# Is something going wrong w/ my cycling or am I just impatient?



## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

On March 17th I began a fishless cycle on my new 20g aquarium. I started out with 2 tsp of ammonia which pushed the levels off the charts, so I waited without adding more. By March 24th my ammonia = 2-4ppm, *nitrites*= off the charts, and *nitrates* = 10ppm.

The ammonia has been at 0ppm since March 26th, so I've been adding 1/2 tsp ammonia every other day or so; it has been maintaining at 0ppm, and the *nitrates* slowly keep climbing, but the *nitrites* are not budging! Tests this morning show *nitrites* are still at or over 5ppm (the purple in the test tube is slightly darker than on the results chart) and *nitrates* somewhere between 20ppm and 40ppm.

When I cycled my 10g with the same method, once the *nitrites* spiked it only took a day or two for the cycle to complete.

Did I do something wrong this time or am I just being too eager? 

BTW: The 20g is a planted tank with driftwood in it. Half of the plants were new and the other half were moved from a cycled tank. Also, a rock was moved from the cycled tank with the hope that it would speed up the process.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Your cycle is progressing normally - just be a little more patient.
The nitrifying bacteria which converts nitrites to nitrates often take longer to develop than the bacteria which deals with ammonia.
It appears your nitrites will soon spike at their high point, at which time they usually drop very quickly, bumping up the nitrates to higher levels than they are right now.
When that occurs, do a large wc, to reduce the nitrates to satisfactory levels. Meantime your plants are also helping to keep nitrates lower than they might be.
A few more days to a week should complete your cycle. 
Keep dosing ammonia to bring levels back up tp 3-4 ppm, and your cycling should soon test out @ "0" for both ammonia & nitrites within 12 hours or so, of your latest addtion of ammonia.


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## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks for your reply. But it's confused me further  I thought the Nitrites had already spiked since they were at their highest levels last week...that's what worried me. They are not dropping quickly...but very slowly Nitrates have been increasing daily, but the Nitrites have just sitting at 5ppm.

The first Nitrite test was a week ago and the results were well beyond 5ppm....purple so dark it wasn't even on the results chart, so I don't understand how they can spike further. Could it be taking longer due to them being _soooo_ high last week?



emile said:


> Your cycle is progressing normally - just be a little more patient.
> The nitrifying bacteria which converts nitrites to nitrates often take longer to develop than the bacteria which deals with ammonia.
> It appears your nitrites will soon spike at their high point, at which time they usually drop very quickly, bumping up the nitrates to higher levels than they are right now.
> When that occurs, do a large wc, to reduce the nitrates to satisfactory levels. Meantime your plants are also helping to keep nitrates lower than they might be.
> ...


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Yes, that can and does occur. 
Perhaps your nitrites did spike last week - not saying they didn't.
They may not be dropping quickly yet, but they are in fact dropping, aren't they ? 
Don't concern yourself for now with the nitrate levels.
As I said before, be patient, give it a few more days or so, and keep testing. You may see a very significant drop in nitrites almost overnite. If that doesn't happen fairly soon, I would question the efficacy of your nitrite test material.

A wc of 30-50% now should also help - and test/show reduced nitrite and nitrate levels.


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

I had a fishless cycle stall on me before, taking forever for nitrites to get to zero. pH had crashed, at low pH levels it delays the cycling process. Since our water is practically 0 KH, it doesn't take much for the pH to slide since the nitrifying process will consume all available carbonates.

If your pH crashed, buffering the water will get it back on track.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Yes, hp10B11 is quite correct. 
Should have thought to mention that. Our water here in the GV area is usually well on the soft side, and pH between 6 and 7 can slow, or even stall, the cycle. Get it up well over 7.0 if you can - bicarb of soda, &/or crushed coral in a mesh bag in your filter could raise your pH to where it's needed to help speed up the cycle.


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## paul_28 (Jan 20, 2011)

im intrested to know is this type of cycle only for those type of fish u pay 100+ for its like u do all these tests to play safe. i would'nt mind x2 oscars but they x3 the price of what i usually buy so i am guessing u are aiming for healthy water.


