You bought your new aquarium, filled it with water. The next step is adding fish, right?
Hold up!
If you add your fish now, they will soon be dead.
Seriously.
Before you add any fish to your aquarium, there is one important thing you must do:
Cycle it!
To beginners, the nitrogen cycle is considered the most confusing part about owning an aquarium.
But don’t worry – it doesn’t have to be this way.
I am going to show you how to cycle your aquarium the right way, with fishless cycling – it’s much easier than it looks.
Contents
- What is the nitrogen cycle and why is it so important?
- The nitrogen cycle process
- What happens if you don’t cycle your aquarium?
- How long does it take to cycle your aquarium?
- How to cycle your aquarium the easy way
- FishLab’s 6-step cycle method
What is the nitrogen cycle and why is it so important?
You may have heard the terms biological cycle, nitrification process or break-in cycle. Don’t get confused, these all refer to the same thing I cover in this guide – the nitrogen cycle.
Before I show you how to perform a cycle, it’s important that you know what is going on behind the scenes.
Imagine swimming in a pool surrounded by your own pee and poop.
Sounds horrible, right?
Your fish feel the same.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a toilet for fish. So, your fish will poop and pee in the same water they swim in. That’s like you pooping in your bedroom!
As your fish’s pee, poop and other waste breaks down, it releases ammonia into the water. Ammonia is a toxic substance that will kill your fish. Death by poop? No thank you!
Luckily, nature is on your side. The nitrogen cycle prevents your fish from meeting this horrible end.
In this natural three-stage process, you encourage beneficial bacteria (good bacteria) to become established in your tank and filter, keeping your fish safe from ammonia.
Let’s take a closer look at the nitrogen cycle…
The nitrogen cycle process
See this diagram? This is the nitrogen cycle in a nutshell. Let’s break it down.
Stage 1: Ammonia (Harmful)
It begins with waste. Poop, pee, uneaten fish food and rotting plants all give off ammonia as they break down.
Ammonia will continue to build up in your tank, reaching deadly levels. That is, until a beneficial bacteria that eats it begins to form. These bacteria naturally appear in your tank on their own and once they grow in number, they can eat ammonia as quickly as it appears.
You know these bacteria are present in your aquarium when your ammonia levels begin to decline, typically after the first week. And when that happens, you know that you are entering the second stage of the nitrogen cycle…
Stage 2: Nitrites (Harmful)
As your ammonia levels begin to decline, you notice that the nitrite levels begin to rise. This is because the bacteria that eat the ammonia give off a new chemical – nitrite.[1]
Just like ammonia, nitrites are highly toxic to your fish.
But not to worry because as your nitrite levels rise, a second bacteria appears in your aquarium. It’s favorite food? Nitrites
Once this good bacteria grows in number, it can eat nitrites as quickly as they are produced.
You know this bacteria is present in your aquarium when you see your nitrite levels begin to fall. When this happens, you have entered the final stage of the nitrogen cycle.
Stage 3: Nitrates (Harmless)
As your nitrite levels decline, you notice that the nitrate levels rise. This is because the bacteria that eat nitrites give off a new chemical – nitrate.[2]
Nitrates are the final product of the nitrogen cycle. And, they are relatively harmless to your aquarium, at least in small amounts.
But as nitrates build up, they can become toxic to your fish. Fortunately, nitrates can be lowered back to harmless levels by performing a water change. In fact, this is one of the reasons why you should be performing regular water changes on your aquarium.
And, that’s really all there is to the nitrogen cycle!
That wasn’t so hard, was it?
When you cycle your aquarium, you are simply forcing your tank to undergo the nitrogen cycle.
The reason you need to cycle your aquarium is so that these two beneficial bacteria can grow to the point that they can eat the harmful ammonia and nitrites as quickly as they produced.
At this point, you can consider your aquarium effectively cycled.
It’s important to understand that the nitrogen cycle is continuous. While you can’t see it, this cycle is constantly happening in your aquarium, keeping your fish safe from harm.
What happens if you don’t cycle your aquarium?
The nitrogen cycle is a funny thing in that it’s going to happen whether you want it to or not.
If you add your fish to an uncycled aquarium, the food and poop breaking down is going to introduce ammonia, which kick-starts the cycling process.
In fact, this is the very idea behind fish-in cycling – a method of cycling an aquarium that is best left to the experts.
Just one problem…
You see, your fish are in the tank while toxic ammonia and nitrite levels rise. To say these things are dangerous to your fish is an understatement.
This toxic environment is incredibly harsh on your fish – most fish cannot survive this cycle, and the ones that do are more susceptible to disease and don’t live as long.
So while a tank may cycle itself without any effort on your part, there is no guarantee that your brand new fish will survive it.
Unfortunately, if you have already bought fish to go with your new tank, a fish-in cycle maybe your only option.
If you are in this unfortunate position, don’t panic. I created a fish-in cycling guide that will give your fish the best chance of survival.
How long does it take to cycle your aquarium?
The other day I was stocking up on supplies at a major pet store. In the next aisle, I overheard a conversation between an employee and shopper who wanted to buy a pet fish.
I won’t bore you with the details, but the employee was working hard to pitch this shopper a new tank – claiming that modern tanks only take one day to cycle. After this 24-hour period, it’s safe for fish.
Those of you with a bit of experience will see right through this lie.
But for those of you who are new to the hobby, cycling your aquarium is going to take a lot longer than that!
How long?
Depending on who you ask, cycling your aquarium can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months.
The best answer:
It will be finished when it’s finished.
If you are lucky, your cycle might be short. But don’t be upset if it takes longer – we’ve all been there before and it sucks!
The problem is that the bacteria you introduce in the cycle grow very slowly. And all you can do is wait.
It is for this reason that you should cycle your aquarium before you buy your fish. Don’t add them to your aquarium before it has cycled.
Remember… Cycling isn’t an instant process. But you have to do it if you are planning on keeping happy and healthy fish.
But don’t stress – I’ll cover some tricks that you can use to speed up the cycling timeline later in this guide.
If you do not have the patience to cycle your aquarium, then fish are not the right pet for you.
How to cycle your aquarium the easy way
There are two ways to cycle your aquarium:
Fishless cycle – A beginner-friendly and harmless method to cycle your aquarium
Fish-in cycling – Recommended only for experts because this method could potentially kill your fish
As you probably guessed, this guide covers cycling a tank without risking the lives of fish. And, it is the most popular and common technique used to cycle aquariums.
Note: There are many ways to perform a fishless cycle. This beginner-friendly method, if followed step-by-step, is almost foolproof.
What do you need to perform a fishless cycle?
When it comes to cycling your aquarium, you only need three products…
1. An aquarium test kit
The nitrogen cycle is an invisible process. The only way to truly understand what is happening inside your tank is to test for it. And, the most popular way to do that is with an aquarium test kit.
I recommend buying a master test kit like the one above because it contains every test that you need to cycle your aquarium at one low cost.
Learn how a test kit works. Check out FishLab’s aquarium test kit guide.
2. Ammonia
Instead of waiting for waste to break down into ammonia, add it directly. This will make it easier to keep ammonia levels constant.
Important: Use 100% pure ammonia. Many household ammonias contain scents and additives, and this is going to kill your cycle before you even start. Stick to pure ammonia, like the one above.
3. Dechlorinator
Are you using tap water to fill your aquarium? Be aware that it contains chloramine and chlorine, two chemicals that kill beneficial bacteria in your tank.
Fear not! Adding a good water conditioner to your aquarium will dechlorinate your water, making it safe for the beneficial bacteria (and fish when you finally add them).
Use this whenever you add tap water to your aquarium.
Have these on hand? Good. You are now going to learn how to cycle your aquarium in 6 simple steps.
FishLab’s 6-step cycle method
Cycling your aquarium is easy…
As long as you carefully follow the instructions!
So, slow down and make sure you understand each step before moving to the next. If you don’t, you risk ruining the cycle. And if that happens, you will have to start over.
Step 1. Set up your aquarium
You know all that equipment you got with your aquarium? Well, you need to set all that up.
Heater, filter, air pump, substrate, plants… Get it in there.
Why do you need your tank fully set up?
Well, beneficial bacteria needs a surface to cling to, namely your substrate and filter media. In fact, most of the bacteria will call your filter home.
Once your tank is set up, you want to keep any electrical equipment, such as heaters, bubblers and filters, switched on throughout the cycling process. Doing so encourages the beneficial bacteria to grow and may even make your tank cycle faster.
Note: Beneficial bacterial prefer temperature between 65-85 degrees Fahrenheit. Growth is slower outside of this temperature range – which can cause your cycle to take longer to complete. Check your water temperature with an accurate aquarium thermometer.
Step 1 Summary
- Set up your aquarium
- Turn on all electrical equipment
Step 2: Check your pH
This is perhaps one of the most commonly missed steps when it comes to cycling your tank – and a common cause of failed cycles.
You see, the cycling process can slow down or even stop if the pH level of your water drops below 7.
Since the master test kit includes a pH test, it would be silly not to use it now.
So, check the water you added to your aquarium with your test kit. If it’s below 7, you need to raise your pH before moving to the next step.
Good news! This won’t be a problem for most of you because the majority of water supplies across the United States test at a pH that is greater than 7.
Even so, you want to continue performing pH tests throughout the cycling process. You see, the beneficial bacteria in your tank give off acids that lower the water pH over time.
If you notice that your pH levels drop under 7, a simple 20% water change is all that’s needed to raise the pH and get the cycle going again.
So, make sure you test your pH regularly and adjust it if needed.
Step 2 Summary
- Test the pH of your water
- Adjust when lower than 7 pH
Step 3: Add your ammonia
In a brand new tank, there won’t be any waste, meaning nothing to break down into ammonia. So, we must add it ourselves.
Simply take your Fritz Ammonia and read the instructions.
At the time of writing this, one level teaspoon of Fritz Ammonia per 100 gallons of water will give you an ammonia level of 4 parts per million (ppm).
You need to know how much water is in your aquarium in order to add the correct amount of ammonia. Use FishLab’s gallon calculator if you are unsure of just how much water your tank holds.
So, measure out your ammonia…
Fish tanks less than 40 gallons: Aim for 2 ppm
Fish tanks more than 40 gallons: Aim for 4 ppm
While you can steal the measuring spoons from your kitchen, I recommend having a dedicated set of measuring tools for your aquarium.
You now want to make sure that you have added the correct amount of ammonia. And to do this you are going to use your aquarium test kit, which will give you a result in ppm
But before you do that, you want to let the ammonia sit for an hour, so that it evenly distributes throughout the water. Next, measure the ammonia levels using the ammonia test from your master test kit – Make sure you follow the instructions provided by the test kit for accurate results.
If your ammonia readings are less than the above levels, add more ammonia and re-test.
If your ammonia levels are higher, perform a water change. Doing so will swap out your high-ammonia water with ammonia-free water, lowering the levels.
Record the amount of ammonia that you added. You will need that information in the rest of the steps.
Ammonia levels higher than 5 ppm can actually slow down the cycling process.
Now, the next part will test your patience. Check your ammonia levels each day with the test kit. This is as much as you can do for now. You are waiting for your ammonia levels to drop.
This typically takes a week. Once a week has passed, it’s time to move onto the next step.
See you next week!
Step 3 Summary
- Add ammonia to your aquarium
- Daily testing to monitor ammonia levels
- Don’t forget to test the pH every few days
Step 4: The ammonia eating bacteria appears
After a week has passed, it’s time to test for nitrites. So, grab your nitrite test kit and check the levels.
If your test comes back positive, congratulations – your cycle has officially started!
Now, it’s important to remember that this bacteria feeds on ammonia. And the only thing adding ammonia to this aquarium is you. If your ammonia levels reach zero, this bacteria will starve, and you will have to start your cycle all over again.
So, we are going to give this bacteria a little more food. Add half the amount of ammonia that you added on day one, but make sure that your ammonia levels remain under 5 ppm.
Now what you want to do is monitor your nitrites, testing daily. You should notice the nitrite levels continue to rise. Once you see your nitrite levels start to drop, it’s time to move onto the next step.
See you again in a few days!
Step 4 Summary
- Once nitrites are detected, add a half dose of ammonia
- Ensure ammonia levels are less than 5 ppm (but greater than 0 ppm)
- Daily testing of ammonia and nitrite levels
- Don’t forget to test the pH every few days
Step 5: The nitrite eating bacteria appears
To confirm that the nitrite drop is due to the beneficial bacteria, use your test kit to check for nitrates. If they are present, you are now in the final stage of cycling your tank.
Now, we still want to make sure that the bacteria has enough food to eat. So add a half dose of ammonia as needed, each day if you have too, to keep the levels above 1 ppm.
Continue testing. When you can add a half dose of ammonia and both your ammonia and nitrite levels read zero 24 hours later, your nitrogen cycle is complete.
Woo! Home stretch… Just one more step to make it official!
Step 5 Summary
- Test to confirm nitrates
- Daily testing of ammonia and nitrite levels
- Add half doses of ammonia every few days
- When both ammonia and nitrites show <0.2 ppm, swap to daily dosing
- Test until both ammonia and nitrites read zero 24 hours after dosing
- Don’t forget to test the pH every few days
Step 6: The Final Test
You are so close. You just want to make sure that your tank is fully cycled. To do that, one last test is in order…
Once your ammonia and nitrite levels reach zero, add a full dose of Fritz Ammonia, the same amount that you added on day one. Now, will need to wait one last time…
Check back in 24 hours. Test your ammonia and nitrite levels. If both read zero….
Congratulations!
Your patience has paid off, and your tank is now fully cycled.
If you record your test kit readings each day, you will have a clear understanding of the nitrogen cycle.
This chart is from the last time I cycled my tank:
It took me 28 days to cycle the aquarium.
You see a distinct rise and fall of ammonia and nitrites as the beneficial bacteria become established in the tank. You can also see how nitrates drop at each water change.
I highly recommend recording the results of your test kits each day. Not only will it give you a better understanding of what is happening in your tank, but you can also use the results for troubleshooting.
Now that your tank is cycled, the bacteria colonies are large enough to remove ammonia and nitrites as quickly as they are produced…This nasty stuff won’t be harming your fish anytime soon!
But before you add your fish, you want to perform a water change to remove those built up nitrates.
Speaking of which… You should add your fish to your tank now. If you don’t plan on adding fish just yet, keep dosing the tank with ammonia daily. This will ensure that the beneficial bacteria don’t starve. If the bacteria starve and dye, you are going to have to cycle your fish-tank all over again.
It might have felt like a lot of effort, but your hard work will be rewarded once you see just how healthy and happy your fish are. And, it’s all thanks to your newly cycled tank!
Conclusion
Phew, you did it! You should be proud of yourself. Your patience has paid off, and your tank is now cycled.
By cycling your aquarium, you give your fish the best possible chance to live a happy and healthy life.
Just remember that once started, the nitrogen cycle consistently runs in the background of your aquarium.
But you are not home free just yet.
You still need to continuously monitor your ammonia and nitrite levels to ensure that something hasn’t gone wrong. I recommend that you include testing your tank as part of your maintenance routine.
How did you cycle your aquarium? Let me know in the comments below!
I also use this site as an excuse to spend lots of money on testing and reviewing different aquarium products! You can find my reviews here.
I am currently doing a fishless cycle and my ammonia is cycling very quickly, and I am needing to add ammonia every day to keep the nitrite working which I believe is a good thing. I tested nitrates twice carefully about 4 days ago and I had about 10-20ppm concentration of nitrates and I thought I would be close to finishing, but the nitrates have stalled or maybe even fallen reading somewhere around 5-10ppm on multiple tests I’ve done. Also, nitrite levels are consistently high and there has consistently been a high # of nitrites for about a week and a half or so now so I believe there is plenty of nitrites to sustain the nitrates, especially considering how quickly it is cycling ammonia. Is there any reason for a nitrate drop/stall??? I did not do any water change, and I am wondering if I can have too many nitrites for the nitrates.
Hi Johnathan,
If you are not removing the nitrates (filtration, water changes, chemicals) then they shouldn’t be going down. Are you checking your tests in natural daylight? Indoor lighting can often skew the colors and return an incorrect result.
I just wanted to say that I tested again today in natural light and yes it came back higher and more towards what I was expecting, thanks for the advice, and I must say thank you so much for this webpage, this article, and your help for me and everyone in the comments. I truly appreciate everything you’ve done here and you’ve helped make starting a new aquarium much easier.
Thanks and if I have any questions I’ll be sure to come here again.
I have one question that I’d like to add… I’ll be out of town on from Friday afternoon until Monday morning and won’t be here to add ammonia to the tank to keep the bacteria fed. It cycles ammonia so quickly, I was wondering, will the bacteria will be fine without adding any ammonia Saturday or Sunday? & generally, if you have an idea of how long nitrites and nitrates will be okay without adding any ammonia during the fishless cycle.
Just from what I’ve seen, my nitrites are eating up all the ammonia in under 24 hours and I’m just waiting for the nitrates to catch up and it seems I’m about done with my cycle & I’m worried about leaving them ammonia-free for about 2.5 days.
Hmmm, this is an interesting problem. I’m actually unsure as to how a tank in your position (end of the cycle) would react to going a couple of days, especially since it’s eating up the ammonia within a 24 hour period. Are you able to pre-measure out 2-4 ppm of ammonia and have someone add it to the tank each day while you are away? That would be ideal. Otherwise it’s an experiment as to whether or not it will stall the cycle.
Just had another thought, if you put some fish food or something else to rot in there (like a shrimp in a stocking) that will release ammonia while you are away. I don’t really like these methods since it means you lose control over the amount of ammonia that is being produced and it can be messy to clean up.
Hi Jonathan,
I’m glad it was an easy fix! And anytime, It means the world to me that you find the information handy. I’ll be here if you need me!
Thanks again, I’ll try to see if I can’t get someone to add some ammonia that I’ve premeasured out while I’m gone.
Thank you for this guide!
I’m currently doing a fishless cycle on my 75g. There’s absolutely NOTHING in the tank because the substrate I want to add lowers the PH .While it is taking a while to cycle, I noticed that my PH has dropped significantly and I’m unsure why. I did a 70% water change. I understand that PH lowering is normal in the cycle, but my tap water is 7.4ph. and it went down to 6ph in only a few days!
What I did was add baking soda in to higher my KH and PH. So currently, it’s sitting at around 7ph and 2kh. So my first question is.. why is my ph spiking so hard?
The second question I have is.. once my cycle is complete and I add in my substrate (ADA amazonia), which will lower PH and leech ammonia, will that crash my BB cycle? I figured I could do a couple of water changes if it’s a little bit of ammonia, but I don’t want to risk my BB dying. Should I just add in the substrate now and continue cycling?
Thank you!
Hi 75g,
There isn’t a whole lot of info to go off here. The cycle could be the cause of your lowered pH. To put it super simply, the appearance of nitrite and nitrate can cause the pH to lower. In an established tank, this likely won’t be an issue since a water change will bring your pH back to a base level. Unless you have soft water, that is. Which it sounds like it may be the case. If you have soft water you’ll also need to take the steps of maintaining KH, for more info, read this guide.
https://fishlab.com/aquarium-kh/
Adding ammonia won’t crash your cycle. In fact, the opposite, it will encourage more BB to grow. However, while your BB plays catch up, there will be an excess of ammonia in the tank. As the BB grows in number, it will match the ammonia produced and leave it at a constant 0, as per your test kit – generally you would add any substrate before you start cycling, I would add it now if you have not already. Hope this helps!
Thanks for posting the article. Strange it doesn’t mention use of seeding tank using a commercial beneficial bacteria such as Fritz Aquatics TurboStart.
Hi William,
Thanks for the kind words. I generally don’t recommend bacterial boosters. While they *may* help your tank cycle faster, there is no guarantee and I have seen tanks cycle just as quickly without them. In some instances, tanks with beneficial boosters take longer to cycle. It is for that reason that I try not to recommend products beginners don’t need – they are spending enough money as it is. With that said, if you want to experiment with bottled bacteria, you won’t harm your tank. I typically recommend Tetra Safe Start or Dr Tims One and Only (it’s the same stuff)
Hi Ian,
I’ve been cycling a 5 gallon tank for a little while now and I think I’m getting close. In the last 2 days my ammonia levels have dropped dramatically (almost too fast) from 4ppm and I’ve kept adding ammonia to make sure I have enough to feed the nitrites. My nitrites however seem to be stuck at around 2ppm although my nitrates have gone up finally to about 40ppm. Do I continue to wait at this point or should I do a water change to lower the nitrites and hopefully give it a boost to help it drop even further on its own?
I never had a real understanding of how to maintain fish until I found your article so I give you many thanks.
Hi Lou,
Thanks for the lovely feedback, I’m so glad you are finding it useful. You can wait it out but a water change won’t go astray (50% will roughly cut ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in half) You’ll need to do multiple water changes to get the nitrates back down at the end anyway (ideally under 10) Don’t forget to re-dose ammonia back up after the change. It sounds like it’s just a bit more waiting and you’ll get there – everything is looking really positive.
Hi there. I know it’s a long shot commenting here, but maybe you can help me.
I’ve been following this guide to set up my new 29 gallon aquarium. As far as I can tell, my cycle seems to be stalled. Now, being a complete beginner with a brand new tank, this may not be as abnormal as I perceive it to be, but basically, it’s been 12 days since I added 2ppm of ammonia to my tank to start my cycle, and there’s been no sign of nitrites or nitrates. On day 8, I added some StartSmart Complete to try and kickstart it, but nothing happened; yesterday morning I added API Quick Start, and today, still nothing. My ammonia is still reading 2ppm and my nitrites and nitrates are 0.
Do you have any idea what could be causing this? For reference, my tank stays at 72 degrees, and my pH is fine at 8.2.
Hi Kara,
Diagnosing a stalled cycle online can be difficult. Here are the most common causes of a stalled cycle at the ammonia phase
Do you have a filter with biomedia set up (Beneficial bacteria needs a home)?
Are you running a UV Sterlizer (This can kill free-floating beneficial bacteria that has just entered your tank, before it clings)?
Does any product you have added to your tank remove nitrite from the water (Any product that remove nitrites will stop the cycle from progressing)?
Oh, wow, thank you for replying so quickly! To answer your questions, I’m using an Aqua Clear filter which includes a foam insert, activated carbon and BioMax ceramic rings; I’m not running a UV Sterilizer; and I don’t believe any product I have added to the tank removes nitrites. The only products I’ve added (besides Seachem Prime to dechlorinate the water) are StartSmart Complete and API Quick Start, both of which are nitrifying bacteria.
I’m wondering if the relatively low temperature of the tank is causing the conversion to be slow. It’s the only thing I can think of at this point. I’m going to just wait another few days and see what happens, but at what point do you think I should just give up and start over?
Thanks again for the quick reply.
Hi Kara,
While 72 is on the colder side (the BB grows faster at higher temperature) it’s not going to stop your tank from cycling, it may go slower though.
If you have dechlorinated your tank, then the only other thing I can think of is the ammonia. Is it pure and free from additives? If it’s made for fish tanks it should be.
Based on the comments so far, the longest it’s taken someone to see any movement is a month. I know it’s a long time to wait but if everything else is done right, it could take that time. I’d recommend asking on a forum too, or speaking to your local dedicated fish store (not petsmart or petco) these people use the same water source as you and can help highlight problems specific to your location.
Ian,
All levels are still at 0, and the pH went up to 7.8 from 7.0. I haven’t done anything different from what I’ve been doing all along. HELP! (please 🙂
Hi Rosie,
Unfortunately, this one is one you’ll have to speak to your local fish store (not petsmart or petco) about. Nitrate doesn’t disappear and in a fully cycled tank will continue to rise. Can you double check that you are measuring correctly and taking the readings in natural day light? If ammonia and nitrite remain at zero then the only way nitrate will stay at zero is if you are doing something to remove it, either by water changes or by nitrate removing product.
PH increasing is typically due to an increase in KH, you can read more on KH here:
https://fishlab.com/aquarium-kh/
Goodness, this is an adventure.
I am 16 and this is my first time owning a fish – or any pet in general – and I’m determined not to mess anything up. So I haven’t bought my fish yet and am currently 19 days into the (fishless) cycling process (although it feels like 3 months) for my 5 gallon tank. For the first 10 days, I tried cycling my tank using a different method I’d read about; adding fish food 2x a day which supplies the ammonia. My nitrite levels went up to 0.25ppm and then dropped back to 0 and my ammonia levels went up to 4 ppm and then dropped down to 2 ppm at the same time as the nitrite drop.
