# Cycle... Getting worried -.-



## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

OKAY now I'm getting impatient with my 10gal cycle. Today is day 62........ meaning tomorrow marks day 63=9 WEEKS of cycling! I'm getting quite frustrated my ammo isn't going to 0 in 24hrs it is still going to 1ppm and me having to dose it back up.
my nitrites have been staying at 0 for the past week. my nitrAtes staying at a steady 80ppm. so things look great except for that stupid Ammo! What can i do/is there ANYTHING i can do to speed up my cycle NOW?!?!


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

Have you done any water changes? Have you checked your Ph? How often are you testing & what kind of test kit are you using? Have you done anything with the filter media?


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

shellieca said:


> Have you done any water changes? *yah, I have done 3 water changes.*Have you checked your Ph? *Yep, stays at 7.3 (infact i just tested it around 10mins ago) *How often are you testing & what kind of test kit are you using? *daily and the API master test kit (drops not strips) *Have you done anything with the filter media? *no i thought i leave the media alone to allow it to build up BBs...?*
> 
> extra question: do PWCs hurt a cycling tank? and if not how many should i do? i didn't wanna disturb the cycle but on the other hand i hope i didn't stall it by not doing enough PWCs.:shock:


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

When fish less cycling you do very few water changes. Only do a water change if Ph drops too low or the other parameters are off the charts. If you're using a good water conditioner your cycle wouldn't be effected by a PWC. I'm stumped on why you're still showing ammo. How long have the nitrates been at 80? High nitrates for more than a week could stall the cycle. You may want to do small (<50%) water changes daily to get the nitrates to 20 or less.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

i'm stumped and angry too!! my nitrates have been at 80ppm for 20 days now  :evil: UGH my dad is getting mad too he was like: this stupid cycle isn't going anywhere; just give up. UHM i will never give up on this since i have 5 neon tetras and a male betta waiting for a beautiful tank!
i notice 20 days of high nitrates could be the problem. i never knew i had to do a PWC to keep them down i thought them being high was good sign for the cycle! :c


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

It is good to some degree but they shouldn't stay that high for 20 days. Have you tested your tap water? I would do the small PWC's to bring them down & see if that helps things move along. At this point it won't hurt.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Okay i just did a 25% WC.... should i test my nitrates now?

well i did and they're the same -.- i'm seriously mad.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

A series of small water changes will get them to drop but it can take a while since your tank is newly cycling. I have a 46g, when the nitrates spiked it tooke me a couple of weeks to get the nitrates down to normal. Now they stay around 10. You can do 50% water changes so long as you're using a good water conditioner. I know its frustrating, I have a 10g I've been cycling for 2 months now, can't get it to test good yet while the 5g I started around the same time has completely cycled but I'm doing a fish in cycle. I've learned to not over think it & just let it do its thing.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Im getting impatient 😂 this is sooo annoying!!!!!! Its almost getting stressful.


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## fish keeper 2013 (Mar 8, 2013)

bettaluver14 said:


> Okay i just did a 25% WC.... should i test my nitrates now?
> 
> well i did and they're the same -.- i'm seriously mad.


Sorry if someone mentioned this but have you checked your tap water (or whatever water you get for your tank) for nitrates yet?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

*SeaChem Stability*

Okay, I'm gonna jump right in. :lol: I know a lot of people think such additives are pure bunk but it worked for me.

I used SeaChem Stability after my 5-gallon tanks had been cycling for less than two weeks. You do a full dose on day one and a half dose for six or seven days thereafter.

Within that time, the parameters stabilized and have remained stable for almost three months. I haven't redosed as directions say you can.

I have one Betta and 15 shrimp in each tank. I do partial water changes once or twice a week of about 10% (shrimp are easily shocked so I keep the changes small). The only additives in my tank are SeaChem Flourish and Excel (half-dose because of the shrimp) and Prime when I change water.

Hokum or not, I will use Stability with each new tank.


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

Im on day 11 of a fish in cycle...been doing partial water changes every 2-3 days or so and testing diligently. my numbers are a little wonky too. ima test my tap water and see if thats the culprit.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Yah i got no idea what is going on!!!...?


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I would of given up by now and gone with the fish-in cycle, al of mine were done with a betta in the tank


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You could also try the Stability which is as low as $5.00 (free shipping) on eBay or $8.99 at PetSmart. 

I did a fish-in cycle on both tanks.


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

ok so my tap water is basicly the same as my tank water that I have been tryin to cycle for about 2wks now????


