Fishless cycling... totally confused 8n

[metropolis93fan]

@Rocky998 (Moving this here)

I'm cycling a 5 gallon tank for a single betta. I was advised to do just 1 ppm ammonia to start it. I did this July 2. July 3 I added a ton of Tetra bb and then left home until yesterday (10th) because I was having surgery on the 7th. One of the first things I did after getting back and resting a bit (6 hour surgery so no joke) I tested the water. I did again today. They were the same both times. And I'm not finding what to do in either guide here. (Granted I'm on pain meds but right now am fairly lucid).

pH is high but was told when cycling that's normal. I didn't bother to do high pH. It read 7.6 with the regular test.
Nitrite and nitrate is 0 ppm. Ammonia has gone down to .5 ppm. What's going on? Help please! I need this tank cycled asap. Mom's fish not doing well in his stupid 1.5.
(For those not familiar she just HAD to get a betta when I did mid Jan but would go no smaller than a 1.5. Sigh. I felt obligated to help. But knew it would never be good. She finally gave up on him. Gave him to me. I won't keep him in that thing so want this tank cycled asap. Spent money I didn't have while disability to get it set up properly.)

 

[Rocky998]

@Rocky998 (Moving this here)

I'm cycling a 5 gallon tank for a single betta. I was advised to do just 1 ppm ammonia to start it. I did this July 2. July 3 I added a ton of Tetra bb and then left home until yesterday (10th) because I was having surgery on the 7th. One of the first things I did after getting back and resting a bit (6 hour surgery so no joke) I tested the water. I did again today. They were the same both times. And I'm not finding what to do in either guide here. (Granted I'm on pain meds but right now am fairly lucid).

pH is high but was told when cycling that's normal. I didn't bother to do high pH. It read 7.6 with the regular test.
Nitrite and nitrate is 0 ppm. Ammonia has gone down to .5 ppm. What's going on? Help please! I need this tank cycled asap. Mom's fish not doing well in his stupid 1.5.
(For those not familiar she just HAD to get a betta when I did mid Jan but would go no smaller than a 1.5. Sigh. I felt obligated to help. But knew it would never be good. She finally gave up on him. Gave him to me. I won't keep him in that thing so want this tank cycled asap. Spent money I didn't have while disability to get it set up properly.)

What test kit are you using? Strip tests can give inaccurate readings a lot of times.
The bacteria from the bottle could still be "moving in" so may not register on the tests as well.
But I would try to keep the ammonia level at 1ppm if possible. The bacteria are "eating" the ammonia which is good but then later the nitrites and nitrates will most likely spike

 

[Rocky998]

Spent money I didn't have while disability to get it set up properly.)

That's not good. While I appreciate your willingness to help, you need to help yourself before being able to care for other things. (Not saying that in a bad way).
If the tank NEEDS to wait it can wait. Especially if your health is at risk

 

[metropolis93fan]

What test kit are you using? Strip tests can give inaccurate readings a lot of times.
The bacteria from the bottle could still be "moving in" so may not register on the tests as well.
But I would try to keep the ammonia level at 1ppm if possible. The bacteria are "eating" the ammonia which is good but then later the nitrites and nitrates will most likely spike

Using the API kit with test tubes, not the strips. Knew better than that. As for getting things... I used my Amazon card for almost everything. Nearly maxed it and it's what I use for otc stuff my doctors want me to take. But I hated to rehome him. Everything is bought now so I just have to pray he makes it through the cycling. Other option I suppose is rehome him and get another fish when I'm cycled. But Mom won't like it. I dunno. We'll see how he does this week before I have to leave him this weekend. I hate doing that even for a couple of days but no getting around it really.

 

[metropolis93fan]

That's not good. While I appreciate your willingness to help, you need to help yourself before being able to care for other things. (Not saying that in a bad way).
If the tank NEEDS to wait it can wait. Especially if your health is at risk

I'll add ammonia when I get up

 

[Rocky998]

Sounds like your on track!
I could be missing something so maybe @Essjay can comment as well...

