Cycling tank, add more ammonia?

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SABWARNER16

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Hi, Iā€™m cycling a 3.5 gallon tank for my mom. Two days ago I added Fritz ammonium chloride into the tap water. I also took a sponge from an established 25 gallon and squeezed it into the filter media. The next day I added prime (I didnā€™t know you needed to dechlorinate it fish werenā€™t in it) and then added floating plants and Tetra Safe Start concentrated. There is already a big difference in the ammonia, so Iā€™m not sure but is this tank cycling pretty fast?
Look at my test tubes:
First tube is ammonia, it looks like itā€™s at .5ppm, should I add more ammonia so I donā€™t starve the bacteria? Iā€™m not able to put a fish in yet (little broke lol)
Second tube is nitrite: I havenā€™t had any readings with this kit for nitrites on any of my tanks and Iā€™m wondering if there is something wrong with it because I did a test strip and there is a very SLIGHT color change, very very very slight.
Nitrate: looks a little gold to me and not so yellow. Also on test strip very slight color change.
What are your thoughts and interpretations of these tests?
 

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Yes keep feeding ammonia or fish food to keep the BB going. Do a seperate test for nitrate of your tap water straight out of the tap. If your tank water is higher in nitrate you'll know the BB is converting the ammonia.
 
Yes keep feeding ammonia or fish food to keep the BB going. Do a seperate test for nitrate of your tap water straight out of the tap. If your tank water is higher in nitrate you'll know the BB is converting the ammonia.
Iā€™m getting a new test kit just to be sure. But I will try that tonight, as well. Thank you!
 
Yes keep feeding ammonia or fish food to keep the BB going. Do a seperate test for nitrate of your tap water straight out of the tap. If your tank water is higher in nitrate you'll know the BB is converting the ammonia.
Okay I just got a new test kit. The nitrate is SLIGHTLY purple, like very slightly. nitrate is about 5 ppm and ammonia about .5ppm. I tested the tap and there are 0 nitrates. So can you tell me what this means obviously not cycled because ammonia is still present, but am I close?
Iā€™m going to dose more ammonia though since Iā€™m not ready for fish
 

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How much ammonia did you add and when?
 
How much ammonia did you add and when?
The first pic is yesterday and the second is today. I didnā€™t take a pic on first day. Thereā€™s definitely a change in ammonia
 

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Ok then yeh, get that ammonia back up to 2, the fact that nitrite is low, and you're obviously reading more nitrate than from your tap, you can't be far off.
Any idea when you'll be able to add fish?
 
Ok then yeh, get that ammonia back up to 2, the fact that nitrite is low, and you're obviously reading more nitrate than from your tap, you can't be far off.
Any idea when you'll be able to add fish?
Is it possible to cycle that fast? I mean say I was able to add fish, I would just wait till that ammonia gets to zero and nitrite, then add them right?
Iā€™m cycling the tank for my mom and then driving two hours to give it to her in two weeks. But I may just see if she wants me to go ahead and get the fish and then transport him with the tank. If I do that, whatā€™s the best way to transport a fish lol
 
Ok then yeh, get that ammonia back up to 2, the fact that nitrite is low, and you're obviously reading more nitrate than from your tap, you can't be far off.
Any idea when you'll be able to add fish?
Ok on another tank Iā€™m cycling that I just started yesterday, again with the tetra safe start, these are the readings.... the nitrates are even higher than the other tank?!
 

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Is it possible to cycle that fast? I mean say I was able to add fish, I would just wait till that ammonia gets to zero and nitrite, then add them right?
Iā€™m cycling the tank for my mom and then driving two hours to give it to her in two weeks. But I may just see if she wants me to go ahead and get the fish and then transport him with the tank. If I do that, whatā€™s the best way to transport a fish lol
Considering you've seeded the filter from another and used safe start, then yes possibly. Yes wait until ammonia and nitrite reading 0 then you're done.

Which fish are you getting if you dont mind me askin

I would, if possible, obtain the fish nearer to your mum's. Theres a chance that she has different water (PH, GH, KH) and acclimatising the fish a third time (1st at LFS, 2nd at yours, 3rd at your mum's) will cause it some stress (and stress causes disease).
Otherwise, fish are best transported in plastic bags
 
Ok on another tank Iā€™m cycling that I just started yesterday, again with the tetra safe start, these are the readings.... the nitrates are even higher than the other tank?!
Are there any live plants in this other one?
 
Considering you've seeded the filter from another and used safe start, then yes possibly. Yes wait until ammonia and nitrite reading 0 then you're done.

Which fish are you getting if you dont mind me askin

I would, if possible, obtain the fish nearer to your mum's. Theres a chance that she has different water (PH, GH, KH) and acclimatising the fish a third time (1st at LFS, 2nd at yours, 3rd at your mum's) will cause it some stress (and stress causes disease).
Otherwise, fish are best transported in plastic bags
For my momā€™s tank, it will be a betta. My though is that I would do a big water change to get the nitrates out, and then use spring water because she will also be using spring water when she does water changes. I was thinking I would transport the tank with the water in it lol. What do you think?
The other tank is for my dad haha, he will also be getting a betta. So theyā€™ll be going to the same place. This tank has no plants. However this tank use to have my betta in it that I just moved to a bigger tank. So maybe there is bacteria on the walls and substrate (I left his old substrate). New filter media though
 
For my momā€™s tank, it will be a betta. My though is that I would do a big water change to get the nitrates out, and then use spring water because she will also be using spring water when she does water changes. I was thinking I would transport the tank with the water in it lol. What do you think?
The other tank is for my dad haha, he will also be getting a betta. So theyā€™ll be going to the same place. This tank has no plants. However this tank use to have my betta in it that I just moved to a bigger tank. So maybe there is bacteria on the walls and substrate (I left his old substrate). New filter media though
Okie dokes. Spring water as that is softer for Bettas?

Yeh there'll be BB over all the surfaces of a cycled tank, not just the filter media. Higher nitrate reading is likely because there are no plants to eat the nitrate in that one

Depends how steady you can drive and how bumpy the roads are, i certainly wouldn't attempt it.

Bottle up most of the water and bag up the fish
 
Okie dokes. Spring water as that is softer for Bettas?

Yeh there'll be BB over all the surfaces of a cycled tank, not just the filter media. Higher nitrate reading is likely because there are no plants to eat the nitrate in that one

Depends how steady you can drive and how bumpy the roads are, i certainly wouldn't attempt it.

Bottle up most of the water and bag up the fish

Iā€™ve always been told spring water was better so Iā€™ve just always used it. Seems to be fine for my other bettas. S
So basically as soon as the ammonia hits zero, how long do I have to add a fish? Hours? Days?
 

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