Am I nearly cycled or did I mess up

[Lcc86]

Posted a recent thread as I started cycling my new tank on 20/11 and had a bacterial bloom.

Is this normal when cycling?

Actually @TwoTankAmin ignore some of what I said above, I don't want to keep re-editing the same post. Just about to buy some Dr Tim's online - won't arrive until middle of next week but at least I can know how much ammonia I am adding now. Until then I will leave well alone!

www.fishforums.net

Since that thread I've been super busy with work and haven't had time to measure out and add ammonia, all I've done is add some more filter gunk during my last water change on my other tank a week or so ago. I've attached a screenshot of all my measurements since I started, have I accidentally crashed my cycle? Things seem to be falling too quickly? Not really sure what to do next.

Edit: I think I'm not confident because nitrites never had a huge spike so need to defer to people with more knowledge!

 

[Ichthys]

Between 4/12 and 6/12 the nitrates dropped from 40-80, to 5. Was that a water change?

 

[Lcc86]

Between 4/12 and 6/12 the nitrates dropped from 40-80, to 5. Was that a water change?

No the last water change was 01/12 when I cleaned up the bacterial bloom and topped up the water I'd removed.

 

[Ichthys]

Hmm, the nitrate can’t drop unless it’s removed. Which test kit are you using? The strips can be very inaccurate, and the liquid kits need reagent #2 to be banged on a hard surface before shaking, or false readings will come.

From the rest of the results, if they’re reasonably accurate, I’d say you’re cycled. Test it a time or two by adding ammonia and getting 0 and 0 ammonia and nitrite within a day.

It’s not unusual to not get a nitrite spike. If there are nitrite->nitrate bacteria present at the start they’ll be waiting for nitrite and convert it to nitrate as soon as it’s produced. You can actually cycle and not see any measurable nitrite. It just depends which bacteria were there at the start of the cycle. I would assume both were in the gunk.

 

[Lcc86]

Hmm, the nitrate can’t drop unless it’s removed. Which test kit are you using? The strips can be very inaccurate, and the liquid kits need reagent #2 to be banged on a hard surface before shaking, or false readings will come.

From the rest of the results, if they’re reasonably accurate, I’d say you’re cycled. Test it a time or two by adding ammonia and getting 0 and 0 ammonia and nitrite within a day.

It’s not unusual to not get a nitrite spike. If there are nitrite->nitrate bacteria present at the start they’ll be waiting for nitrite and convert it to nitrate as soon as it’s produced. You can actually cycle and not see any measurable nitrite. It just depends which bacteria were there at the start of the cycle. I would assume both were in the gunk.

Thanks, I'm using API and always follow the instructions, but I'll test again tomorrow morning and see what it says. Is it a good time to put my plants back in now? I took them out after the bloom as they were melting.

My local LFS have just got some alien bettas in but I don't want to rush and risk it unless I'm certain. Definitely veering into the better safe than sorry territory.

 

[Ichthys]

Yes you can put the plants back in. Make sure you kick the carp out of the reagent #2 bottle. They don’t tell you that in the instructions. One of the ingredients precipitates out as a white solid on the insides of the bottle and needs to be dislodged so that the shaking can dissolve it again. If you don’t do this eventually you’ll get false results.

 

[Lcc86]

Yes you can put the plants back in. Make sure you kick the carp out of the reagent #2 bottle. They don’t tell you that in the instructions. One of the ingredients precipitates out as a white solid on the insides of the bottle and needs to be dislodged so that the shaking can dissolve it again. If you don’t do this eventually you’ll get false results.

Interesting! I give it a bit of a bang but maybe not hard enough, will definitely give that a go tomorrow and then get planting!

 

[Lcc86]

These are my latest results so I'm thinking we're good to go with adding my fish... store is closed today but perhaps tomorrow.

 

[Ichthys]

Can’t read those against a non-white background in dim lighting. Ammonia looks greenish?

 

[Lcc86]

Can’t read those against a non-white background in dim lighting. Ammonia looks greenish?

Sorry was my fault I did it late last night and lighting isn't great. Ammonia was def 0 as I held it up to the light. Nitrite also 0 and nitrate 5. I'm out all day today (wish I wasn't cos I'm getting soaked) so won't be able to test in better light conditions to get a good picture!

 

[Ichthys]

Ok, sounds good then.

 

[Lcc86]

Ok, sounds good then.

Thanks anything to look out for when I add the fish (single betta) in terms of any changes in ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Last time I set up a new tank I swapped everything over from previous tank so this is the first time doing it from scratch in years.

 

[Ichthys]

Ammonia and nitrite should remain zero. Have you been adding ammonia? Fish food, and the fish itself, will not produce as much, so you shouldn’t see any.

 

[Essjay]

anything to look out for when I add the fish (single betta) in terms of any changes in ammonia/nitrite/nitrate?

I would just test daily for ammonia and nitrite until I was sure they stayed at zero. After a few days of zero you'll know everything's OK.

 

[Lcc86]

Okay thanks both. I'm quite a nervous fish owner haha and any time I add a fish I get paranoid so probably overthinking.