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

Why don't you just do a fish-in cycle? It would be significantly better than keeping your mom's betta in a 1.5 gallon because it is easier to control water parameters when there is a higher volume. You'll need to do a lot of water changes while doing fish-in cycling to keep levels safe but it's the better option imo.

 

[Lajos_Detari]

Don't worry too much if you are going to have a single fish only.
Most tank will take a minimum of 3 weeks for it to be stabilised. Usually it will take 1-1.5 months for it to be stabilised.

By the way, what filter are you using?

Do not clean your filter during the first month when your bacteria is still growing.

If you really need to use the tank, just do a large water change (80-90%) before putting in the fish.
When your tank is new, feed only 2-3 times a week to reduce ammonia.
Do large water change frequently to keep the ammonia down when you have fish in it.
Actually it's easy to deal with ammonia especially when you don't have many fish.
You just need to do frequent water change.
Also, keep using the Tetra Safe Start (beneficial bacteria) everyday.

 

[Rocky998]

Why don't you just do a fish-in cycle? It would be significantly better than keeping your mom's betta in a 1.5 gallon because it is easier to control water parameters when there is a higher volume. You'll need to do a lot of water changes while doing fish-in cycling to keep levels safe but it's the better option imo.

This is true... It's only one fish. But it can be risky at times and with how busy her schedule is, what if she has to do water change but is unable to?... It could be bad. But if she wants to take the risk she can

 

[becky412]

What test kit are you using? Strip tests can give inaccurate readings a lot of times.
The bacteria from the bottle could still be "moving in" so may not register on the tests as well.
But I would try to keep the ammonia level at 1ppm if possible. The bacteria are "eating" the ammonia which is good but then later the nitrites and nitrates will most likely spike

Yep, I found out the hard way strip test are crap!!!! and ended up draining a 55gallon tank, filling 1/2 way, testing and then draining again x3 times until I could get below 1ppm. Here are pics of my tests, strips versus API Master test. Ammonia test with API made up it's own color..

 

[Colin_T]

How was your surgery, no complications and all went well I hope?

The filter will take a few weeks to get going. If you were up to it I would say do a fish in cycle with big regular water changes. However, that probably isn't going to happen straight after surgery.

You could do a fish in cycle and have lots of live plants and only feed 1-2 times a week for a few weeks or until you feel better. The plants would use some or all of the ammonia and you wouldn't have to worry about trying to cycle the tank.

--------------------
Beneficial filter bacteria grows best in water with a pH above 6.0. Having a pH of 7.6 is fine and the pH is not normally affected by cycling the tank.

Things you can do to help speed up the cycling process include:
Increase water temperature to 30C. This increases the bacteria's metabolism and they grow and reproduce faster. Have a cover on the tank to hold heat in and if possible, insulate the base back and sides of the tank to reduce heat loss and save power.

Have lots of aeration. Filter bacteria love oxygen rich water.

Keep the pH above 7.0 and the KH above 50ppm. If the KH drops, the bacteria can stop growing or grow at a slower rate. If the KH or pH drops, drain the tank and refill it with dechlorinated water and continue cycling.

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

This is true... It's only one fish. But it can be risky at times and with how busy her schedule is, what if she has to do water change but is unable to?... It could be bad. But if she wants to take the risk she can

Imo it's still better then the fish sitting in a 1.5 which I assume is uncycled too. The water quality is probably worse in the smaller tank which would also require a lot of WCs to keep under control.

 

[Rocky998]

Imo it's still better then the fish sitting in a 1.5 which I assume is uncycled too. The water quality is probably worse in the smaller tank which would also require a lot of WCs to keep under control.

Yes that is also a very valid point I have to agree with fully on bit I will also mention the fish has been living in that 1.5 meaning that during its time in there the tank MAY have just cycled

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

Yes that is also a very valid point I have to agree with fully on bit I will also mention the fish has been living in that 1.5 meaning that during its time in there the tank MAY have just cycled

Unless the 1.5 has a filter then probably not.

 

[Rocky998]

Unless the 1.5 has a filter then probably not.

Well not really. Bacteria can grow on anything. But water movement does help