Thank the good Lord I found your article because my entire being was about ready to toss the whole thing out of the window and let it be. I stopped adding fish food (it was making the tank disgusting, anyways) and started adding pure ammonia instead. Things were looking really good, other than significantly cloudy water, for the next 6 days. The ammonia started to drop and the nitrite started to rise. My water tests detected nitrate on day 16 as well (40ppm). I’m on day 19 and all the levels are dropping. The nitrate is at 8ppm, the nitrite is at 2ppm, and here’s my problem- I’ve been fighting with the ammonia levels. On day 17, it dropped to 0. I immediately added ammonia and it took 18 drops just to get it up to 0.25ppm. I’d only needed 2 drops in the past. On day 18, the ammonia was still at 0.25ppm so I added 11 drops in an attempt to raise it, with detected raised levels. This morning (day 19), it was at 0 again. It took 20 drops to get it up to 0.25. I just added 20 more drops about 15 minutes ago, so we’ll see if I can get it up.
So my questions are:
Why is my water cloudy?
Why does my ammonia keep dropping?
What am I doing wrong?
What am I doing right?
What should I be doing better?
Like I said, this is my first experience with this so I’m completely in above my head.
Other information that may or may not be important:
pH levels- stable around 7.2 and today dropped to 6.8
Water temperature- 78F
No live plants other than 2 marimo moss balls
15%-20% water change about 1x/week (most recently on day 17)
Seachem Prime concentrated conditioner used with every water change
Water filter: Tetra Whisper
Hi Rosie, welcome to the hobby.
I know it seems like a lot to take it, but trust me, it will get easier.
I personally don’t like the “fish food” method of producing ammonia because it’s difficult to adjust just how much ammonia is being added to the tank and, like you said, it makes the tank really disgusting. I’m glad to hear you made the switch!
To answer your questions:
1. The cloudiness is from a different sort of bacteria, it is common in tanks that are cycling and generally goes away on it’s own once cycling is complete. It might be unsightly, but it really isn’t anything to worry about and is considered a normal part of the cycling process.
2. This one is a little tricky. So first, let’s rule out water changes. When you do a water change, all these chemicals will drop. A 50% water change would roughly cut ammonia, nitrite and nitrate by 50%. For example, if your nitrate was 40, it would be 20 after the water change. Could this have been what caused the drop? If you did the most recent on day 17, it could certainly be the case.
Next, are you measuring your ammonia levels straight after adding them? Wait a little while (say up to half an hour) and see if that makes a difference. 18 drops compared to 2 seems like a big jump. This is probably the biggest concern I have, that you may have overdosed on ammonia. If you have, a water change will get it back down.
Also, your pH drop is likely because of the nitrates. Nitrates are acidic. As they rise, your pH will drop. A 50% water change should be enough to fix this as long as you don’t have soft water.
Otherwise I’d double check your testing. Are you able to re-test following the instructions to the letter, and then have a parent or sibling re-test? Nitrate levels shouldn’t drop on their own and I suspect the water change is the cause here.
Otherwise, it all sounds positive and since moving away from flaked food that you are on the right path.
Hi, Ian 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!
For more clarification, I had tested the ammonia in the morning, before the water change (it was at 0), and then added ammonia. It was maybe 5 hours later? that I changed the water and tested it again a bit later (it was at 0.25). Also, it had been dropping before then.
I’ve been waiting at least an hour before testing the water after adding the ammonia.
And I double checked today- I’ve been following the instructions to the letter, and making sure that the lighting is bright and natural when comparing the tube to the chart. It’s been re-tested with the same results.
Today, the nitrate is at 8.0, the nitrite is at 5.0, and the ammonia is at 0.15.
I feel like these levels have more swings than a hormonal teenager. Certainly more than your chart.
It all sounds fairly normal, especially with the water change helping to drop the ammonia.
It sounds like you are at the stage where you are waiting for nitrite to drop. All you can keep do is dosing up with ammonia and as long as your nitrate keeps increasing, you are on the right path.
Unfortunately, much of this cycle thing is just waiting around and testing. hang in there!
Oh, and that chart was from a fish-in cycle. Your cycle shouldn’t look anywhere near that – I would be worried if it did. I have been meaning to take it out but have not had the time to make a new fishless cycle chart to replace it.
Hi Ian,
My levels are officially at 0!
That includes the nitrate. I’ve heard that nitrate is supposed to be kept between 5ppm and 10ppm so is that a problem?
Hi Rosie,
It’s only a problem if it doesn’t rise. If you’ve done a water change or two, then it’s possible to get nitrate down to zero. But unless you are doing something to remove it, it shouldn’t stay there and will continue to increase. Part of the reason why we do weekly water change is to get these nitrates down that constantly rise.
Hello,
I apologize if this is a duplicate post. So couldn’t tell if I had managed to post my first comment or not.
I’m having a terrible time cycling a 55-gal tank. I’ve made three attempts, all of which have not been successful. (Let me mention that I have six other tanks, three 10-gallon, a 20-gal long, a 29-gallon and a125-gallon tank, all freshwater, and all easily and successfully cycled on first try). The 55-gal is my nemesis. Here is the history in a nutshell: Attempt 1 (by another family member): Tank set-up using white sand substrate, an Aquaclear 110 filter, 100 watt adjustable heater, a power head to prevent dead spots, LED lighted hoods, and artificial plants / decor. Water was aged, then dosed with Seachem Prime and Stability. Began cycling schedule using Seachem’s cycling chart. Then after 7 days, I added 8 Zebra Danios. Tested water every 3-4 days. Performed 20% water changes every 7 days. Temperature maintained at 82 degrees. Testing the water yielded 7.0 PH, 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite, 0ppm nitrate for the first 3-4 weeks. Then a very brief, weak spike of nitrite and nitrates. The ammonia reading never registered over 0ppm the whole time. I added 10 neon tetras and 1 honey gourami. Tank continued to test all 0s on ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Three weeks later added a total of 6 additional fish. Over the next three weeks, PH was at 7, test results were still all zeros, but the tank suddenly exploded with algae. Several different varieties (hair, black, and green algaes) literally took over the tank. The fish began dying. All were lost except 5 danios and 1 neon tetra that were moved to a quarantine tank immediately. (note: these fish are now thriving in one of my other tanks). Despite multiple 25% water changes, the tank continued to be overrun with algae until all surfaces were completely covered and water was as thick as pea soup. So my son decided to empty the tank to try to get rid of the algae and restart the tank. Unfortunately the substrate was saturated with algae spores as well, so the substrate was removed to dry out, hoping it would kill off the algae without having to invest in new substrate.
Attempt 2: three weeks later, I took over the tank. I cleaned all surfaces of tank, equipment and decor with a solution of vinegar and water. I sifted and cleaned as much of the algae remnants out of the substrate as possible. I set the cleaned tank back up and decided to attempt a fishless cycle using ammonia to establish the cycle. After almost four weeks of
1. adding/maintaining 4 ppm of ammonia,
2. following Seachems Prime and Stability dosing schedule,
3. performing small water changes and
4. Testing the water regularly,
the nitrite and nitrate levels never budged off of 0ppm. Readings were consistently: PH 7.0, 4ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites and 0ppm nitrates. I had the water tested at a local mom and pop fish store to confirm these readings were indeed accurate. The tank was and continued to be non-responsive week after week.
Attempt 3: I decided to try to cycle using ammonia and plants. I performed a 75% water change and added a collection of plants to the tank. These included: hygrophilia Temple narrow, Carolina Fanwort, wisteria, rosaefolia, hornwort, ambulia, creeping Jenny, Rotala Nanjensham and Rotala Wallichii. They were fertilized with root tabs, liquid co2 and seachem Flourish advanced. Tank was dosed with Seachem prime, Stability and ammonia. Set temp to 82 degrees. Test results: PH 7.0, ammonia: 2ppm, nitrates, 0ppm, nitrites 0ppm. After several weeks of dosing, testing and routine water changes, I performed a 20% water change, and two unexpected things happened: we had an explosion of pest snails (eggs on the plants, no doubt) but the oddest thing is that all of the Hornwort basically crumbled and fell apart. There are large piles of tiny pieces that have clogged up the filter and really trashed up the tank. Most of the other plants either look terrible or have already died and rotted. (All my other previously mentioned, currently running tanks are all heavily planted. I’m a reasonably experienced freshwater aquarist, having kept planted tanks for more than 30 years). But I have NEVER had a tank behave like this one. I’ve tested the water parameters extensively, I’ve had the water checked by an outside party, I’ve confirmed that none of the decorations, etc. should create issues for the water column, I’ve made appropriate water changes using the same equipment, chemicals, and conditioners, etc that I use for my other tanks and I’ve racked my brain for any other issue that could be the source of these problems with the tank not cycling. I am at a complete loss as to what the problem is or what to do about it, short of shutting down the tank completely. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I’ve tried to include all pertinent info but if you have questions, please let me know. I would be grateful for any input. Thanks,
Mickie
again, I apologize if this is a duplicate post.
Hi Mickie,
That sounds like quite the mystery. Given your years of experience and successfully keeping other tanks, it sounds like you would have covered all the usual hurdles that beginners come across.
On the first attempt it sounds like nitrate was their, and these nitrogen compounds were used as food for algae to explode. If you add enough fish, all that waste has to be going somewhere, and it was being used as algae food. Not sure why your results were zero though. The other two are more difficult to pinpoint based on the information given. For the second one, the only thing that springs to mind is that the ammonia had an additive but I’m sure you used the correct ammonia for cycling.
To help get to the bottom of this, could you cycle two sponge filters in your other tanks and transfer them into this new tank, then start dosing with ammonia. The tank should basically be cycled at this stage and by adding 4 ppm of ammonia, you should see some, if not all of it progress through to nitrate within 24 hours. If you don’t and one of these spikes or stalls, something in the tank may be killing the beneficial bacteria. If this is the case, it’s possible the silicone used to seal the tank contained anti-fungal ingredients, which can leech into the water and kill beneficial bacteria and inhibit growth. This isn’t common, but I have seen it once or twice in my years of fish keeping. In both cases, it was a nightmare to troubleshoot.
I hope something here helps.
I have been working on cycling a 10 gallon tank for the last 33 days. I believe I am cycled or almost cycled. On day 22, the ammonia was 0ppm, Nitrites was 0ppm and Nitrate was 20ppm with my Ph at 7.6. Since then, I have been trying to do the 24hr test with bringing the ammonia to 2.0ppm and seeing if the both the ammonia and nitrites drop in the time range. 24 hours later the ammonia drops to .5ppm and the nitrates are between 1-2ppm. 48 hours later they are back at zero for both. The nitrates are high right now 40-80ppm which will change with a partial water change. Water temperature is 75-78 degrees.
So my question is: Do I keep doing my ammonia doses until I hit that zero for ammonia and nitrites after 24 hours?
I am just a little frustrated because the last 10 days the tank is still taking the tank 48 hours to cycle the ammonia and nitrites out. I just want to know that I am on the right track and just need a little more patience. Any advice is appreciated.
Thank you
Hi CaseyMae,
It sounds like you are so close, just a little more waiting. Everything looks positive here. Unfortunately, a lot of the cycle comes down to waiting. Hang in there!
I just want to confirm you are doing the testing in natural daylight? indoor lighting can make your test results look higher than they actually are.
Also, a water change or two will help to get your nitrate back down to lower levels, which will allow you to get a better idea of how quickly it is rising – you may have noticed that the readings are spaced further and further apart the higher the color chart goes. Just be mindful that any water change will dilute ammonia and nitrite by a similar amount. For example,a 50% water change will reduce ammonia, nitrite and nitrate by roughly 50%, so you will need to re-dose ammonia after.
First off, thank you for this guide, it made it very easy to cycle my tank. It took a little over 3 weeks. I just did my water change yesterday and added my first 3 guppies to my tank. The Nitrate reading is at 20. What number would you recommend doing another water change if it got to? I’m just worried of my nitrates spiking to high and killing my fishes. Thank you.
Hi Jason,
Congratulations on cycling your tank, I’m glad to hear that everything went smoothly.
I typically recommend getting the nitrates down below ten initially. Ideally you don’t want to let them exceed 40 in a non-planted tank (and even then that’s the upper limit, lower is better) This way your weekly water change will be able to drop the nitrates to an acceptable level.
For example, let’s say your nitrates are at 10 at the start of the week. Over the course of the week, they raise to 20. A 50% water change will get the nitrates back down to 10 (50% water change roughly cuts water parameters in half) this way you never have to worry about your nitrates getting out of control.
Hi Ian hope all well your side of the pond 🙂 I got a kh and gh test and the readings are the same as local aquarium shop , practically zero on both , I’ve now used a buffer to bring them up after I did a 50% water change yesterday- readings now on day 22 ( no fish ) ammonia – 0 nitrite – 4 ish nitrate very high 160 maybe higher ph now 7.6 kh 4 gh 7 – not sure what to do now ? Should I keep doing 50% water changes daily till nitrate is 40 or below , many thanks for your advice much appreciated.
Regards
Andrew
Hi again Andrew,
If your KH and GH are zero then you have some incredibly soft water. I feel for you here, but I’m glad you have found a workaround for it.
I’d keep doing water changes to get the nitrate back to readable levels (40ish or less) so you can see exactly what is happening. Don’t forget to re-dose ammonia since water changes remove that too. You want to keep adding ammonia until your nitrite reaches zero, which if the cycle has been progressing this whole time shouldn’t be too much longer now.
I have my fingers crossed that’s the last of the hiccups you face and it’s smooth sailing from here.
Hi Ian yes it’s very frustrating at moment to say the least – ok will do a big water change today , I’ve read on a few forums people doing 80 % water change to get the nitrate right down ( no fish ) would this be ok rather than doing couple of 50% back to back.
Regards
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Absolutely, 80% is fine too. You could even do 100% if you so choose – but things would be pretty dire if you needed to do that. Whatever you feel comfortable with. I personally suggest the 30-50% as it is inline with what would be expected when people have fish, it’s more aimed at beginners.
Ok thanks Ian, did the 50% last night checked parameters this morning :-
Ammonia 0 ( dosed yesterday morning to 1ppm )
Nitrite 1 maybe 2
Nitrate 80 ish
Ph 7.6
Gh 10
Kh 5
Going to do another 50% at lunchtime bring nitrate to 40 should I keep dosing with a third of my original ammonia ( 3ppm originally dosing to 1ppm ) when ammonia goes below 0.50
Many thanks Ian.
Andrew
Thanks for the update, Andrew. That all looks positive. When I decrease the dose, I generally dose it at half. So if you were originally dosing at 3, I would now dose it at roughly 1.5. I understand this can be difficult given you are somewhat limited by the parameters spread out on the card, but any ammonia will be better than no ammonia, so a near enough approach also works.
Hi Ian , hopefully making headway did my second 50% change then redosed with half my initial ammonia , my nitrite was around 0.50 nitrate around 20 just tested now 16 hours later zero ammonia zero nitrite, so have dosed now with full dose ( 5 ml = 3ppm ) fingers crossed when I check in 24 hours zero on both 🙂
Regards
Andrew
Awesome. It sounds like it’s going as smoothly as it can. Here’s hoping for that big zero on the chart for you! If you don’t, it should only be a short while longer now. Just keep topping up to that full dose.
Hi Ian , finally done it !! Took 25 days checked water parameters this morning after 24 hours with full dose ( 3 ppm ) showing zero ammonia zero nitrite , nitrate looks around 40 ish – going to start of slowly stocking tank eventually want 11 tiger barbs and 5 emerald green coryies , I can’t get my first batch till weekend Ian should I just keep dosing half the 3ppm every 24 hours till I get them or do the full dose .
Many thanks
Andrew
Ps – will do a 50% water change prior to putting fish in 🙂
That’s great news!
Well done on your patience, that’s what got you here! I know it was a lot of work, but it’ll be worth it when your fish live long lives.
As for the dosing question, this is a difficult one. I’d personally do the 3ppm every 24 hours (keep testing) and you’ll need to keep doing water changes if nitrates get too high. Because of this you’ll likely need to do multiple water changes before you add your fish (getting nitrates under 10 should be the goal before adding them)
Now I’m on day 14 ammonia reads 1 PPM nitrates 0 nitrites 0 and pH 7.4 and thermometer reads 84 F. I’ve redosed my ammonia two times on day 6 and day 9 to 2 ppm. Is something wrong since I see no nitrites yet? My test kits expiry date is 2024 and I read my readings in the day light.
Hi Tea,
Do you have an ammonia reducing filter media or are you adding anything else to the tank that could possibly absorb ammonia? If your ammonia is decreasing but your nitrite and nitrate levels are zero then something is is removing it. I want to double check that you are following your test kit instructions to the letter? Also, are you testing in natural daylight? Indoor lighting can make the colors on the chart look off.
I have only added water conditioner which makes tap water safe. I have a fluval filter system with added fluval biomax and I have been testing in natural daylight and read the instructions over and over again and tested over and over again. Although the fluval filter has excellent aeration I added an extra aerating bar today.
Hi Tea,
This one has me stumped, that ammonia has to go *somewhere* if it’s not being removed by something, then it will either remain stagnant or progress through the cycle. Do you know anyone who can double check your tests? otherwise your local fish store should be able to double check your results if you take in a water sample.
Well I came back from the PetSmart there test had only ammonia, I don’t know what to do?
Hi Tea,
Do you have a small local fish store? One that only sells fish? Petsmart and Petco are notorious for giving bad advice and should generally be avoided. Small independent fish stores are usually run by owners who keep fish themselves and can provide guidance on a wide range and issues and problems, it’s always good if you can track one down locally as they can be a great resource for advice.
Hi Ian, hope your well, got my water tested at local aquarium shop my ammonia 0.25 nitrites very high ( over 5 ) and nitrates very high although they forgot to tell me how high – my ph is 6.4 but they said Kh and gh were almost zero they are only 5 mins from me and it’s the same in all there tanks , apparently it’s the same from the tap, they use a product to bring levels back up. I’m on day 18 of cycle did a 30 % W water change yesterday, would you advise that I do more water changes and add such a supplement to get my kh and gh up.
Many thanks
Andrew
Hi Andrew, that’s actually really useful – if they are that close to you then they will be using the same water source and know exactly how to treat it. Soft water isn’t that common in fishkeeping (at least here in America), so I generally do not even mention it in my cycling guides since I don’t want to confuse beginners with another parameter to measure.
I have a beginners guide to KH as a separate article here, if you need help getting your head around what it means.
Aquarium KH Guide.
This also looks at products that can increase it. I’m not sure if they are available where you are, so it may be best to follow your local fish stores recommendations.
If your water is naturally soft, then your pH will swing, which isn’t desirable if you have fish as it can lead to stress and illness.
However, it’s also worth mentioning that nitrites and nitrates are both acidic and will naturally lower the pH over time as well. If those were exceedingly high then this too could be the cause of your pH dropping.
Did any of your test kits match what they told you? How much of a water change you do will depend on just how high these levels are – if they are “off the charts” then you may need to do a couple to get them back down to readable levels.
Hi Ian, yes they more or less matched what my api kit showed, except for the kh and gh I don’t have them test kits, I’ve tested my tap water it’s around 7 on the api and the nt labs so hopefully it’s the high nitrite and nitrate that have dropped it ? I’ve just ordered the api kh and gh kit as well as the product they mentioned to bring them up which has very good reviews on Amazon and a few other reputable sites ( it’s a German brand )
Many thanks
Andrew
I hope it’s the high nitrite and nitrate that have dropped it too, it’s much easier (and cheaper) than adding a buffer each and every time you do a water change. However, you won’t know for sure until you test the KH of your tap water to see if it truly is soft. I have my fingers crossed it isn’t!
Hi Ian hope your well. A friend gave me another test kit yesterday one that you have mentioned earlier on the expiry date is 2022 – tested all the parameters and it’s giving me a completely different reading than the other test kit I bought a month ago ( same expiry date ) the ammonia is looking like 0.5 on both of them nitrite around 2 to 4 on both ph is now reading 6.4 on the new kit ( 7 on my other one ) but nitrate on new one is a tan colour so below 10 on original kit was reading very high – can’t make it out.
Regards
Andrew
My tank also has 7.2 ph and very high nitrate 140mmp ammonia is zero and nitrites are .25. I don’t have soft water, close to your tank situation I changed 50% of the water twice in 2 weeks with no help in lowering nitrates. Lost the clown loaches and most of their babies. The city water has high nitrates not sure I anything can be done. Good luck, Cathy
I have a 10 gallon freshwater fish tank after 5 days the ammonia dropped from 2 ppm to 1 ppm do I wait for it to drop to 0 to add more ammonia? How much more should I add and when?
I should have started off telling you my information about my 10 gallon Aquarium. Fluval filter with added biomax, heater, fake plants and rocks. On September 3rd I added water conditioner then added ammonia to equal 2 PPM and PH is 7.6 and heater reads 26 Celsius. On September 7th PH still reads 7.6 and ammonia is 1 PPM (nitrite and nitrate are not present). Do I wait for ammonia to drop to zero before I add more ammonia and how much more do I add? 1 PPM? When do I add the full dose of 2 PPM again?
Hi Tea,
Ideally, you want to top up the ammonia before it hits zero. As for when, that will vary from tank to tank. Your test kit will let you know how much to add and when
Just to clarify when ammonia reads zero, do I add enough ammonia to put it back up to 2 PPM?
Sorry, I should have made it clearer. Yes, you are correct. You dose the difference. If it’s .5, you would add enough to raise it back to 2. Same as if it’s zero. Ideally, you don’t want it to read zero as this means your bacteria isn’t being forced to process it, which may delay the cycle.
September 8th my ammonia reading was .25 ppm I added ammonia to get it up to 2 PPM but my nitrites are still zero. At what point do I only dose half the amount of ammonia. ( 1ppm) ? Is it when I see nitrites, or should I just do 2 ppm throughout the whole cycle?
Hi Tea,
Half dose as per step 4 in the instructions.
Hi Ian –
I am setting up a new 75 tank as a new home for several large fancy goldfish and a pleco, going to be moving them out of a 55 to give them additional room.
I am planning to jump-start the process by taking some of the existing bio-material from the existing tank.
My concern is that the new filter has an integral UV sterilizer light, will that affect the cycling of the tank?
Hi Will,
It’s possible that a UV sterilizer certainly can slow down the process, as bacteria enters the aquarium it will float around and the UV sterilizer, depending on where it’s located could certainly zap a lot of it. Once the beneficial bacteria begins to establish, it won’t harm them as the bacteria is a clinger, it doesn’t float around your aquarium. UV lighting is generally a bulb that needs to be replaced. Can you remove the bulb and replace it later?
Brilliant thanks Ian will do a 50 % water change later and keep checking daily on the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate.
Regards
Andrew
Hi Ian, many thanks for your reply, I’m on day 11 now of my fishless cycle following your instructions above, just tested water my ammonia is now 0.5 ppm nitrite is around 2 ppm but my nitrates are around 80 – just re dosed with half my initial ammonia to bring it back up is this common that the nitrates should be so high this early on ? Would you suggest I do a water change – once again thanks for your help.
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
This all looks hugely positive, well done for making it this far. Your nitrogen cycle appears to be establishing itself and churning out Nitrates. At this point, a 50% water change or two can be done to drop your nitrates if you so choose. A 50% water change will drop your nitrates by roughly 50% – you may have noticed that as the nitrate levels on your color chart rise, they get further and further apart. Keeping them low can help you keep track of how quickly it is that they are rising. Don’t forget the water conditioner (I use prime, but any decholrinator will do) as chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria and send you back to day one!
Be mindful that these water changes will also dilute your ammonia and nitrite by a similar amount, so you may need to re-dose afterwards. As always, follow your test kit and react accordingly.
It shouldn’t be too much longer now for you!
Hi Ian, wonder if you could help me with a quick question please – when doing water changes in a fishless cycle whether it be because of high ammonia / nitrate or a end of cycle water change does the declorinated water your about to put back in have to be at the same temperature as what you have taken out or can it be at room temperature?
Many thanks ,
Andrew.
Hi Andrew,
If there are no fish, there shouldn’t be too much of an issue with dumping it back in, if it’s room temperature, it should soon match the temp in your aquarium.
