Help With Cycle

[STEWARDSONS]

we set up a 65ltr tank for the little boy over 3 weeks ago.

we put some of my ceramics with the sponge in the filter for about 4 days then took them out and added the 2nd sponge for another 4 days. so it was 8 days running, we then put 7 cardinals in it from my tank with tetra safestart (advice from LFS). we waited 2 weeks and then i tested, the nitrite was 1 and the ammonia was 0. so last week i started doing 20ltr daily water changes (against the advice from my LFS who said to add more safestart, live bacteria and to leave it and not water change). well i have been doing these water changes for the last 5 days and the nitrite has gone down to .25 however today the ammonia is up to 1, which was previously 0.

what is going on? we are 3 weeks in, should i stop feeding and do 50% daily changes?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

What is happening is that your tank isn't even close to being cycled. If I were you, I would take out the 2nd sponge that you added, and replace it with the ceramics that you had in there first. That was the right move in the first place. Running that filter like that for only a few days won't seed the other sponge. That can take WEEKS (6-8 usually), and then you removed the ceramics entirely before the sponge could handle it.



SafeStart is worthless, your mature ceramics will be FAR more effective, more financially responsible for your wallet, and will actually seed your filter. Leave it running like this for at least 6 weeks before you even think of removing the ceramics. If I were you, I would start to remove the ceramics slowly at the 6 week mark, before removing all of them by the 12 week mark. By this time, the sponge you have in there should have grown enough bacteria to handle the entire job. Another option, just leave the ceramics in there long term. There is no reason to take them out.


So, put the ceramics back, continue water tests and complete as large a water change as necessary to bring the ammonia and/or nitrite back to under 0.25ppm.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Agree with eagle the tank prob didt even start to cycle in the short space of time

 

[STEWARDSONS]

right today its testing as

ammonia 0.5-1 cant really tell
nitrite 0
nitrate 40

just done 50% water change, all fish still ok

does this mean its nearly cycled?

 

[BigbruiserAl]

No if its still taking longer then 12 hrs to get ammonia down to 0 let alone .50 then it not near