# Is my cycle on track?



## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

Hi All,

I'm trying to cycle a 5-gallon tank. My prior experience with fish (years ago) didn't go too well, so I'm doing my best to be patient and make sure the tank is ready before adding any fish. I've read quite a lot about fishless cycling, and I think I'm on the right track, but I'd appreciate some feedback to be sure.

I couldn't find straight amonia, so I'm using flake food instead; I realize now that's a bit more complicated and I probably should have tried harder to find pure amonia. Oh well, too late for that now.

Anyway, I'm nine days into this process. Here's what my readings look like:

```
[FONT="Courier New"]
NT = Not Tested

Day  1: Amonia:  ~0 ; Nitrite:   NT; Nitrate: NT
Day  2: Amonia:  ~0 ; Nitrite:   NT; Nitrate: NT
Day  3: Amonia: 0.25; Nitrite:   NT; Nitrate: NT
Day  4: Amonia: 0.50; Nitrite:  0.0; Nitrate: NT
Day  5: Amonia: 1.0+; Nitrite:  0.0; Nitrate: NT
Day  6: Amonia: 2.0 ; Nitrite:  .25; Nitrate: NT
Day  7: Amonia: 2.0+; Nitrite:  5.0; Nitrate: NT
Day  8: Amonia: 1.5 ; Nitrite:  5.0; Nitrate: NT
Day  9: Amonia: 1.0+; Nitrite:  2.0; Nitrate: 20
[/FONT]
```
Based on those numbers it seems to me like things are progressing well. I'm not sure what to do with the food though; I haven't added any in the past 4-5 days, but there is still a good deal visible on the gravel.

Since there is obviously a lag time between introducing food and the amonia it produces, I'm not sure how exactly to judge when the cycle is done. At this point, when I do see amonia drop to zero, how would I know if that's because its being absorbed properly, or because I haven't introduced anymore food?

Once I do see amonia and nitrite both at zero, I'm figuring I should vacuum the gravel and do a 50% water change. Am I ready to go at that point? The water is a bit cloudy; will that clear up in time?

Thanks for any feedback. Much appreciated.

James


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## Scuff (Aug 10, 2010)

You're doing quite well with your cycle, the trick is to just be patient and wait for it to finish. Once you're getting nitrates and no ammonia/nitrites, the cycle is complete, and you can do your first water change. If you can still see food sitting at the bottom of the tank, then you don't need to add any more.

What I've always done is just grab a chunk of shrimp and toss it in there. It serves the same function, and it's easier to keep track of.

*edit* The cloudiness will clear itself up in due time. It's essentially a bloom of the beneficial bacteria in your aquarium, due to an excess of ammonia. Just let it do its own thing, and it'll clear up in a few days to a week.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Wow, only 9 days in and it looks like it'll be done in a week or so.


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## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately it looks like I took a step backwards today, with numbers that look pretty much like days 7 and 8. I tested twice yesterday, so not really sure what to make of that.

I decided to vacuum up most of the visible food since there still seems to be plenty of Amonia in the tank. I'll retest things tomorrow and see where I'm at.

Thanks,
James


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## eaglesfan3711 (Nov 16, 2008)

You are realizing how the biological cycle works, which is a fundamental part of fish keeping. Ammonia is produced by your fish, rotted food etc. After about two or three days, bacteria breaks this ammonia down into nitrite, and after a few more days, the nitrite will convert to nitrates before being cleared from the tank. This cycle shows that your tank is almost ready and your bacteria colony is growing. I would wait until the levels are slightly lower before adding fish. It should only be about another day or two before you are good to go.


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## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

I'm definitely getting a little frustrated because I don't see _anything_ happening. After a few consecutive days of nitrites being off the chart, I changed out a little less than two gallons. This brought amonia down to 1ppm and nitrite down to 2ppm. That's where I've been for about the last five days.

There is still a small amount of food on the gravel, but I have not added anything additional in more than a week.

What am I missing? (Patience?)

Thanks,
James


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Yes, patience is all you need. I would do another small water change and get your nitrites to 1 or below.


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## eaglesfan3711 (Nov 16, 2008)

I would recommend adding a little more bacteria supplement and some fish. Generallya week is the longest you need to wait before it has cycled, and sometimes the addition of fish to your artificial ecosystem will bump those numbers into place.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

eaglesfan3711 said:


> I would recommend adding a little more bacteria supplement and some fish. Generallya week is the longest you need to wait before it has cycled, and sometimes the addition of fish to your artificial ecosystem will bump those numbers into place.


Are you saying that "generally" a tank cycles in a week?


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## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

I changed out another 1.5 gallons, which brought both Amonia and Nitrites down to 0.5. Those readings haven't changed in 3+ days. Really the only drops in levels have come with the water changes. I am just not seeing any indication of progress.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

jrman83 said:


> Are you saying that "generally" a tank cycles in a week?


can't say for others but my planted tanks generally take 3 weeks or longer. So it varies with the setup. plus the planted tank cycle has low to no ammonia/nitrite spikes. And the first fish is added after the first week.


my .02


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

beaslbob said:


> can't say for others but my planted tanks generally take 3 weeks or longer. So it varies with the setup. plus the planted tank cycle has low to no ammonia/nitrite spikes. And the first fish is added after the first week.
> 
> 
> my .02


Right...every tank is different, but one thing is for sure that none of them cycle in one week with fish....unless you are removing the contents of one to the other and then it's even less time.


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## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

Honestly I'm not sure what to make of things at this point. My nitrites dropped to zero a few days ago but amonia has not - it's between .25 - .50., with nitrates around 5ppm. I'm guessing I stalled the cycle somehow, which doesn't make sense since as I understood things amonia would have to drop to zero before that could happen.

Having done everything I could to get this tank prepped, I went and added two small guppies yesterday. I am monitoring the water closely, and trying to keep amonia as low as possible. If it means I have to do partial water changes daily for a while, that's fine.

I'm certainly open to any further advice as to how to handle this.

Thanks,
James


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would do a 25% water change and not feed them for a few days. Keep testing daily and track the ammonia.


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## Endaar (Jan 27, 2011)

I changed out a bit more than 25% of the water, didn't feed them yesterday, and fed very lightly today. Been testing twice daily and ammonia has stayed between .25 and .5 since the fish went in the tank. There is still no hint of nitrites.

I added Prime, since it's supposed to make the ammonia non-toxic but still usable by the bacteria. The fish seem pretty content, so hopefully they're OK while the tank sorts itself out.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Endaar said:


> I changed out a bit more than 25% of the water, didn't feed them yesterday, and fed very lightly today. Been testing twice daily and ammonia has stayed between .25 and .5 since the fish went in the tank. There is still no hint of nitrites.
> 
> I added Prime, since it's supposed to make the ammonia non-toxic but still usable by the bacteria. The fish seem pretty content, so hopefully they're OK while the tank sorts itself out.


sounds good.

and don't add any more prime. Most test kits still test positive for ammonia even if the ammonia is locked. the danger is the ammonia locks like prime also lock up oxygen. So by overdosing you can suffocate the fish.


my .02


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