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Not really. Your tap water has no ammonia, nitrite or nitrate (Safe Water Drinking Act regulates them). You are trying to build a beneficial bacteria (BB) bed for your fish. 

To put it simply, cycling is finished when there's enough BB to neutralize ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. If you have a friend who has an established aquarium, you could get some gravel from them to help speed up the cycling by using their BB. Or, your LFS or pet store might let you have some.

It is very frustrating, I know. Good luck and don't give up; two weeks isn't that long. If you Google general concensus is four to eight weeks average.

Have you read the Stickies on cycling? The authors explain the hows and whys so well.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

It is possible to have ammonia in tap water. Mine does. It always reads .25 straight out of the sink. 

Not sure if this would make a difference but are you using prime as a conditioner? It does something to detoxify ammonia, nitrites and nitrates but I dont know if that makes any difference to the cycle or not. Or if it messes with the test results.

Cycling can take a while. I have heard some people say it took over 2 months for them. I dont now about the fishless cycle but for the fish in - you dont want to do too many water changes because you need some of the ammonia and nitrItes for the bacteria. On the other hand, you don't want to let their levels get to high either. 



> *5gal-10gal* filtered _without_ live plants:
> Water changes of twice weekly for the next _4-6 weeks_
> Of... 1-50% water _only_ and 1-50% with vacuum in all areas you can reach without moving anything or disruption of plant roots. _
> ***The 50% with vacuum will be the water change schedule for the life of the system to maintain water quality once the nitrogen cycle has established.
> ...


http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771

Fishless cycle


> *Process: *
> This method is where the pure ammonia and the 5mm syringe come into play. Basically you want to dose at 2-5ppm ammonia initially_. Ammonia should never be higher than 7ppm, this can stall your cycle._ Test for ammonia and nitrite every 2-3 days. Replenish ammonia to original levels as you see it fall down. This is considered the longest part of the cycle process.
> 
> Once you see nitrites, you will probably notice they skyrocket up extremely fast, even “off the charts” for your test kit. This is fine and completely normal. Keep dosing ammonia to the required amount. Once nitrites have peaked, it is generally only a few days before they get back down to zero. When you see nitrites going down, start testing for nitrates, which should start appearing.
> ...


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

> It is possible to have ammonia in tap water. Mine does. It always reads .25 straight out of the sink.
> 
> Not sure if this would make a difference but are you using prime as a conditioner? It does something to detoxify ammonia, nitrites and nitrates but I dont know if that makes any difference to the cycle or not. Or if it messes with the test results.
> 
> Cycling can take a while. I have heard some people say it took over 2 months for them. I dont now about the fishless cycle but for the fish in - you dont want to do too many water changes because you need some of the ammonia and nitrItes for the bacteria. On the other hand, you don't want to let their levels get to high either.


yeah Im using prime and thanks for all the info  good to know!


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Yup, my tap water has ammonia and nitrates in it. 

How long after water changes do you wait to test your water again?


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

usually a few hours, just depends. but yeah my numbers from the tap were almost identical to the tank numbers.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

sareena79 said:


> usually a few hours, just depends. but yeah my numbers from the tap were almost identical to the tank numbers.


There isn't too much around that then, hmm. 

Cycling is endlessly frustrating so I feel you. Are you using something to cycle? Some people use like, shrimp carcasses and stuff.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Read back and saw you're doing a fish in cycle. That is definitely a little easier at times though it does pose possible risks of getting the fish sick if you're not checking the parameters.

You're only about two weeks in though right? So you're about 1/3 of the way through a cycling process. You should be seeing your ammonia come down while your nitrITES coming up soon.


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

yeah Im doing fish in. Im trying very hard to make sure he stays in the safe-zones cuz i love the little booger and Id hate to hurt/kill him. If I notice its high I add a drop or two of my prime then do a partial water change within the next day or so. i've never done this before so I hope Im doing it right....


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

_Mea culpa!_ I miswrote about the ammonia. It's *not* regulated. However, nitrites cannot be over 1 ppm when coming from the tap. If your nitrite levels are above 1 ppm, please contact your local water supplier; your health is important.