In exceptionally cold places, once fish are in the tank, you may need to pre-heat the water, but if it’s only a few degrees difference it shouldn’t matter too much.
Hi again Ian!
I asked you ( I think 4-6 weeks ago) about my son’s beta. He has had “Popeye” on one of his eyes for at least a couple of months now and it hasn’t gone away. I think you told me that it might just go away by itself…since it hasn’t, should we treat it? Some say to use Epsom salts or ampicillin. Would you recommend one of them? My son does water changes faithfully every week and the water is very clear, but I’ve also read you should do more frequent water changes, instead of just once a week. The fish seems ok except for his eye, but we worry because it just won’t go away. He’s in a 10 gallon tank alone now.
Also, I was reading your information about brown algae…which we get in our aquariums, especially on the glass, but also on the ornaments. You mention a powerhead….I know it’s for movement….does it make bubbles, and is an air stone just as good? I know it’s easy to remove but I’d like to try to prevent it as much as possible.
Our 4 babies (born in December that you helped us keep alive) and their mother, are finally all in the same 20 gallon tank! We had to separate them in the beginning because the mother was eating her babies, and then we had a bully we had to take out…had 3 tanks for a while! But now they’re all grown so I hope they can take care of themselves. I just hope we don’t get any more children! I guess the only way to avoid that is to only have one sex together…? Sounds like a stupid question, I know, but I wouldn’t think everyone has fish that are all the same sex…
Thanks again so much for your help and advice! We have learned so much about fish keeping from all the information you provide on this site, as well as the answers you give. We actually feel confident that we know enough to be responsible, knowledgeable fish keepers….(although I’m sure I’ll always have issues and questions). and we knew nothing about it before! We really appreciate you!
Lezlee
Hi Lezlee,
Sorry for the delayed response, I didn’t have internet for the past few days. Catching up now.
If your son’s tank has it’s water parameters all normal (which I suspect you are all over) then there likely isn’t a whole lot to be done. Popeye is one of those difficult to treat ones where it could be physical damage, which won’t be resolved with “clean” water. If he is eating normally and the condition hasn’t gotten worse, then this may just be your fishes lot in life. If it is physical, it will often look better over time, but this can take months and months, but it won’t ever “repair” to how your fish previously looked.
A power head just pushes water around the tank. It creates a strong current without bubbles. An airstone on the other hand is best for a really gentle current and will create a lot of surface agitation. Brown algae *generally* settles in during and after the cycle and often goes away a few months later, depending your water source, so you might not need to act yet.
Congrats on getting them all in the 20 gal! You are correct with your thoughts here, that in order to prevent babies, you keep them apart. During “mating season” you’ll likely notice aggression from the males.
You have done awesome work to make it this far Lezlee and I’m confident you are going to be an amazing fish keeper. Many other people have given up long before reaching this point. Let me know if anything else arises and I’ll do my best to help.
Best wishes!
Thanks so much Ian! We’ll just hold tight on the beta. One more thing, though. When is mating season?
Lezlee
Hi Lezlee,
It entirely depends on the fish, some are considerably more frisky than others. If you look up a breeding guide, you’ll get a good idea – or just keep an eye out for the clues, behavior in males often changes dramatically and they enter “bully mode” all of a sudden. The good news is that fish often only want to mate when they are happy and healthy, so it’s a good sign you are taking care of them.
Hi! I’m on my 12th day of a fishless cycle and my ammonia levels for the past 4 days have been staying at 3.5-4ppm without me having to add in any drops. Is this a good or bad thing? I’ve tested for both nitrites and nitrates (I tested again today for those) and they’re still at zero. My pH in my tank is 8-8.2 and my tap water is 7.0!
Also will adding ceramic rings while cycling mess it up or help?
Hi Hayli,
It won’t affect your cycle int he slightest. If anything, it may slightly speed it up as it provides beneficial bacteria a home to live in.
Ok great, Thank you so much!!
Hi Hayli, At this stage I would have expected them to decrease, even a little. However, it can take up to 3 weeks for them nitrites to appear. You are using a dechlorinator on your water, right?
That’s what I was thinking too. Oh ok, maybe it’ll just be a little longer for me then, haha. Yeah I am! The only thing I could think of is the water in my area has a good amount of lyme… Would that affect the cycling or would the dechlorinator take care of it?
lime* as in limescale not lyme haha
I wouldn’t think that lime would affect your dechlorinator. And short of having an affect on the KH and pH, it shouldn’t impact your tank too much. I would speak to a local fish store (avoid big ones like petsmart or petco) they are using the same water as you and will be much better situated to give advice since they are using the same water as you. It’s funny that despite us all having access to the water, it really can vary from location to location.
hi ian! i am back. oh man, things have been interesting. so, the aquarium people here don’t know anything about fishless cycling, they all do fish-in, so i didn’t go to them and waited it out. in less than a week the ammonia dropped again, yay. after another bit of time my nitrites finally dropped to zero- super yay! and my nitrates read at like 80-100+ ppm. (it’s super dark red, but i’m just not sure which number.) i was so excited. so, i put another dose of ammonia in the tank, brining it up to 3-4ppm, hoping it would cycle in 24 hours and then i could FINALLY get fish. well it has been almost 2 weeks later and the ammonia has barely gone down, it is still at 1ppm.
so, i don’t know what to do. am i really stalled AGAIN?! can i not get fish yet??
appreciate your advice.
valerie
Hi Valerie,
Fish-in is a little old-fashioned but some people still do it. Unfortunately, some petshops recommend fish-in as it allows them to sell you extra products and fish that are not necessary in a fishless cycle.
Okay, so your tank was almost certainly “cycled”.
In order for me to better help, What are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate pH and temperature reading today?
hey ian,
my readings are:
ammonia 1.0 ppm
nitrite 0.0ppm
nitrate 160ppm (it might not be that high maybe 100, but it is very very dark red.)
pH 6.4-6.5 (interesting bc the first batch of water i tried with was reading around 7.8/8.)
temp; 78 F
i agree, that the tank *should* be cycled. how much of a water change should i do since my nitrate reading is so high? i know i don’t want to add fish to the current water.
also should i be increasing my pH before i add fish?
thanks again for all your help!
Hi Valerie,
The focus should be on getting your nitrates down. A few water changes should do this. I’d do back to back 50% water changes. Ideally you want to get it down below 40 (and closer to under 10 before you add fish) so do a water change, wait 30 mins, retest, and do another if needed.
The drop in pH is likely due to the high levels of nitrates which are acidic, and lower the pH level. If your water has pH swings once these levels are stabilized, you may have soft water and need to read up on KH, but I wouldn’t worry about that yet as it’s very likely the nitrates.
Hi there, I started up a new tank (10 gallon) with new gravel plus a handful of other gravel, some rocks, an old catappa leaf and moss balls from a mature tank. No plants or animals. I read that putting in these things from an already established tank helps speed up the nitrogen cycle. I also used Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability which contains live bacteria for tank cycling. It has been almost 2 weeks and yesterday I added in the filtration (a sponge filter and hob filter) and heaters. I tested the water with Tetra easy strip tests. I’m now thinking that I may be trying to cycle the wrong way but the results came up with ammonia at between 0 and 0.5, nitrite at 0, nitrates at a little under 20, and pH at 7.8. I don’t know how I already have nitrates so fast, I’m a little confused.
Hi April,
Test strips are the least accurate way to test your aquarium, and can often give false results. I highly recommend buying an aquarium test kit (I personally recommend the API Master test kit, it has everything you need when starting out) not only are these more accurate, but cheaper in the long run.
Now, as for the readings, in some instances, the cycle can go slightly differently. For instance, the nitrite eating bacteria may establish themselves quicker than the ammonia eating bacteria. This can lead to nitrites reading zero before the ammonia does.
Also, time is different for everyone. Some people experience the cycle in just a few days, others take months. It sounds like everything is normal here, but I would grab a proper test kit to confirm – water quality is the most important thing in keeping healthy fish, and you want to accurately be able to measure it.
UPDATE:
I have tested my tap water and it is about an 8PH. I have done 2 water changes at about 20% each and I cant seem to get my PH to raise in the tank! What do i do?
Give it a day and then do a 50% water change (don’t forget to redose with ammonia, water changes dilute it) then wait an hour for the water to settle and re-test.
Okay, so I just tested my tank that I am cycling without fish using ammonia. The readings I got are between
6.4-6.4 PH
1-2ppm Ammo
0.50 nitrites (which has dropped alot it was off the charts before)
5.0ppm nitrates (this was also off the charts a few days ago)
what should I do at this point?
When you say nitrates was off the charts, did you do a water change or three to get it back down? Nitrate does not decrease without your input.
Everything otherwise seems normal, although I wouldn’t want pH to drop much more. If it gets much lower you would need to raise it. Otherwise it’s more waiting here. It looks like you are on the right path.
Hello again Ian,
I just thought of this and wanted to ask you – in my 10 gallons and 5.5 gallons I have Marineland filter and marina which I customized with a sponge, carbon and bio rings. However, I purchased a 5-gallon top fin tank which has a built-in filter with a cartridge it is very small so I can’t fit anything in there with the cartridge in place – I also have a 3 gallon top fin betta sooth tank which has a built-in filter in the middle.
Would you suggest taking out the cartridges and adding my own media? I have sponges, carbon, and bio rings… If I do remove the cartridge since the filter is tall and not long how in what order would you place the media? My only concern would be removing the cartridge and getting rid of the bacteria – keep in mind these are the tanks that have been cycling 3 weeks and showing no ammonia.
I agree with your thoughts 100% here. If they are those disposable filters, with the fleece like sponge, rip or cut that off and squeeze it in with your new sponge, that’s where the beneficial bacteria, if any will be hiding. Your customized filter sounds like it is much better for the job.
Should I use the sponge or ceramic rings? the way the filter is set up in very tall so would it matter if i put the rings in first and sponge on top or would I would to have the sponge at the bottom and rings on top? I think I can fit both..
But I know that since I have only been using the filter it came with thats where my beneficial bacteria is so what do I do with that? I know I cant throw it away and start with a new sponge and rings or I will crash my tank…. any ideas?
Hi Dominique,
I would recommend using both. The sponge should go first, after the filter inlet. This will prevent gunk from clogging up your ceramic rings – you want to avoid this since your beneficial bacteria cling to the pores in the ceramic, if these clog, then beneficial bacteria cannot cling to the surface.
Ceramic rings are a must since this is where your beneficial bacteria lives. Ideally, you want to fit the two. Then once a month or so, you rinse the sponge in the water you removed during your water change, to release the gunk before putting it back. Sponge can last between 6-12 months and ceramic rings often last for years and years. You’ll know they need replacing because they will begin to dissolve or crumble. When you swap these out, you do half at a time. This will allow the remaining half that have the beneficial bacteria to colonize the new half. Then a month later, you swap out the remaining half.
Hi, I need a little help with a new aquarium. I took home a Betta that was living in a small bowl at my workplace. I got a 5 gallon tank with a filter (charcoal cartridge type) and set everything up. I added Tetra Safe Start and then went ahead and added my Betta (I wanted to get him out of the small bowl quickly) with the plan to follow your guide for in-fish cycling with Seacham Prime. I have the API test kit. I waited a week and tested the water. Ammonia was .25. Began testing every 48 hours. Ammonia has remained between .25 – .5 now for about 4 weeks. I had Nitrites of .5 for one test and then Nitrites went back down to 0 and there are 0 Nitrates. I have dosed with Prime every time I test. The Ammonia seems to be creeping up very slowly. I have done no water changes except for maybe a cup that is removed when I clean debris from the tank. I added a piece of aquarium sponge to the filter box hoping that would help build bacteria. I have no idea how to move forward. It’s as if he is still in the small bowl just building Ammonia up more slowly. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Elaine,
I just want to make sure you are reading your test kit results in natural daylight? This can have a big impact on the colors you see – indoor lighting can make the test results look off. I just want to confirm you are reading the results correctly since this is a common mistake that is made when first starting out.
Next, can you confirm that there is no zeolite or other ammonia removing media in your filter? This can cause the cycle to stall.
Otherwise, it sounds like you are on the right path and it’s just a matter of more waiting. Unfortunately, much of the cycle is just waiting. Hang in there!
Hi, I am reading the results in front of a window so I think they are correct. Yesterday the ammonia was between .5 – 1 so it appears to be climbing. I researched what I could about the filter and this is all the info I can find: Helps absorb odors, pigments, and chlorine with activated carbon. Would you recommend changing the media in my filter to something else? Sorry, I am really new at this. Thanks for the help.
Activated carbon is fine. Just be mindful that if you are using one of those disposable filters, you are essentially removing the beneficial bacteria every time you replace it. Ceramic rings work best as a home for beneficial bacteria, this way when you swap out the sponge, it doesn’t crash your cycle. I generally don’t recommend these disposable filters (if that’s what you have) as they are an ongoing cost and a bit of a scam. There are filters that allow you to install cheap sponge that lasts months and months and ceramic rings that last years. If your current filter has room for ceramic rings, I highly recommend stocking up. You can never have enough “biofiltration” which is the beneficial bacteria that live on these.
If your ammonia is between .5 and 1 then it’s climbing and it will only be a matter of time before nitrites appear (it still could be a week or so out though) hang in there!
I’m completely lost I guess. I’ve been cycling a new 40 gallon since about 7/27. I’m using liquid ammonia (the one you suggest) and on about day 7, I did start showing Nitrite. Yesterday I came home and tested like I do every day, and both the ammonia AND the nitrites were down but not to zero. I tested the nitrates, and they were at about 20. PH was at about 7.
I added ammonia, not wanting my nitrites to starve. This morning, my boyfriend tested and now my Nitrites look very high (5ppm) and my nitrates are SKY high at 160. I don’t know what else to do other than a water change to get that nitrate level down. What am I doing wrong here? Am I about to get to start all over? Should we have waited to test until this evening?
NO FISH. We do have live plants and we are running the filtration and a bubbler and the heater.
Hi Rachel,
It’s possible you misread the test when you first did it – indoor lighting can really throw the colors off. If you test in natural daylight, you’ll get a much more accurate reading.
The good news is that nothing here sounds wrong, your cycle has not settled yet. The nitrates are particuarly high, a 50% water change will drop this roughly in half. You’ll probably want to do a few of these (one a day, to get things back down to normal levels) you’ll need to sort this out when you add fish anyway.
Just remember that a water change also drops your ammonia levels too, so you’ll need to redose after.
Yay! That’s what I did. 50% water change today, added ammonia and Prime after. At 4pm CST My readings before the water change were 0 ammonia, 2ppm Nitrite, and 40-80 on Nitrate.
I’ll just keep monitoring daily and go from there until ammonia and Nitrites can go to zero overnight.
Thanks so much!!
It sounds like you knew what to do all along and were just looking for reassurance. It all sounds hugely positive, just more waiting unfortunately. Hang in there, don’t let your ammonia levels reach zero and keep doing what you are doing! It will be worth it once it’s all done.
This might be overstepping but here goes… I would be concerned about possible false readings if you add ammonia THEN Prime. Prime will suspend both ammonia and nitrites in your water. It is a conditioner that removes chlorine and most heavy metals but it also detoxifies ammonia as well as nitrites, going so far as to give instructions on how to battle spikes in either chemical. I’m not sure if it’s just a temporary drop due to ionization (i.e. ammonia turns to ammonium with the addition of 1 positive ion and ammonium is relatively nontoxic until it loses that extra ion and turns back to ammonia) or if it truly chemically binds it somehow to be removed by the mechanical filtration as the bottle states.
My concern would be that the Prime added after the ammonia is either masking the true reading or detoxifying it before the bacteria can consume it, thus slowing or hindering cycling.
Use Prime to treat water before adding it to the tank, let it sit for a bit in a bucket to gas off any chlorine and settle any heavy metals. Then add it slowly, especially if it’s a big temperature difference between the fresh water and your tank, bacteria like steady temps. By slowly, I mean you don’t want more than a degree difference from added water.
Once the water has been treated with prime, settled, then been added to the tank, that’s when to put in the ammonia. Ammonia first just means you wasted ammonia and Prime and subverted your nitrogen cycle.
Hi Ken,
Thanks for sharing. I only recommend prime in a fish-in cycle. The instructions above do not use prime to cycle, since there is nothing in the tank that will be harmed by elevated levels of ammonia and nitrite. When I see beginners add prime but otherwise moving forward with the cycle, I leave them to their own devices, since they are no longer following the directions above.
Otherwise, I’m on the same page as you. Thanks again for weighing in and sharing!
hi ian! i am back. i started all over after talking to a local fish person, new water, dechlorinator and everything. (they said our los angeles water normally needs double the amount of dechlorinator.) anyway, all seemed to be going well but then in it has stalled.
after 3 weeks i finally had nitrites, yay! i tested on the 22nd and they were there, around 2-3ppm. so each day for the next 8 days or so i measured my levels. when i would measure at night my ammonia would be around .25 or .5 so i would dose the tank to around 2-3ppm. in 24 hours my ammonia readings would drop again to .25 or .5ppm.
during this time i started getting some nitrate readings. i was so happy, feeling like everything was coming together. i thought i just had to wait for my nitrite levels to drop and i would be ready to FINALLY add fish. however 3 nights ago something happened.
i got another ammonia reading of .25 or .5 ammonia so i dosed the tank to around 3-4ppm.
however, this time after 72 hours my ammonia levels have not really dropped.
my nitrite level is around 1-2ppm.
my nitrate level is between 5-10ppm.
should i be worried that my ammonia level has not dropped after 72 hours, even though for 7 days straight i dosed the tank and it dropped from about 2-3ppm to .25-.5 in a 24 hour period?
also- my nitrites must be at 0 before i can get fish, right?
thoughts?
valerie
Hi Valerie,
Wow, what an adventure you have had – I had no idea LA water was so heavily chlorinated! No wonder beneficial bacteria was not growing! I’m so sorry to hear you have had such a rough start to cycling, hopefully this is the last bump in the road.
You are 100% correct that your nitrites should be at zero – this indicates a properly cycled tank (the beneficial bacteria are “eating” nitrites as quickly as they are produced, so they will read 0 and won’t harm your fish)
If you dosed as normal, and have dechlorinated and done everything else as normal, I would expect that the ammonia would decrease at a similar rate as it previously had. Did you do anything different when you dosed? Also, are you reading your results under natural day light (I always ask this, as indoor lighting can make the test results look off)
I would monitor both your nitrite and nitrate levels and see if they are moving at all, if they are not, something has caused your tank cycle to stall.
I completely feel for you here, and how frustrating this must be. Are you able to get a second opinion from your local fish person?
Hello,
I just started cycling my 40 gallon hex tank and had a few questions. I am looking to stock the aquarium with angelfish, mollies, guppies, dwarf frogs, shrimp, and catfish.
1. I get plants in a week which should be about when my Nitrite eating bacteria should appear (day 8-9). Can I plant the plants in the tank at this time or should I wait until the cycle is over since I will have to drain half the water to add plants?
2. My pH is at 8.2 which is really high and I already tried pH down but it is still remaining at the same level so I figured I will try to use the pH 7.0 stabilizer to lower it down. My GH and KH are super high as well. Took 19 drops for GH (which isn’t recorded on the chart) and took 7-8 drops for KH (which is 7 degrees dKH or 125ppm on the chart). Will the high pH and GH keep the bacteria from cultivating properly? Is there a way to reduce the GH of an aquarium since my tap water is way too hard?
Hi Chelcee,
Welcome to the hobby! I highly recommend reading up on just how many different fish you’ll be able to fit in your tank. hex tanks are normally deeper and hold less fish than a simiarly sized rectangular aquarium (due to more surface water being exposed to air) – a lot of problems can come from overstocking a tank, so I highly recommend chatting to your local fishstore (avoid big chain stores) about what can actually fit.
1. Toss em in whenever. Most of the beneficial bacteria live in your filter and as long as they have constant water flow across them, it won’t impact the cycle. Although, ideally, since you have started the cycle, it would make it easier if you wait until the end – you will be less likely to make a mistake and need to start over. Not saying you will, but there is always that possibility.
2. That certainly is some hard water you have. I have seen hard water tanks cycle just fine, you just need to be mindful that certain fish don’t like hard water, so it may limit what fish you can choose from. Fortunately, there are plenty of beautiful hard water fish to choose from.
Hello,
I was hoping to get specifics on the water change percentage once the ammonia and nitrites reach zero after the full dose of ammonia in the very final phase. Is it 10%, 20%, or even greater?
Thank you for all of your guidance. It has been a lifesaver!
Hi Lindsay,
Excellent question.
The exact amount of water change will depend on how quickly nitrates build up. Ideally, you you don’t want them to reach 40 or higher also ideally, you want to get them back down below 10 with your water change.
Once done, I’d do a water change or three to get the nitrates as low as possible. From here, you monitor how quick the nitrates rise over the course of the week. This determines the amount of water you change. A 50% water change will roughly drop nitrates by 50%. Overstocked tanks and fish with a high bioload may need more frequent water changes. Overfeeding and not maintaining the tank will also contribute to how quickly nitrates rise.
Very informative! Specifically step by step sections will made this page awesome.
Thank you very much Fishlab.com
am i reading the chart right? On day 10 your ammonia ppm was 10? i thought it was suppose to stay under 5 ppm. Just asking im 4 days in my cycle and just wondering.
Thanks
Hi Tim,
You are correct, As I have told others below, this is from a fish in cycle and my intention here was to give an idea as to how the cycle progresses through each chemical. I would hope you are not experiencing anything similar in a fishless cycle. I can see how this chart is confusing and I plan on editing the guide to elaborate when I have the time. I hope this helps – good luck on your cycle and please ask any questions regarding the cycle should they arise!
Oh I’m sorry I didnt see that was a fish in cycle. thanks this article has helped me alot thank you very much
Great material Ian…l have had various fish tanks for over 8 years, with some level of success in keeping my fish healthy but never considered cycling any of my tanks. After moving and losing all my fish within a space of a week…l’m starting on a clean slate and taking your guidance in doing it the right way.
So l have my 60 gallon tank cleaned up and set to initiate the cycle.
Hi Dee,
It’s very likely you accidentally performed a fish in cycle – While it’s stressful on the fish and can kill them or lead to severely reduced lives, as long as you are not throwing out the filter media where the beneficial bacteria lives, and performing proper maintenance, your tank will eventually cycle itself,
I’ll be here if you have any questions or concerns regarding the cycle. However, given your previous experience, I’m sure this will be a walk in the park for you.
I see some people say do not put love plants in during fishless cycle then some say do. What do you think?
Hi Zach,
Unless you are dealing with particularly sensitive plants, which require very specific nutrients, then my suggestion is to add plants during the cycle.
Do I need to use a bb like safe start or something with api quick start
Hi Zach,
Nope, your tank will cycle without these additives.
Hi Ian.
A newbie here and glad that I discovered your very informative blog. I am researching before starting to cycle my new tank and have read through your instructions a few times. However, I noticed in one of your replies below, that you say “Ideally you want nitrates 10 or under, allowing them to increase to a max of 40 before the weekly water change is done (in a non-planted tank)” What should the nitrates range be for a moderately planted tank?
With thanks and keep up the good work.
Steve
Hi Steve,
Good question, It entirely depends on what you have planted in your tank. Different plants have different nutrient requirements. If you google “plant name” aquarium care it should bring up care sheets including the amount of nitrates each ideally needs. That then becomes the baseline for your nitrate levels. Remember: some plants are root feeders who draw nutrients from the substrate while others are column feeders who draw nutrients from the water.
I’ve been following this guide and I’m on day 4. My goal is to have snails, shrimp, and a betta (hoping it won’t eat the shrimp). So I have a piece of driftwood in there along with some live plants. And I also have a substrate that lowers my PH.
Currently, my tank seems to maintain 6.6 ph. Since your guide says to do a water change if it’s below 7 ph, I’ve been doing so. My tap water PH (treated with seachem prime) is 7.4. Whenever I do the water change, my tank water goes back to 6.6 ph every day.
Am I in trouble? Do I need to raise my ph? Should I just keep doing the daily water changes?
Am I just being paranoid? Please advise!
Also, I forgot to mention..
A friend squeezed his sponge filter into a container and added his tank water in. I put that into my tank to jump start the process, but I’m not sure how much it helps.
