How can I Speed up the Cycle

My 10 gallon tank with 2 danio are going thru nitrogen cycle for more than 3 weeks now and I still don't see any nitrates. AmmonI is about 1.0 and nitrite around .50 and nitrate 0. How can I speed up the process, can some one tell me? I have not changed water or vacuumed the gravels for 3 weeks and haven't changed filter either. Please Help

 

i'd recommend changing the water and cleaning the gravel.. do the usual stuff and it may go better than it has been.

 

Changing the water is going to slow the cycle down, rather than speed it up. However, you need to do it anyway because your ammonia is at a dangerous level for your fish...you need to get it down a bit or you could start losing fish. Don't get too discouraged though...from your readings, your cycle is progressing normally, and 3 weeks is by no means unusually long. Patience wins in the end!

 

Is there a chemical that can speed up the process or do I have to just wait and wait? I really want to get some nice fishes and start filling up my tank...

 

A few pet fish care brands sell bacteria in a bottle. My experience with Tetra EasyStart has not been that good (cycled in 4 weeks, so not that quick), and huuuuuuuge nitrites and ammonia spikes for days. Definitely recommend if you're cycling with fish.

I have no other direct experience with 'cycling in a bottle', but there are other brands. I believe BioSpira is one of them, and I believe others on the forum have had a good experience with it.

A more natural method is to put a handful of used gravel in panty hose and a used filter pad from a long-established tank in your new tank. You can ask a friend or your local fish store. Transport them in the water of the aquarium you've taken them from and don't leave them out of the water for any length of time during the transfer. Be careful not to disturb the gravel too much when you pick it up and when you lay it. Oh, and take a generous handful too.

Once you are at home, place the gravel-filled panty hose on the flloor of your new aquarium, close to your filter intake if possible. Also put the filter foam pad in the cartridge of your filter.

You'll need to 'feed' your aquarium's bacteria at least every 12 hours during cycling. Just use generous amounts of fish food and place some directly in the foam pad compartment of the filter, and some on the water's surface.

 

Bio-Spira and perhaps ZymBac Freshwater are the only products that i'd count on for cycling help. Some of them, like 'Cycle', have a reputation for creating mini-cycles that you have to keep using the product to maintain or have it all collapse.

Seeding the tank with substrata or part of a filter sponge (or a 2nd sponge left in an established tank for a while) is a very good idea and will help a lot.