<< EPA has set an enforceable regulation for nitrite, called a maximum contaminant level (MCL), at 1 mg/L or 1 ppm. (snip) When routine monitoring indicates that nitrite levels are above the MCL, your water supplier must take steps to reduce the amount of nitrite so that it is below that level. Water suppliers must notify their customers as soon as practical, but no later than 24 hours after the system learns of the violation. Additional actions, such as providing alternative drinking water supplies, may be required to prevent serious risks to public health.>>


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Wow big conversation going on here yeah my ammonia seems to decrease within 2 days from 4ppm-0ppm. Nitrites have been staying at 0. Nitrates are around 40ppm now. I will check my parameters when I get home from 7-11 :lol:
I just hope one of the next days I will check and my cycling will be finished!!! *frustration* there's no giving up I've come soon far and waited so long!!:| :-(


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Sounds like you're super close  Should totally go out for some awesome dessert when it's officially cycled :3 You have earned it.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Cycling a tank is like losing weight: You stay on a plateau and then, suddenly, the pounds (i.e., nitrite, ammonia levels) drop off! :-D


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Cycling a tank is like losing weight: You stay on a plateau and then, suddenly, the pounds (i.e., nitrite, ammonia levels) drop off! :-D


Haha, exactly! You could not be more right!!


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

so question...when I finally do get this thing cycled its gonna be about time to change my filter media (every 4-6wks right?) I have the tetra whisper one that came with my aquaculture 5g tank kit. will I lose my cycle?


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

sareena79 said:


> so question...when I finally do get this thing cycled its gonna be about time to change my filter media (every 4-6wks right?) I have the tetra whisper one that came with my aquaculture 5g tank kit. will I lose my cycle?


You shouldn't really ever change your filter media. If you want to cut the carbon that is inside, that's fine. But all your BB are on your media so taking it out will crash your cycle.

My media has been in the same filter for over a year now. If anything what you should do is during a water change and you have your bucket of "dirty water" (the water you just took out of your tank) you can take your media out(I'm assuming it's the blue or white pad type) and swish it gently once a month. Nothing more than that unless it's falling apart.


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## sareena79 (Sep 10, 2012)

Hmmm ok good to know...wish Ida known that before I bought 12 refills lol oh well better safe than sorry right


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Definitely ^^ You can probably sell 'em off on craigslist and make back a little money.

The stores and the companies that make them will tell you to change them weekly but that's how they make their money.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

So do i jusT keep testing the water everyday?? Cause im getting really mad and frustrated!! Especially because right now i am really sick with a 101+ fever.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

bettaluver14 said:


> So do i jusT keep testing the water everyday?? Cause im getting really mad and frustrated!! Especially because right now i am really sick with a 101+ fever.


You can test every day. Though if you're sick you probably won't be up for water changes.

In this case if you have some Seachem Prime you can at least add a bit to detoxify ammonia and nitrates til you feel well.

Testing every day around the same time to monitor your parameters is the best thing to do until you start seeing your nitrITES dropping. Then you probably won't need to test ammonia if it's been zero for awhile. Always good to test your water if you suspect your fish are acting wonky. I had this happen to me tonight.

Saw my little baby goldfish acting funny so tested and while there was no ammonia there was some nitrITES so glad I decided to test.


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I saw many people swearing by Tetra safe start to get the cycle going either on this forum or the Tropical Fish forum. I bought a big bottle to start my tanks with from Amazon.com.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

much better now  still stuffy but ok. i actually have been testing everyday even though i've been very sick. my nitrites have been staying still at 0... not increasing nor decreasing which is good nitrAtes are at 40ppm which i think still a little high....... my ammo, i dose it up to 4ppm and it usually decreases to 0ppm in 2 days sometimes the very next day i will test it and it is .50ppm. it actually seems like my ammo is starting to decrease a little faster so i will see wear things go :-D.

oh and the Tetra Safe Start! a package of it came with my 10gal tank i am cycling now... should i do like a 25% water change and try adding some of that instead of my current water conditioner? the one i use now is the API water conditioner.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

*Question>>>>>*

OKAY i'm praying this is enough. my cycling tank goes from 4ppm to .50ppm in 24hrs...... is that enough????? it doesn't exactly go to 0ppm in 24hrs but it goes to .50ppm!

PLEASE answer


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Anyoneeee??? is my Cycling done? :C look at my above question!!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I think you need 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and near 0 Nitrates for cycling for at least a week to consider it complete. There will be spikes here and there so you still need to do daily parameter checks and partial water changes. 

That being said, the stickies are written by people more knowledgeable than I so I am sure you can find answers there.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Your tank is cycled when your ammoniaandnitrite are zeroed and your nitrate grows over time (days/weeks).

