3 Week Cycle ? Is That Right ?

[Infidel_Uk]

hi, some of you may recall me starting a fish less cycle , well that was 3 weeks ago , today i have tested for ammonia , and the level is 0.2 , the nitrite level is zero , but last week it was off the chart , and my nitrate level is between 20 and 40 ppm .[ my jbl kit jumps from 20 to 40 ]

my water is clean as a whistle, there is no brown algae as described on this site in the fish less cycle thread, so , am i right in saying , my tank needs a large water change and after a few days ready for fish ?

please advise, its rather a pressing matter, lol

 

[saltynay]

what temp is it at?

 

[Infidel_Uk]

what temp is it at?

32c [ high for cycling ]

 

[saltynay]

Yeah its probably cycled then at those temps it normally takkes 3-4 weeks. Just check that ammonia level goes down and do a 40% water change before adding fish

 

[Infidel_Uk]

Yeah its probably cycled then at those temps it normally takkes 3-4 weeks. Just check that ammonia level goes down and do a 40% water change before adding fish

ive just add enough ammonia to raise the level up to 4ppm , ill check it at 8 in the morning, will it be ok to just keep raising the ammonia level until im ready to do a 40% water change and add fish ?

 

[saltynay]

yeop if you have a long waiting time just chuck a dead prawn in their or something to rot as it will release ammonia saving you the hassle. You should also change the temp back to mid 20's so that the bacteria can adjust before stocking.

 

[Infidel_Uk]

salty , you are a huge help and i appreciate it !

lol @ dead prawn tho [ i might just do that ] !!

once ive loaded up with rock, ill change that 40 % lower the temp and wait a few days then its gonna get fishy ! lol
thanks fella

 

[saltynay]

The water change is to remove nitrates so do it a couple of hours before adding the fish.

 

[Infidel_Uk]

ok fella, understood