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Tank Cycling Update

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  Blissfulfish 
#1 ·
Well, It's officially been 1 month since I started cycling my 20g tall tank. To be honest, I was really hoping to have a nearly cycled tank by now, but no such luck. For about the past week I've finally started getting ammonia readings, nothing higher than .25ppm. I've done a 20% water change twice during the last week (including one tonight). I'm trying to avoid a drastic spike as the six danios I've got in there right now are starting to grow on me. :-D I REALLY would like to get them through this cycle unharmed. Note to self: do a fishless cycle next time.

I added a small sponge filter to the tank. I'll be using it for a small quarantine/hospital tank when necessary. It actually looks pretty good in the aquarium and the fish enjoy the bubbles. In my very unprofessional opinion, the fish are doing great. They all look healthy, eat well, and don't appear to be stressed. (I can't even get a water sample without my hand being nibbled on by all of them).

Nitrites are still pegged at zero. No nitrates, obviously. I'll keep twiddling my thumbs and continue watching the pot, waiting for it to boil.

Go-go-gadget time warp!!....................
 
#4 ·
That is the million dollar question! Mine is certainly taking some time, especially considering that I'm just now in the first stage (ammonia) after a month. In a different thread I saw someone getting readings of ammonia and then nitrite in a matter of a week. I'm a newbie, so I have no idea how long until my nitrites/nitrates will arrive. From what I've read it is anybody's guess and varies from tank to tank.

The aquarium cycle can vary greatly depending on a number of factors. Blissful - have you tried adding some mature media to the tank to help speed things up?
I haven't done that. The only reason being that I don't know anyone with a fish tank. I considered asking my lfs, although I've seen warnings against doing that simply because of the bad bacteria they could have considering the number of fish they keep. If I knew someone with a nice healthy tank and healthy fish I'd be all over that!

Peace!
 
#5 ·
the norm is 3-6 weeks but some can take longer. it really depends on your setup. tap water supply,temp, type of filter, size, stock vs non-stock, plants or not, good aeration. mine is one of the long ones. started 8/31 and its still not all the way cycled. i'm doing the fishless cycle though. good thing about it is that i don't have to worry about any life. if the levels are off the charts, i still don't have to do anything but add ammonia when it gets too low. let nature take its course. be patient. when its time, its time. plus on a fishless cycle, once its done, you can fully stock your tank. you don't have to give the bacteria time to grow with your bio-load by adding a few fish here and a few fish there. if you loose fish at this point, it is due to the source (lfs) not the tank's bacteria.
 
#6 ·
the norm is 3-6 weeks but some can take longer.
so if you put fish in there to begin with (cycle) what is stopping you from putting everything in at the start of the cycle?? like i had my 6 gallon tank cycling for a week (very much newB) and i didnt do any tests or anything i had 2 guppies in there and then i got offerd some rcs for free so i took that offer and went strait home and got them in the tank.. and they were in the tank within half an hour.. and now i have about 30-40 in my tank..
 
#8 ·
Yeah, these danios sure are troopers. I've officially retired them from cycling duties, both because I've since gone fishless and because they've probably been stressed so much from all that cycling. Plus...they're a real pain to catch if you don't plan on keeping them in the tank. They're definitely the hardiest fish I've owned and would recommend them to anyone doing a cycle with fish, although a fishless cycle is stll much better for practical and ethical reasons.
 
#9 ·
Update:

If you shake a tank and yell at it, will it cycle faster? :-D My tank and it's six occupants are a bit over 5 weeks into the cycle. Last night's water test:

ammonia: .25 - .5
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0

The fish appear to still be doing well. I'm doing water changes often to keep the ammonia down. Just waiting on the nitrites. Maybe Santa will bring me some nitrites for Christmas!

Happy Holidays everyone!
 
#11 ·
All I can say is thank goodness for this website and all of the help I've received here! I'm imagining my attempt at fish keeping had I not stumbled upon this website. I'd have a tank full of floating dead fish at this point. Although I'd love for the cycle to hurry up, I'm actually enjoying the process of watching nature do its thing. It's really rather amazing when you think about it. Patience, like you said, is definitely the key!
 
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