dechlorinator)

Once the water was filled up with gravel, plants and rock, I added the correct dose of Prime. Waited about half and hour and added the correct dose of stability. I did not add ammonia til the next day. I dosed up to 2ppm with temp at 80 degrees. Literally after 3-4 days, my ammonia dropped and moved straight to nitrates. I kept topping off ammonia to 2ppm every time it dropped. middle of week 2, my nitrites spiked. This literally took the longest out of the whole process. going into week three, my nitrites didn't budge. a member on here advised I do a 50% water change, as my nitrites were through the roof (did a 1/4 dilution test and the color was still showing dark purple). after I changed the water, I was only adding .5 to 1ppm of ammonia every other day (note that my ammonia was dropping back to 0 within 24 hours). By day 25, I tested and nitrites went down to 0. it takes patience for sure, as I thought I was messing something up- which I guess I was with my high nitrites (this can stall your cycle, you definitely want it under 4-5ppm)

Thanks so much for sharing this, it’s great to learn from other people’s experience! Congratulations on getting your tank cycled! I still feel a long way off... but I’m seeing nitrates so might be further along than I think My 2 year old keeps asking where his fish is!! Lol

 

Thanks again for your advice, I’ll do the 50% change this evening if it hasn’t dropped. I think I just got it in my head that it needed to be cycled to between 2-4ppm or it wouldn’t be enough. I did a lot of reading & that seemed to be the general consensus. Like you say though the size of the tank & eventual bioload needs to be taken into consideration. I’d never consider putting anything else in such a small tank so it should be fine. I’m looking forward to cycling a big one in the not too distant future!
Will keep this thread updated with my progress as I’m sure I’ll need more help along the way.



Thanks so much for sharing this, it’s great to learn from other people’s experience! Congratulations on getting your tank cycled! I still feel a long way off... but I’m seeing nitrates so might be further along than I think My 2 year old keeps asking where his fish is!! Lol

Your tank is very nearly cycled. A week or two more is my guess. The AOB multiplies fairly rapidly compared to NOB. I cycled my 125 gallon tank to handle 2ppm ammonia then as soon as it was cycled put 32 fish in it, including a 7" common pleco and a 6" clown catfish (they both are big polluters) and I haven't seen any ammonia or nitrites since adding that huge bioload.

 

Your tank is very nearly cycled. A week or two more is my guess. The AOB multiplies fairly rapidly compared to NOB. I cycled my 125 gallon tank to handle 2ppm ammonia then as soon as it was cycled put 32 fish in it, including a 7" common pleco and a 6" clown catfish (they both are big polluters) and I haven't seen any ammonia or nitrites since adding that huge bioload.

Hi, I just wanted to post an update. I’m still being very patient!!

Friday- 2ppm ammonia (50% water change)
Saturday- 2ppm ammonia (50% water change) Maybe because of the old food still producing some ammonia?!
Sunday- 1ppm ammonia, 3ppm Nirates, 0 Nitrites
Today- 1ppm ammonia, 5ppm nitrates, 0 Nitrites, PH 7.6

Can’t wait to see some purple in the Nitrite tube or at least to see some drop in the ammonia! Should I just keep going with what I’m doing?

Thanks

 

Hi, I just wanted to post an update. I’m still being very patient!!

Friday- 2ppm ammonia (50% water change)
Saturday- 2ppm ammonia (50% water change) Maybe because of the old food still producing some ammonia?!
Sunday- 1ppm ammonia, 3ppm Nirates, 0 Nitrites
Today- 1ppm ammonia, 5ppm nitrates, 0 Nitrites, PH 7.6

Can’t wait to see some purple in the Nitrite tube or at least to see some drop in the ammonia! Should I just keep going with what I’m doing?

Thanks

You may not see Nitrites. Your tank is processing them. Keep doing what you're doing. Patience Grasshopper!

 

You may not see Nitrites. Your tank is processing them. Keep doing what you're doing. Patience Grasshopper!

Haha I’m really trying!!
The ammonia level had increased to 2ppm tonight so I’ve done another 50% change. Why do you think this is happening? Could it still be bits of food rotting in the tank? I haven’t added any since 24th June.
Also I’ve got the tank thermostat set to 29 degrees. Do you think there’d be any benefit in turning it up?
Thanks

 

Haha I’m really trying!!
The ammonia level had increased to 2ppm tonight so I’ve done another 50% change. Why do you think this is happening? Could it still be bits of food rotting in the tank? I haven’t added any since 24th June.
Also I’ve got the tank thermostat set to 29 degrees. Do you think there’d be any benefit in turning it up?
Thanks

Yes there may still be birds of rotting food in there causing the ammonia to go up. But don't vacuum it up. You need the ammonia, just do water changes to ffertt it back down to 1ppm occasionally. Just don't feed the tank any more food. And a temp of 29 is perfect, no need to change that.