Currently, the ammonia is sitting around 2-3ppm with 0 nitrite and 10-20ppm nitrate. I know that means it’s not fully cycled. Do I need to add extra ammonia to it or leave it since it’s staying around 2-3ppm?
Thank you!
It’s hard to say if it will help, adding the actual sponge would benefit a lot, squeezing out some water probably won’t result in a noticeable difference in cycle speed – but it certainly won’t hurt in doing it!
If your ammonia is around 2-3ppm, I’d leave it as is and only redose if it drops lower.
Wow, when I was a kid I had a gold fish which I plopped in a bowl and it lived for about 7 years in terrible water conditions so when my kid asked for a fancy goldfish I said sure. What a stupid move. I can’t understand how anyone finds this easy to follow. If you mess with this, it changes that etc. I can’t even follow what chemical I’m using to adjust all these different things I’m supposed to be checking. I think I’ll put these fish out of their misery and flush them.
Hi Anthony,
Fishkeeping definitely has a learning curve and they are certainly more difficult to keep that a cat or dog, but if you hang in there, they are a very rewarding pet!
Thanks Ian. My test strip shows everything to be level except the GH. I read it should be a dark blue. Not even close. All the other seem ok so we will see how it goes.
It would be nice if someone made a chart:
NO3 range = x
If above x Add y
If below x Add y
PH range should be = x
If above x Add y
If below x Add y
Etc. I’m having a heck of a time getting all five items in my strip to match up to what the web says my ranges should be.
So, if my strip tests in range with exception of GH do I still need to let the tank run empty for 5 days. Assuming yes for those things that cannot be measured.
Hi Anthony,
If you use an aquarium test kit, you will be able to much more accurately measure your water (I recommend the API master test kit, it has everything you need) it’s also cheaper in the long run – test strips are inaccurate and expensive.
When you say “everything to be level” what do you mean?
In a cycled tank:
Ammonia should = 0
Nitrite should = 0
Nitrates should be forever increasing. These are reduced with the weekly water change They should be kept under 10, reaching a max of 40 by the end of the week
PH should be constant. If it fluctuates daily, then it is cause for concern. It’s usually caused by soft water. If you use tapwater, KH is generally only an issue IF your pH is fluctuating.
If you are doing a fishless cycle, as per the final step of this guide, if you add your dose of ammonia and it disapears within 24 hours, then your tank is cycled. If you add your ammonia, and it’s still measurable 24 hours later, then your tank isn’t cycled.
That’s it Ian!! I wasn’t reading the instructions properly. I’ve been thinking I’m doing so well with little to no ammonia and little to no nitrite. That’s because I didn’t read that I needed to introduce the bad stuff then wait for it to level back down DUH! Thanks so much for working with me. I’m headed to the store tomorrow for ammonia and if they don’t have it I’ll prime it. I just hope my fancy goldfish will survive in its fish bowl waiting for this process. Thanks again!
Oh, that’s awesome.
Don’t worry, it’s a lot to take in when you are starting out. I’m glad it was an easy fix.
Also, I didn’t realize you already had your fish. If you have fish, and neither tank is cycled, you would generally put them in a single tank and do a fish-in cycle. Fish produce ammonia on their own (pee and poop) which causes damage to them in an uncycled tank. Here are instructions for a fish-in cycle guide. The reason this isn’t recommended is that it relies on the fish for the ammonia, which can injure them in the process – this is how we cycled tanks in the old days before fishless cycling came along.
Hi Gilmore,
Beneficial appears to establish itself quickest at around 7 pH. As long as your tank is a constant 6.6 (and not fluctuating down or up) then it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, although it might take slightly longer to cycle your tank.
Thank you for replying and I hope I can pick your brain here as well..
I bought the ammonia fritz and did what you said here (I have a 10g):
Fish tanks less than 40 gallons: Add Half a teaspoon of Fritz Ammonia (2 ppm)
So I added half a teaspoon of ammonia and the next day, I did an ammonia test and it was at 8ppm, the highest I’ve ever seen it. So I did a 50% water change and waited until the next day. It was still 8ppm. I did a 60% water change last night and today, it’s still at 8ppm.
What do I need to do in order to bring it back to 2-3ppm? Should I just keep doing the daily water changes or is there another option? I also ordered Seachem Stability and that should be coming in soon. How should I use that as well?
Thank you!
Hi Gilmore,
Welcome to the hobby. Is there anything else you have added to your aquarium? Or are you sure you didn’t add too much? Something else seems amiss here – If your chart reads 8 ppm, then it’s likely higher since the chart can’t go any higher. If you did 3 water changes in this way, then you could assume that ammonia was at least 32ppm (since a 50% water change drops ammonia levels by *roughly* 50%)
I’d continue with the water changes until it reaches a readable level.
Seachem stability is basically bottled bacteria. I don’t recommend them since they don’t always speed up the cycle and can introduce other hiccups along the way (they are a living product and can often arrive dead or may even be the wrong strain) As for using it, simply follow the instructions on the bottle. If you are going to add this, it shouldn’t hurt your cycle, but just be mindful that it may not help it.
Hi Ian!
This is one of the clearest, step-by-step guides I’ve seen so far! Thank you so much for helping us new aquarists to get through the difficult cycling process.
I recently bought a 60l tank (16 gallons I believe) and am planning on doing a planted tank. I read that plants can “mess up” the cycle by consuming ammonia and nitrites, thereby making it difficult to see when your beneficial bacteria has actually established. In order for the plants to take on that role of consuming the harmful compounds and keeping the fish safe, they need a constant supply of CO2 and fertilizers though, correct?
I wasn’t planning on using CO2, however, as I am so new to all of this and would like to start out with a low-tech-tank.
The things that confuse me a bit are:
1) When doing a planted tank, does that change any of the steps in the guide? Are there important changes to it that one would need to consider? Or should I just ignore the plants for now and add them after the cycling is complete?
2) I bought a pack of tetra pellets I was planning to break up into powder and put in the tank instead of pure ammonia, as I didn’t know about that option when I bought it. Does that change anything? Is it better to buy the pure ammonia instead or should I work with what I have?
3) I’m planning to go on holiday in a couple of weeks (for 7 days), should I wait until after to start the cycling? With this guide I definitely would to monitor everything closely, but I read somewhere that simply adding slowly dissolving vacation food for fish would do the trick as well. Is this true?
I’m sorry for asking so many questions at once. My local pet stores only seem to have inexperienced staff that tried to sell me the tank and fish on the same day. But the internet isn’t the most trustworthy source either most of the time.. After seeing how many people you helped with their cycling and much more, I figured I would try and turn to you 🙂
Thank you if you have read this far!
Kind regards,
April S.
Hi April,
Thank you for the lovely feedback, it means the world to me!
Plants typically fall into one of three difficulties – easy, medium and hard. “Easy” plants can grow in even a beginners tank in sub-optimal conditions (e.g Anubias) while “hard” plants need precise conditions, fertilizers and constant CO2 for optimal growth and color (e.g Rotala) So the plants you choose will decide the amount of care you need to give them.
1) In a 16 gallon low-tech tank, the cycling instructions shouldn’t deviate from the above.
2)My personal recommendation is always to use ammonia. It allows you to put a measured amount in and know exactly how much to redose. It also allows the cycle to move somewhat predictably. With pellets, prawns and other organics that break down, you don’t know how much ammonia they give off until you test and find your levels are either too low or too high. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but if this is your first time cycling a tank and don’t know what to expect, you are creating more work for yourself.
3)That does complicate things somewhat. I wouldn’t recommend a vacation block as they dissolve and make the water a cloudy mess. You’ll then have to deal with that when you get back. If you are going to go down this route, a frozen shrimp in a nylon stocking (so it doesn’t break up into tiny pieces and gunk up your tank *should* keep the cycle going, and it’s possible that there won’t be any issues, but without you being there to monitor, I couldn’t guarantee this. Ultimately, whether you start now or wait is a judgement call only you can make.
I hope this sheds some light on the issues you are facing!
Thank you so much for taking the time to help people with their problems, including me!
I have found a workaround in that a friend of mine will continue to monitor my tank cycle while I am gone. I will also be looking for the pure ammonia in order to make things more precise and the process easier to follow.
Again, thank you for your help and keep doing what you do 🙂
Best wishes,
April S.
I’m so happy to hear you found a solution. I hope you have a great holiday! If all goes well you will return to a fully cycled tank!
Hi Ian,
I’m currently cycling a 20 gallon high and have been trying to follow your beginner cycling instructions and have been waiting a week after adding the recommended amount of Fritz’s Ammonia.
The only thing is… I don’t have the Master Test Kit, I spent my whole budget on aquascaping this tank with plants and driftwood and also buying other supplies for my other tanks that I was low on, so I can’t afford to get anything more and can’t really borrow any money from anyone.
I have the Tetra 6-in-1 Test Strips which I’ve heard are far more accurate than the API Test Strips that I had been using for a few months, but the Tetras don’t test Ammonia, so I’ve been trying to use my Seachem Ammonia Alert which I have in all of my tanks but it can’t measure above 0.5 ppm so I’m really stuck.
I just did a water test after wanting to go insane because I overlooked the test kit which I thought would be easier said than done to cycle the tank and I miracously got a small reading of Nitrate, I’ll say around 5-10 ppm or so because the Tetra strips only test above 20 ppm of Nitrate so I’m just taking a guess here, but there is no nitrite at all.
So is this a good thing, bad thing?
Thank you Ian!!
Hi 20gHelp,
That’s a precarious situation you got yourself in. A test kit is essential even after the cycle is complete as it will allow “diagnose” your water. It’s very difficult to keep fish without one.
Are there any local fish clubs in your area? Try and reach out to some members and see if you can take a bottle of your tank water to for testing. Alternatively, your local fish store might be able to provide this service for you too.
Be mindful that nitrate can also be present in tapwater, unfortunately, the only way to find out if it’s from your tap water or the cycle completing is to burn a test strip on your tap water before you place it in your tank.
Unfortunately, without a test kit it’s going to be very difficult to determine where you are in the cycle. While you could wait it out for 2 months and “assume” it’s cycled, it’s going to be tricky to see how it’s progressing otherwise. I wish I could help you further here.
Hey again Ian,
So I just checked and found out I had around $30 dollars sitting on my debit card so I raced to Amazon and ordered the Master Test Kit and it’ll be arriving Saturday, so I’m happy I can finally start doing it right!
Thanks for replying so quickly!
I also found out why I had those mysterious Nitrates show up, It wasn’t because of my tap water, a few days ago I added a whole bottle of API Quick Start which is where those little buggers are coming from, I’m hoping it will help a bit!
Hi again, 20gHelp
Oh, that’s good news. I’m so happy to hear it! Trust me, you will be thankful when you get it, it’s going to make fish keeping a whole lot easier.
Just remember to compare the color of your test kit under natural daylight – indoor lighting can make the colors appear off.
If you have any further questions about cycling, please leave them in the comments here and I’ll do my best to help.
Hi Again Ian,
I got my test kit yesterday and watched a few videos on how to use it, so after learning how to use it properly, I tested the 20g that I’m cycling and here are the results:
pH: 7.6-7.8
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Ammonia: 8.0ppm
So after noticing I had a high ammonia count, I did a water change to keep it under 5ppm as stated in your article, I replaced 6 gallons of water and then tested it about 5 minutes later and the Ammonia tested at 4.0ppm, I then added a full bottle of Tetra SafeStart (As directed by the instructions).
I checked today, after a full 24 hours, and the Ammonia rised back to 8.0ppm again… Do I need to keep doing water changes to keep it down?
I will continue to keep following your instuctions, thank you!
Hi again 20gHelp,
5 minutes is probably a little too soon to get an idea of your ammonia levels, try waiting half an hour before re-testing. Tetra Safe Start could be responsible for the ammonia spike, it is bottled bacteria and if it’s dead, it will break down into ammonia (like all decaying organic things) I generally don’t recommend bottled bacteria supplements doing a fishless cycle as they are not guaranteed to speed it up, are an extra cost and add an extra step where things can go wrong.
Looking at your test results, you are at the very start of the cycle – just a whole lot of waiting to do now!
Ian:
Hi! You helped me with my platy babies and multiple aquariums earlier this year. 4 out of the 5 babies we saved have lived (6 months now). We also have a betta in its own tank and now one of its eyes is cloudy. Do you know what that can be and how to fix it? So much conflicting information online! I didn’t know where to post this question, hope it’s ok to do it here.
Thanks in advance!
Lezlee
Hi again Lezlee!
Cloudy eye is a tricky one because the cause can be a bajillion different things from natural causes like cateracts to disease to physical injury. If your water parameters are fine (which I suspect they will be, your patience in cycling was amazing) then the only way to know for sure is if more symptoms keep arising. I wish I could help you more here, but it really is one of those things where if everything else is fine, then It’s a waiting game. If your fish continues to be otherwise normal and healthy, it’s just going to be one of those aquarium mysteries. Unfortunately, lots of things in fishkeeping comes down to just waiting.
Ok thanks for your response! The water does always test well so I guess we’ll just wait…do you think it can clear up on it’s own?
A little update on my other fish. The mother Platy is still in her own 3 gallon tank…it didn’t cycle for months and then we changed the filter type and it cycled amazingly fast! Her 5 babies survived in their 10 gallon tank together for 4 months and then one of them just disappeared…could not find a body. We assume one of the others killed and ate it…? A couple of months later we catch one of the four left bullying one of the others! So we took him out and he is in his own 3 gallon tank. So we have 2 three gallon tanks, 1 ten gallon tank and one 5 gallon with the beta. I’d love to put the mom in the ten gallon with the babies now and the bully too so I’d have only one ten gallon and one 5 gallon, but I’m afraid the mom may mate with one of her children, and I can’t handle any more babies! And I don’t want the bully to eat any more of his siblings!
But all of the tanks always test well. I could never have gotten them all cycled without your help and advice and I really appreciate it!!
Lezlee
It’s hard to say if it will clear up on it’s own. If it’s natural or physical, it’s gonna stay. If it’s bacterial or disease, it might. No guarantee though. I have had a completely blind fish live an otherwise full and happy life, feeding him was a bit of a chore though.
Wow, your collection of tanks keeps growing. Not by choice unfortunately, but you are doing a great job playing mother to your fish, that’s for sure.
And no need to thank me, you did all the hard work! Wishing you all the best for the future!
hi ian! i’m hoping you can help me. i am new to owning a tank and had no idea what i was in for. ha. i feel like i have tried to read everything on the fishless cycle but i’m more than 14 days in and no signs of nitrites.
set up the tank on friday june 7th, added API stress coat (the pet store told me to come back in 4 days, that’s when i thought i could buy fish, boy did they leave out some info.) water was very cloudy after 24 hours even though i rinsed all my materials before putting them into the tank.
over the weekend i read up about cycling a tank.
june 11- did a 25% water change added more API stress coat, then added tetra safe start
12th- added ammonia to raise to 5ppm. i checked an hour later and it was around 8ppm or so.
Ammonia 8, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, pH 7.8/8.0 water temp 78
13- Ammonia 4, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, pH 8.2
14- Ammonia 4, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, pH 8. Added Stability
15- Ammonia 4, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, pH 7.8. Added Stability
16- Ammonia 4, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, pH 7.8. Added Stability
the 16th through today the 26th i have the exact same readings. my ammonia has not dropped at all and i have no nitrites. i understand that this can take 2-6 weeks, but i thought i should be seeing some signs of nitrites after 14 plus days.
any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
thank you.
valerie
ps- i don’t know anyone with an aquarium that i could take material from.
Hi Valeria,
At least you figured out the cycle before it was too late. Don’t worry, it gets much easier from here!
I don’t like adding all those “bottled bacteria” supplements, because I’m not convinced they work – I have seen tanks cycle in just a few days with people using them or I have seen some tanks take weeks, I have seen the same with people who skip them.
My first question is:
Are you using an API liquid test kit? And if so, are you checking the readings in natural daylight? Indoor lighting can throw these colors off.
Next, did you dechlorinate the water you added to the tank. Chlorine kills beneficial bacteria and they cannot grow in it.
Next, do you have a filter set up with biomedia (like ceramic noodles) or a sponge for the bacteria to inhabit?
It sounds like your tank cycle has stalled and we need to figure out the cause.
hi ian,
yes i am using an API test kit to get all of my readings each day. i’m not checking them in daylight, but inside my house. (i am checking them at about the same time everyday in the same room though.)
the API stress coat says it dechlorinates, so i thought that did that. should i have used a different product?
i do not have a filter with biomedia, but i have lots of gravel on the bottom, a few plastic plants and a large rock tunnel. (not real rock.) i thought it would have attached to this.
what do you think i should do?
valerie
i should add, this all started with a gold fish for my 5 year old. she won one at the school fair so we went to the pet store to pick it up along with a gallon bowl and all the stuff. after a few days i started reading about fish and realized how small the bowl is, dirty goldfish are and maybe i want to upgrade. after about 5 days i went to another pet store and thought it im gonna buy a 10 gallon i might as well get a 20 gallon incase we end up liking fish. i also got the pet store to take my 2 goldfish as i don’t want to keep them. we thought we were going to get new neon fish a few days later but now im about 20 days out and have a 5 year old with no fish and a mama who is having a hard time practicing my patience bc i think something is going on!
that is my very long way of saying, i very much appreciate your site and your help!!!
valerie
That’s a story I have heard dozens of times! A fish is less of a prize and more of a burden for many people who dont have the time to take proper care of them.
In a 20 gallon, I would certainly recommend a filter. You need it for water movement in addition to a home for beneficial bacteria.
Also, you have a good local fish store, not many agree to take back fish. I would ask them about filters, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
I highly recommend switching to outside reading, even though the light is constant, it makes it difficult to see color changes, even if you measure inside each time.
API stresscoat certainly dechlorinates, I just wanted to check that you were using it consistantly after water changes – it needs to be added each time.
I personally recommend setting up a filter (even a sponge filter will do) as most beneficial bacteria will live here. The filter sucks water through it ans as it does, it provides “food” (ammonia, nitrite) to the beneficial bacteria, filtering your water.
Ian,
Apologies, I misunderstood you. yes, i have a filter. i bought the Aqueon LED 20 Gallon Aquarium Kit. it comes with Kit includes Glass Aquarium, Low Profile LED Hood, QuietFlow Power Filter, Filter Cartridge, Submersible Preset Heater, Premium Fish Food Sample, Water Conditioner Sample, Fish Net, Thermometer, and Set Up Guide. they system also says that you have to have the filters facing the front, which i made sure to do.
i did add the dechlorinator when i first added the water and when i did a partial change. since i am not getting anywhere, should i change out the water? 50% or more?
valerie
Hi Again Valerie,
First, take your readings in natural daylight so we are confident we know what we are working with. Make sure you follow the instructions on each test kit to the letter.
It is also possible you have a faulty test kit. This issue has occurred with a couple of commenters in here.
ok, i’ll do it tonight when i get home. should i take a sample to my fish store and have them test it too?
valerie
If your fish store offers that as a service then absolutely, it never hurts to check. Once you have eliminated that as the problem, you can be confident that something else is the cause. Unfortunately, many of these solutions are trial and error, trying something then ruling that out. Usually a cycle goes smoothly, but there are a few that for one reason or another go amiss.
While you are at your local fish store, ask them how they cycle their tanks, they are using the same water source as you and should be able to provide extra information. Since you are there already, it won’t hurt to ask.
just took the test tonight and read the results outside, they look identical to the numbers inside. ammonia is 4 and nitrites is 0.
the only thing i can think is that there is not enough dechlorinator? i followed the instructions, but maybe we have a lot of chlorine in our water? should i add more of the API stress coat just in case??
valerie
Hi Valerie,
If you are following the instructions, dosing to your tank size, then you should be fine. I personally use seachem prime as it is cheaper in the long run (you use less of it so you don’t need to buy it as often) but I know plenty of people who have used API to dechlorinate. The thing is, if you forget just once, then it means you need to restart the cycle from day one.
sorry- just saw your top reply. i’ll ask my local fish store, but i am thinking of starting again…
I would seek their advice first, before starting over, they should be able to provide better guidance since they cycle their tanks in the local area likely using the same water source.
Hiya Ian!
Have recently setup my third tank! On this one though, I am going planted (this will be my first attempt ever with live plants) 😎.
It’s a 15 gallon tank and has been cycling since the 28th of May, with no fish but with a variety of plants. I used ADA Amazonia as substrate and I am assuming it was this that was providing all the ammonia I needed in the beginning weeks, because I was not adding any and my readings were astronomical 🤣
Now going onto day 4 of next to no ammonia being picked up by my test kit. I do however get readings of both nitrites and nitrates (?). These levels have been increasing but are pretty constant now at 10ppm nitrites and 250ppm (!!!) nitrates. Am I ready to start adding ammonia? Have a healthy biofilm on the spider wood, rocks and glass too. So I assume something is feeding that.
Another question I have and the Internet seems to have no consensus, is regarding water changes. As I have no fish yet, I have not been doing super-regular water changes – about 40% weekly. Do I even have to be doing these at all? After reading this article though, I realise my pH is not ideal at around 6.4, so I will start the 20% changes as you suggest above.
Thanks for the help,
Barry
Hi Barry,
Congrats on the new setup! There is nothing more exciting than planning out a new tank, experimenting with new aquascapes, plants and fish. Well, too me, I’m addicted.
Anyway, let’s shed some light on your questions. You are correct in that ADA aquasoil leaches ammonia into the water, which kickstarts the cycle without effort on your part.
If the aquasoil is still releasing ammonia, then the first bacteria should be processing it as fast as it is being released (the bacteria are in high enough numbers). This results in a constant zero reading. However, you can add 1 or 2 ppm ammonia to your tank to see what happens (whether it stays or whether it dissapears in 24 h, just to see what is happening. It would seem like you are waiting for the second bacteria to accumulate (nitrite -> nitrate) where it can eat nitrite as quickly as it is produced.
What is the upper limit on your test kit for nitrite and nitrate (the max number they read)?
In a fishless cycle, there isn’t really a need to do a water change except when balancing the parameters is needed (for instance, ph). You have correctly identified that as a possible way of raising your pH levels. Depending on your test kit, you may also need to do a water change to drop your nitrite and nitrate levels, but I’ll explain that once you provide your upper limit on your test kit cards.
Thanks for the feedback Ian.
The upper limits are 10ppm for Nitrites and 500ppm for Nitrates. So my readings are quite up there!
Thanks for clarifying Barry.
My concern here is that your nitrites are excessively high. If your test kits max measurement is 10 ppm then even though it reads 10 ppm, it could be 10 or it could be 100. Or anything really.
You can cheat to find out if this is a case. If you fill a test tube with 50% tank water and 50% distilled (Or reverse osmosis) water, then you will be able to use your test kit to measure up to double the reading.
A measurement of 7.5ppm, for example, would mean that your nitrites are actually 14ppm (since you have to double the result, since you halved the amount of tank water)
You can do the same by adding 25% tap water and 75% distilled water, which would effectively allow you to test up to 40ppm (don’t forget to multiply the reading 4 times)
If, after using these techniques you see elevated levels of nitrite, you should perform multiple water changes to get the back down to readable levels. Remember: A 50% water change will *roughly* drop your parameters in half. This will make it easier to determine whether your nitrite levels are in the process of rising or falling, as you can once again measure it with your card.
Cool! Will give this a go.
When you say multiple water changes, do you mean daily until the nitrites are at “acceptable” levels?
Then lastly, should I be feeding the bacteria ammonia, or wound the ADA still be supplying this? Or could it be that the bacteria are establishing but are simply overwhelmed by the amount of nitrite, and the water changes would control the levels enough for the bacteria to tackle?
Hi Barry,
Whatever works best for you. Daily or back to back, seperated by 1/2 an hour or so.
If it’ still in it’s early days, I would expect that the ADA aquasoil is still leeching ammonia into the water at a rate fast enough to feed the bacteria. Unfortunately, the only real way to determine if your first bacteria has “starved” to death due to a lack of ammonnia is if your nitrite levels drop to zero and nitrate levels stop rising. Adding 1 or 2ppm of ammonia shouldn’t impact your cycle if you wanted to add it to test what happens and the rate at which it falls. Much of fishkeeping still comes back to experimenting to see what works with your setup.
Hi Ian 👋
Did the distilled water test and my nitrite reading was between 5 and 10ppm – so 10 to 20ppm when multiplied. Then performed a 50% water change.