If you do water changes big enough to keep the ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm, you can introduce fish. But, better if you take your time.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

0 Nitrites and Ammonia are particularly important if you decide to add invertebrates.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

okay :c this cycle is just taking a while but i'm hoping it'll only be another 2 weeks at the MAX. i will let it take its time and not rush things. plus, i would rather it take another 2-3weeks than have my fish get ammonia poisoning and spikes.:shock:


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

+1 Betta

Speaking as one who rushed cycling a couple of years ago, nothing is worse than watching those fish die and know your impatience caused it. :-(


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Yah its just a pain in my fish tail to wait now 76 days -.- cycling isnt supposed to take this long!!


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

That is a little long, but not unheard of. 

This kind of "first" cycle is a one-time deal. From now on you'll always have live nitrifying bacteria to help start any new tank you build.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Hallyx: yah i guess it will be good in the end  its just my state tests and exams are Coming up so i wanted to not have to worry about it then :T they start May 20 soo lets hope it is done in the next 4 days lol not gunna happen :c


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

i'm thinking of adding a seeding material to try to speed up the cycle... is that an OK idea? i was think of adding some filter floss from my other already cycled tank to this cycling tank's filter box. 
or are there any other great seeding methods you guys know of that may work to really speed up a cycle? i could use it now!


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

What are you using for ammonia right now? Adding anything from an already cycled tank will definitely speed it up. I always keep filter media in my cycled tanks for super fast cycling in new tanks.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Pure bottled ammonia from Ace Hardware.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Hmm, it's really weird that it hasn't cycled yet. I'm not familiar with fishless cycling though, I always put my fish on in and monitored parameters very closely.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

i didn't want to take the chance with my betta nor his tetra friends. i wanted to introduce them to a new enviornment:-D. so, seeding material.... could it work that i take like 2 cups of that tanks water and move it to my cycling tank? so maybe the bacteria in the water will mix in?


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

water will have very little BB gravel or filter media is a better bet, you cna buy product like stresszyme to help out


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Stone said:


> water will have very little BB gravel or filter media is a better bet, you cna buy product like stresszyme to help out


Okay so how do i transfer filter media?? do i sueeze the water from it into the cycling tank's filter or do i remove some filter floss?
also, 1)is stresszyme expensive? 2) how fast is it with speeding up the cycle? 3) is there only only type/size bottle of stresszyme?

thanks for answering!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Water won't do it. One way is to transfer 1/2 to 1 cup of the substrate from the older tank to the new. If the substrate is the same you can just spread it over the substrate in the new aquarium. If it's different, put it in the toe of some hose and let it hang in the tank.

If you need to do this again, put a sponge in the old filter for a several weeks and then put it in the new tank. Or, you can run a new filter along with the old and then transfer to the new tank.

As I said earlier, I used Seachem Stability on two tanks and it worked like a charm.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

yah i looked at the Seachem Stability and the Stresszyme on petsmart.com and they both seem pretty good. i just gotta debate on which one will work better AND faster!!
and also, what do you mean by transferring the "substrate"? what is the substrate you are talking about?


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Gravel/sand/etc. is substrate


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

got it!! so even if it is just like 6-7 pieces of gravel is that good enough? cause i'm taking the gravel from the tank that my betta is living in currently LOL :lol:
i have a feeling that won't be enough so should i go out and buy either the Seachem Stability or the Stress Zyme?


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

I would take as much as you can to help seed it further.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

hmmm okay i'm thinking of just going out and buying one of the two cycle speeders cause i think it'll be easier and better. which one would you guys prefer? i'm making this kind of a poll...

A- Seachem Stability
B- Stress Zyme


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

I have no experience with anything like that :X Sowwy


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

it's fine! i will ask around and maybe make a poll on here


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You need 1/2 to 1 cup of substrate. See my post above. Some people pooh-pooh use of products like Stability; but it worked for me. I think I may have suggested you might try it early on but I can't remember. :?


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

I feel a bit odd stating this when so many people have chimed in and I'm newer, but: If you have fish in, you should not be _adding_ ammonia; the fish produce the ammonia as waste. You are getting low ammonia, which is great, and 0 nitrites, which is great, and high nitrates. What you should be doing is water changes to reduce the nitrates and ammonia rather than adding ammonia back in.

The cycle works this way: ammonia turns into nitrites, which turn into nitrates. If your cycle wasn't done, you wouldn't be seeing the nitrates. You need to reduce ammonia, not add it.

If anyone thinks I'm wrong, please go review the thread on the nitrogen cycle at http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=111960 and tell me how.