 

Yes there may still be birds of rotting food in there causing the ammonia to go up. But don't vacuum it up. You need the ammonia, just do water changes to ffertt it back down to 1ppm occasionally. Just don't feed the tank any more food. And a temp of 29 is perfect, no need to change that.

I’ve got pure ammonia to feed the tank so would it be ok to hoover the gravel to gain more control over the ammonia level? That way I won’t need to do as many water changes. Or do you think it’d disturb the BB too much? Thanks for your support with this. I never anticipated it being such a complex process!!

 

I’ve got pure ammonia to feed the tank so would it be ok to hoover the gravel to gain more control over the ammonia level? That way I won’t need to do as many water changes. Or do you think it’d disturb the BB too much? Thanks for your support with this. I never anticipated it being such a complex process!!

Yes, if you have the ammonia now you can go on and Hoover the gravel. The bacteria are attached to gravel and filter media so won't be disturbed. Just avoid scrubbing. Is your filter working properly i.e. is water flowing freely through your filter media or does it appear dirty and clogged?

 

Yes, if you have the ammonia now you can go on and Hoover the gravel. The bacteria are attached to gravel and filter media so won't be disturbed. Just avoid scrubbing. Is your filter working properly i.e. is water flowing freely through your filter media or does it appear dirty and clogged?

Thanks I’ll hoover the gravel on the next water change. The water flow through the filter appears the same as when I first set it up I think. The sponge looks like a pale brown colour which I assume is a good thing? Would it be worth giving it a quick rinse in some tank water even if the flow looks ok?
Thanks

 

Personally not a huge believer in TSS or any of these cycle quick schemes, er, products. I've done quite a few fishless cycles over the years, never saw much of a benefit when I used the tss...
Anyway let's start with the obvious to rule it out at least, are you using a dechlorinator when you do your water changes? Not that I recommended water changes while cycling but If your tap water is disinfecting your bacterial colony, that would be a pretty big problem. Even non-chlorinated water should probably be treated for heavy metals and such. Seachem prime (not sure about other bands) will give a false ammonia reading of 0.25 or so with your API kit, keep that in mind if you do use that brand and wonder why it never reaches zero.

29 degrees is also pretty high. Not sure if the dissolved oxygen levels being lower in the higher temps would affect the growth rate of the bacteria or not, it maybe fine for cycling but you're going to want to dial that down to about 26 before you add Mr. Betta at least, higher temps means higher metabolism and growth but also a much shorter lifespan.

I'd give the tank a cleaning just to get a little more control over your ammonia source but I wouldn't be too worried about it, just enough to clear the gunk... I'd aI'm to keep the ammonia in the 2pmm range, avoid future water changes and let the tank do it's thing. Someone commented about having a cycle already, as long as you have ammonia that's not bring processed 100% in 24 hours, it's not a stable cycle. When you can dose 2ppm and have zero ammonia and zero nitrite within a day then you can start doing water changes to bring the nitrates which should be sky high by then back down.

 

Personally not a huge believer in TSS or any of these cycle quick schemes, er, products. I've done quite a few fishless cycles over the years, never saw much of a benefit when I used the tss...
Anyway let's start with the obvious to rule it out at least, are you using a dechlorinator when you do your water changes? Not that I recommended water changes while cycling but If your tap water is disinfecting your bacterial colony, that would be a pretty big problem. Even non-chlorinated water should probably be treated for heavy metals and such. Seachem prime (not sure about other bands) will give a false ammonia reading of 0.25 or so with your API kit, keep that in mind if you do use that brand and wonder why it never reaches zero.

29 degrees is also pretty high. Not sure if the dissolved oxygen levels being lower in the higher temps would affect the growth rate of the bacteria or not, it maybe fine for cycling but you're going to want to dial that down to about 26 before you add Mr. Betta at least, higher temps means higher metabolism and growth but also a much shorter lifespan.

I'd give the tank a cleaning just to get a little more control over your ammonia source but I wouldn't be too worried about it, just enough to clear the gunk... I'd aI'm to keep the ammonia in the 2pmm range, avoid future water changes and let the tank do it's thing. Someone commented about having a cycle already, as long as you have ammonia that's not bring processed 100% in 24 hours, it's not a stable cycle. When you can dose 2ppm and have zero ammonia and zero nitrite within a day then you can start doing water changes to bring the nitrates which should be sky high by then back down.