Will continue to test regularly and hopefully we get there soon 😊
Yikes, that is quite high. You did the right thing with the water changes, now you should be able to observe whether the nitrite and nitrate levels are rising and make a better judgement as to how far along the cycle you actually are. Hang in there! It will be worth your patience.
Hello Ian, it’s me again 😅
Ok! Since my large water change on the 21st, ammonia remains at 0ppm, nitrites hovering close to zero and nitrites at 100ppm. I’ve been testing daily.
I think you mentioned that if ammonia and nitrites remain zero, and nitrates don’t spike my bacteria may be dead 😵
So I take it I need to start from step one in this article?
Seems that the pet stores here in South Africa don’t seem to stock ammonia. In fact many of the staff I spoke to seemed appalled that I wanted to add ammonia to the tank 🤣 I can see however that I can get ammonium chloride powder from a laboratory supply shop. Would that do?
Also, does Seachem Stability help at all with bacteria levels?
Hi Barry,
Do you mean your nitrates are 100 ppm?
It’s possible your cycle is done, but that will depend on if your nitrates keep increasing. 100 ppm is still far too high for a tank with fish (ideally you want it under 10 in a non-planted tank, with it reaching 40 max
I’d keep changing water to get these levels.
I still don’t think you need to start from step one, I think using the aquasoil caused all your parameters to blow out. It’s in the USA, we use measured amounts of ammonia – it allows you to keep these levels completely under control throughout the cycle.
Ammonium Chloride can also be used, you want it to ideally be pure. 99.9% ideally, without any other additives.
Ammonium chloride is roughly 32% ammonia by weight. So 2 ppm/L would require you to dose 6.3mg/L.
If I was in your shoes, I’d do another few water changes to get the nitrates down then observe if they keep rising. Nitrates rise continuously in a cycled tank, so if yours are going up, while the nitrite and nitrate remain at zero then all your bacteria are in place and the tank is cycled!
Bottled bacteria *may* help, but it’s hit and miss. Since it’s a living product, there is no guaranteed the bottle you bought has been stored properly and all the bacteria inside may be dead. Then there is the argument that the strains of bacteria in these bottles may not be the same as the bacteria that forms in your tank. I have seen tanks using bottled bacteria cycle in just a few days and also a few weeks or months. I have seen the same with tanks that cycle without bacteria. So I don’t think it’s essential, but it certainly won’t harm your tank.
Yes, I meant nitrates at 100! 🤣
I added 1/4 tsp Ammonium Chloride to the tank (15 gallons) last night and left for an hour. Unfortunately it was too much and read at just over 5ppm. Did a water change to bring it under 5ppm. I put it at around 3ppm as my test kit (made by Sera) read darker than 2ppm but lighter than 5. This morning, down to 2ppm. I am expecting it to be zero by tonight (24 hours later). This morning my nitrites read at 2 (up from 0.5 pre NH4Cl) and old reliable nitrates back at 100. If ammonia and nitrites are at zero tonight and nitrates stubbornly high, then will do some water changes and test in the morning.
Thanks again for all of the help Ian!
That’s good news! It means you don’t need to restart your cycle! If I was in your position, It’s just a waiting game now. I hope it’s not too much longer for you, Barry!
My Nitrites is reading like 10 on the Seachem test kit.
Ammonia 0
I already water changed about 50%.
After the change it still about the same on the test kit about a 10 Nitrites.
How soon can I do water changes until I see a reduction of Nitrites and how much water should I change?
I have Seachem prime, stability and stress guard on hand.
I would be adding all three.
The tank was left on autopilot with a fish feeder and we came to two fish dead and one that barely swim.
I think the cause was to much food by the feeder machine.
Looking forward on what should I do to try to save the fish.
Thanks.
Hi Joel,
Is this for a fishless cycle?
Firstly, are you reading your test kit in natural day light? Indoor lighting can make colors look off and hard to color match.
I’d do a second water change, vacuuming the substrate and rinsing the filter (dechlorinated water only) in addition to a wipe down – you want to get rid of any rotting organics that are breaking down to ammonia (then nitrite)
Seachem prime only treats up to 5 ppm of nitrite (at a 5x dose) so you need to get the levels right down for it to be helpful. Unfortunately, there is no guarentee that your fish will survivie.
Hi,
Fish are in the tank.
I read it with indoor lights.
I did a water change yesterday about 50% the fish is swimming better today like he got energy again.
Right after this I would do another water change.
I threw away the filter put a new one there was a lot of food waste on it.
Would vacuum the substrate again.
There was a lot of rotting food.
I am just in awe as the ammonia seem to be non existent.
Thank you.
Thanks for clarifying, Joel.
Does your filter have biomedia inside it, such as ceramic rings? Otherwise, each time you throw away your filter, you are getting rid of the beneficial bacteria that keep your tank cycled – which can also lead to water quality issues like this.
I would double check your readings outdoors in daylight, just for accuracy, so you know what you are working with – It’s possible there is ammonia but the lights are making it difficult to read. Doing the water changes is spot on, as these levels are very toxic to your fish, so you are doing everything right. Well done here!
After the filter I have some Seachem matrix but not a lot. As there not much space.
My substrate is the CaribSea FloraMax I only have two plants at the moment. I have 4 Marimo moss balls but took them out for cleaning as the big one turned brown. I might throw it away if it don’t turn back green while on the temporary tank.
Took another sample today hope you can look at the pic http://i66.tinypic.com/104oxlk.jpg
The middle one was my 1st sample really dark since then have evaporated. It was taken Two days ago. The sample for yesterday far left. Today sample far right.
I been doing about 45-50% water change and vacuum the substrate.
I would do another water change in the afternoon.
I changed the filter again, thinking of rinsing it and using it to filter the water as I put it back in the tank while I vacuum the substrate.
I have a net filter at the end of the vacuum hose as water fall in the bucket to filter some. And then would use the old tank filter to filter the water back in the tank while cleaning the substrate and then do the water change.
Does this sound about right?
Thank you.
Hi Joel,
Thanks for the pic, unfortunately, it’s reeeeally hard to check these colors through computer screens since every screen renders color “slightly” differently. However, it does looks like your levels are getting lower.
It sounds right except for the throwing out and replacing of the filter part. Each time you do this, does your filter have room for ceramic rings? If so, I would buy some, as it stops you crashing the cycle each time you change out the filter. Also, I just want to make sure you are using fresh dechlorinated water rather than returning the old water to the tank. There are tiny things in the water that your filter is probably missing not to mention that fresh water restores mineral balance.
If your cycle has crashed, you will need to recycle your tank, which is going to create some unusual test readings until it the end of the cycle.
Ian, it’s Lisa again.
I can’t believe I forgot to mention my biggest problem: diatoms! I cannot get rid of these little devils! I’m doing twice weekly 20-25% water changes. I’ve read that diatoms feed on silicates – what’s in my tank that contains silicates? I increased the water flow of the filter. I take the ornaments and plants out weekly and rinse them off. Occasionally, I soak the ornaments in a water:bleach solution, but that scares me a bit. I even microwaved the resin log and stone arch.
They appear to be indestructible.
Hi Lisa,
In a regular maintained tank, diatoms are normal during cycling and sometimes persist after the cycling stage before finally disappearing. Ordinarily, they go away on their own. Often it’s best just to wait them out. If they continue, then they are likely feeding off something in your tank. First thing to do is to check your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, KH/GH, etc.) and make sure everything is normal here. If something is off, you’ll need to identify the cause, which can take some trial and error, often adjusting your schedule or removing something from your tank piece by piece until you identify the culprit.
But I have my fingers crossed it doesn’t come to that!
If you are really finding it unsightly while you wait for it to hopefully clear up on it’s own, you can use a really fine filter sponge, which will trap any diatoms floating through the water, including those you disturb as you scrub them off in your tank.
Hello Ian,
I am so glad to find your site. All my Internet research and even an employee of an aquarium/fish store have confused me mightily.
I have a 2.5 gallon tank with one Betta, and I am having a terrible time getting everything right. This is my first fish – and I really had no idea what all was involved. This is the setup:
• TopFin 2.5 gallon with filter
• Black gravel substrate (color is fading/flaking)
• Hydor 25W Submersible Glass Aquarium Heater – Original Theo
• Zacro LCD Digital Aquarium Thermometer
• hygger Betta Log Resin Hollow Tree Trunk Ornament
• Luffy Marmo moss balls
• Silk plants and plastic leaf hammock
I feed him food pellets – one at a time. He had been gobbling them up. For the last few days, he’s been spitting them out and letting them fall to the bottom. Occasionally, I give him Daphnia or dried bloodworms.
I’ve had the tank since October 2018. I think all the testing values were right ONCE back in December. My poor Betta was in the tank the whole time because I didn’t know any better.
I run tap water through a Britta filter, then add water conditioner (I’ve tried TopFin Betta Water Conditioner, Seachem Stability, and Tetra 16837 BettaSafe Water Conditioner).
I use the API Freshwater Master Test Kit 800 to test Nitrate, Ph, Ammonia, and Nitrite. This week I also used API Test Kit for KH/GH and Phosphate, all of which tested as normal.
The thermometer shows the temperature is always between 78F and 82F. I had live plants for a little while, but when I added aquarium salt (based on something I read on the Internet to reduce nitrite levels), the plants did NOT like it. Now there are only silk plants.
For a long time, the pH was too low and the ammonia was too high. I’ve been doing 20-25% water changes twice weekly for about 4 months. I added a sponge filter and a Purigen bag. I used the Purigen bag to replace the cartridge filters (carbon?) that came with the TopFin aquarium…which are supposed to be replaced monthly.
Yesterday, the pH was 7.8 (it’s never been that high) and the ammonia was nearly off the chart (could it really be 8?). I immediately added Seachem Prime.
I am thinking of getting a 5-gallon tank and using sand substrate. I read (Internet again!) that sand is easier to keep clean because waste and food sit on the surface instead of falling into the gravel. I will cycle this one without the Betta, using your instructions.
In the meantime, please help before my beautiful Betta goes belly up!
Thanks.
Hi Lisa,
It sounds like you are doing well, it’s a lot to learn for a beginner, fish are more tricky to keep than a pet such as a dog or a cat. Don’t worry, most people start out the same – it can be really confusing when everyone is recommending that you do different things.
Seachem prime treats ammonia up to 5 ppm, if your ammonia levels were 8, then they were still harming your betta. A water 50% water change or three is needed here, each 50% water change will roughly drop the ammonia concentration by 50% (8ppm would become 4ppm and so on) getting it back to manageable levels.
On the sand substrate, it’s a matter of choice. I personally prefer gravel and rocks but each to their own. Using a gravel vacuum weekly with your water change will keep gravel perfectly clean.
Unfortunately, I cannot diagnose your betta. Fish are very sensitive and stress that was caused months ago due to poor water quality (combined with your current extreme levels) may have done irreversible damage.
All you can really do is get your water parameters as “clean” as possible:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: Ideally below 10
And ensuring this is maintained daily – sick fish are extra sensitive to water quality. Most aquarium problems can be traced back to water quality. The good news is that once you establish a balance, you won’t need all that extra stuff like Carbon, aquarium salt, and other chemicals. You should be able to get by with basically just a bottle of seachem prime (for conditioning water before adding it to your tank, also in most cases you shouldn’t need to run it through a water filter, brita filters are just carbon)
Ive just started my tank cycle. After looking at your chart i noticed you said “you can also see how nitrates drop at each water change”
how often did you perform a water change during the cycle as your only mention of a water change is at day 36
I have a 70L Tank
I look forward to your reply 😊
Hi Rupert,
That chart is actually off and old fish-in cycle I did and is best used as an example to show how a water change drops the nitrates. If there are no fish, and your nitrate readings are not “off the chart” then there is no reason to perform a water change until you finish. However, if you want to see the “rate” at which nitrates are increasing, you may want to perform a water change sooner (you’ll notice the low level colors on your test kit are closer together than the higher levels) just keep in mind that during cycling that that a water change will also dilute your ammonia levels, so make sure you double check those if you do perform one and redose if necessary.
Thank you for your quick reply. I have one more question.
You mention having the airpump on during the cycle, how strong should the airflow be
Hi Rupert,
As strong as you intend for it to be when you add fish. Keep in mind that certain fish prefer varying levels of water movement. Betta, for instance, prefer very slow moving water.
Appreciate the reply.
I did a nitrite reading earlier today and its reading at 1.0ppm after 3 days. Is this normal as i expected it to take longer
Hi Rupert,
Truth be told, everyone experiences the cycle slightly differently. Others experience it quickly, for others it’s a long and drawn out process. If your nitrite is measurable this quickly, and you have confirmed that your tapwater doesn’t contain this amount of nitrite, then it’s possible you are one of the lucky ones who is experiencing a quicker cycle, at least so far. Time will tell!
I keep adding ammonia however the levels aren’t rising past 0.5ppm
Hi Rupert,
I assume you are at step three? Are you testing correctly in natural daylight (orange lights can make the colors look off)? Are you sure your test isn’t faulty? I only ask as eventually there comes a point where there the ammonia concentration is greater than the water in the tank.
Im already getting nitrate readings of around 40ppm. My nitrate levels have dropped down to 0ppm but my ammonia levels are still around 2ppm. Should i do a partial water change?
Hi Rupert,
I’m confused here, yesterday you were saying you couldn’t raise them past 0.5 but now you are saying they are still 2?
If you wait 24 hours, without adding ammonia, what happens to your ammonia reading?
Sorry for my long reply
I waited the 24 hours and the levels did rise. I discovered i hadnt added enough ammonia.
However my ammonia levels arent dropping to 0ppm even after a few days it doesn’t change. Its currently around 0.25ppm and highest nitrite reading ive ever had is 1ppm and now its reading at 0ppm
My nitrate levels are 40ppm
I did a nitrate test on my tapwater and it has the same reading as the water in my fish tank.
It looks like i need to start from the beginning or shall i wait longer
Not a problem Rupert.
I’d give it one more week and see what your readings are then. If your nitrate levels have been going up this whole time than I wouldn’t say anything is off just yet. I just want to confirm you are testing in natural daylight? It’s easy to get an incorrect reading if you are testing under indoor lights.
I really don’t think you need to start over. This all seems positive, it’s just that last little bit of ammonia that is the issue.
If you wanted, you can do a 50% water change to drop the nitrate levels by roughly 50%, this will make it easier to see that your nitrate levels are rising (the color card ppm gets further apart as the nitrate levels get higher) don’t forget to re-dose ammonia after!
So ive waited a week. Yesterday i added the full ammount of ammonia that i added on day 1 and 24 hours later both ammonia levels and nitrite levels are 0ppn. However my nitrate levels are now 160ppm. Does this look like the cycle is complete? And do i need to do a partial water change to reduce nitrate levels?
Hi Rupert,
Yeah, you are definitely cycled. At 160 ppm, you’ll need to do multiple water changes (a 50% water change roughly cuts nitrates by 50%) Ideally you want nitrates 10 or under, allowing them to increase to a max of 40 before the weekly water change is done (in a non-planted tank)
These water changes can be done back to back if you want. Just don’t forget to dechlorinate that water, you don’t want to kill that beneficial bacteria after all your hard work!
Congratulations! You made it.
Thank you for all your help. That hard work has paid off.
One more question. my tap water has a nitrate level of 40ppm so how to i reduce that after a water change
Hi Rupert,
Are you sure that is correct? The EPA maximum for nitrate is 10 milligrams per liter which is 10 ppm. Any higher than that and you are at risk of health problems. If you are correct, you should sort this out as a priority.
You can always use distilled or RO water mixed in to lower nitrate levels, but then you will likely have to balance hardness too with a KH buffer. The easiest way would be to fix the high nitrates coming from your tap.
Hi Ian
Thank you for very helpful beginner friendly guide.
I bought my first 2.6 gallon tank. The problem is I live in Kuwait and i couldn’t find pure ammonia and master test kit.
In local pet store i found only nitrite test. So, I started cycling by adding every day fish food , so it can decay and produce ammonia. Due to I couldn’t test for ammonia levels, after one week of cycling i decided to test for nitrites. According to Tropical NO2 Test it shows 0.9mg/l nitrites.
Recently I ordered from Amazon testers for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. But it will take some time till I receive them. Total cycling 3 weeks now. From the moment i’ve seen nitrites levels (after one week of cycling) I stopped dropping food to the tank. I used Tropical super goldfish mini sticks. They decaying so slow. Today, its two weeks since I stopped adding food to the tank but food sticks are still there at the bottom decaying.
What advice can you give me in this difficult situations? I completely new to all this.
Hi Uliana,
Thank you for the kind words. I understand all this can be confusing at first. I don’t like to use fishfood as it will continue to decay and gunk up your tank. You can use something like a turkey baster or aquarium vacuum to remove the food at the bottom of your tank.
You’ll still need a source of ammonia in your tank though until you add fish. So once these are cleaned up, I would add another pinch then remove those too once they start to decay and go mushy in a few days and repeat.
It’s going to be difficult to know when your cycle is over *just* with a nitrite test, but you could assume once they have gone up then down to zero, that nitrates are now appearing and your tank is cycled. Unfortunately, without the proper tools it is just guess work.
Date PH Ammonia Nitrites Nitrates Any treatments added after readings recorded
18.05.2019 7 0 0 0 Aqua safe and 9.2 ml ammonia
19.05.2019 7.6 2 9.2 ml ammonia
19.05.2019 4
20.05.2019 7.6 4
21.05.2019 4
22.05.2019 4
23.05.2019 7.6 2 2 9.2 ml ammonia
24.05.2019 7.5 2 2 First time testing for high PH. 9.2 ml ammonia.
25.05.2019 1 2 9.2 ml ammonia
26.05.2019 0 2 18 ml ammonia
26.05.2019 8 2nd test 1 hour later
27.05.2019 0 0.5 5 9.2 ml ammonia
27.06.2019 2 2nd test 1 hour later
28.05.2019 7.6 0 0.4 5 9.2 ml ammonia
29.05.2019 0 0 5 9.2 ml ammonia
30.05.2019 0 0 5 18 ml ammonia
Hi Ian, many thanks for such clear and easy to follow instructions. I’m setting up a 200ltr aquarium after a gap of nearly 40 years and it’s a whole new learning curve. I think, I hope 🤞 that my tank is now cycled. I’ve added a full dose of ammonia this afternoon and will test again tomorrow. If ammonia and nitrites are zero am I correct in thinking I’m good to go now? If so, with my Nitrates only being 5 should I still do a partial water change or should I leave it until they go up a bit higher? If that’s the case how high does it have to be before I do a partial water change. Once again, many thanks…..I’m living in hope 😊 Sue
Hi Sue,
Welcome back to the hobby! Being a fishkeeping veteran of 30+ years I completely understand how much the game has changed in that time.
If your readings are correct, that looks like a nice quick cycle. My only concern is that your nitrates are not going up? Is it possible you are not doing the test right, or the test is faulty – unless you are using a chemical filter to remove nitrates, you should see this number continue to grow as ammonia is cycled to nitrite then finally nitrate.
Otherwise it certainly would seem cycled – generally when you perform a water change, the idea is to get the nitrates back under 10 (unless it’s a planted tank).
Hello again Ian. Many thanks for your reply.
I really do think I’m doing the Nitrate test correctly, timing the shakes accurately and the resting period. It’s a brand new API testing kit.
I’ve just taken today’s readings and they are:
PH 0, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5
Will this level of Nitrates cause a problem? Is there a way to bring them up?
Do you consider it safe to start adding some fish?
Kind regards
Sue
Hi again Sue,
My pleasure. The reading itself is not an issue, in fact, it’s the opposite: 5 ppm nitrates is great. But it is not expected behavior. Those nitrItes have to go somewhere, and are converted to nitrate. Your nitrate levels have remained steady throughout the cycle, If you are not removing them, say, by chemical filtration or a heavily planted tank, then those nitrate levels should be rising.
That is why I was concerned that your test kit might have been out – it is important that we can accurately measure these three chemicals (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) as problems faced in aquariums are often traced back to this trio. I would hate for your nitrate levels to be higher and for you not to know, as excessive levels can negatively impact fish health.
If you are not removing the nitrates, I would get a second opinion by testing your water at your local fish store (just to be safe) If that comes back with the same reading, then it’s fish time! From here, it’s weekly water changes as these don’t only lower nitrate levels but also replenish trace elements that fish use to osmoregulate.
Oh, had one last thought, are you reading your results in natural daylight? Orange overhead lighting can make the colors appear different.
Hi again Ian. I added ammonia yesterday to bring back to 4. I took your advice and took a water sample to Maidenhead Aquatics to test. Ammonia was 0 but nitrites and Nitrates were sky high, he said he’d never seen such high levels, he thins it’s because of the amount of ammonia I’ve been adding. I’ve now bought a different testing kit for nitrites and Nitrates and his advice it to stop feeding ammonia and just leave it alone to bring the levels down, not to do a water change.
I am confused and sad that this has gone so horribly wrong, I can only assume due to a duff API test kit. I shall wait and see what happens over the next few weeks.
Hi Sue,
You must be over in the UK – Maidenhead Aquatics is a great chain, I wish we had them here.
Terribly sorry to hear about your testing kit failure. Does your new test kit read correctly? And if so what does it read for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?
Also, what are the ppm levels on the color chart with your new test kit?
Hi again Ian
Yes, I’m in the UK and I totally agree that Maidenhead Aquatics are brilliant. Really friendly and knowledgeable people and their fish selection and quality are fantastic.
I didn’t get a new ammonia test, at their recommendation. I bought Aquacare nitrite and nitrate tests. The nitrites range is 0 – 8.0 and the Nitrate range is 0 – 80.0. In both cases 0 is white then increasing numbers go in darkening shades of pink. I just tested both and my reading was more a shade of orange so goodness only knows what that means!! I’m just going to retest every other day and see what happens. Funny isn’t it that I’m trying to do the best for my hopefully soon to be purchased fish. Never had these headaches in the old days🤣
Thanks Sue,
The reason I ask is that Test Kits have a severe limitation that not many people talk of – once over the limit (in this case 8 or 80), you don’t know how far over you are. You said that your nitrite and nitrate levels are extremely high, so it’s possible that they are off the charts. For instance, while the color chart stops at 80, your reading could actually be 200.
Here is a handy trick to get it down. When testing your tank water, split the ratio of tank water with distilled/ro water. So if you were going to do a test 50% tank water and 50% distilled water. This will cut your reading in half, and may get it back to measurable levels on your color chart. So if you did a 50/50 split and it read 60 ppm, you would know that your actual levels are 120 (since you have halved the reading) Depending on how high your levels are you may need to play with this and even do an 80/20 split. From here, water changes are a done get your tank back down to measurable levels.
I am unfamiliar with Aquacare test kits (over here, aquacare is a hand lotion) but it’s possible that your levels are so high that the color is off the chart? I am guessing here, but if maiden head aquatics are experienced with this test kit then they should be able to confirm it – as long as you are looking at the reading under natural daylight?
I know we never had these problems back in the old days, but fish had much shorter life spans and we killed a lot of them in the cycling process too. things may gave gotten more complicated, but once you pass this hurdle, your tank and fish will experience fewer issues. It’s certainly worth it in my opinion.
Hi Ian. It’s me again 🙈 Thanks for your advice. I tested today and Nitrites were 4 Nitrates were still unreadable so I followed your advice and did 50/50 tank water and purified water (couldn’t find any distilled) the test reading was 80 so times 2 is 160. I’ve not added any ammonia for 2 days now at the recommendation of the fish shop but I am wondering how long I can leave it without.
Hi again Sue, I’m glad that little tip came in handy, I almost never get to give it out because most peoples tests are never “off the charts”
I’m a little disappointed to hear that Maiden Head Aquatics tested your water then gave you a test kit without informing you it wouldn’t read such an extreme level of nitrate.
If I was in your position, I would perform two 50% water changes (separated by a few hours) to get your nitrates back down to readable levels, this way you can monitor the rate at which they increase relative to your nitrite either increasing or decreasing. A 50% water change roughly drops your ammonia/nitrite/nitrate in half. From here I would redose ammonia as needed. As halting ammonia is not something I would personally do as the “nitrite” producing bacteria still need ammonia to eat.
However…
Since you are following your fish stores advice, I would recommend asking them, as these are not the steps I would take.
