I think my cycling is stuck

[TwoTankAmin]

Becky- it is not that bad, really. You did not harm any fish, you did not break any equipment. All you did is what most of us did when we got our first tank. We tried to learn but we did not know who to get good info from. There is no way to know that generally most of the places that sell the fish and supplies are often misinformed and will say whatever it takes to make a sale.

The fact that you are here and trying to get it right is not a bad thing, it is a good thing. I had a boss many years ago who used to tell me he did not want employees who did not make mistakes because that meant they were not doing their job. The idea is that we learn from our mistakes, often more than from our successes.

And trust me when I tell you in a few weeks you should be enjoying a tank that holds fish and that you will enjoy watching. There is something about staring into a tank and losing yourself in what is going on. You will catch yourself staring into the tank with a big grin on your face.

edited for typos

 

[becky412]

That is the problem, this is not my 1st aquarium. I have had tropicals, goldfish and koi for many years. I even had a saltwater aquarium at one point for many years as well as successfully maintaining and overwintering my pond koi. It is just since 2005 that I have not had an aquarium. I have successfuly cycled aquariums using fish, even my saltwater. It is the whole "fishless" cycling that has kick my a**. Honestly, cycling using fish was easier.

I will have to get my pond air stones I use in the winter out and do the bubble test and report the results. When I tested my ammonia and pH this morning, ammonia was 0 ppm and my pH was back up to 7.0, so pH fixed itself.