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Here's a quote from it: 



> Process: So, fish have been added. They will produce the ammonia to get the cycle going. If you choose to do a fish in cycle, it is best to start with a small amount of fish in the tank to keep things under control. Doing 25% water changes whenever ammonia hits .25ppm is recommended. There will still be minute amounts of ammonia starting your bacterial colony, even after water changes. Eventually, nitrites will start showing up. Again, 25% water change whenever nitrites hit .25ppm. Once you start seeing nitrates, you know you have made it through the cycle with your fish! With the fish in cycle, you want to add fish slowly over the course of several weeks to your tank. Once your tank is fully stocked and everything is in order, you can start a regular water change schedule of 30-50% a week.


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Sorry--I see that the reference to fish-in cycling was to another member. It's obviously different.


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Here's another quote from that thread, though, for the fishless cycling: 



> For your final test, wait until your ammonia is pretty much at zero, and *dose to 2ppm*. When ammonia falls to 0ppm within 24 hours (or less) your tank is cycled!
> Now, do a large water change, 75-85%, and you are ready to add your fish!
> 
> But how do I know how much ammonia to add?
> ...


I trust, with that last bit in bold, that you want to add only enough to get it back to* 2ppm*, as the first bolded bit notes. Are you adding only enough ammonia to get it back to 2ppm and then checking? I just find it difficult to believe that the cycle isn't finished if you're seeing nitrates like that.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Stability and Stresszyme are older products that do not contain the two types pf bacteria directly responsible for the nitrogen cycle.

Safestart, Dr Tim's One-and-Only and ATM Colony contain nitrosomonas and nitrospira --- live bacteria. They have a shelf-life of over six months. If you buy them fresh, they work best.

BL14, 1/8 cup of seeded gravel _in your filter_ or equivalent seeded filter media. That's the first thing you should have done. Sorry I didn't pick up on it earlier.

Is your ammonia reducing to 0.0ppm in a few days? Your readings sounded almost cycled a couple of weeks ago. If your tank is creating nitrate and you have 0.0ppm nitrite you can populate the tank with one Betta and use Prime every other day to keep the ammonia converted to harmless ammonium.

I also recommend getting some floating plants for security. Hornwort, Anacharis/Elodea, Water Sprite, Duckweed are all good ammonia eaters. See the plant section for more suggestions.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Hallyx: i actually asked around and read reviews and bought Stress Zyme... actually just got home from Petsmart round 30mins ago. i just bought it so i'm going to try it out. it cant hurt anything since it is meant to boost the nitrogen cycle. and i don't have Dr. tim's product's around here sooo Stress Zyme or Seachem Stability were my choices; i chose Stress Zyme because it looked and seemed more easy and helpful with speeding up cycles. i will dose it tonight and get back to yall tomorrow for an update!

i heard Stress Zyme is a great product so why not try it;-)
i also will consider getting some floaty plants to add hiding spots and secure places.

AND yes, my ammo usually winds down to inbetween .25ppm and 0ppm in 3 days. but i usually test the water daily. my nitrites havent increased at all, staying at 0 which is good :3.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

One of the things that OldFishLady had to drum into my head (because I am am advocate of fishless cycling) is that bacteria grow or diminish to process the exact amount of ammonia they are provided. In practice, this means that most of us who perform a fishless cycle wind up with much more bacteria than is needed by the stock. The bacteria actually winds up dying back.

Stresszyme is an excellent product which will probably help your cycle. It's been a valuable tool for many years. If your nitrite is 0.0ppm and your nitrate increases every week, you're effectively cycled. My ammonia consistently reads >0.0ppm. I think it's just my lights and my eyes. I've noticed the API color chart varies from kit to kit.

Throw in some plants and stock your tank, already.


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## Kithy (Nov 21, 2012)

Hallyx said:


> One of the things that OldFishLady had to drum into my head (because I am am advocate of fishless cycling) is that bacteria grow or diminish to process the exact amount of ammonia they are provided. In practice, this means that most of us who perform a fishless cycle wind up with much more bacteria than is needed by the stock. The bacteria actually winds up dying back.
> 
> Stresszyme is an excellent product which will probably help your cycle. It's been a valuable tool for many years. If your nitrite is 0.0ppm and your nitrate increases every week, you're effectively cycled. My ammonia consistently reads >0.0ppm. I think it's just my lights and my eyes. I've noticed the API color chart varies from kit to kit.
> 
> Throw in some plants and stock your tank, already.