Can you call them and ask for their advice on how to progress, since this is their process you are following?
Hi again Ian.
Thank you again for your reply. I’m going to follow your advice because everywhere I read says that the ammonia needs to be added until cycling is finished and fish and food are added. I’ll do water changes tomorrow. Having done that, what level should I raise the ammonia to again.
I really do appreciate and value your advice.
Sue
I’m happy to help!
I would raise the ammonia back to whatever level you were originally dosing (2/4ppm) and monitor how the three are progressing with daily testing. The good news is that because nitrite eating bacteria have already appeared, this shouldn’t take too much longer at all. Hang in there!
Oh, and when you do your water changes, don’t forget to condition the water being added. Chlorinated water will take your cycle back to day 1 (it kills off all the bacteria), I’m sure you are all over this, but it’s an easy step to forget if you are not in the habit!
Good morning Ian. Thank you so much 😊
So today I did a 50% water change with AquaSafe and added 10ml Ammonia. Retested after an hour and a half and Ammonia was 4. I tested the Nitrites and Nitrates with 25% tank water and 75% purified water to try to get an accurate reading. Both came back showing max levels on the chart meaning that Nitrites are 32 minimum and nitrates were 320 minimum. I shall do another 50% water change tomorrow and check readings again. Continue to dose with Ammonia and do water changes until I get anything close to a readable level. On a funny note I decided to treat the water change as if I had fish in the tank…removing the water with a syphon was a doddle, however creating a syphon to get the water back into the tank water another matter….picture the scene. Huge bucket on top of a chair which was sitting on top of the breakfast table. Garden hose filling from the back door and adding kettles of boiling water to the bucket to bring it to the same temp as the aquarium. This was achieved by me standing standing on another chair 🤣 I did look into Python syphons but it would appear that they wouldn’t attach to my UK mixer tap. Hey ho; the physical exercise will do me good 😂many thanks, as ever. I’ll keep you posted. Sue
Oh wow, your levels are extremely high then. I would definitely work on getting them back down. I agree with the daily water changes until you can read the levels, although if your nitrates are that high, it could indeed take a few days at least.
Ha, you paint a funny picture. I hope you have good balance! Have you considered looking into a submersible water pump? You add the pump to your bucket and it allows you to keep your bucket on the ground, rather than your elaborate (but effective!) setup. They are quite cheap (you don’t need a super strong one) and may be a worthy investment, I’m not sure I would have the patience to set up all that each time I needed to perform a water change.
Good morning Ian,
Thanks again for your advice. I’ve just had a pump delivered by Amazon. I’ve done three 50% water changes now and things do look to be improving slightly. I’ll pass a copy of my spreadsheet but it doesn’t look the same as it does on Excel. I shall continue with the water changes and hopefully 🤞 sometime soon I’ll get there. Would it help if I rinsed my filters out in the removed aquarium water?
Thanks again
Sue
Date PH Ammonia Nitrites Nitrates Notes regarding test results or changes made after these results
05.06.2019 50% water change. Added AquaSafe and 10ml Ammonia
05.06.2019 4 32+ 320+ Tested nitrites and nitrates 25% tank water 75% purified water
06.06.2019 1 50% water change with AquaSafe
06.06.2019 0.5 24 320+ Test 3 hrs later- nitrites & Nitrates 25% tank water 75% purified water. 5ml Ammonia added
07.06.2019 0 50% water change with AquaSafe. Added 5ml Ammonia
07.06.2019 1 20 280 Test 1 hour later. Tested Nitrites and Nitrates 25% tank water 75% Ammonia
Wow, those WERE some impressively high nitrate levels, it looks like you are beginning to get there. This all looks positive. The only advice I have is to continue with more of the same.
I don’t believe rinsing the filter will help, there shouldn’t be anything in your tank getting trapped in there yet. Take a look at it, but if it’s only discolored and water flows through fine, then leave it. Since this is where your beneficial bacteria is growing, I try to avoid messing with it too much when setting up my tanks.
Hi Ian, sorry, it’s me again. My water Parameters are still great. Testing daily with just 3 fish at the moment, hope to add more on Thursday. The problem I have now is snails, presumably brought in with plants although I washed them and checked them over closely. For the first couple of days I just saw a couple of very small ones which I hoofed out with long tweezers. Today though I have dozens of teeny tiny ones on the glass. What would you recommend to get rid of them before I add any more fish? Thank you 😊
Hi Sue,
Snail eggs are incredibly tiny, a quick rinse often won’t get them off. Once they are in, it’s it’s difficult to get rid of them. There are snail killing chemicals, often containing copper sulfate. I personally use an assassin snail. I’m not sure if you can get them in the UK, but it’s essentially a snail that hunts down other snails.
Hello again Ian, it’s the queen of water changes here 🤣 so for the past 15 days I have been doing a daily 50% water change with AquaSafe and adding 5ml of Ammonia. I have finally got my readings down to 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites and 2.5 Nitrates. I’m really hopeful that it is now fully cycled 🤞 I’m going to take a water sample to Maidenhead Aquatics to double check and if they agree I’ll buy a small number of fish to start off with. I really am so grateful for your advice and patience. One question though is what do you suggest ongoing for water changes?
Many thanks
Sue
Hi Sue,
I reaaaaally have my fingers crossed that you have reached the end. I have to commend you on your patience with the daily water changes. I personally do weekly water changes on my tank, as long as everything seems normal. A well maintained (and not overstocked) should be able to easily make it through a week without your water parameters reaching dangerous levels. Once everything is order, you will have a better understanding as to how often you will need to do a “full tank clean” including rinsing the filter and wiping down the glass. But for water changes, I just do a quick vacuum, since you are already sucking water out of the tank. In smaller tanks, you can vacuum half of the tank one week and half the other, if you can’t do it quickly enough with the amount of water being drawn out.
Hi Ian. Hooray 😃 they confirmed that my water is good to go 🐠 thank you so much for your time, advice and patience.
Kind regards
Sue
Awesome Sue,
I’m so happy for you. Congratulations, it’s your hard work and patience that got you there. The hard part is over and now you get to enjoy your fish. Wishing you all best for the future 🙂
Hi, Ian!
I have a tank that seems to be stuck in a 48 hour cycle. I add 2-4ppm of ammonia, then 24 hours later it reads 0.25-0.5ppm ammonia, high nitrites, medium nitrates, and 48 hours later 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites, high nitrates. The pH is above 7 and everything seems fine, but it doesn’t seem to be getting any closer to a 24 hour cycle. It took 2 weeks to reach this point and has been doing its 48 hour cycle thing for about 3 weeks now. Do I just keep going? Is there anything else I should be doing to help it get to a 24 hour cycle? It’s a 4 gallon tank if that makes a difference. I have a betta that protests and rips his fins off if I try to put him in a proper 10 gal, so I’m hoping he’ll accept this tank once it’s ready and I can convince him to move out of his 0.9 liter tank that was just supposed to be a transition tank. Oh, the joys of a picky fish! Thanks!
I suspect the problem here is the size of your tank and the filter. Most people who cycle use larger tanks, so my guide does generalize a little here in regards to the amount of ammonia to add. 4 gallons is definitely on the smaller side but considerably better than the little one you have your betta in now. Try reducing the amount of ammonia to 1ppm and see what happens. But I have a suspicion your tank is actually cycled. Congratulations! 🙂
Hello Sir,
just wanna share. maybe i just got lucky, i know how important the cycle is. but i never do water testing. i started early 2019 bought this new tank, placed everything from substrate, driftwood,aquatic plants and all the electrical equipments like filter and heather then i added the dechlorinated water. i did not put any fish in it. i just run the filter and i added fish flakes. every other day im doing 10-15% water change. i waited for 2 months before i added the 1st pair of fishes, they are zebra danios until this day they are healthy and active. i also added 2 corydoras and 6 neon tetras. im planning to add 4 more zebra danios for them to school.
Hi John,
I’m happy for your success. Zebra Danios are incredibly hardy fish and were actually commonly used in the old days to cycle tanks (before we manually added ammonia) While your original two that started the cycle may look fine, it’s possible they will live shorter lives due to this stress. With all that said, testing water is one of the most important things you can do for your tank on a regular basis. given test kits are so cheap (use the API Master Test Kit) and last years, there isn’t really a reason not to. Just because everything is going fine now doesn’t mean problems won’t arise in the future.
Hey Ian,
You’ve been a life-saver! I posted a few weeks ago about how my Ph levels would just drop drastically, even after a water change. Well I figured out that everytime i add ammonia, my ph plummets. So i was doing a 20% water change to increase ph and then adding ammonia to keep my ammonia levels up after the water change, which would drop the ph again! Once I figured that out, I stopped adding ammonia and the ph leveled out and stayed around 7.2. This was all fine and dandy until my ammonia levels started dropping while I progressed through the cycle. Now I’ve got nitrites and nitrates and every day the ammonia levels are dropping – which is great. But when I add more ammonia to keep things going so the bacteria doesnt starve, the ph drops again which I think might really stall the cycle – particularly the nitrate eating bacteria. I’ve been between 2-5ppm nitrites and 5ppm nitrates for over a week now. I have the arganite sand and I’ve removed the driftwood from my tank. I’m just not quite sure what to do to keep things rolling well. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Hi Carley,
That’s really unusual, I have never seen ammonia immediately reduce pH. Nitrite and Nitrate are acidic which will lower pH but unless you have low KH, this isn’t a problem for most tanks. Have you re-tested your KH now you have added your sand? If your KH is balanced, you shouldn’t be seeing these drastic swings.
Hey there, turns out my kh was low – less than 40ppm. I dosed the tank with alkaline buffer and now it’s closer to 100ppm and the ph has been much more stable and higher, around 7.3 for the past few days.
I also tested the tap water and it appears to have low kh naturally – only about 50ppm out of the tap. I’m thinking that in the future when I do a water change, I’ll dose the fresh water going in with conditioner and alkaline buffer before adding it to the tank.
Let me know if you think I should do something different, otherwise – thanks so much for this blog!!
I bought the python water vacuum / changer bases on your reviews 🙂
Hi Carley,
If your pH levels have stablized then the battle is won! It sounds like you have gotten your head around it. I must congratulate you on your great work.
The Python Water Changer didn’t just change my water, it changed my life. It’s hard to go back to buckets. I would love to hear your experience with it!
Just wanted to pop in and say thank you for these awesome instructions – I have been checking this page at each step of the cycle! When I was starting out my cycle I found that many resources explained the nitrogen cycle but no actual steps to carrying it out for newbies like me and was so relieved to find this article.
I’m on day 21 now and (somewhat) patiently waiting for my nitrites to start dropping. Of course I intended not to get a fish until cycling was done but then came across a betta I absolutely loved… him and a nerite are waiting in a temporary tank (water changes daily!) and I’m very excited for the day I get to add them into their new home!
I appreciate experts in the hobby taking time to really explain these concepts – my betta is much happier and healthier for it!
Wonderful article! My tank was never cycled, I had never heard about cycling. I had a Betta fish and a red fin algae eater living nicely for 5 years. The Betta developed a swim bladder issue and sadly passed away. I changed the water, replaced the algae eater and added 2 new fancy goldfish. All fish were dead within a week. Do I need to start over and do a cycle?
Hi Starr,
I’m sorry to hear about the passing of your betta. You likely did a fish-in cycle (this is a fishless cycle) with your betta and were not aware of it.
What size is your tank? Gold fish need a significantly larger tank than a betta.
The first thing I would do is measure the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in your aquarium using an aquarium test kit (API master test kit is cheapest) You should already be testing these weekly when you do your water change and tank clean as these three are responsible for the majority of aquarium problems.
Hi Ian,
Just dropping a line my son’s fish Delta is doing well. As you can see here if you would like. This is a link to my Penn State blog that the school makes me keep as long as I am a student.
http://sites.psu.edu/mis204psucjt2016/2019/05/06/73/
It is a nice set up, if I say. But major pain and flaws. I have tried to introduce a 4 shrimp cleaning crew but, the 3 Amano’s are petrified and hide all day and night. The single cherry red goes about his business unharassed for the most part. One Amano was found on my floor this morning. I seperated this one into a bowl on its own while it recovers. It is still touch and go not sure he will make it through the next day.
Meanwhile Delta keeps on bossing his new tank. Plants include Madagascar Lace, Argentine Sword, Java Fern, moss balls, and unidentified hair grass.
Cheers Ian,
CJ
Hi CJ,
What a great looking tank, that colored substrate you chose really contrasts nicely with everything. I love it!
It’s possible that the tank is a little too “open” for your shrimp. Introducing plants that are thicker will help them feel safer when your curious betta swims too close. The downside is that it will make your tank look a little more cluttered. This isn’t a bad thing, just a design preference.
CJ looks very happy, congrats again on the awesome setup!
Ian; Thanks for your advice on being patient. After 3 weeks, my ammonia & nitrite levels finally read 0 ppm, and my nitrate reading was about 5 ppm. As you recommended under the Final Step, I then added a full dose of ammonia and within 24 hrs I was back to 0 ppm for ammonia & nitrite. Two questions: 1) If my nitrate reading remains between 5-10 ppm, should I still do a 25% water change before adding some fish? 2) My vacation plans have unfortunately intersected with the completed cycle. If I’m away for a week, can I just wait until then to add fish, or would the beneficial bacteria become ammonia-starved while I’m away? Last thing I want to do is have to start from scratch … Thanks again for the sound advice
Hi Rick,
Congratulations on your success. That’s awesome to hear. You should be commended for your patience.
To answer your questions:
1. Unless you have a planted tank, I always like to keep nitrates as low as possible. It gives you more room for error should nitrates unexpectedly spike from an accident, such as over feeding. I’m not saying this will happen, but given that “nitrates can’t be too low” (again, except in a planted tank) I see little reason to skip the water change – it won’t have any impact on your cycle, except diluting any ammonia if you are still dosing, but your fish will replace this anyway.
2. That’s an interesting predicament I have not come across before. Off the top of my head, I am a little unsure what would happen, I believe that the bacteria would decrease in number as they are deprived of their food source, but I’m not sure to what extent. Are you able to add fish now? Most fish can go a week without being fed (a meal wouldn’t come along every day in the wild) Alternatively, a frozen shrimp in a nylon stocking (so it doesn’t break up in your tank) will break down and release ammonia over the course of a week. It’s how many people used to cycle their tanks (some still do) this could possibly be a replacement as an ammonia source while you are away? Just spitballing ideas here.
Thanks. I’m going to move forward with 6-8 fish and enjoy them when I get back from vacation.
If it were me, I’d only add a couple if it’s not a big gap between when you leave. You don’t know the health of the fish. Some fish are stressed out from transport and poor care at the pet shop and you may not have enough time to determine their health. Sometimes new fish die for factors outside of your control – you don’t want a dead fish in there mucking up the water for the remaining fish.
Oh and don’t forget to acclimatize them before adding your new fish!
Hi Ian,
It’s been over a month since we last spoke. Since our last conversation this is the progress of my fresh water tank with completing a fishless cycle.
Started Cycle: March 2 2019. Ammonia 4.0 / PH 7.0
March 2-11th – same readings everyday
March 12th – Ammonia level dropped to 1.0 but Nitrites or Nitrates, added more ammonia
March 13-14 – Ammonia 4.0, No Nitrites or Nitrates
March 15th – Added “Quick Start” to boost the bacteria growth.
March 20th – Water level was low, so I completed a 20% water change and topped off the tank. Added a little ammonia. I added “API Quick Start” to boost the bacteria growth since I read that “Quick Start” doesn’t work that well. Ammonia 4.0
March – 21-31 – Ammonia 4.0, No Nitrites or Nitrates.
April – 1st – 19th – Ammonia 3.0, No Nitrites or Nitrates.
April 20th – I have Nitrites and Nitrates. Nitrites – .25 ppm, Nitrates 4.0 ppm and I just added some more Ammonia to bring it up from .25ppm to 4.0ppm.
April 22nd – today (April 23rd) – Nitrites – .25 ppm, Nitrates 4.0 ppm and Just added some more Ammonia to bring it up from 1.0 ppm to 4.0 ppm.
So I am on my way to finally cycling my tank. So it has taken 50 days for my tank to start its cycling. So what I have learned about this process? To have lots of ‘Patience’. I will say that I did allot of worrying and wondering if I did something wrong, but everything I have read online, says that every tank is different and some tanks will cycle in one week or one month or two-three months. So I did just that; waited and continued to take my readings. My wife kept on bugging me to just add fish, but I had to continue to explain what would happen if we were to add fish now.
So anyone on Ian’s forum, take my advise and just be patience as the bacteria will eventually grow, but it will work on its own time, not yours 🙂 and listen to Ian as he is an expert with great advise. I will update the forum when we have added fish to the tank. It would be great to be able to post a picture with our comments 🙂
-Ron
Wow, Ron. What a journey. I think this is getting close to the longest cycle I have come across in the last year. That’s not to say that it’s unheard of, but you are definitely unlucky with the amount of time it took.
Thank you so much for detailing the order and time frames in which your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates moved. It does indeed look like you are so close to the end. Congratulations, a lot of people would have given up long before now. I commend you for your patience. I’m sure you are very excited to add fish.
I would love an update once the whole cycling process has finished, so that I can see how long it took to the day. I want to use this as an example as for others who are getting frustrated after week 1.
Hello,
I am in the process of doing a fishless cycle. I started once and then had to leave town so the process stalled so I restarted the whole process. This time I decided to use Stability and Prime. I am on day 4. I am having problems keeping why Ph up. My readings have been:
Day 1
Ph 7.6
Amm 1
Nitrite 0
Day 2
Ph 7.6
Amm 0 I added ammonia
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Day 3
Ph 7.2
Amm 0 I dosed it up to 4 ppm
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 40
Day 4
Ph 6.0
Amm .50 I added a small amount
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 80
My water level is getting low due to evaporation. Is it ok to top off tank?
How can I keep my Ph up. I have read to do a partial water exchange but will the affect my other readings? My tank is a 5 gallon with a heater and current temp is about 86 degrees. I have been adding a small amount of ammonia each day to about 2-4 ppm and level is down by the next morning. I hope I am doing things right! Bill is anxious for his bigger tank!
Hi Ursula,
Based on your readings, besides the pH, things look good. For the pH, it’s possible you have soft water (this does affect a few fishkeepers) I suggest reading my guide to Aquarium KH as it will provide advice on how to stabalize your pH (the two work hand in hand) It’s important you stabalize it as these swings can be deadly to fish.
Absolutely you can do a water change, or ad water. Just be mindful that this will dilute your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate by the same ratio, so if you need to add more ammonia after, be sure to do it.
Hi Ian,
Thank you for getting back to me. I did do a partial water change last night to bring the pH back up to 7.6. I tested ammonia to make sure there was still enough in the tank which there was. This morning I tested and these were my results:
pH 6.0
ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 40-80 (it’s hard to tell, they are so close)
I am wondering why the Nitrites are 0 when I still have ammonia. Is this normal? I have read your page on Aquariam KH. I plan to get some of the suggested Alkaline Buffer to hopefully address the dropping pH. I have an established 2.5 gallon tank and the pH consistently stays at 7.6.
I am curious…as I mentioned, I have a 2.5 gallon tank with one betta fish. I am moving him to the 5 gallon tank once it is cycled. If I were to empty the 5 gallon tank and move everything from the 2.5 gallon tank into this tank, and slowly add additional water to the full 5 gallon amount over say a week…would this work? Would this bypass the cycling process since I am using everything from a cycled tank?
Thank you!
Ursula
Hi again Ursula,
If your pH is dropping that quick then it is almost certainly a buffering issue (KH)
If your nitrates are still increasing while you still have measurable (but decreasing) ammonia, then this isn’t unheard of – it’s possible your nitrite eating bacteria established themselves quicker than the ammonia eating ones. A couple of 50% water changes will get the nitrates back down to readable levels, so you can see how fast they are climbing again (the gaps on between levels on your color chart are closer together at these low levels)
Regarding the betta tank. This can speed up your tank cycle to the point where it is near instant, or a few days. It is also important to note that if it doesn’t happen instantly the ammonia can stress your fish out. However, you can use seachem prime to make this harmless (it’s commonly used in fish-in cycling) The most important thing to add is the filter as this is where the beneficial bacteria hides. However, the pH will still need to be fixed up first as if the pH get’s too low, it can kill the established bacteria.
Thank you so much for the wonderful explanation of how cycling a tank works! I do have one question though.
So I have 3 small red claw crabs (currently in a small temporary tank), and I have purchased and am planning on moving them to a 15 gallon, long paludarium. Due to the semi-aquatic nature of these creatures, there would only be quite a small amount of (brackish) water in the tank (I am currently trying to find a submersible filter for this small amount of water). Is it still necessary to cycle the tank, and if so can I do it with the crabs in the tank (I have heard of fish-in cycling)?
I hope this is not a stupid question, I am very new to keeping them and would like to provide the best possible care for these fascinating creatures (and hopefully get them out of the small tank ASAP!).
Thank you so much!
Hi Annie,
There is no such thing as stupid questions 🙂 Admittedly, I do not have a whole lot of experience with paludariums. Although they greatly interest me, I have only had aquariums for life. Thinking about it logically, you would still need to cycle the water as without this step, chemicals are going to build up that will be dangerous to your crabs. Whether or not you can do it “fish-in” style entirely depends on the sensitivity of red claw crabs to ammonia and nitrite. I don’t recommend it as even if it doesn’t kill them, it can lead to health problems and other issues in the future.
Hi Ian,
I found your site a while back and have been following your fishless cycle steps. This is what I have so far and am wondering if I even started it correctly.
I already had water in my 75 gallon tank, but I did a 50% water change because it had Prime and Stabalizer in it from the beginning. I’m wondering now if I should of taken all the water out before starting your steps. I did not know about this until I had my tank just running for 3 weeks with fish food trying to get it to cycle. Never did and that is why I cleaned the fish food out and 50% of the water. It was always cloudy too. I’ve been keeping record of everything I’ve done. Starting with zero on all tests….Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate at 0.0 PH 8.2 GH 19
On April 4th I added 3/4 tsp ammonia which brought my tank to test at 4.0
PH is 8.2 and took away all the cloudiness, completely. It was very clear water at this point.
I continued this until April 9th when it tested positive for Nitrite 0.25 Ammonia went to 2.0
So I added half the amount as you stated and the ammonia went back up to 4.0
It has been not dropped since. The Nitrite has not risen either. And PH is still 8.2
I have not added anything else to my tank. So I thought, wow..has it stalled? So I tested for Nitrates reading one of your other blogs gave me the idea to do so. Too my surprise it came back positive today April 16th at 5.0 PH is still 8.2 and has a tiny bit of cloudiness look to itbut not like it did before the ammonia I added.
Note: I used all the products only that you suggested in this article.
Did I start off wrong, or do I just need to be more patient, which I am..
Thank you so much for your blog, it is very informative and I do hope you can help me.
Laura
Hi Laura,
The beautiful thing is that unless you have really messed up the water in your tank, basic aquarium products shouldn’t have caused any issue.
I understand following steps when you are halfway through but it actually looks like you are doing great.
The first thing we want to determine is if the nitrate is there because it’s from the nitrite or because that’s the base level in your tap water. So take a sample of tapwater and test it for ammonia, nitrites and nitrate.
If your nitrates come back zero, then it’s from the nitrites, which is good. Unfortunately, from here it is just more waiting, for say another week, to see if any of the readings move.
I will add that 8.2 is on the high end for pH, just something for you to be mindful of with your fish.
Hi Ian,
Thank you for your response. I did test the tap as you suggested and yes the nitrates were coming from the water source.
Tested at 5.0
I’ve been testing daily since then and it has not moved.
Nitrite 0.50
Nitrate 5.0
Ammonia 4.0
PH 8.2 I know this is on the high side. I will be keeping African Cichlids and will adjust with API down if needed for other fish. Could this high PH be affecting my cycle?
I am low on water due to evaporation now and will add water today. I am worried to add water conditioner as it will dilute my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate which I can’t seem to get moving along at this point. Any suggestions?
I don’t believe a pH of 8.2 would have affected your cycle. If you are keeping African Cichlids then it’s not an issue at all. I only mention it as Cichlids generally are not a fish that beginners start with.
Do you have a filter set up with biomedia (basically a home for the beneficial bacteria to live?)
