View Full Version : yet another cycling Q...
karbomb
02-15-2008, 03:21 AM
so my 3g tank has been cycling since last friday and i have not noticed an ammonia spike. but the nitrates are at .20-.25ppm... so i am wondering if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
i am going the route of fishey cycling... don't hate me.
ammonia: 0
nitrites:0
nitrates: 20-25
help?
Your water parameters suggest a completed cycle.
AquaBANG
02-15-2008, 03:37 AM
yes, cycle completed.
karbomb
02-15-2008, 03:40 AM
wooo! woo! woo! i am happy. cycle works. and no deaths to healthy fish... only to the two feeders i got at petco who had fin rot and ich :(
jbeining75
02-15-2008, 03:45 AM
yeah as long as the nitrite spiked with it.... Did the nitrites move or stay at zero....
karbomb
02-15-2008, 03:49 AM
no the nitrite stayed at zero i believe. when i was treating for ich i wasn't testing the tank cos i thought it would affect the results.
edit: but i did shake the filter pads of my established 10g in the tank to give it a boost and i used cycle.
plecocrazy
02-15-2008, 04:41 AM
I have heard of quick cycles, but 6 days? That would be a record. Have you tested the tap water for nitrates? Without ever seeing an ammonia or nitrite spike I doubt the tank is cycled.
karbomb
02-15-2008, 04:54 AM
I have heard of quick cycles, but 6 days? That would be a record. Have you tested the tap water for nitrates? Without ever seeing an ammonia or nitrite spike I doubt the tank is cycled.
i have tested the tap, no ammonia, no nitrites, no nitrates.
edit: i did use my filter media from my established tank and cycle.
the ammonia went up a smidge from 0 - .25
but i wasn't testing during the ich cure phase which lasted about 4 days.
Lady Hobbs
02-15-2008, 05:32 AM
How could your tank have cycled with fish in it since last Friday? You can not cycle with fish in one week. It would be nice but it just doesn't happen.
Sorry. I now see you used seasoned filter media but I still would give it a while.
karbomb
02-15-2008, 05:36 AM
How could your tank have cycled with fish in it since last Friday? You can not cycle with fish in one week. It would be nice but it just doesn't happen.
Sorry. I now see you used seasoned filter media but I still would give it a while.
well thanks ok, but what does it mean to have high nitrate levels and no ammonia or nitrite?
Lady Hobbs
02-15-2008, 05:38 AM
As the others stated above, it generally means a completed cycle but with no ammonia or nitrites, who knows.
Hairback357
02-15-2008, 11:47 AM
Did you add anything else to the water? Like a Bio Booster of any kind? I am doing a fishless cycle right now for the first time and I also had Nitrates before the cycle started. I think in my case it was because I first tried a bio booster to speed things up. It did not work except to give me goofy water readings. The cycle has so far taken 7 days and I just now got the Nitrite reading. 6 days with fish? No way has the tank cycled.
no the nitrite stayed at zero i believe. when i was treating for ich i wasn't testing the tank cos i thought it would affect the results.
edit: but i did shake the filter pads of my established 10g in the tank to give it a boost and i used cycle.
I wouldn't get too excited just yet, I'm guessing the shaking of your established filter material is where the nitrates came from.
I think you are in a for a few weeks of testing and water changes, thats my guess, remember dont clean the filter or anything until you are certain you have an established tank.
NickFish
02-15-2008, 09:36 PM
It seems cycled, you could have had the nitrite spike during the 4 days you were not testing.
What kind of fish did you use for the cycle? Just curious.
karbomb
02-17-2008, 08:21 AM
so i just tested my 3g and
nitrites: between 0-.25
ammonia: between .25-.50
nitrates: bewteen 5-10
any thoughts?
karbomb
02-17-2008, 08:22 AM
It seems cycled, you could have had the nitrite spike during the 4 days you were not testing.
What kind of fish did you use for the cycle? Just curious.
fathead minnows and rosey reds
so i just tested my 3g and
nitrites: between 0-.25
ammonia: between .25-.50
nitrates: bewteen 5-10
any thoughts?
do a large water change.. take all your readings again, then wait a couple of days and do some more tests..
if your nitrate values have doubled over this time I would suggest you are cycled.
karbomb
02-18-2008, 04:47 AM
nitrites: .25
ammonia: 1-2
nitrates: 10-20
everything went up?
i need some advice here. is it possible for the ammonia and nitrite to spike at the same time?
i think i am going to to a WC,
cos there are fisheys in there i don't want to kill em.
everything went up?
i need some advice here. is it possible for the ammonia and nitrite to spike at the same time?
Your nitrite hasn't really spiked IMO. A value of .25 is just a trace.. a value of 10 is a full on spike using the fishless method of cycling. With a fish cycle a nitrite spike I reckon would be around 2 to 5 mg/l. I would imagine you will have a larger nitrite spike soon.. right now I would keep an eye on your ammonia levels, thats the dangerous one at the moment, ammonia is more toxic than nitrites and your value is much higher, sounds like the cycle has just begun going on your last readings.
keep doing water changes until the ammonia and nitries sit constantly on zero.
Thats the only way you'll know for sure. there is no harm in water changes in my opinion, it may slow the cycle but atleast your fish will live through it. My fish love water changes.. it makes such a difference to their vitality, I see an immediate difference.
Just keep going with them until your values level out.
good luck.:thumb:
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