So maybe it hasn't finished cycling?

[Javor91]

To cycle my tank i've gone the fishless cycle route, dosing with ammonia. Started about a month ago. Yesterday my tests results finally showed 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, & 10 nitrates. I dosed one last time with ammonia as instructed. I waited 24 hours and tested the tank again today, shows .25 ammonia, 1.0 nitrites, & 10-15 nitrates. Can anyone help me make sense of this?

 

[3lusive]

0 ammonia , 0 nitrites , 10 nitrates (otherwise known as "completed cycle") + addition of ammonia = .25 ammonia , 1.0 nitrites , 10-15 nitrates (otherwise known as "another cycle)


Anytime you add an ammonia source to your tank, it will go through another cycle. Wait this one out (shouldn't take long) do a water change to drop the Nitrates, and you should be ready to go.

 

[3lusive]

Not trying to be a jerk, just trying to keep the post short.

 

[Javor91]

So in other words, after I wait this one out...do my WC, then add my first fish.. the tank will go through "another cycle?". Maybe i'm not grasping this right but I did fishless cycling to avoid my first going through toxic nitrites, you're saying this will happen anyways?

 

[Javor91]

fish not first* :xd:

 

[3lusive]

Any fish you introduce into the system (no matter how old the tank) will add ammonia to the water column. The cycle process never actually ends , but what you have done over the past month is build a bacteria population that can break that ammonia down and process it into Nitrates. The Nitrates are then taken out by the water changes that you do.

This doesn't mean that you can go out and buy 10 fish at one time, but it will be ok to add one or two. The bacteria will then adjust to the added bio-load by growing in population. This will happen anytime more livestock is added.

 

[Javor91]

Alright so essentially every time i add fish I can expect to test a little bit of nitrites the next day while the bacteria adapts?

 

[3lusive]

Not exactly , I'm assuming the ammonia that you added is in the form of ammonium chloride .

The concentration of that is going to be MUCH higher than what the addition of a single fish will add to the system therefore you may not detect any at all.

 

[Javor91]

Ahhh gotcha.

 

[Javor91]

I won't be getting my first fish for about a week due to having to order it online. Can I keep the bacteria goon if I dose with ammonia every few days? Don't want to risk losing the cycle.

 

[3lusive]

You won't lose the cycle . Just let the tank ride.

 

[Eienna]

When .25 of ammonia you add is gone in 12 hours with no sign of nitrite, you're cycled and ready for fish. Any earlier and you risk a minicycle because the bacteria wasn't ready.