Another question, I know you said that you used existing water from the fishfood method, did anything else fall in or accidentally get added to the tank?
This is most unusual because I would have well and truly expected to see some movement by now.
If your water is evaporating then I highly recommend adding more. Once the water has settled (say an hour later) you would normally re-add more ammonia to top it up to 4 ppm to compensate for it being diluted. As for nitrite and nitrate being diluted, this is much less of an issue.
Hi Ian
Thank you so much for caring and sharing your knowledge with us.
I have a Fluval filter 110 with carbon, foam and bio rings.
This mornings readings were:
Ammonia 4.0
Nitrite 0.50
Nitrate 10 ppm
I see a change in my last readings. But my tank was evaporated so
I did a 20% water change and added API water conditioner and now my readings are:
Ammonia 4.0
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 10 ppm
I believe I have had a movement in the cycle.
I did not add anything else to my tank. I have not changed a thing. I don’t see anything that has fallen into it either.
I’m hoping this is progress.
I actually am only new to the fishless cycle, however not of my doing.
I like this way better. I am very patient and I know that’s what it takes.
Thank you again so very much for your help.
Hi Laura,
It’s possible that the water change diluted your nitrite levels. Keep an eye on this as they may raise again. If they do, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. The whole process is darn slow. One of the comments below discusses how it has taken him almost 50 days and his cycle only just looks like it’s finishing. I have my fingers crossed that yours end much sooner and I am glad to see you have the right mindset 🙂
Hi Ian
Whoo Hoo!! After 5 weeks I believe I am in the final stages of my fishless nitrogen cycle, thanks to your expertise and wisdom.
I’ve been keeping my records daily,
This week I saw my numbers start rising.
Record shows as of this morning test:
Ammonia 1.0 ppm added 1/8 tsp will check in one hour
Nitrite 2.0 ppm
Nitrate 8.0 ppm
Any advice at this point. I know I’m almost there 🙂
Thank you so much for your knowledge and your blog, sharing and caring.
Always my best to you,
Laura
Hi Laura,
That’s so exciting! Just a little more patience and you will be done.
As your nitrates begin to climb higher, you may need to do a water change to get them back down (it becomes harder to see them progress as the color chart ppm get further apart at higher levels) if you do this, keep in mind the water change will also dilute the ammonia so re-add as needed.
But otherwise, continue as you are, it sounds like you are doing great. So close now!
Hello. Thank you for this article.
I have been cycling a 40 gallon freshwater for the past 6 months. Recently I noticed something. I added a dose of ammonia and checked on it the next day. Ammonia was between 0.5 and 1 ppm. Nitrite was 1 ppm. Nitrate was 5 ppm. The day after that I tested the same things again and all of it read 0 ppm. The ammonia was 0 ppm, the nitrite was 0 ppm, and the nitrate was 0 ppm. I am so confused. I tested it again and got the same results. Any ideas? Thank you again.
Hi Angela,
Cycling should well and truly be done by 6 months. The longest cycle I have seen when dosing correctly is 10 weeks.
How big was the dose? I would add another 4ppm as nitrate should be the only thing to go up in a cycled tank. Ammonia and nitrite should remain at zero. I would suggest repeating this dosing over the next few days to see if your tests and see if this remains constant.
Thanks for replying,
I added a dose of ammonia and the next day ammonia levels were at 2 ppm and nitrite levels were at 0.25 ppm and nitrate was at 0 ppm. The day after that ammonia was at 1 ppm and nitrites are at 0 ppm, and nitrates were at 0 ppm. I have no idea what is happening, it’s like the ammonia is disappearing. Do you know what is happening and what I might do? Thank you again.
Hi Angela,
Ammonia doesn’t just “disappear” it has to go somewhere. Either it is being converted into nitrites (which isn’t the case here) or it is being removed by chemical filter media such as zeolite.
Are you sure you are following the instructions on your test kit properly? Is the test kit expired? It’s also possible, although least likely that you have a faulty test kit. Your local fish store should offer water testing to double check if you suspect this is the case.
If the testing is normal, and you have excluded anything that removes ammonia from your tank, I’d keep redosing for the week. If ammonia keeps going down at the same rate then you should eventually hit your 0 nitrite + readable nitrate levels.
Hello again
Yes, I am following the test instructions exactly.
The expiration date is 2023, so it’s not expired.
Honestly, I don’t really trust my fish store because they tried to convince me you didn’t need ammonia to cycle a tank and you could put 10 goldfish in a 40 gallon tank.
I tested again and all water levels are 0 ppm. I’ll do what you suggested and keep redosing the ammonia, and hope for the best. Thanks for your reply.
Hi Angela,
I’m terribly sorry to hear about your local fish store. It’s hard if you don’t have a local supplier you can trust.
Fingers crossed we see some movement soon, all that ammonia has to go somewhere.
Hi Jeff,
I have set up a 2nd tank.I put some new plants in it last week, transferred around 50% of water from my established aquarium with fish in it, and let the new filter to run in my established aquarium as well for 10 days before installing it into my new tank.
Now, can you tell me when I can transfer my betta fish into it? I have him currently in my 1st tank.
Hi Maria,
Only you can tell that. You’ll need a master test kit and add 2 ppm of ammonia. Wait 24 hours and if it reads zero for ammonia and nitrite, then it’s ready. Otherwise, you’ll have to keep following the steps in the article above.
Hey, thanks for all the great tips! Quick question: Let’s say during the first week my ammonia levels are going up as planned but then my ph drops so I do a 20% water change. Now will the ammonia levels have dropped as well? Do I need to add a little more ammonia? Thanks!
Hi Carley,
Excellent question, a water change will also dilute your ammonia levels and you would re-dose appropriately. Using the test kit after the water change will let you know how much you need to add.
Thanks! I’m also just curious after looking at your chart – does the ammonia stay constant after the first dosing until it begins to drop when the ammo-eating bacteria appears? Your chart shows an increase of ammonia from day 0 to day 10 – was that fish in cycling or were you dosing with a little bit of ammo every day? Should I be increasing my ammo a little bit every day as well?
Hi Carely,
Well spotted, as I discussed with another commenter, this is actually a chart of my last fish-in cycle I performed. I understand it adds confusion, but I thought it would still give a good idea of how the cycle progresses. I couldn’t find the numbers I kept scribbled down on a piece of paper of my last fishless cycle. I should probably make some numbers up to give a better idea than what this chart shows.
You are correct in that the ammonia stays constant until nitrites begin to appear, then it should slowly decrease.
The other thing to keep in mind is that if you perform a water change then this will also dilute the ammonia levels and will need to be redosed.
Kudos to Carly and everybody else that commented.. although you’ve explained it a lot clearer then most sites I’ve been on, it is still way over my head. I don’t understand it at all. I am sure going to need help with this. I had fish for 30 years and never had to go through any of the cycling. I shut down my tank for a couple of years and now I decided to get it up and running again and make a cichlid tank. Ive had cichlids before with no problem, but I’ve never really had any fancy cichlids so I want to make sure I do the right thing. I am going to have a ton of questions so I’m hoping I’ll be able to email you and you’ll be able to reciprocate. Thank you
Hi Sam,
Unfortunately, I don’t give advice outside of these comments. I used to when the site was smaller, but I was soon spending over 4 hours of each day replying to all the questions asked so I had to bring it to an end. I can answer short individual questions here but a broad “I don’t get any of it” doesn’t give me any opportunity to help.
Hey Ian, really appreciate your help. Im in the early stages of cycling, no nitrites have appeared yet. Im having trouble with my ph, I test it every day and it seems to drop rapidly. For example, I did a 40% water change yesterday for low ph and afterwards it was about at 7.6 – good! But this morning its 6.0 or lower (the scale ends at 6!) Do you have any idea what’s going on or any recommendations? Ammonia is between 4-5 ppm. I have a hob filter with a 20 gallon tank, and sand substrate, 2 rock caves from pet store that were soaked before being put in tank at the beginning, 1 peice of mohave wood (is that the right word?) soaked in a bucket for a week until tannins were cleared before putting in tank and 4 small to medium aquatic plants – like anubis and java fern.
Hi Carley,
It’s very possible that you have a low KH. I would suggest reading about it more in my KH guide. Low KH is relatively uncommon so I don’t include it in my cycling guide. But if you are experiencing pH swings, then a low KH is likely the cause.
Hello!
So glad I found your blog as I’m a complete novice when it comes to fish! I bought a Betta for my granddaughter and picked up a one gallon tank with filter, light but no heater. After doing some reading online, I was convinced that tank was too small and bought a 5 gallon Fluval Spec V plus a heater. Imagine my surprise when after setting up the tank, I couldn’t add my fish without cycling the tank first. I am a bit overwhelmed by the process but your step by step instructions is giving me hope. I didn’t have ammonia but added some food pellets instead as I read you can use food to start the cycle. It’s been a few days and my PH tested at 7.2 and ammonia at 1ppm. Would you advise I use ammonia instead and if so, how much do I add for a 5 gallon tank? Do you have a preferred ammonia source?
In the meantime, my Betta will be stuck in the smaller tank and I’m wondering how often I should do a water change to keep him healthy? Should I test the water first and what level of ammonia would require a change? What % of water change should be done? Should I remove him to do the change or can I do it with him in the tank? I want it to be the least stressful as possible. He is eating a few pellets once per day, I keep the light on for around 10 hours, his fins are open but he does seem to be darting around more. FYI:I use Seachem Prime to condition the water and was told to use 2 drops for my 1 gallon tank. (I used a half mL for the 5 gal tank)
Sorry for all the questions and my ignorance. I never knew keeping a fish could be so complicated. One thing I’ve learned is NEVER go to a chain pet store to buy or be educated about fish!
Hi JJ,
Well done for identifying the need to upgrade, an appropriate sized tank is going to make anything that follows so much easier. Fish pellets, a frozen shrimp or anything else that decomposes can also be used to add ammonia to the tank. My biggest gripe with these is that you cannot add an exact amount of ammonia and record the rate at which it decreases, which makes it easier to chart what is actually happening in your tank. My preferred ammonia is Fritz, however you can use Dr Tims or any other “aquarium ammonia” which allows you to know exactly how much to dose relative to your tank. Alternatively you can grab “pure ammonia” from a hardware store but due diligence is required to ensure it’s free of fragrances and other additives as these can kill a cycle.
As for your Betta, if you don’t plan on keeping him in the smaller tank, then you are essentially performing a fish-in cycle in the small one and a fishless cycle in the large one. I have a guide on performing a fish-in cycle which may be a better option – moving your betta to the larger tank, since he will have to suffer through what is a fish-in cycle regardless if you keep him in his own tank.
You can perform water changes with fish in the tank. The fish-in cycling guide has more information on using water changes relative to chemical build-up.
Don’t worry, we have all been here before. Unfortunately, chain pet stores just don’t train their staff well enough. I highly recommend local fish stores since they themselves are usually heavily involved in the hobby too and give some great advice. Chain stores are a beginner trap, you are not the first and certainly won’t be the last to experience this.
Thank you! I didn’t even think about the fact that I was doing a fish-in cycle in the small tank while doing a fishless cycle in the 5 gal tank to get it ready for my Betta. I moved him into the 5 gal tank after acclimating him to the temp and new water chemistry. The larger tank tested at 0 ppm ammonia at the time I moved him so I will keep testing every day and add the correct dosage of prime based on the ammonia level. Do I add the prime directly into the tank or mix it with water first? Then I keep testing everyday and dose with prime anytime it is over 0 ppm? Once the ammonia reaches 2 ppm, I do a 50% water change with fresh water that has prime in it. Do I also need to add a straight dose of prime even with the water change? Then I keep testing everyday waiting for the ammonia to start dropping at which time I test for nitrites? Then dose accordingly with prime based on the ammonia + nitrite level together. If the combined limit of ammonia & nitrites reach 4 ppm, I need to do another 50% water change, correct? After that keep testing everyday and dose with prime as needed. Is there any point in which too much prime becomes harmful? Once the nitrites start level off or drop, I test for nitrates and hope for my end goal of 0 ammonia & nitrites with what acceptable level for nitrates?
One final question! Would you recommend I add Tetra Safe Start Plus as a safeguard? If so, can I add it directly into the tank when the fish is already in there? And if I go this route, will dosing constantly with prime harm the newly added bacteria?
Sounds like you have your head in the right spot now, JJ!
You have some good questions, let me elaborate:
Prime can be added directly to the tank when being used to “bind” ammonia and nitrite. The only reason you would add it to water prior is if you were using it as a dechlorinator.
Yes, you keep testing every day and react according to the test results (build up happens at different rates in different tanks) and dose with prime accordingly.
Wen doing the water change, you add as much prime to the water being added that is needed to dechlorinate it. Then you add to the tank as much as is needed to bind the 1 ppm. If it makes it easier, think of it as two separate products. One that dechlorinates and another that treats ammonia and nitrite.
Prime is tested safe up to a 5x dose (which would treat 5ppm), which is why I recommend stopping at 4ppm as it leaves a little room for error.
As for the end goal, nitrates will continue to rise until you do a water change. Ideally, you would want to keep these below 10ppm, however, the upper limit for freshwater fish is generally round 40ppm, I have seen many tanks perform just find changing at around 20ppm. Observe your tank and perform water changes accordingly. Generally, you should be able to go a week between water changes in a properly stocked tank.
Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a resounding yes or no on the Tetra Safe Start. I fall into the camp that isn’t convinced by them. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen quick cycles using these bottled bacteria products, but I have also seen incredibly slow ones too. I have seen the exact same without using these bottled bacteria too. The problem is, that these are living organisms inside the bottle. If they are dead, then they won’t do anything to help your tank. The problem is, you don’t know how this beneficial bacteria has been stored or transported, there is plenty of room for it to die. Then you move onto the argument of different brands offering different strains and it all gets really complicated. The long and the short of it is, adding it won’t break your cycle, but you might not see any benefits either. Yes, it can be added with fish and Prime won’t harm the beneficial bacteria.
Hi Ian-
Thanks to your guidance, I think I’ve got this process down. My Betta seems so much “happier” in the larger tank! Tested ammonia today at .25 ppm and added one dose of prime. I’ll just keep going and let you know if I run into any problems. One final question: What do you do when you go on vacation with respect to feeding?
I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking the time to explain the cycle and answer all my questions. I truly believe you saved my Betta!
Hi JJ,
That sounds really positive! Please, if you have any further questions around the cycle, ask away.
Regarding vacations, it depends on the duration. Most fish can handle up to a week without being fed (a hand-delivered meal doesn’t come along every day in the wild)
Longer vacations requires either someone you trust to feed them (pleeeease, measure out each feeding into separate containers, step-in carers are notorious for over feeding)
Otherwise an automatic fish feeder. I have physically reviewed a wide range of them and I can only recommend one, check out the reviews section in this guide if this is the route you take for more pros, cons and how to correctly set them up – it’s a long guide but there is a lot to cover.
Oh, and avoid “vacation feeders” or “Vacation blocks” or whatever they are called. These small slow dissolving cubes or triangles are a quick way to crash your cycle and kill your fish while you are away.
Whatever you choose, a trial run is essential. For example, if you are skipping feeding, skip feeding before you go on vacation and see how your betta handles it. Similarly, set your automatic feeder up prior and observe how it runs – this way you are nearby to fix any problems should they arise.
Hi, so I posted a while ago asking for advice on my tank. Now, I have been testing my waters every few days and adding in ammonia once it gets to around 0.5. My tank has been for almost 4 weeks now and nitrites still have stayed at 2ppm the whole time and aren’t going down! Did I mess this up again?
Hi Tessa,
It’s hard to say based on the information given. I’d monitor your nitrates over the coming days to see if they are increasing. Make sure you test in natural daylight! If they are at the end of the color chart, a water change or two will get them back down so that you can calculate the rate at which they are rising. If they are rising, then the nitrite eating bacteria are there, just slowly growing. If your ammonia keeps decreasing, then it has to go somewhere. So the first step is finding where that somewhere is.
Tessa, there is a chemical called tetra safestart plus, and another called stress coat plus, what you want to do since you are having a hard time is put some tank water into a bowl and clean your filters using tank water only. Then set the filters aside, drain the tank completely and refill with tap water. use safestart plus which adds the beneficial bacteria to the tank and add stress coat plus as it removed the chloramines to make tap water safe, wait for the temperature to adjust to the temp of the tank your betta is in and add your betta to this tank. Now Test the water in 2 days to look for elevated levels, more than likely they will be very low. At the end of one week regardless do a 10-20% water change and adding stresscoat plus, test it every other day, if any levels get to high do a 10-20% water change, tank should be cycled within a month going this route. Im new, did lots of research and had issues in the beginning but now this method had worked for me very easy and im not scared anymore. Fish need some of those bacterias, dont be affraid of a dirty tank, a clean tank can be much worse for your fish.
Wow, that was quick, Ian, day two and NI ( 0.5 ) and NA ( 5.0 ) are present and Ammo is down to 1.0 from 2.0 in day 2… there were zero readings for everything two hours after introduction of 2.0 ppm ammo.
I rinsed everything thoroughly but, in pre-conditioned water in buckets. I used paper towels to wipe down the entire tank and filter. I changed all filter media as well as used only hands and fingers to scrub decorations in conditioned water. The only thing I am thinking is that after double rinsing gravel from bucket to bucket back to tank in conditioned water, this is where all the bacteria present now were hiding…
Here is to a sped up cycle to continue!
Cheers,
CJ
Hi CJ,
Personally, I’m surprised the ammonia has dipped so quickly. The steps you took all sound positive. Let’s hope it’s smooth sailing from here!
Hello Ian,
Just writing to vent.
Cycle crashed… I don’t want to do this anymore!
I had 6 days of result were Ammo was 0 after 24 hours at 2.0 ppm Nitrites never showed signs of slowing Nitrates either. Both were off the scale on day seven of 0 ammo performed two 90% water changes to watch how fast NI and NA increase by the day end both were off the chart again. (after water changes and math, NI were about 30 and NA were over 200 then product change and water change)
I ran out of tetra aqua safe for beta (small bottle) had a coupon for aqueon water conditioner after the first use ammo stop metabolizing and NI and NA are totally still…
I want to give my son’s fish away and smash my tanks…
Meanwhile the fish is living quite well since Jan 15 2019 in a 1.5 gallon bowl with a jungle of aquatic plants.
Please talk me down. I am about to start my tank over with fish in… I am sure he will like it more than where he is now and with weekly water changes I am sure he will be quite happy.
I would still monitor water quality but just not have an empty tank that my in-laws and other relatives laugh at me for having an empty tank next to my tv in the living room for months, while the fish is living in another tank quite happy.
AAAhhh.
CJ
I am going to give my tank two days to show me the cycle has stalled and not crashed then I ditching it all.
Hi again CJ,
I’m terribly sorry to hear that this experience has been frustrating. I’d be lying if I said I said that we haven’t all been so frustrated that we want to throw in the towel.
If I understand you correctly, you are saying that your both your nitrites and nitrates kept going up and up over all this time? I have never come across an instance where nitrates kept going up exponentially, there has always been a ceiling before they drop back down. Even in the comments here, no one has reported such an oddity.
I have no experience with Aqueon water conditioner, but I am incredibly doubtful this stalled the cycle. Did you use the appropriate amount of water conditioner when performing the water changes? I’m just checking as killing the beneficial bacteria with chlorinated water is incredibly common.
Also, on the water conditioner front, I recommend using Seachem Prime, it’s ultra concentrated and will last soooooo much longer than Tetra Safe Start or any other water conditioner. It saves money in the long run.
I’m sorry to hear about your family not “getting it” I’m also often questioned by new guests and family as to why there are empty tanks with no fish (in the cycling phase) I got tired of explaining that years ago and just now say “I have a rare fish on order, it won’t get here for a few months”
Moving forward, if you do want to start your tank with a fish in it, then you’ll need to pay really close attention to the water parameters, it’s daily testing for a few weeks with either regular water changes or regular dosing with seachem prime to neutralize the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates before they balance out.
Only you know what’s best for you here. I think you should give it another go, either fishless or fish-in. It would be a shame to see you give up on a hobby that is so rewarding just because the first step is a doozy. It definitely gets easier and more relaxing!
Wishing youa all the best!
Hello Ian,
Thank you. I am trying. Probably harder than I should be?
The problem is I am attached to the fish now. I would be sad to see him pass or give him away, but really in the end its one small fish. I am sure I will get over it. It is harder to get over taking care of a tank with invisible creatures that you can’t tell they are there and then you know they arrive after two weeks or more of time and patience. Then the colony grows bigger and you are right near the last few days only for the whole thing to get wiped out. I have spent about 50 days on learning reading and cycling a tank with no end product. Start over now and I will finish, LUCKILY, after 3 months or more, collectively!
THIS IS MADDENING, I should have got my kid a cat like he asked for! (I am mildly allergic to cats, less pain and suffering than this)
So, I am going to give this one more try then I really don’t care what happens… Oh and just so you know I do not put any of this on you, LOL in case you had any thoughts.
Take 2
What should I do?
Should I empty the tank so that my NI and NA will read 0 (there are residual readings from the first colony)? Should I change my biorings and filter out? Rinse the decorations off?
Or should I just leave everything as is and dose ammo back up to 2.0 and let sit until it starts to be metabolized again?
Extremely frustrated,
CJ
I FEEL YOUR PAIN! I’ve messed up the cycle so many times and have been trying to cycle my tank for 10 weeks now, I’ve already messed up the cycle twice and I think I’m messing up for a third time! I have my betta in a temporary 2.5 gallon tank and have been doing 20% water changes (every. Single. Day. For. Six. Weeks. Now.) until I can put him into his 5.5 gallon tank because I’m terrified that the ammonia in his tank will get too high. I told my self before I went into the pet store that day that my tank was not ready and that I can’t get a fish. Well that worked out lol. The funny thing is that fish are supposed to be easy pets, but this is the most work I’ve ever done for a pet before. But I love my little guy so much so I just have to hang in there. Good luck.
Oh, I meant to address some of your questions as well, sorry. My NI was over 5 after the third day of them being present. I charted them to grow up to 20-30 by the 7th or 8th day of arrival. I thought I would start to see them decline in the next 2-4 days based on your graph in this post. At this point I ran out of my tetra water conditioner. I then used aqueon water conditioner and dosed at 5ml per gal instead of 5ml per 10 gal. I think this is what did it maybe? Left the tank like this after a 4 gallon or 80-90% water change for one day. Then I did it again the same mistake for another day, 80-90% change at wrong dose. AAAHH. Then I realized what I did. Now I am hoping I stalled but testing today looks like a total crash!!!
I am about ready to take the aqueon product back to the store or dump it and go back to tetra or try seachem prime like you said.
Here is a secondary thought and issue.
I have my betta in a 1.5 HEAVILY planted tank. It’s like a jungle. HE LOVES it. Every day he wiggles to meet me and have his meal. I even have him eating from my fingers. He blows bubble nests and flares when I show him pictures of himself.
I test his water for Ammo every other day, and for NI and NA every week. I never get a positive reading ever for NI or NA since January 15. I might get .25 Ammo after 5 to 7 days, but generally I am doing 40-60 % water change every 4-6 days.
The water is conditioned and left to sit out for a day or two so it is the same temp as his bowl (no heater, but house and light keep his water right at 70F). If I just clear everything out of the five gallon and place all his plants in there and monitor and test while doing weekly 50% water changes he would be living better and under the same chemical circumstance except with a heater and filter… wouldn’t this be better?
I know the first thing you will mention is that the cycle will still happen, but at what rate? MONTHS? and with testing and maintenance can’t I prevent or push off the cycle, and or intervene to ensure the tank stays safe?
Thanks,
CJ (still Delta’s dad, for now)
Hi again CJ, hopefuly Deltas dad for his natural lifespan!
I’ll reply to both comments here. It will be easier for me to order my thoughts. let me know if anything needs clarification!
I completely get where you are coming from. When things go bad, it’s mostly just waiting around to fix them. I never used to be this calm and patient, but keeping fish has forced me to be this way. cats, dogs hamsters etc. Are all considerably better pets for instant gratification.
I understand it’s disheartening, it’s not just the waiting, but learning from scratch takes a lot of time and effort. You have truly done well to get this far – I’ll bet you know a lot more now than you previously did and it would be a shame for that knowledge to go to waste.
