# Tank cycled already???



## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Hi all,

Not sure if I'm doing this right, but I set up my tank three days ago and have been using the API test kit each day.

I should say, I put JBL Denitrol Aquarium Starter in the tank as well as a few flakes of fish food.

The first three readings are attached as pics (day 1 and day 3 are virtually identical, but day 1 is the one with a bit of red in the background).

Does the fact that the levels clearly spiked on day 2 and now have gone back down mean the tank is already cycled? I thought it was going to take closer to 3/4 weeks at best (with the aquarium starter).

Also, the tank is super cloudy now - is that normal?

Thanks in advance!


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

The cloudiness is just a bacterial bloom which is completely normal in a new tank and it should clear on its own. 

I'm not entirely sure what happened when you had that nitrite spike, but I'd be hesitant to say the tank has cycled. I'm also baffled as to where your nitrates have gone, as a tank at the end of a cycle normally would have high nitrates. Did you do a water change at all?

Edit: It also looks like you haven't had any reading for ammonia, which means you won't really know what kind of bio load your filter can currently handle. Normally when cycling with liquid ammonia you dose up to 2ppm, so you know the bacteria you've grown can cope with that much waste produced by the fish. But we don't know how much ammonia your flake food has created.

I'd say either add more flakes or grab yourself a bottle of liquid ammonia so you can be sure where your cycle is at.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Thanks again Magpie - I really appreciate your help. I’ve now purchase some ammonia as you’ve suggested, will put some in tonight and see if that helps. I don’t suppose you know how much I should put into a 125 litre tank? I have ammonia that says it’s 5- 9.5% ammonia (don’t know what the rest of it is. It’s knock out household ammonia, by Barrettine.

FYI, since day 3, even though I added more flakes, I’ve pretty much had a zero reading on everything. 


Also, as you rightly said, the tank water was pretty much clear again now too.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Hi @magpie, I







Just put in about 2.5ml of ammonia and got this. I think I'm somewhere between the 1 and 2 ppm range. Will add a drop more ammonia to be sure, then after that at I right to think all I do now is keep testing and wait for the ammonia to go down and for the other readings to spike and drop also? 
Would I need to put the ammonia in more than once?


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

MrsM2014 said:


> Just put in about 2.5ml of ammonia and got this. I think I'm somewhere between the 1 and 2 ppm range. Will add a drop more ammonia to be sure, then after that at I right to think all I do now is keep testing and wait for the ammonia to go down and for the other readings to spike and drop also?
> Would I need to put the ammonia in more than once?


I'm currently cycling a 60 litre tank and I added 3ml of ammonia to mine to get it to 2ppm. Mine might be a different concentration than yours though (mine is Dr Tim's & is sold specifically for aquariums), but just to give you something to compare it to.

You will need to keep dosing the ammonia, any time it drops to under 0.5ppm I would dose it back up to 2ppm. That's because the bacteria that you are growing need to be constantly fed to keep them alive. If you let the ammonia drop to nothing without adding more the bacteria will start to die off. If you get stuck or confused about what to do next just ask though


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Thanks - that’s helpful. I guess, what I still don’t get though is how do I know when the tank is cycled? At what point should I be able to stop issuing ammonia at all and put fish into it? 

is there any harm in dosing a higher amount, eg to get the ammonia to 4ppm? Perhaps if there is more ammonia then the process would move more quickly?


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

MrsM2014 said:


> Thanks - that's helpful. I guess, what I still don't get though is how do I know when the tank is cycled? At what point should I be able to stop issuing ammonia at all and put fish into it?
> 
> is there any harm in dosing a higher amount, eg to get the ammonia to 4ppm? Perhaps if there is more ammonia then the process would move more quickly?


You can dose to a higher ppm but it won't make the cycle go faster, it will just mean that you could add more fish straight away once the cycle is done, as you will have grown more bacteria than dosing to 2ppm. Whereas normally you'd stock lightly to begin with & gradually increase the numbers, giving the filter time to mature.

There are products out there that are designed to make the cycle go faster, they contain bacteria and so give the cycle a boost. Some have better reviews than others though. Seachem stability is one that I know of.

You know you're cycled when both ammonia and nitrite drop to zero, and when you dose the ammonia again they are both back at zero in 12 hours.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Ahhh, got it - so it essentially needs to be able to pass 12 hour check/test, the we know it’s good to go. We did initially put some live bacteria (from a bottle) when we first set up the tank, but I don’t know if they have done anything or if they are even still “live”. Will continue as you have advised and hopefully we will have a cycled tank sooner rather than later

Thanks so much!


