Is This Cycled Already?

[rodg98133]

I have had my tank up and running for about 2 and a half weeks. I put fish in after 7 days as my LFS advised. I took a water sample to them 2 days ago and they tested it and it came up with 0ppm for nitrites and amonia. I have purchased a test kit myself today and tested it and it says 0.25ppm for ammonia and 0ppm for nitrites. Is this tank cycled? Or close to being? My fish seem to be doing ok. I have a 40ltr tank with 4 platys in it and one of them had some fry last night but these all appear to have been eaten.

 

[shang hi]

you are most likly getting your first ammonia spike, you are not cycled yet a little thing to remember is even when you have 0ppm ammonia you must of had some nitrites return to 0ppm, nitrite bacteria takes longer to develop than ammonia ones, you are most likly to srtat getting nirtite in around 7ish days (maby longer) and it will take about 7days for it all to clear up. good move using hardy fish but i would recomend reeding up about a fishless cycle, when your water stays at 0ppm ammonia and nitrite for a week then you may be cycled.
im cycling using food, ive had 0ppm ammonia and 0.25ppm nitrites which have now returned to 0ppm, its taken 3 weeks to get this far and i still have a long way to go.

hope it works out for you.

 

[Squid]

Very crudely, it often looks like this. (very very rough)

0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate - probably hasn't started the cycle (unless tap water has nitrates, so test the starting point there)

some- ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate - started

tiny bit of ammonia, some nitrite, 0 nitrate - a bit of the way through

0 ammonia, a bit of nitrite, some nitrate - nearly there

0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, some nitrate - cycled, now keep up the water changes to keep nitrates down to 20 or so. (give or take)


Cheers
Squid