Fish In Cycle Results, Nearly Finished?

[tom_os]

so i have been fish in cycling for 41 days! and i think i am near the end

i have just done a test with my api liquid test kit and i have readings of 0 ammonia and .25 nirite.

does this mean i am nearly finished

 

[Miss Wiggle]

when did you last do a water change?

 

[tom_os]

yesterday evening roughly 50%

Edit: i have readings of ammonia and nitrite for 2 days but just now is the first time i have seen no ammonia and just nirtite

 

[Miss Wiggle]

oh, good sign then, it's certainly moving along if ammonia is now at 0. keep up the water changes as you need to keep the nitrite as low as possible too.

it's less harmful than ammonia in that being stabbed is less harmful than being shot! It can still do a load of damage all by itself.

 

[waterdrop]

Well, I'd say its a good sign that you made it through the night and most of today and nitrite(NO2) has only made it back up to 0.25ppm it seems. That means your N-Bac colony is coming along but still has a ways to go probably. Before long you just won't be able to see results like 0.25, instead they will always be zero and watching that through a week with no water changes needed will be the real end of it.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[tom_os]

ok thanks, how long do you think it will be until i see no nirtite.

also when for a week i have has no readings can i then finish stocking my tank all at once, i.e 5/6 fish?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

impossible to predict i'm afraid, just too many variables.

no, you only do the full stocking after a fishless cycle.

remember cycling is a supply and demand thing, you are just trying to grow enough bacteria to process the waste of the fish that you currently have. if you add too many fish too soon you'll have to go through this all over again!

when we fishless cycle we deliberately grow enough bacteria for a full load of fish so thats why you can stock a full load.

once it's done then leave well alone for a good few weeks, 3/4 is best, then just add a few fish and gradually build up to your full stocking over time.