# My cycle just won't seem to stabilize (fish in)



## darkhymn (Dec 16, 2014)

I won't get into the details here (my intro thread if you need to know), but I have a fish in cycle going in a 10 gallon tank with an AC50 filter and two fish. The tank was started December 11th. I've been doing one to two 25% water changes daily as ammonia levels have dictated. There has been a piece of established media in the filter, and at this point I've poured two bottles of bacteria into the tank (after two weeks, nitrate and nitrite levels were still 0) in the past 6 days. 
My nitrites are still zero, my ammonia is still high... but today I measured my first nitrate reading at 10 ppm. Am I to assume that my nitrite converting bacteria are converting it to nitrate as fast as it's produced, but my ammonia converters haven't yet caught up to the tank's production? Is this a sign that we're almost stable?


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

ThAt should be a sign that the bacteria are growing. Only thing you can do is keep changing water as ammonia dictates. Usually after you start seeing nitrates, there will be a nitrite spike and then the nitrite will go down and the nitrate will rise. It's done when there is zero ammonia and zero nitrite. Then the water changes are used to regulate nitrate levels.


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## darkhymn (Dec 16, 2014)

Thanks. The fish-in cycle is much less well documented online, and I just want it to be over for the sake of my fish (and myself! I do multiple changes some days!). I'm getting ammonia readings currently of 1 ppm ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 10 ppm nitrates. Hoping for the ammonia to start working its way down and the nitrites to reach measurable levels.


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## April R (Nov 13, 2014)

Can take a month even with fish in. Sorry for the problems you are having. Hopefully it will turn around soon


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## foster (Sep 2, 2012)

Your about 3/4 of the way through the cycle now. 2 fish is not much of a bioload(depending on size) to cycle a tank. Keep an eye on the nitrite also, as its toxic to fish. Keep up the water changes as recommend. you should be home free in a couple more weeks.


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## darkhymn (Dec 16, 2014)

It seems that my cycle is stabilizing at this very moment. Ammonia has been steadily dropping since I started this thread, and nitrites have remained at 0 straight along. Nitrates are rising steadily in their place.By the end of the week, I hope to be moving in a few more fish.


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