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Hi @magpie,

I would be grateful for your advice again. Since I started putting ammonia in the tank, I haven't had a hint of nitrite or nitrate. But I'm wondering if I've cause an issue, because I added too much ammonia to the tank and ultimately got to perhaps around 8ppm. I also poured in som more of that live bacteria in a bottle stuff, which I think is what made the tank cloudy again. Looking at it today the ammonia is now around the 2ppm range (taken about 10 days to get to this point), perhaps a bit higher. I'm wondering whether at this point I should take all the water out and start again. Or just be patient.


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

MrsM2014 said:


> Hi @magpie,
> 
> I would be grateful for your advice again. Since I started putting ammonia in the tank, I haven't had a hint of nitrite or nitrate. But I'm wondering if I've cause an issue, because I added too much ammonia to the tank and ultimately got to perhaps around 8ppm. I also poured in som more of that live bacteria in a bottle stuff, which I think is what made the tank cloudy again. Looking at it today the ammonia is now around the 2ppm range (taken about 10 days to get to this point), perhaps a bit higher. I'm wondering whether at this point I should take all the water out and start again. Or just be patient.


I'd wait it out. If the ammonia has come down then it must be being processed which means things are starting to get going, and you should be seeing some nitrites very soon. Make sure you check your pH too, as if it drops too low it can stall the cycle (which just happened to me, lol!).


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

MrsM2014 said:


> Hi @magpie,
> 
> I would be grateful for your advice again. Since I started putting ammonia in the tank, I haven't had a hint of nitrite or nitrate. But I'm wondering if I've cause an issue, because I added too much ammonia to the tank and ultimately got to perhaps around 8ppm. I also poured in som more of that live bacteria in a bottle stuff, which I think is what made the tank cloudy again. Looking at it today the ammonia is now around the 2ppm range (taken about 10 days to get to this point), perhaps a bit higher. I'm wondering whether at this point I should take all the water out and start again. Or just be patient.


If you're using bottled bacteria to speed up the cycle, you might not see a nitrite spike, but nitrate should go through the roof. This is why I, personally, don't recommend them.

FFR (For Future Reference), if ammonia or nitrite get too high, it can cause a cycle to stall. 2-3ppm is fine - and more than the fish themselves will produce. 8ppm ammonia, and/or 5ppm nitrite is too high.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

LinznMilly said:


> If you're using bottled bacteria to speed up the cycle, you might not see a nitrite spike, but nitrate should go through the roof. This is why I, personally, don't recommend them.
> 
> FFR (For Future Reference), if ammonia or nitrite get too high, it can cause a cycle to stall. 2-3ppm is fine - and more than the fish themselves will produce. 8ppm ammonia, and/or 5ppm nitrite is too high.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Thanks @LinznMilly and @magpie.

I fear things may have stalled, I'm seeing no nitrates or nitrites and the ammonia doesn't seem to be dropping any further (still somewhere between 2 and 4 I'd say). The natural pH of our water is high, so around 8.2 I think and that doesn't seem to have changed.

It's coming up to 3 weeks now, is there a point at which you think I should just cut my losses, take the water out and start again?

This birthday present for my husband feels feels like a bit of a damp squib at the moment.


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## LinznMilly (Jun 24, 2011)

MrsM2014 said:


> Thanks @LinznMilly and @magpie.
> 
> I fear things may have stalled, I'm seeing no nitrates or nitrites and the ammonia doesn't seem to be dropping any further (still somewhere between 2 and 4 I'd say). The natural pH of our water is high, so around 8.2 I think and that doesn't seem to have changed.
> 
> ...


You'll get there, don't worry.

Run an ammonia test on your tapwater. It should be 0, or close to it.

What dechlorinator are you using/did you use?


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

It can take 6-8 weeks to cycle a tank, so I wouldn't be concerned just yet if it seems nothing is happening. I don't suppose you know anyone who already has a tank up & running? Some filter media from an established tank would speed things up hugely.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

LinznMilly said:


> You'll get there, don't worry.
> 
> Run an ammonia test on your tapwater. It should be 0, or close to it.
> 
> What dechlorinator are you using/did you use?


Thanks. Tap water seems to be reading zero for ammonia. I use the jbl biotropl dechlorinator.

I will try and be patient and wait a bit longer before changing out some of the water.


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## MrsM2014 (Jun 18, 2020)

Hi guys, just thought I’d update you. Since my last message I’ve done two partial water changes (25-30%) and for a couple of days had nitrate and nitrite spikes, but the levels were fairly low and the ammonia just didn’t seem to shift at all. Don’t think it’s ever dropped below 2ppm. 
Yesterday I changed pretty much all the water. I have some dr tim’s ammonia. About to put some in today and start all over again...


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