Cycling update and questions

[kiwis]

So I'm just checking things are on track... I've been cycling a tank a few weeks and earlier in the week I chucked in a small piece of fresh fish after cichlid food seemed to make no dent.

I also used coral rock which had been dried in the sun for a few weeks to kill some algae which was on it from the previous tropical system it was used in.

I've had no ammonia readings in the first week or two which was expected and a few days after adding the fresh fish I've got a reading of 1.0ppm Ammonia - great it's off however...

I'm also getting a reading of 5ppm Nitrate and 0.25ppm nitrite

I'm just questioning that things are okay - I was pleased with ammonia reading and thought it would go up to 4ppm or thereabouts and expected more time before I sore nitrates.

Any thoughts or comments.

 

[Travis Stewart]

I’m not much of a expert on the dead fish ammonia method, but you should continue to see ammonia for a couple weeks. That will then turn into a good bit of nitrites. These should also last a week to 10 days before those are converted to nitrates by the nitrogen cycle. After you see nitrates disappear you should be ready to roll. Again, this is the most important time to be patient.

 

[brandon429]

how your water tests in between 0 and 40 days doesn't matter, you'll get all kinds of variances even from running two kits on the same water a couple times. lighting, reagent fills, all manner of adulterants like the use or nonuse of Prime conditioner absolutely skews results etc

the fact you have any degrading meat is all it needs, doesn't matter how much or how little, the water and time matter above all.

all you do is wait 30 or 40 days, change out all the water, and it will be cycled and it can't not be cycled but all these events need to happen (the final water change, change it all if possible)

its done before 40 days, but that's the safe zone for total compliance. detailed testing/dosing etc is for speed cycling, some 12 day deadline or something. even your dried rock has large amnts of bacteria, they were not killed.

if you wanted to do one thing to actually speed up, add bottle bac, and still wait to day 40

the best part of cycling is that the addition of water does it + any form of boost, within 40 days you can't mess it up. all the tinkering and detailed stuff is strictly for speed cycling, you are probably close to 40 days anyway.

 

[brandon429]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

that's where the statement came from to show origins

 

[kiwis]

I'm in no "hurry" I'm just looking to make sure things are on 'track' . I'm pleased to see ammonia building up but surprised to see both Nitrite and Nitrate reading. I guess is this 'normal'.

I know I need to wait until the nitrate reading goes back to zero before stocking the tank and expect that to take another 4-5 weeks.

 

[vector824]

A little nitrate is fine. 5ppm is perfectly acceptable to add fish. Mine even spiked to 80-ish AFTER my tank had cycled and the fish were ok. I would not recommend letting it get that high, but just to ease your mind, everything is going to be fine! This is an exciting time of anticipation and it seems like you have to right mindset.

 

[brandon429]

technically that wont work for nitrate, rarely is it consumed in a cycle but generated. only ammonia matters, check that thread out its solid work. nitrite doesn't even factor in reefing nor cycles.