Fishcake1
New Member
Hello!
I got a 55 gallon tank over a month ago and Iāve been trying to cycle it using the fishless cycle with Dr. Timās ammonia and beneficial bacteria in a bottle. Iāve been following the instructions from Dr. Timās website but also referencing the forum here for more information.
Iāve never cycled a tank like this before so Iām not sure if Iām close or already have a cycled tank. At this point in time whenever I add ammonia (per the bottleās instructions to get an estimated reading close to 2ppm) the tank is able to process it all rather quickly. When I test the water with the API test kit about 24 hours later I have 0 ammonia, .25 nitrite, and between 5-10 nitrate. Then a few hours later the ammonia and nitrite are both 0 and nitrate stays stable between 5-10. It has been like this for over a week now. Everything Iāve read says the tank needs to be able to process all the ammonia and have a reading of 0 ammonia and nitrite within 24 hours to have a completed cycle.
Iām just wondering if this is normal for the tank to be this close to cycling for this long. Does the tank need to process all the ammonia within the 24 hours or is it ok that it processes everything a few hours after. If I were to average what Iāve been seeing it is able to process everything around the 36 hour mark. Is my tank cycled or does it need more time to be able to process everything within 24 hours?
Also if people need it, the temperature in the tank fluctuates between 78-81 F.
I got a 55 gallon tank over a month ago and Iāve been trying to cycle it using the fishless cycle with Dr. Timās ammonia and beneficial bacteria in a bottle. Iāve been following the instructions from Dr. Timās website but also referencing the forum here for more information.
Iāve never cycled a tank like this before so Iām not sure if Iām close or already have a cycled tank. At this point in time whenever I add ammonia (per the bottleās instructions to get an estimated reading close to 2ppm) the tank is able to process it all rather quickly. When I test the water with the API test kit about 24 hours later I have 0 ammonia, .25 nitrite, and between 5-10 nitrate. Then a few hours later the ammonia and nitrite are both 0 and nitrate stays stable between 5-10. It has been like this for over a week now. Everything Iāve read says the tank needs to be able to process all the ammonia and have a reading of 0 ammonia and nitrite within 24 hours to have a completed cycle.
Iām just wondering if this is normal for the tank to be this close to cycling for this long. Does the tank need to process all the ammonia within the 24 hours or is it ok that it processes everything a few hours after. If I were to average what Iāve been seeing it is able to process everything around the 36 hour mark. Is my tank cycled or does it need more time to be able to process everything within 24 hours?
Also if people need it, the temperature in the tank fluctuates between 78-81 F.