cycle the tank?????
- Thread starter brcacti
- Start date
can take from 4-6 weeks from scratch ,can be done in a week with established media ,i have instantly cycled a tank with established media and never got any spikes , you will know the cyle is done when you can detect zero ammonia ,nitrite and detectable nitrates.
Was trying to do a slow cycle with 2 fish I baught but it seems as it is not slow but fast with cloudy water now, both fish had fungus tail rot, one did not make it, dont know about the other one yet. I dont feed much but maybe I am way under filtered as only one fx5 is being used at this time so water turnover is 2 times hourly. Also its a new filter with new media so no beneficial bacteria to start with.
brcacti;1801203; said:
might throw in some goldfish
in the beginning all levels are zero
the ammonia climbs
nitites show up
ammonia begins to fall
nitrites climb
nitrate shows up
nitrites slowly decline
when the ammonia and nitrites read zero its cycled 6wks ??
then dont add too many fish at one time...
in the end depending on stocking list several fx5 filters would be in order
i would say you would be best getting a sump on that tank if possible with media and head pressure the turn over rate will be lower unless you already accounted for it ? so you might only be at 1.5 turn over an hour ,which is not so good on a tank . if possible getting a sump would be your best ,cheapest method ,then get a tub of some kind go to a local fish shop and ask for a big load of crap out there dirty filters ,that stuff is magic
You know when you are finished cycling when ammonia and nitrite both remain at 0 for several days, and you are seeing nitrate and the nitrate is rising.
How clear the water is has nothing to do with the ammonia or nitrite level in the tank. I had crystal clear water during my cycle when my ammonia was reading 3 ppm!
How clear the water is has nothing to do with the ammonia or nitrite level in the tank. I had crystal clear water during my cycle when my ammonia was reading 3 ppm!