Yes I think that might be the best idea. If you're watching parameters anyway you should be able to safely throw in your fish.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Yah soo i added 10ml of stresszyme to my 10gal tank last night (as it said on directions). I checked my ammo a few hours ago and it read 2ppm. Should i consider my cycling done, let my ammo drop to 0ppm, check it daily for another week, do a large WC to get my nitrAtes down, and add fish as long as my ammo and nitrites stay at 0?
Becuase i think once my ammo is at 0 and stays at 0 it should be ok. I think i built one heck of a BB tank if u ask me!


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I'm surprised the StressZyme raised your ammonia. Used as directed....hmmm. Not a good thing. Wait until it zeroes out before stocking.

Thanks for the data point.

Keep us updated.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Hallyx: my Ammo didn't increase... It actually decreased from 3-4ppm to 2ppm. Cause the night before I bought the Stress Zyme I doses my ammo back up to 4ppm. 
So to approve I am going to do this right:
A) my cycling is done
B) let my Ammo drop to 0ppm, test all parameters daily.
C) once Ammo fully drops, do a 80-90% WC to lower nitrAtes.
D) check parameters for a week. If nitrAtes are below 20ppm than I am done..?
E) stock peaceful community fish first, then Betta.
Please confirm these are good plans.
THANK YOU ALL!!!;-)


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I wouldn't wait a week, once your nitrites have gone to 0.0ppm, unless you're planning on feeding the bacteria every couple of days. Let the livestock's ammonia production feed the bacteria.

After initial stocking, waiting a week or two for the cycle to stabilize and mature is always good practice.

Cycling is dynamic; the end product, nitrate, will always be increasing if a healthy cycle is under way. 

We change water weekly to cut nitrate. But also to remove dissolved solids and to replenish minerals used up by the livestock and plants.


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

I'd noted before, from the thread on cycling, that for your final test you only want to dose it up enough to get it to* 2 ppm*. If you kept dosing it back to 4 ppm, that was probably your issue all along.




> For your final test, wait until your ammonia is pretty much at zero, and dose to 2ppm. When ammonia falls to 0ppm within 24 hours (or less) your tank is cycled!
> Now, do a large water change, 75-85%, and you are ready to add your fish!


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Hallyx: I am currently QTing 5 neon tetras and they won't be ready till around June 10th-ish. Soo that was my plan to add the fish then. Should I just keep monitoring the ammo and make sure it stays low and watch my other levels until it is time to add the tetras? 
Also, is there anything I should be doing in the mean time to "keep the bacteria alive"? Like dose 1ppm ammo everyday or something?
And also, you said nitrAtes should always increase... Aren't they supposed to stay below 20ppm?
I'm a little bit confused here sorry I just need some explanations in what to do while waiting for tetras to be done.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Not sure this is exact, but a school of 5 fully-fed Tetras ought put out nearly 2.0ppm/day of ammonia. (Maybe someone could confirm this.)

So dosing to 2.0ppm then letting it settle back to near 0.0ppm, then dosing again, etc.--- ought to keep your bacteria healthy until you're ready to stock your tank.

In an active cycling tank, nitrates will always increase. They won't stay below 20ppm by themselves. That's what weekly water changes are for.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Alrighty, soooo i should dose my ammo in this tank to 2ppm, let it go down to 0ppm and repeat the process up until i am able to add the tetras? 
So once my Tetras are done being QTed, I add them as long as the ammo in the tank is 0ppm before I place them in. And for the 5 tetras how big of a PWC should i do a week to keep their ammo-nitrite-nitrAte release down?
Then I am going to keep the tetras in the tank by themselves since they're peaceful community fishies.... and then after around 1-2 weeks of the tetras adapting to their new environment, I am going to add my betta to the tank. Once I have my total of 6 fish in the cycled tank (5tetras and 1 male betta), should I increase the amount of Water i change during my WC's cause I have added one more fish adding additional ammonia= nitrAtes to the tank?

Also, thank you for all the help and allowing me to understand cycling better!


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Yep. You have the idea. 

A >66% water change is appropriate just before stocking. 

Once stocked, monitor carefully and do a pwc any time the ammonia getas >0.25ppm. One fish more or less won't make any difference, especially of that one more is a low-waste-producing Betta

Fully stocked with a stable cycle, a weekly 50% pwc is typical to keep the nitrates >20ppm (lower is better). But, more important, to remove dissolved solids and to remineralize.


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## bettaluver14 (Dec 15, 2012)

Thank you so much!! <3
I have a good idea of what to do :3 I will make a new thread of my newly stocked tank once EVERYTHING is done


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