Fish Cycle

[MarkX]

Hi Everyone

I am cycling with zebras and everything is fine

I have read and looked at the graphs of how the water testing should go

My readings after w eek and a half are

Am 0
PH 7.3
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40

The readings had been all 0 but I seem to have some Nitrate

I was of the belief that i would see an increase in Ammonia followed by Nitrite then this being turned into Nitrates

Have I missed the other two spikes (I am testing every other day) or are they still to come

I know that q is very difficult to answer but some views would be great

Tank is 125l and there are 6 zebras

Thanks

MarkX

 

[WILDER]

According to them results it has cycled, do you add any filter media, or gravel from another tank.

 

[daza]

remember that there is normally some nitrate present in the tap water. If the nitrate was also at zero before then it does seem like it has cycled.

 

[MarkX]

Thanks

BUT

Isn't that a bit quick or can that happen?? I was of the feeling that this was going to take 4/6 weeks

Would it be useful to leave things for a while to get a few more readings?


MarkX

 

[yvez9]

yes
wait at least 3-4 days and make sure readings are stable

you don't have a lot of fish for such a big tank, maybe that's why your results are the way they are...

 

[daza]

it does seem a little quick, but I have never cycled using fish so I don't really know.

Proabably the best way to proceed is to continue taking water readings every day, if everything stays as it is for a while then I guess it has indeed cycled.


edit...yvez9 said it all first

 

[MarkX]

You are saying that i maybe do not have enough fish for a 125l tank

Do you suggest three or four more ???

 

[yvez9]

edit...yvez9 said it all first

What can I say? I'm that good

 

[yvez9]

I think you should wait at least a week to see

if nothing shows up after another week, add 2 more fish.

then monitor for 2 weeks and go from there

 

[The Mohave Kid]

Hello Folks ...

I tested the water that was used to transport my fish home from the local fish shop .. it was at least and maybe more then 100 ppm Nitrate ... Perhaps you added some of the shop water to the tank ???

My local water has 0 ppm Nitrates.

I've been fish cycling for three weeks in a 20 gallon tank ( 15 gallons water ) with 9 small fish ( about 9 inches fish ) .. the first 24 hours I recorded 0.25 ppm Ammonia / day.

Good Day ....

 

[Slyspy]

Test your tap (or whatever source you use) water to find the nitrate content. If that reads 40 then you know the tank as not cycled. If the readings are different then add new fish very slowly because as you say it has been a very short time cycling and you don't want to make a costly and fatal mistake.

 

[CTS]

I hope it works fast like that. I just set up a 50 gal tank for tropical fish. and when i came home my girlefriend had put in 5 goldfish to start my cycle for me. (What a sweetheart). So once my cycle is compleate im gonna give them to a school or a old folks home.

 

[TESS]

My nitrates in my tap water are 40, maybe its your tap water, your tank will start cycling soon as mine did on the second week.

 

[WILDER]

40 nitrate poor thing that's high, I moaned when mine was 12, as you think you are losing the battle.