Advice on cycling

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kaylalouise

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Hi,

So i am ready to start cycling my tank.

Last night i tested the parameter for Amonia and Nitrite and these were in the lowest levels.( i didnt see the point in testing nitrate as there was no level of the others, also the test kit that i have you have to add a powder to the testing water after adding in the drops and the test only supplied one vile or powder)

I added fish flakes last ngiht and they are still sitting on the bottom of the tank. The fish food are the different coloured flakes you'd feed to gold fish. Is this a source of a ammonia?

Would it be worth adding a small amount of gravel from my dad's fish tank to my tank to speed up the process?
 
I would recommend reading the article on cycling and the one on water quality if you have not already.

If you just started your tank cycling than you're not going to have any detectable levels of nitrogen compounds (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.)

As for the fish flakes, I think I would try something else. Maybe frozen brine shrimp or blood worms as a more potent ammonia source that readily decomposes. There are detailed instructions on fishless cycling in the article on cycling that I linked to above.

Adding gravel from another aquarium would probably not be beneficial now. Those bacteria would have no food source (ammonia and nitrite) and would starve pretty quickly.
 
Thank you for clearing that up for me.

I shall buy some frozen brine shrimp when i buy more plants on wednesday.

Thank you

Any other advice or suggestions are welcome.
 
hey

I bought some frozen brine shrimp today an add three of the tiny cubes in. I alos plant some real plants =)

I can see them sitting on top of the sand.

Does anyone kno how long it will be before these rot and start to show ammonia levels?

Also would like to know a good brand of testing kit for nitrate.

thank you
 
You'll need the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kits. The latter test won't be needed until about after a week of doing this.

You'll want to test the water around a day after you've added the shrimp and then keep testing every other day or so until the ammonia drops and the nitrite begins to rise. At this point you need to add one more cube of the brine shrimp to the tank (now would be the time to get the nitrate test kit). Keep up the same testing schedule until the nitrate levels rise this time. Once again, when this happens add another cube of brine shrimp. If all is done right then after a week or so from the last cube you should see all three elements starting to drop.
 
=[
I kno this is bad, but I cycled my first axolotl tank with the first axolotl i ever had..
I think I can safely say that axolotls are pretty hardy. My tank is fully cycled now and its been running for about half a year now and my axolotl has grown quite a bit. And is very healthy. Every week I get one of those turkey blasters and push water over its gills to help prevent fungus growth by blowing the particles away since my tank doesn't have excessive flow from the filter. He/she likes that treatment a lot.
 
My tank is starting to smell a bit.

I tested the water today for ammonia and nitrate and still the loewst levels(less than 3ppm) so i guess i will have to conitue to wait.

Is there anything i can do to speed up the process? i dont mean the chemical soloution that you can add, but will moving th shrimp around help, etc?
 
If you have a friend who has a cycled tank, you can ask for his/her filter media and squeeze all of that bacteria in your tank. Cycling a tank is basically trying to get those bacteria to grow. But yea, those bacteria wont grow fast if there's not enough food to sustain them. Just be patient =]
Maybe try raising the heat just a tad bit.
 
what food do the bacteria eat?

my tank is really starting to smell. like you cna jsut smell it in my room.

when nitrite starts to form will the bacteria help get rid of the smell?

when should i do my first water change?
 
Hi kaylalouise,

Bacteria eat waste. If you have a piece of fish or shrimp or something, those are good "starters" because they decompose quickly. If whatever you put into the tank to start the cycle begins to get moldy, you should remove it and add something fresh.

Once your tank is healthy, it will not smell bad at all. If the smell is bothering you, you can clean the tank a little, but water changes will actually slow down the cycling process. If you have no live animals in the tank, you do not technically need to change the water until the tank is cycled.

Good luck to you (and merry Christmas),

-Eva
 
Thank you and merry christmas to you too.

I have been told to perhaps to take out the shrimp and add a few guppies.
Thoughts?
 
Well, if you have already started a fishless cycle, I woud suggest continuing. The tank will not cycle more quickly with fish than with dead things, and you will have to do daily water changes to avoid poisoning the fish. The reason people recommend using guppies is because they are pretty robust fish. Me, I always cycled my tanks with axolotls - and believe me, in addition to being a tortuous waiting game and a lot of work because of the daily water changes, there is the added factor of fear for the animals' health.

-Eva
 
Hey everyone

I added 7 guppies to my tank last week as i wasnt getting anywhere with using the brineshrimp.

Im not showing any levels of amonia. but a small level of nitrite.

Should i continue to test untill this goes up more and than a water change?

Or should i do a water change now?

As i am using fish what should i do now as this is where i would add more shrimp if that was the method i was using?
 
You definitely have the cycling process going on there. The absence of ammonia and the presence of nitrites indicate that ammonia has been converted to nitrites by a population of beneficial bacteria.

I would recommend you do not perform a water change yet and continue to test to monitor the trend. If it rises and you notice some nitrates present, your cycle is about complete.

If you are using fish now, there is a constant source of nitrogenous wastes produced so there is no necessity to add more fish nor more shrimp meat.

One fine note is that you would still want to ensure the welfare of the fish in there so if the ammonia or nitrite levels rise higher, it is time to perform a 20% water change.
 
Thanks for the info.

I would like to keep the fish alive, whether they stay in my tank or go into another.

I had a very small reading of Nitrate when i tested the other day but i cant remember the reading. i remember it was very small though.

But still a start. =)
 
That's great news that you have a reading of nitrates, after all your hard work you're nearly there, Congratulations, it really is a joyous occasion when you have a cycled tank! Well I think so anyway, it takes a lot of dedication and patience.
 
Hey everyone,

I did a 20% water change today. I tested the pH it was either 7.5 or 8 so i put some pH down in the tank.

I thought i wouold let my tank settle and than test the parameters again.

I am getting excited now. not too long to go (hopefully)

Thanks everyone for your help.

I'll keep you posted on how its going.
 
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