Cycling slow?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

josephjeon

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 22, 2010
177
1
0
California
So I have had my tank for a 3 weeks now, and I put Amquel +, NovAqua, and starter bacteria in it the day I got it. It is running on a fluval FX5 with ceramic rings at bottom, some other fluval product (brownish thing in packs?) and carbon at the top.
I heard that it takes about a month for it to cycle through, and it helps to put some fish in it to cycle faster?
I have 4 big fish in there, and I do waterchecks every few days, but my amonia and nitrite are still moderately high. Nitrate has improved a lot. Is this normal?
Oh, and I was also told that for the first month, don't do any water changes? and then start doing 1/3 water changes every week or two.
 
josephjeon;4690037; said:
So I have had my tank for a 3 weeks now, and I put Amquel +, NovAqua, and starter bacteria in it the day I got it. It is running on a fluval FX5 with ceramic rings at bottom, some other fluval product (brownish thing in packs?) and carbon at the top.
I heard that it takes about a month for it to cycle through, and it helps to put some fish in it to cycle faster?
I have 4 big fish in there, and I do waterchecks every few days, but my amonia and nitrite are still moderately high. Nitrate has improved a lot. Is this normal?
Oh, and I was also told that for the first month, don't do any water changes? and then start doing 1/3 water changes every week or two.
Click to expand...

Ok, where to start... you are trying to grow bacteria that eats ammonia and converts the ammonia to nitrite (still toxic), and bacteria that eats nitrite and converts that to nitrate (relatively non toxic in low amounts). The way to remove nitrate is through water changes.
If you have an ammonia or nitrite reading in your tank, your tank isn't "cycled." There is no way to say how long this cycle process will take, every tank is different. Your starter bacteria product obviously didn't work, but if you have a nitrite reading, that means you have reached at least the half way point in your cycle.
Ammonia and nitrite is toxic, if you have fish in the tank you need to start doing water changes now.
You should buy some seachem stability, and dose with it every day for a week after doing a large water changes, in my opinion. That is the best cycling product in my experience.
 
By the way, you should put all bio media in your FX5 baskets... and carbon loses efficiency after about 4 days I believe.
 
"and then start doing 1/3 water changes every week or two."

It really depends on how much and what types of food that _you_ put in the tank.

Think of it this way.

100% water change a week = Max One week of waste.
50% water change a week = Max's out at two weeks of waste.
33% water change a week = Max's out at three weeks of waste.

33% water change _every two_ weeks = Max's out at six weeks of waste.

25% once a month = 4 months of waste...

There are, of course, tank setups that can limit the build up.
 
aclockworkorange;4690063; said:
By the way, you should put all bio media in your FX5 baskets... and carbon loses efficiency after about 4 days I believe.
Click to expand...

Wait so only put the ceramic ring thingies in all 3 baskets?? what about carbon?? :o isn't that important?
 
aclockworkorange;4690056; said:
Ok, where to start... you are trying to grow bacteria that eats ammonia and converts the ammonia to nitrite (still toxic), and bacteria that eats nitrite and converts that to nitrate (relatively non toxic in low amounts). The way to remove nitrate is through water changes.
If you have an ammonia or nitrite reading in your tank, your tank isn't "cycled." There is no way to say how long this cycle process will take, every tank is different. Your starter bacteria product obviously didn't work, but if you have a nitrite reading, that means you have reached at least the half way point in your cycle.
Ammonia and nitrite is toxic, if you have fish in the tank you need to start doing water changes now.
You should buy some seachem stability, and dose with it every day for a week after doing a large water changes, in my opinion. That is the best cycling product in my experience.
Click to expand...

Hey would AmQuel+ work instead of seachem? I already have abottle of amquel+
 
amquel+ is a water conditioner, it removes chlorine detoxifies ammonia and nitrites, its not going to speed up your cycle, only make tapwater safe for your fish and biofilter, and already polluted tankwater more safe for fish.

I cannot recommend you add any "bacteria" from a bottle to your tank. if it really worked, you wouldn't have to keep dosing it like the manufacturers recommend.

Also the cycle doesn't start until ammonia is added to the tank... ammonia either comes from fish or you can add pure ammonia to a tank with no fish in it. (fishless cycling)

Since you have fish in there If you have any detectable ammonia or nitrite at all you should be changing half the water every day and using the appropriate amquel+ dose each time. ammonia does permanent damage to fish gills and nitrite prevents fish's blood from being able to carry oxygen so they can suffocate. Changing the water does not slow down your cycle, all the bacteria need to grow is a steady supply of ammonia from your fish, not a vast reserve of it in the tank. In fact I have read before that the presence of too much ammonia can prevent the growth of the second form of bacteria that converts toxic nitrite to nitrate.
 
Seachem Stability works. You don't need to add it past the first 7 days, or even before then if you get no ammonia or nitrite readings. Try actually using something before you say it doesn't work. I've cycled 5 tanks with it... Check my other 1000+ posts and see if you think I don't know what I'm talking about.
Cycled media is the BEST, however. Doesn't change the fact stability works.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom