Fish-in Cycling

[little hippo]

ok. i bought test strips yesterday. it all coming out safe and normal. i dont recall the exact number. to be sure i added some Top fin bateria starter..

 

[SaTiVa1984]

Others will not recommend API, such as myself who found the tests to be as accurate as asking Uri Gellar to think of a number while bending spoons, especially their nitrate kit.

This made me chuckle

Anyway i did not manage to read the entire 5 pages so not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but nutrafin also do a good liquid test kit, called the Mini Master, it has tests for PH, Amo, Nitrite, and Nitrate, i bought this last year and still have plenty left, also seem to see this package in every LFS i goto.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Others will not recommend API, such as myself who found the tests to be as accurate as asking Uri Gellar to think of a number while bending spoons, especially their nitrate kit.

This made me chuckle

Anyway i did not manage to read the entire 5 pages so not sure if anyone else has mentioned it, but nutrafin also do a good liquid test kit, called the Mini Master, it has tests for PH, Amo, Nitrite, and Nitrate, i bought this last year and still have plenty left, also seem to see this package in every LFS i goto.

Yep, I have used that in the past, not as good as the API in my opinion. I found it harder to "read" the colours.

Tom

 

[Tefex]

ok. i bought test strips yesterday. it all coming out safe and normal. i dont recall the exact number. to be sure i added some Top fin bateria starter..

Test strips can be unreliable They can tell you its 0 when its at 2ppm and vise-versa. Should really be using something like the API tests

 

[#1 Fish Fan]

I give your post 10/10 for accuracy!

 

[Ladeek]

My nitrite test is and was 0,0mg before I put the fish in and ph is 7.5

 

[Essjay]

The nitrite would have been zero before you put the fish in because there were no fish in the tank to make it. Also, nitrite won't be made until you have enough ammonia eating bacteria to produce it.
Fish make ammonia. This is toxic as it burns their gills. Eventually some bacteria will grow in the filter that will eat the ammonia and turn it into nitrite. This is also toxic. Eventually, a second type of bacteria will grow in the filter whcih will eat the nitrite and turn it into nitrate. This is only toxic at high levels.
You don't say what your ammonia level is. This is the first thing to appear in the tank because the fish make it. You need to do water changes to keep the amonia level at zero until enough bacteria have grown to eat it all. This will take at least a couple of weeks. Until they have grown there will be no nitrite in the tank. Once the bacteria start making it, nitrite will shoot up. You will need to keep the nitrite at zero by doing water changes until enough of the second bacteria have grown to eat it as fast as the first bacteria make it. As a rule of thumb, it takes twice as long for the second bacteria to grow as it does for the first ones.

If you don't have one, you need to get an ammonia tester asap. You said in your other thread that 7 fish have died in 3 days - this will be because of the ammonia that has been building up. You need to do a water change now. A huge water change; leave just enough for the fish to be able to swim, and refill the tank with dechlorinated water at the same temperature as the water in the tank. Then until you get an ammonia tester, change 50% of the water every day.
Once you have the ammonia tester, test the tank every day and do a water change every time you see a reading other than zero. Test the nitrite level as well, and do the same for that. In a couple of months time, you will have grown enough bacteria to take care of the ammonia and nitrite for you.

 

[YamiHime]

Will it help cycle faster if you use a filter cartridge from a tank that is already cycled?

 

[fluttermoth]

Yes; cycles using already mature media usually go much faster.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Nearly immediate, depending on the bioload of the donor tank and the new tank.

 

[Scates11]

This takes much longer than I expected, I am 30 days into my cycle and still have 0 nitrites...I do a lot of water changes to keep the fish semi comfortable but thats what I get for doing late research lol. Ammonia has never got above .25

I am doing it without mature media...didnt want to confuse anyone

 

[phoenixgsd]

are you using a liquid based kit or strips

 

[YamiHime]

Yes; cycles using already mature media usually go much faster.

Nearly immediate, depending on the bioload of the donor tank and the new tank.

Nice! Thank you~

 

[Scates11]

are you using a liquid based kit or strips

API liquid master kit. I am pretty diligent with my tank and spend a lot of time taking care of it...i expected it to take 8 weeks or longer i just hope i begin seeing nitrites soon. I also bought a new filter about 8 days into the cycle so that probably restarted me but I wanted to upgrade and I figured that was a good time to do it.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

If you didn't move the old media over to the new filter, then yes, you restarted when you switched filters.