Cycling new tank with established media?

[newyorkmfk]

I have a 450 that's been up and running now for 4 weeks with fish in it. I put my 9 wide bar silver dollars in ranging from 5-8 inches to cycle it. I used bio media from an old tank that was already established and used stability from seachem as directed on the bottle for bacteria. Now at the 4 week mark, my nitrites and ammonia are still at 0, they never went up at all. Any new tank I've ever cycled the ammonia and nitrites are going up within the first week... At this point is the tank already cycled from the old media? Has anyone ever done this before and not had there levels go up? Has anyone ever seen this and the levels go up more than 4 weeks in? I want to slowly start adding the rest of my stock in but don't want to jump the gun and add anything in too soon

 

[ehh]

Well if you used cycled media at the start of the tank then what you're experiencing is normal.

I would add more fish at this time if that's what you were planning to do. But like you said, don't add a whole gang of fish. Let the bacteria catch up to the new stock then add more fish. Repeat as desired.

 

[newyorkmfk]

Ok.. I knew the cycled media would help but I didn't know it would completely cut out the cycle process. Yea that was the plan to slowly add fish over time.

 

[ehh]

That's the beauty of using cycled media.

 

[adamsfishes]

Nvm, misread first time.