Fish in cycle with tetra safe start, has my tank cycled already ?!?

[Kokomaiii]

Hey there I set up a new tank the other day a 15 gal I added the correct amount of tetra safe start to the tank then put two shrimp and two guppies in there, I tested the water 24 hours later and the results were ammonia 0.1ppm nitrite 0ppm and nitrate 5ppm then I tested another 24 hours later and the results were ammonia 0ppm nitrite 0ppm and nitrate 5pmm, now I know this result usually means the tank is cycled but seeing as it's only been two days I don't see how it could of cycled unless TSS is genius and it's worked really quickly. By my understanding ammonia levels should have increased more by now with there being four creatures in there pooping creating ammonia. The water today looks as if there is a bacteria bloom happening as the water is slightly white and cloudy, but ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph are perfect so has my tank cycled or what??? Confusing any help would be appreciated

 

[Kokomaiii]

Thank you intelligent fish people for not sharing your useful fish knowlege to this girl who clearly needs it lol

 

[Byron]

First, don't expect members to post responses quickly. We are scattered all around the globe, in different time zones, and not everyone sees new posts/threads for hours if not days.

Now, to your question...yes, the tank is probably cycled. Tetra's SafeStart contains the nitrifying bacteria to handle ammonia and nitrite, and two small fish and a couple shrimp in a 15 gallon tank are not going to produce that much ammonia anyway, so you lucked out. With more fish, or larger fish, you would have had trouble (probably), but here it likely worked.

Byron.

 

[NewFishPerson]

I started my 90L tank with plants and tetra safe start stocked with 7 Endlers and an Otocinclus. I never saw ammonia or nitrite readings. Since the tank was first setup, I've added an additional 6 Endlers and there are still no Ammonia or Nitrite readings. I think as long as the bio load is kept low initially, the bacteria in the Safe Start has a good chance of getting established without being overwhelmed with nitrogen compounds. I also fed sparingly in the first week, a small pinch every other day seemed to be enough for the little guys and this will help keep down Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrates when you're first setting up.

Now if this tank was overstocked or we used larger messy fish this would be a completely different story, it's always wise to err on the side of caution when using 'shortcut' products like these!

 

[Kokomaiii]

Im sorry it was a joke I forget how badly things are misinterpreted on the internet my apologies. Thank you for replying I'm super confused now because day 4 into the cycle everything is 0 now, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are 0 is this normal I need to know whether I can start adding other fish, I have two ottos waiting to be moved but they are sensitive to water changes so I need to be sure the tank is ready but thanks for the reply

 

[cynic]

Don't want to upset things but its improbable to have a cycled tank and 0 nitrates.

The very act of the cycle from Am to Ni leads to the generation of nitrate.

 

[Byron]

It is possible to have zero nitrates, depending upon circumstances. Live plants will almost always result in this, as the cycle develops "silently," and nitrates may never appear, or eventually be low if there is a heavy fish stocking relatively speaking. But even when using bacterial supplements, this can occur initially. As the tank is stocked more, nitrate may show up.

Kokomaiii, I missed the cloudy water issue previously, sorry. That is most likely a bacterial bloom, caused by a rapid increase in various bacteria, and common in new tanks. The bacterial supplements sometimes contribute to this too, so I wouldn't worry. It should clear on its own.

 

[Kokomaiii]

Thank you for your replies you've been really helpful I'm just going to slowly add fish while monitoring the water and see what happens

It is possible to have zero nitrates, depending upon circumstances. Live plants will almost always result in this, as the cycle develops "silently," and nitrates may never appear, or eventually be low if there is a heavy fish stocking relatively speaking. But even when using bacterial supplements, this can occur initially. As the tank is stocked more, nitrate may show up.

Kokomaiii, I missed the cloudy water issue previously, sorry. That is most likely a bacterial bloom, caused by a rapid increase in various bacteria, and common in new tanks. The bacterial supplements sometimes contribute to this too, so I wouldn't worry. It should clear on its own.

nknk