cycling a tank

[warmishprince]

Hi all, how long does it take you all to cycle a tank? and do you have any tips to speed the proccess up a little bit. been cycling my tank for about 2 weeks now added a bit of media from my mature filter but not much seems to happening, nitrites have raised and so have nitrates but ammonia doesnt seem to be doing that much?
any help would be appreciated cheers!

 

[adellababe]

Cycling 101
ammonia comes first, then you get nitrite, then you get nitrate.

If you have levels of nitrate levels then you have bypassed the ammonia stage from using a mature filter.

 

[adellababe]

note--your nitrite needs to be 0 before you are in the clear... a full cycle is about 6 weeks if you don't do anything to help it along (which you have helped with the matured cycle)

 

[warmishprince]

Cycling 101
ammonia comes first, then you get nitrite, then you get nitrate.

If you have levels of nitrate levels then you have bypassed the ammonia stage from using a mature filter.

Yeah the first thing i did was get the ammonia levels to 4ppm, they have now dropped to 2ppm with the nitrite and nitrate rising but have not dropped any further

 

[adellababe]

what kind of a test kit are you using?

have you had a bacterial bloom? (cloudy water)

 

[warmishprince]

Im using an api mini master kit, i havent really seen if there has been a bacterial bloom, i have left the lights off the whole way through, heard the bacteria grows better lights off.