Help With Cycling

[Axo]

Hi,

I am currently in the process of cycling my tank. Its been 14 days since I started cycling and I am a bit concerned about my water readings. I keep getting Ammonia and nitrate levels but I have never gotten a nitrite reading, which puzzles me as I thought Nitrate would be the last reading I got.

I have a 2.5 ft tank. A fluval u2 internal filter. Sand as substrate. 2 Java ferns and 2 java moss in the tank along with an Airstone. I am cycling with 6 male Zebra Danios.

Below are all the recorded water parameters taken. I used the API Freshwater Master Test Kit to test the water

Day 2

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.50 ppm (mg/L)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm

Day 4

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm

Day 6

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm (
Nitrate: Between - 10 ppm

Day 8


PH: 7.6
Ammonia : 1.0. ppm.
Nitrite: 0.
Nitrate: 10 ppm.

Day 10


Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 2.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

Day 12

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: Zero
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm

Day 14 (today)

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite: zero
Nitrate:5.0

I should also add that I change between 10 and 20% of the water (treated with aquaplus) everyday day.

Is my tank cycling? I am worrying something somewhere is going wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[The chilly dipper]

Hi,

I am currently in the process of cycling my tank. Its been 14 days since I started cycling and I am a bit concerned about my water readings. I keep getting Ammonia and nitrate levels but I have never gotten a nitrite reading, which puzzles me as I thought Nitrate would be the last reading I got.

I have a 2.5 ft tank. A fluval u2 internal filter. Sand as substrate. 2 Java ferns and 2 java moss in the tank along with an Airstone. I am cycling with 6 male Zebra Danios.

Below are all the recorded water parameters taken. I used the API Freshwater Master Test Kit to test the water

Day 2

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.50 ppm (mg/L)
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm

Day 4

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm

Day 6

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm (
Nitrate: Between - 10 ppm

Day 8


PH: 7.6
Ammonia : 1.0. ppm.
Nitrite: 0.
Nitrate: 10 ppm.

Day 10


Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 2.0 ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10

Day 12

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0 ppm
Nitrite: Zero
Nitrate: 5.0 ppm

Day 14 (today)

Ph: 7.6
Ammonia: 1.0
Nitrite: zero
Nitrate:5.0

I should also add that I change between 10 and 20% of the water (treated with aquaplus) everyday day.

Is my tank cycling? I am worrying something somewhere is going wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

aim for 4 - 5 ppm ammonia when your dosing.
and if you can seed your tank with bits from other tanks filters and add them to your filter.

stop changing your water everyday!! only do when you are getting rid of high readings (off the scale)water changes will make your readings readable so dont change your water mate.

you know you are off the scale when the colur is unmatchable on the highest colour.

make sure you dechlorinate you water when it does come to water changing or you will kill your bacteria.

what colour do you get when you test for nitrite?
you will be cycling you just cant tell

how often are you adding ammonia because its best to dose up to 5ppm and dose again when the ammonia is cycled out into nitrite(we need to see the purple :_0

any questions please ask

 

[Miles_hot]

Chilly - I think you need to re-read the post; this is a fish in cycle!
Op- the nitrate reading will be affected by your plants which use it (indeed they use ammonia and nitrite too - one of the reasons that a fully planted tank might be considered cycle very quickly). Well done on your water change routine, you should be doing a little more as until the filter is up running you are doing its job of removing the toxins and the eater change is the only tool to do this. At the moment ammonia of 1 or 2 is rather toxic for fish. You can remove a heck of a lot of water - the fish only need enough that the largest one can still swim upright. On the days when you have high valued I'd do a massive change (80%) then switch the filter back on for s short time, test and if you're still above 0.25 do another change. Of course make sure you're adding your de-chlorine stuff (to the bucket before adding to the tank or into the tank first) and try to temp match the new water. Switch off the heater before doing a eater change of course, but I guess you know that already your tank is cycling, it just takes a number of weeks or months.
Ant questions just gift away

 

[The chilly dipper]

OOOOPS

 

[waterdrop]

Agree with Miles, you're doing a good job, you just need to make some of the water changes larger and that should help you end up closer to the ideal 0.25ppm readings and below. People get stuck thinking in percentage water changes when you really want to go for something that minimizes those 1 and more ppm spikes you're getting.

~~waterdrop~~