Has This Tank Cycled

[airbusa1]

My tank has been cycling for two weeks every day i put in lots of fish flakes to increase ammonia by 0.25-0.50-1ppm i DON'T KNOW WITH THIS API MASTER TEST KIT!(shades of green look the same) and no I'm not colour blind
This has dropped significantly to less than 0.25ppm
Then a few days ago my nitrite spiked very quickly to 0.50 to 1ppm then dropped to 0 to really slight amount hard to recognise with api master test kit!
Then my nitrates increased very rapidly about two days ago to 5-10ppm and becuase it was increasing much more i put in tetra easy balance to lower nitrates to 5ppm
There is now a very low amount of ammonia 0.25 to less (because there is ammonia in our tap water and i wash the glass cylinders and don't dry them very well) this is the same amount as our tap water.
Very low nitrites haard to tell if it is 0ppm or just 0.25ppm (API MASTER TEST KIT HARD TO SEE!) it has a slight purplish tint but more blue than purple.
with nitrates at 5-10ppm
I put in interpet filter start which has filter bacteria and every two days you put it in which will cycle you're tank in two weeks. If the tank has ammonia! I also put in Nutrafin cycle twice (once each week which i found most of the time inbalanced the ammonia and nitrite levels (it added ammonia and nitirite more than it took it away!))
HAS MY TANK CYCLED?
Please tell me because i just added two red coral platys (very hardy fish) and the woman in my lfs said that these fish will cycle my tank (what the!) and she said my ammonia will spike a lot!

 

[chrisbassist]

Maybe you should read up on cycling in the beginners resource.

You are now doing a fish in cycle. To make sure your fish stay healthy, be prepared to do lots of water changes.

You will have grown a small amount of bacteria, but it's going to take time now for it to reach high enough numbers to effectively process the waste produced by the fish.

Do in answer to the question, you have bacteria so yes the tank is cycled, unfortunately it's not enough bacteria to process the waste from any significant stocking.

Good luck with the rest of the cycle.

 

[airbusa1]

Thanks I will bear that in mind!

 

[chrisbassist]

Just keep an eye on water stats and if ammonia or nitrie look like they might be over .25 or there about. Do a waterchange to bring it down.

And don't add any more fish til you've had stable readings of 0 for each of those for a while.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, very sad but typical. She has successfully made her sale of 2 platies and has given you the very general warning that you will see ammonia spikes... but what she hasn't said is that if those spikes are over about 0.25ppm or 0.30ppm then the platy gills will be sustaining permanent damage and if the spikes manage to go a lot higher the fish might not make it. Of course, part of the process is that there's the possibility of more platy sales if those die, which many feel is a mainstay for why this method continues to be promoted so strongly.

Chris has given good advice. Be prepared for the water changes to keep your toxins below 0.25ppm. The trick is to test twice a day, morning and evening. You have to play detective and figure out a percentage and frequency of water changing that will keep both ammonia and nitrite(NO2) below 0.25ppm until you can be back at the house to test again and see if another water change is in order.

Can't remember your tank volume but with only 2 platies, your water changing may not be too bad.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[chrisbassist]

Cheers WD. I quite often read through newer posts to see what advice you give. I'm learning it all, just taking time. There seems to be an awful lot to learn, it seems like as fish keepers we are trying to be biologists, chemists, psychologists (for fish), and sometimes unfortunately doctors (or vets). It really can be a lot for a newbie to learn.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, was feeling a bit frustrated for this newcomer that he'd actually managed to read about cycling, had obtained a liquid test kit and was actually -starting- the fishless cycle process without even having any real encouragement yet and then the darn LFS got there...

But at least its only 2 fish, so perhaps a good fish-in process can be achieved!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

You are entirely correct Chris. We each need to learn a great deal about chemistry, biology and even things like fish psychology, at least on a practical level, to be truly successful as fish keepers. Even more important, to avoid expensive lessons in humility, is a large degree of skepticism. That does not mean that you ignore every bit of advice that you get from a place advertising something but merely that you check it out with the more experienced hobbyists before spending your hard earned money. None of us are perfect, except maybe me , but we can all learn from running ideas past each other and hoping that someone has seen what you are presently dealing with. If I have experienced something that you are now getting into, I may be able to steer you clear of the mistakes that I made in the situation. It does not make me any kind of magician or expert but merely someone who has been down the road that you are about to follow and, believe it or not, I may have learned from my own mistakes.

 

[chrisbassist]

I don't believe you ever make mistakes OldMan47!!!

 

[Dan-CR4]

If it was not for me finding this forum i would not of known about cycling a tank/filter. My first thing i saw once i bought my new tank was a video on video jug showing how to start a new tropical tank, that video told me within 2 days i would be an aquarist. just google "How To Set Up A Tropical Fish Tank"

im so glad i found this site and decided to go down the fishless cycle route.