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## Discus (Apr 23, 2010)

hi there when starting up a new tank just use stability. Prime for water conditioner and a buffer. Trust me this never fails your fish will not die once you get your wc cycles going.


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## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

paul_28 said:


> im intrested to know is this type of cycle only for those type of fish u pay 100+ for its like u do all these tests to play safe. i would'nt mind x2 oscars but they x3 the price of what i usually buy so i am guessing u are aiming for healthy water.


Hi Paul,

We won't be stocking our tank with expensive fish, we just care about their health and well being :bigsmile:

Since we're new to fish keeping, and lost four betta's in a short time, this is more a case of wanting to do it right.

It all started innocently enough....bought a 1g and a betta for my son for Christmas because he LOVES watching fish, even the live one's that are stocked at the grocery store!

After we lost three bettas, we bought a 10g tank and all the required equipment to see if that would work out better. After another lost fish (our last betta), the need for specific water conditions was brought to our attention. At that point we had invested quite a bit of money in supplies and equipment, so just giving up was not an option for me .

Now we have four healthy, but lonely rummy-nose tetra's and four cherry shrimp that need more friends...just waiting on the 20g to cycle now 

This is a very addictive hobby! We went from a 1g to 20g in only a few months.

Cheers!


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

The fishless type of cycle that tetragirl is doing is good for all fish, not just for more expensive fish. She's already got started and is well into her cycle, so it's logical and appropriate for her to continue with that. Yes, Stability can work if you start that way from the get-go. Otherwise, it could help to speed things up, just as adding fully seeded filter media from an established tank could help at this stage, to hasten the cycle. Tetragirl, if you do decide to use Stability now, follow the directions exactly, dosing for the full 7 days as directed. You'll get there, no matter what other extra options you decide to try out. However, I'm a great believer in not messing things up, once you've started on a certain course. Up to you.


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## ngo911 (May 19, 2010)

I had a similar thing happen when I did my fishless cycle but the nitrites were off the charts and stayed there for several weeks. I was told that when the nitrites are too high, it stops the good bacteria from multiplying, so I did 50% water changes until it was back on the chart. By then next day, my tank was cycled.

Sounds to me like your nitrites have started coming down so I would agree with emile that you are almost there. I have also used stability and it is an awesome product, but since you are almost there, I would just wait it out.


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## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

emile said:


> The fishless type of cycle that tetragirl is doing is good for all fish, not just for more expensive fish. She's already got started and is well into her cycle, so it's logical and appropriate for her to continue with that. Yes, Stability can work if you start that way from the get-go. Otherwise, it could help to speed things up, just as adding fully seeded filter media from an established tank could help at this stage, to hasten the cycle. Tetragirl, if you do decide to use Stability now, follow the directions exactly, dosing for the full 7 days as directed. You'll get there, no matter what other extra options you decide to try out. However, I'm a great believer in not messing things up, once you've started on a certain course. Up to you.


Hi Emile,

Thanks for your advise and feedback...I have added a bit of alkaline buffer to see if it helps speed things up a little. I've been told by the LFS that the water will need to be around 6.8pH - 7.2pH, 6gH, 6kH, so I want to make sure that the levels are correct before the fish move to their new home.

At the first water change I will be adding R/O right and Alkaline buffer along with NovAqua Plus- wait a day or two, then test levels. Prior to today, I've only added NovAqua Plus (and ammonia, of course) to the water.

When we started our 10g, this was the method used, with great success. No problems at all and it completed in only a few weeks - three tops.

