what!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Here's what I have now:
ammonia - between .5-1.0
nitrate - 20
nitrite - very high! like off the color scale
hardness - very (300)
chlorine - 0
alk - high (300)
pH - 8.4. (!)"
oh my lord....so your tank is not cycled yet.so do a partial water change of 40 % in every 3 days until it lows down...
The Classic Approach
When setting up an aquarium, buy some cheap hardy fish and get the cycle started.
These fish have been given names like "Starter Fish". "Suicide Fish", "Disposables" and so on.
The purpose of these fish is to provide ammonia through respiration, fish waste, and decaying food. The ammonia allows the first set of nitrifying bacteria to colonize and to initiate the cycling of the tank.
During this time of cycling, ammonia and later nitrites will spike up to dangerous levels for the little creatures. Some of them survive the harsh welcome but will not live out their full potential. Of course a few exceptions are tolerated within this rule.
The cycle is complete as soon as ammonia and nitrite levels are nolonger measurable by test kits. This classical form of cycling takes anywhere from 30 to 45 days.
Another Form of Cycling the Aquarium is without Fish
Set up the tank with all the equipment needed (filtration, heater, light, protein skimmer for marine and reef tanks). Start it up, setting the heater to a temperature around 80 F, then simply feed the tank with fish food. The decaying food will release ammonia and the tank starts the cycling process. To further speed up this process the tank can be seeded with gravel from an existing tank, filter cartridges from established filters, filter media of any kind, biowheels, drift wood, rocks, all taken from established tanks.
Bacteria colonize all of the above, so seeding basically means the introduction of existing bacteria colonies into a new tank. The decaying food will provide ammonia for these colonies to settle and expand in the new tank.
The time frame of this method does not vary much with the time needed using the classical form of cycling. The ammonia produced might also be insufficient to create enough bacteria colonies to hold the fish when they are introduced. This will trigger another growth of bacteria with the spikes in ammonia and nitrites.
These renewed spikes however will be much shorter and less intense compared to the initial ones experienced during the primary cycle. Consequences for the fish are minimal, making this at least fish-friendlier.
Both forms of cycling have one thing in common - Ammonia.
Remember that a tank has cycled if ammonia and nitrites are back at 0 ppm. At this time you can stock the tank with fish. If no fish are introduced, the bacteria will need to be fed by continuing with the addition of fish food or pure ammonia as outlined below.
Using Pure Ammonia to Cycle the Aquarium
Instead of using fish food for ammonia production, we can also introduce pure ammonia to the tank.
After the tank has been set up (see above), add 5 drops of ammonia per 10 Gallons into the water on a daily basis.
Ammonia will rise to 5 ppm and higher. As soon as nitrites are measurable, reduce the ammonia input to 3 drops per day. Nitrites will rise to similar levels. Keep adding 2-3 drops until the measurements of ammonia and nitrites come out with 0 ppm. The tank has then completely cycled.
Seeding the tank can significantly enhance this process. 7 days for a complete cycle are not unheard of; otherwise this methods takes 2-3 weeks.
The bacteria colonies, using this method, are certainly large enough to handle a well-stocked aquarium.
Some aspects to consider
The tank has to be well oxygenated as the bacteria require oxygen
The ammonia used should be free of any perfumes and additives
Do not treat the water with conditioners that remove ammonia
Water changes are only necessary if the ammonia and nitrite levels are far off level, which should only occur if more than 5 drops is used per 10 Gallons of water. After the cycle has been completed use activated carbon to remove any possible perfume or additives, which might have been in the ammonia.
After stocking your tank with fish, general maintenance of the aquarium is all that is required. The bacteria will adjust to the fish load and if you plan to add new fish the bacteria will have to adjust again.
Keep in mind to feed your tank with ammonia until you introduce fish. The waste generated by your fish will then provide the tank with all that is needed to balance the environment.
With this method, all aquarium types can be cycled in a very short period of time.
Professionals use the ammonia drop method to keep live sand and rock alive, which they sell in their stores.
We recommend you read about the nitrogen cycle so you have an understanding about what happens during this cycling period. You will also need ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits to perform your daily testing of the water.