It's not necessary to rinse the filter media if water is flowing through it. You just need a little more time... your pH isn't ideal for growing nitrifying bacteria, but it's good enough, 7.8-8.4 is the ideal pH so that to light be why your ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is taking a little longer. But your tank is cycling fine and is on schedule for a normal tank cycle.
hanra85 Bacteria grows best at higher temperatures. 78-84°F is perfect. You never want to "scrub" anything in a tank when cycling because bacteria grows on every surface. 2ppm ammonia in a 5 gallon tank for 1 fish is over doing it and unnecessary. This is a fishless cycle so the more expensive dechlorinator (Prime) isn't necessary. The ammonia levels are persisting in Sarah86 's tank, most likely because of left over fish food used initially to bring ammonia levels up. You are right though, some of the bottled bacteria on the market do not contain the right kind of bacteria to start a complete cycle. TSS is one of those. However, it does contain bacteria that helps speed up the cycling process as evidenced by the fact that this OP's tank idea processing nitrites into nitrates even though the AOB hasn't caught up yet.

 

Personally not a huge believer in TSS or any of these cycle quick schemes, er, products. I've done quite a few fishless cycles over the years, never saw much of a benefit when I used the tss...
Anyway let's start with the obvious to rule it out at least, are you using a dechlorinator when you do your water changes? Not that I recommended water changes while cycling but If your tap water is disinfecting your bacterial colony, that would be a pretty big problem. Even non-chlorinated water should probably be treated for heavy metals and such. Seachem prime (not sure about other bands) will give a false ammonia reading of 0.25 or so with your API kit, keep that in mind if you do use that brand and wonder why it never reaches zero.

29 degrees is also pretty high. Not sure if the dissolved oxygen levels being lower in the higher temps would affect the growth rate of the bacteria or not, it maybe fine for cycling but you're going to want to dial that down to about 26 before you add Mr. Betta at least, higher temps means higher metabolism and growth but also a much shorter lifespan.

I'd give the tank a cleaning just to get a little more control over your ammonia source but I wouldn't be too worried about it, just enough to clear the gunk... I'd aI'm to keep the ammonia in the 2pmm range, avoid future water changes and let the tank do it's thing. Someone commented about having a cycle already, as long as you have ammonia that's not bring processed 100% in 24 hours, it's not a stable cycle. When you can dose 2ppm and have zero ammonia and zero nitrite within a day then you can start doing water changes to bring the nitrates which should be sky high by then back down.

Hi, thanks for your reply. Yes I’m using Tetra AquaSafe to condition the tap water, overdosing it really to make sure!

I’ll clean the gravel as best as I can & then try not to do any more water changes. I’ve got a feeling that my tank is processing some ammonia but because the food is creating more as it drops it’s not showing in my tests. That’s the only way I can explain the nitrates anyway?!

I’ve done some research on betta’s & know they don’t like it so warm! So I’ll definitely turn it down before we get him. Do you think the cycle would benefit from me turning it down now? Everything I’ve seen before has said the warmer the better for bacterial growth. I have a large air stone on full pelt as well as lots of surface agitation from the filter.

I have been advised that 2ppm ammonia would be overkill for a single Betta & to cycle 1ppm. What your opinion on this please?

 

Yeah I think it's probably fine now that I think of it I probably had my heater maxed when I cycled my filters, haven't had to do it since last year... it was more a just in case ya didn't realize before adding Mr Betta, lol. And the dose doesn't make too much of a difference as long as your data is trackable... I'm used to seeding at 2-4ppm for higher bioloads, but 1ppm is more than fine for one betta, the system will balance itself out regardless, if its not enough, the fish's waste will encourage more to grow, if it's in excess the bacteria colony will die back to what your fish's waste can support.

 

It's not necessary to rinse the filter media if water is flowing through it. You just need a little more time... your pH isn't ideal for growing nitrifying bacteria, but it's good enough, 7.8-8.4 is the ideal pH so that to light be why your ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is taking a little longer. But your tank is cycling fine and is on schedule for a normal tank cycle.
hanra85 Bacteria grows best at higher temperatures. 78-84°F is perfect. You never want to "scrub" anything in a tank when cycling because bacteria grows on every surface. 2ppm ammonia in a 5 gallon tank for 1 fish is over doing it and unnecessary. This is a fishless cycle so the more expensive dechlorinator (Prime) isn't necessary. The ammonia levels are persisting in Sarah86 's tank, most likely because of left over fish food used initially to bring ammonia levels up. You are right though, some of the bottled bacteria on the market do not contain the right kind of bacteria to start a complete cycle. TSS is one of those. However, it does contain bacteria that helps speed up the cycling process as evidenced by the fact that this OP's tank idea processing nitrites into nitrates even though the AOB hasn't caught up yet.

Apologies, I didn’t realise you’d replied! Yes I agree that it is the rotting food that’s keeping the ammonia level topped up. So I’m going to vac the gravel tonight & hope I start seeing some drops