I was contemplating using some clean water from the 10g, but that tank has a pond snail problem and has been treated for ich only using heat/salt so I want to make sure that any of that doesn't get transfered to the new tank  The plants were soaked in a bleach solution before being transfered.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Well, you're doing the right things - it shouldn't be long now - your cycle will complete and you'll be good to go.
Best of luck with your new tank.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

I always use Stability or Cycle to speed things up. You can purchase it now, it's not too late if you are getting impatient like I was


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## Gone Fishy (Apr 21, 2010)

Hello,

Please understand that i only want the best for you, your fishes and your participation in this fantastic hobby. It seems to me that this process has undertaken a more complex route than may have been necessary. Once you start adding different compounds to your water and then additional compounds to combat issues you may be having you are setting yourself up for failure. Success with this hobby is reliant on a few yet necessary steps, that must be consistent. Consistency is the key. If I were you I would do a 90% water change to get rid of all of the things you have been adding, buy a few inexpensive fish to complete the cycle, do 30-40% water change every other day to rid the tank of nitrates and wait for the tank to cycle. Cycle first, then develop a plan to stabilize PH, GH,etc. Plants and a rock from a cycled tank will have minimal effect on the cycling process. Media from a filter on a cycled tank will have a much more dramatic impact. I'd be more than happy to supply you with some. Patience is a must in this hobby. Consistent water changes and maintenance will ensure the well being of your fishes. Please feel free to PM me and I will help in any way I can.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Gone Fishy said:


> ... If I were you I would do a 90% water change to get rid of all of the things you have been adding, buy a few inexpensive fish to complete the cycle, do 30-40% water change every other day to rid the tank of nitrates and wait for the tank to cycle. ...


Why inexpensive, if I may ask? Fishless cycling has many advantages, but one of them is definitely to avoid having to put fish through ammonia and nitrite spikes. The reason people use "inexpensive" fish to cycle their tank is that sometimes they loose one (or more) in the process. Is it right then, knowing this, to put any fish through it? Is this "the best for you and your fishes"?

I totally agree with emile here. It looks like tetragirl has been doing things right for her fishless cycle. I don't see any reasons to change everything now and put fish at risk, regardless of their monetary value. The cycle will be completed soon and all will be well.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

It seems the advice given by a few members here is bang on.Patience is a vital part to "a fishless cycle" so resist from adding any more substances or introducing fish at this time.You mentioned in your first post it was a planted setup.If possible , introduce more plants as they will aid the process.


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## flannel (Apr 21, 2010)

I would agree with the patience comments. If you feel the need to add anything at all, I would suggest nothing more than already cycled, aged media. That's all you're missing...the bacteria in sufficient numbers to do their job. It's so hard to wait it out but very worthwhile!


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## tetragirl (Mar 21, 2011)

*Update on cycle status*

After testing the Nitrites and Nitrates this morning here are my results:

*Nitrites:* Still at 5ppm (hasn't moved at all)
*Nitrates:* Have gone up to 40 - 80 ppm from 20 ppm yesterday (the colour falls between the two)

pH:7.8 (used high range pH test when the regular test seemed to be off the charts)
gH:7
kH:7

Does this seem okay? FYI: I'm using API Freshwater Master Test Kit and I've checked the expiry dates - its all good.

Currently, I'm planning to wait a few more days and just monitor the progress. If the Nitrates climb higher and the Nitrites stay the same, should I do a 50% water change and monitor for a few more days?

Don't worry: I will not be moving the fish until I am certain the water is stable and properly cycled - even though my patience is running low, I can wait


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

As I mentioned before, I would do a large water change now.


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## Discus (Apr 23, 2010)

I told you what to use Stablility. If your still not happy with that go and buy used media off lfs. But no point talking about it starting up a new tank is suppost to be a easy problem to solve.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

Yep these parameters look good to me. Your nitrates going up is a good sign. Just check that your pH doesn't crash. You could do a large water change now and dose ammonia again. 

Nitrites can take a while to go down. I know you said that they went down quickly in your other tank but cycles can be a bit different. 

You're nearly there.


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

Chances are that your filter can handle your intended fishload now. A fully stocked tank would not produce the level of ammonia/nitrites that 3-5ppm ammonia used to start the fishless cycle. Rising nitrates is good - your stage of the cycle is already processing ammonia & nitrites, the nitrite stage of the cycle needs to catch up a bit. I would still wait for the cycle to complete - you're almost there anyways - patience, the hardest part of doing a fishless cycle.


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