And hey, I’m cool if you do blame me. Sometimes just having someone else to blame makes you feel better, right? I get that. Personally, I’d rather we be friends but I’m still happy to help you out regardless!
It is possible that overdosing with Aqueon water conditioner was responsible for the crash, dosing anything at a 10x concentration in an aquarium is a recipe for disaster. Seachem Prime doses at 1 ml for every 10 gallons, although it can be dosed up to 5x stronger without issues. But even seachem prime at 10x would be problematic it also neutralizes nitrite keeping your fish safe here too (and not affecting the cycle)
If you still have ammonia in the betta bowl then there likely isn’t anywhere for the beneficial bacteria to cling to. When I say the cycle will happen, they still need a home. The filter media (or even a small sponge filter) will rectify this. Without it, it’s possible that your tank will be perpetually uncycled, depending on the environment.
If you do decide to start again on the big tank, I’d personally clean everything. We don’t know what caused the crash. If it’s a residual chemical left over, it could cause issues on the new cycle. While this might not be the case, I wouldn’t want to be waiting around for another 2 weeks if it is. I’d swap out the biorings and give everything else that comes into contact with the water in your tank a good clean. Rinse in freshwater before adding back to your tank.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Ian… No, we are friends, dont worry. Or as much friends can be chating through a blog.
I am going to start over complete tomorrow. I will rinse the tank filter gravel and swap out rings and filter sponge…
Take two.
I will check back in once my ammo declines and NI appear.
Thank you sir and good night,
CJ
Thanks CJ,
Haha, well maybe not friends but blog buddies at least 🙂
I have my fingers crossed that this time is the charm. Also, I would advise rinsing the tank itself too – wipe down the glass on the inside of the tank just in case any residue has adhered here. Otherwise this is going to go back into the tank once new water is added.
I’m here if you need any questions or concerns. Good luck!
Hello Mr.Sterling.
Im very new to fish tanks. i recently purchased a 20 gallon tank and i have a sponge filter and a aquaclear hang on back filter.
i set this tank up about a week and like 1 or 2 days and ive done water test everyday but made the rookie mistake and not documenting it all.
but after a week these are my readings and i had 2 of my family members do the same test without my help so i know the test is correct.
ammonia- 0.25ppm
Nitrite- 0.00ppm
Nitrate-20 ppm
I have been reading a lot on this cycle and its almost to good to be true that my tank is cycling this fast. is there anyway i can do a test to know if my tank is cycled? (i don’t mean water test lol) maybe like adding ammonia and seeing if the tank can control it? like i said i’m new to this so i’m not sure.
Hi Wesley,
Truth be told, everyone experiences the cycle at a different speed. I’d keep documenting daily to see what rate it goes down. If you are reading your tests under natural daylight (not indoor lights) and those are your results then I would trust them. I have outlined steps in the guide above, based on following those steps that will let you know if the tank is completely cycled.
Hello!
First, I just want to say I love your instructions! They are so clear cut. Thank you!
I do have one question. I am in the process of setting up a new five gallon tank for my one Betta. I filled the tank yesterday, added the prime and waited the 24 hours. I just got the ammonia in the mail and an ready to add it to start the cycling process. I have an existing 2.6 gallon tank which I added a second filter to about two weeks ago. I would like to add this filter along with some substrate to the new tank to hopefully accelerate the cycling process. My question is, at what point should I add the second filter and substrate to the new tank or does it matter? Thank you so much!
Hi Ursula,
Excellent question! It doesn’t matter when you add your “pre-cycled” filter and substrate, although to get the full benefits, you would want it there from there very start. This way, any beneficial bacteria in the added filter and substrate will spread to your new filter from the start.
Hello! I just wanted to stop by and thank you for this article. After months of researching and not being sure how exactly to cycle an aquarium, it finally clicked for me with these clear instructions.
Hi Elizabeth,
I’m glad I could help, this is the exact reason why I created this guide. If you have any further questions or trouble following these steps, please leave a comment here and I’ll try help to the best of my ability!
Been following your blog for the past two weeks…Very much appreciate this thorough guide greatly!
Long story short: I’m on Step 3, Day 6. Ammonia level has dropped to 1 ppm after a few consecutive days of being in the 2-4 ppm range. Am I in the right- this is normal until day 8 and I begin testing for nitrites?
Hi Jennifer,
I have some good news for you: Everyone experiences the cycle at different speeds. You are likely further along than you think. If your ammonia is dropping, then it’s likely nitrites are already there. You can move to the next step!
Thanks….I’m still rolling along! Currently on Day 9…For the past 2 days, however, I’m getting a negative readout for nitrites. Is that normal? I know they’re bad too, just like ammonia, but I got the impression they are par for the course for stage 2.
The ammonia had dropped to the point that I went ahead and added a small dose of ammonia on day 7 (half of the amount I put in originally – a fourth of a teaspoon) as I was concerned that the levels would go below 2 ppm and it looked like it was headed in that direction and didn’t want to throw the cycle off.
But still getting the pale blue (0 ppm) for nitrites…Do I have to wait for them to show up eventually? Any advice?
The truth is everyone experiences the nitrogen cycle slightly differently. For most, nitrites slowly build up over time. A few people, however, it will stay at zero while nitrate goes up and nitrates go down. I’d test your nitrates over the next few days to see what is happening there. If it’s increasing, then everything is progressing as normal.
Based on the info you have provided, if ammonia is decreasing, I don’t see anything to worry about yet. Just more waiting. Hang in there!
Hey Ian,
So here is a quick update on my 10g tank. I have had it for 8 weeks now and the cycle is STILL going. I check the levels daily. I am still stuck on my nitrites! My ammonia drops out every day now to 0 ppm, but for the last 2 weeks my nitrites have been at 5 ppm, making me think they are probable higher. We have done 3 water changes hoping to bring them down, along with the outrages nitrite levels we have an outrages nitrate level of 80 again (or higher as we had discussed before). We added some new filter media, the matrix because no one in our area sells ceramic rings or bio balls. I read your post about these very carefully before buying anything and did a lot of reading about matrix before buying it as well. I guess what I am getting at is that I am just stuck… I am so stuck as to why this will not progress. After water changed the nitrites do not come down at all, the nitrates do but about 5 days later we are right back up to that 40 to 80 range.
I might have also gone a little nuts and bought a new tank to drive myself crazy and start over with a brand new cycle….. This tank came with the imagitarium biological booster, I haven’t used it yet because I don’t know enough about it, and I have seen so many conflicting reviews. How do you feel about these products?
Thank you for your help!!!
Hi Holly,
Good to hear from you again. Not so good to hear about your predicament. Although, I have a suspicion that your tank is actually cycled.
If the ammonia nitrates are that high, then ammonia is indeed being converted to nitrates. Are you sure that the nitrite readings are correct? I’m beginning to think your test might not be right. If ammonia is going down and nitrates are going up, then everything seems normal besides the stuck nitrite reading. The fact that this reading isn’t even dropping even after a 50% water change is another clue that your tank might actually be cycled and it’s the test that is wrong. If I were in your position, the test is what I would zero in on.
On the filter media, there is nothing wrong with Seachem Matrix. You chose well.
On the beneficial bacteria boosters, I sit in the camp that doesn’t use them. That’s not to say I am against them. It’s just that I have never seen a product speed up a cycle 100% of the time. Or even 80% of the time. You see, beneficial bacteria are a living organisms and due to storage (say cold weather) they can be dead before they even reach your tank. Also, there are different strains of beneficial bacteria. Dr Tim’s and Tetra Safe Start (it’s the same stuff) claim to have the exact beneficial bacteria that forms in your filter. Other brands have different strains that they claim are better. Who is right? It’s hard to say. But until I see a 100% success rate at speeding up a cycle vs. going without, I don’t see a need to spend extra money on what is already a hobby that can blow out in costs.
More specific to you, if it’s imagitarium, I’d personally avoid it. Based on my lifetime experience, and reviews of various products, imagitarium is always among the worst performing in any product category. Because of this, I don’t trust the brand as a whole.
Ian,
I am at a loss again! Got a new test kit for nitrites thinking that I got this cycle thing down now, and we were tackling these weird problems! Did my daily test, EVERYTHING WAS 0!!!!! Literally everything! So I went ahead and moved on to step 6, dosed my tank with the same amount I used on day one. So at 24 hours later my ammonia was sitting at 4 ppm still, my nitrites and nitrates were still 0, my pH is 7.8. I checked again this morning (36 hours since it was dosed) and my ammonia is at 2 ppm, but still no nitrites and no nitrates. WHERE DID IT ALL GO!?!?!? I am getting so discouraged now, and I know my tank did not sit with 0 ammonia for more than an hour. Any advice on this crash?
Thank you, Holly
Hi Holly,
I’m a little confused here, was this the first time you tested with the new test kit? And did you test with the old kit to compare?
I only ask as Nitrates don’t just disappear. Like ammonia, it has to go to somewhere. Generally, the only way you could have removed nitrates is via a water change. If your nitrates were 40-80, and the only thing you have done is add ammonia, then the nitrates should still be there.
Are you able to re-test and confirm?
While it it certainly is possible your cycle has stalled based on the ammonia not going down, the fact that nitrates have disappeared shows that there are testing problems that we need to identify and fix first.
As a last resort, many local fish stores also offer water testing services, to see what is actually going on in your water – but you’ll still need to address the testing at home.
I bought a whole new kit. Compared the two, and am getting the same results. 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, and 2 ppm on ammonia. My fiance now claims he did a 25% water change on 3/16 while I was at work but didnt write it down (because I track everything). I took a sample to my local fish store to test and they got the same reading I got on both my home kits. They basically told me to start over. I’m so discouraged right now and ready to give up.
Hi Holly,
I am stumped by this. A 25% water change should only drop the nitrates proportionally, in this case, lower them by a quarter. Something else is going on here. Did your fiance dechlorinate the water? Because chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria.
I can only go off the information you have provided but the summary from my point of view is that in three days, your nitrites and nitrates have dropped to zero and your ammonia has stopped decreasing.
Both the nitrites and nitrates should still be at testable levels, even in a crashed cycle.
I do have to ask, what else has happened since the ammonia stopped decreasing? Something has to have been added, removed or changed for nitrates to go from 40-80 to zero. This needs to be identified as if you are going to start from scratch, you don’t want this same incident to be repeated.
Don’t give up! It’s certainly frustrating but we have all experienced extended cycles and crashes in the past. It sucks, but with determination, I am yet to come across an instance where it couldn’t be overcome.
The only things that have changed in the tank is on 3/14 we added matrix to the filter, he did the 25% water changed on 3/16 and did dechlorinate the water, I did add my flourish tabs when I got home from work not knowing the water change happened. We changed out lighting yesterday because out new hood came but that was after all this happened. Other than that I’ve done nothing differnt at all. The aquarium gods are mad at me for getting a second tank before finishing my first cycle I guess.
Hi again, Holly.
Adding seachem matrix shouldn’t make a difference, unless you removed any filter media in order to add it (the beneficial bacteria can live in sponge, filter floss etc. too)
Otherwise flourish tabs and lighting are harmless and won’t affect the cycle. Based on what you have said, I’m absolutely stumped as to what could have gone wrong here. I’m so sorry that you have had to experience this.
Hi Ian,
I have been following your instructions for a fishless cycle. Everything progressed as anticipated, until step 4. I have been waiting patiently for about 2 weeks now for the nitrites to drop, but they just won’t! The ammonia is getting metabolized rapidly, so I am adding about 1/2 dose daily. 24 hours later, the ammonia is 0.25 ppm (never zero). Once the nitrites appeared, they peaked at 2-5 ppm and have been there for ~2 weeks. Out of curiosity I’ve checked the nitrates a couple of times and they have been at 5 ppm. pH is 7.4-7.6.
Is there anything I should differently? Or just keep adding ammonia and wait it out?
Thank you so much!
Hi Kristin,
I’d move on to check your nitrates. If these are going up, it’s possible that the nitrites are being consumed at the same rate they are being re-stocked.
Also, are you checking the results of your test kit in natural day light? Lights from inside your house can make the colors look off, resulting in an inaccurate measurement.
Hi Ian,
Thank you kindly for your reply. I have checked my nitrates a few times over the past 1-2 weeks, and they are staying at 5 ppm. I’m essentially in a holding pattern, where the ammonia is getting metabolized rapidly but the nitrites are staying at 2-5 ppm and the nitrates at 5 ppm. I am checking the test kit in natural day light.
Would you suggest that I do anything differently, or just keep giving daily ammonia and waiting?
Thank you,
Kristin
Hi Kristin,
A couple of follow up question, you have not performed a water change during this time either? Water changes lower the amount of nitrite and nitrate in the water.
Next, do you have any nitrite or nitrate removing products in your aquarium? This could also be impacting your results.
Next, are you shaking your test kit enough. Follow the instructions and when it says “shake” give it a vigorous shake for a minute. Re-test and see if that helped.
Finally, can you test your tap water prior to adding it to your aquarium. 5ppm isn’t outside the realm of what some water sources contain. This will let you know whether the 5ppm is from your nitrites or whether it has been there from the start.
The thing is, all that ammonia has to be going somewhere. So if it isn’t being removed by anything you have added or are doing, then it should eventually become nitrates.
At this stage I would cross off the above in regards to troubleshooting and re-test over the next 3-4 days for nitrite and nitrate movement. While it is getting on, it’s hardly at the stage where you need to panic yet.
Hi Ian. Just about to start to cycle my 10 gal tank and I was wondering how I would go about cycling with fish food as I currently have no access to getting ammonia specified in the post?
Hi Nicole,
Just add a pinch and it will begin to break down, releasing ammonia. Measure with a test kit and add more accordingly as your ammonia decreases. Otherwise it’s a similar process, you just won’t be able to dose an exact amount of ammonia. Similarly, a raw shrimp in a stocking will also work.
Thanks for this great article! I’m starting a 36 gallon tank and have been very nervous about the cycling process – your clear explanations make me feel more confident and I’m /almost/ eager to get started. My question is about water. I live in the country and have a well, which means no chlorine, fluoride or other additives. Do I need to test differently, and should I expect different results? Thanks in advance!
Hebe
Hi Hebe,
Yes, you will also need to check your KH (KH guide here as the hardness of well water will vary according to natural mineral deposits present. This in turn can affect your pH, read that article, it will get you up to speed here.
Next, depending on where the water feeding your aquafier comes from, there could be elevated nitrate levels from agriculture, it might only happen after storms or it might always be present. For this reason, you should run base tests on your water before adding it to your tank, so that you know if the appearance of nitrate is due to the tank cycling or whether it was there from the start.
Assuming there are no chemical runoff in the water, and you have done the above, the cycling process will be very similar to the above. If you have a local fish store, or know other people who raise fish in the area, they will be able to provide valuable insight here, since they are using the same water source as you. Good luck!
Wow!! Ian you have a real knack for teaching. Thank you for all the valuable information. I’m 4 days in and dedicated to waiting till this new tank fully cycles. I have a smaller tank now and felt as though it was time to upgrade. How do you feel about introducing used filter media to my new system. Would that speed up or impede the process?
Hi WhiskeyChris,
Thanks for the kind words. Your thoughts are correct here. Introducing “used” filter media will absolutely speed up your cycle. It’s why many independent fish stores sell pre-cycled sponge filters, to kickstart the cycling process. Depending on what the used media is, I’d place it in a filter media bag, then place that on top of the new, uncycled media in the new filter. This way it can easily be removed. Then, once the tank is cycled, I’d remove it and fill up the rest of the space with more of your new media. The reason you should remove the old media, rather than leaving it inside is that it will deteriorate at a different rate. Ceramic rings, for instance, will eventually get old and crumbly. While this can take years, it’s easier to only have to deal with the problem once.
As for how much quicker this will make the cycle, there isn’t really a clear answer here. It depends on the size of your tank, the amount of used filter media used, the amount of beneficial bacteria it contains, etc. The only thing certain is that it will speed up the cycle.
Hi Ian,
I am competing a fishless cycling in a 45 gallon tank that holds about 40 gallons of water due to the rocks and decorations inside the tank. I am on the 16th day of cycling. My ammonia ppm is at 1.5, my water ph is at 7.5, my water temp is at 77 degrees and no nitrites yet. Should I add more ammonia to increase it to 4.0 ppm or just leave everything for now? I am just surprise not to see any nitrites yet, but I am trying to be patience 🙂
Also, on the 3rd day after cycling my tank water is cloudy and still is at this time, is this normal? I read this is do to the bacteria boom.
Thank you for all your help
Ron
Hi Ron,
Did you start at 4ppm? If so, I would monitor your nitrates as well, to see if these are going up. Not everyone experiences the cycle in the same way. Sometimes it skips from nitrites straight to nitrates. So this is a possibility. If you didn’t start with 4ppm, I’d increase the ammonia to 4 just so you can monitor it decreasing, as this means progress is happening.
At this stage, I would be leaning towards the white cloudy water as being bacterial bloom. This is normal and should go away on it’s own.
Hi Ian.
Thank you for your reply. My nitrates are at 0ppm as of today and when I started my cycle, my ammonia started at 4ppm and my water ph started at 7.0. I did not test neither the nitrites nor the nitrates when I first stared the cycle two weeks ago.
Thoughts or advise what my next steps should be at this time?
Thank you in advance for all your help.
If your ammonia has decreased, and you didn’t perform a water change or use an ammonia removing product, then it is possible that the cycle is further than you think. Ammonia doesn’t just disappear – it has to go somewhere.
If you are not responsible for the ammonia decrease, then my first thoughts is the test not revealing you actually have nitrite or nitrate. What are you using to test your tank? I would double check that you are following the instructions and reading the test results in natural day-light. The lights inside your home can impact the colors shown. I would Also check the expiry date on your test kit, an expired test kit is the least likely cause, but you never know.
Hi Ian.
I am using the API Master Test kit as you have posted in your forum. I checked the expiration date of my test kit and the solutions expire in 1/2023 so the test solutions are good. I went out and purchased another test kit (The test strips) and the nitrates came back positive, the nitrites came back negative, my water ph is 7.2, and zero chlorine. I added less than a 1/2 tsp of
Fritz Pro Aquatics Ammonium Chloride (ammonia) and I will check all my readings again in 24 hrs and see what readings I get at that time. I will let you know what my readings are within the next 24-48 hrs.
Thank you
Ron
Hi Ron,
That’s unusual, If you are confident that you are using and reading the test kit (including shaking the bottles, shake them more than it says and vigorously too, for about a minute) then it’s possible that you have a faulty product, which is very unusual. I’ve been using this test kit for years without issue as have thousands of others. All cases I have personally been involved in where the tests didn’t work came down to user error. However, I have to trust your judgement here.
If you have nitrates, then it’s possible that the bacteria that converts nitrites to nitrates has established enough that it is eating the ammonia fast enough that it reads zero. This is good. I have my fingers crossed that this is the outcome. Unfortunately, it will take a few days of waiting before you will know for sure.
I have a couple questions as I am perplexed and cannot find answers ANYWHERE pertaining to my situation.
I am a semi noob for freshwater. I left my last set up when I moved cross country- and 3 years later have decided upon a new one.
I understand (pretty much) how this process works, and I have set up to do a fish less cycle on a 55g freshwater tank.
Every thing is up and running.
I am 13 days in. My pre conditioned tap water runs at .50 ppm ammonia straight out of the tap, 8.5 ph, no nitrites or nitrates (I went ahead and fully tested my tap water pre set up)
Fully followed this guide, and everything was plugging along fine. Started this process 2/28.
4 days ago, (3/8) my ammonia dropped to 2, and my nitrites appeared at .25ppm.
I was hesitant to half dose ammonia at this point because the nitrites were just appearing, so I retested the following day (3/9)and had 2ppm ammonia and .50ppm nitrites.
I went ahead and half dosed the ammonia,double checked the readings after 1.5 hours to determine that a half dose did not take me over 5ppm, and the following day (3/10)when I tested my ammonia was at 4, my nitrites were ZERO.
So I tested Nitrates. They were at 20 ppm.
Same for yesterday the 11th, and today the 12th.
My ph has held steady through this whole process.
Am I on the right track? Or do I need to do/change something?
I’m unsure how i can have so many nitrates when my nitrite levels are at zero, and my ammonia level is holding steady at 4.
Is this a just wait it out approach (i have plenty of time that’s for sure.its not ready till its ready) or is there something i need to do to balance this out?
I forgot to add- i am using an API freshwater master test kit, and the ammonia is fritz pro aquatics ammonium chloride
Any advice will be helpful and appreciated even if it’s just wait it out, just to know I am at least on the right track.
Thanks!
Hi Debbie,
It’s hard to say without more waiting. If you look at your nitrate test kit, you’ll see that as the numbers go up, the range increases. while there is just a5ppm difference on the low end, the next step up from 20 is 40 ppm. Just because your test kit reads 20, doesn’t mean it’s stuck there, it could read anything from 20-40. Also, I just want to confirm that you are reading your test kits in natural day light (inside lights can make colors look different.)
While the lack of ammonia decreasing could be a concern, it would depend if any parameters or equipment or additives have changed at the same time. Simply adding more ammonia to 4ppm won’t stall a cycle.
Thanks for the reply!
No equipment jas changed, and I always read in natural light.
I have no issue waiting it out provided that’s the recommendation at this point- as long as SOMETHING is happening in there it can take all the time it needs- I knew going in to this that it would take as long as it takes to start from scratch.
I just wasnt sure if there was something I should be doing, or shouldn’t even at this point!
I will keep plugging along, enjoying the sound of the tank and waiting for the day shes cycled and ready to add beauty too!
Keep in mind that you cal always perform a 50% water change. This will roughly cut nitrites and nitrates in half, bringing them back to the lower range on your test kit, making it easier to keep track of progress day by day. Water changes do not slow down your cycle – the beneficial bacteria lives in your filter media, it is not free floating.
Also keep in mind that a water change will also reduce your ammonia. So re-dose after any water change as per your test kit.
It sounds like you are approaching this with the right mindset. I have my fingers crossed that it’s not too much more waiting now.
Hello! Newbie who just started cycling her 55 gallon freshwater tank, fish-less. I’ve added the ammonia as you suggested; I’m confused about this initial first week- do I have to keep testing the ammonia levels and DO anything if they aren’t a certain level, or just assume once I’ve done the initial dose of ammonia to get it to 4ppm that I’m good to sit around and wait?
Can’t wait! Thanks
Hi Lori,
I suggest daily testing, this will give you a greater understanding of how your specific cycle is progressing, to an extent, everyone experiences them differently. From here, you react according to your test results and go from there. I know that waiting sucks, but it will be worth it!
Ian…
Day 29… I have Nitrites and Nitrates… YEAH!
So, long story short, I was about to start the cycle all over because I just came home from a 5 day trip with no testing on the tank… low and behold MOVEMENT
So I am at 1.0 ammo; .50 NI; 5 NA; just under 8 ph; 78.1 degrees!
I just added pre-treated water to replace evaporation, and 2 drops of dr tims ammo and will test again soon to make sure I stay at 2.0 ppm.
I thought it was odd last night, I thought I saw NI but tested at night so no natural light, so I thought it was just my eyes again. It must have been just about .2 NI and today .5!
But my NA is at 5. I just read your comment above. So, NA at five is ok with NI at .5 and ammo at 2.0???
I can see the light, Thank you!
Hi again CJ,
That actually sounds incredibly positive. What a relief! If your ammonia has dipped, you have nitrites and nitrates are increasing, then your cycle is progressing, slowly, but it’s definitely progressing. Just keep topping up your ammonia as it dips and the rest is a waiting game. Hopefully it’s not too much longer now!
Ian,
I have a question I am saltwater but know cycling is similar. I don’t hold you responsible whatsover for your answer. Why do these companies like API, and many others tell consumers that they can cycle a tank and add fish in 24 hours? I know of no one (about 10 people) that have had fish survive much at all even using those products. As you stated, once you add the fish the ammonia starts right away (if it is day two). I think it is deceiving, perhaps it is possible if water changes are done daily.
You mention that when you leave the tank empty and no more ammonia that at the end of the day, the bacteria die off. I have left my tank for two weeks now after it cycled as I was waiting for some cash for fish. Should I possibly add a snail or two from another existing tank so that the bacteria can feed? If the tank is new (it took me 32 days to cycle with live rock). Will the snails have enough food to eat in a new tank as to me it is rather heartless if one starves them. As I won’t be home for the next five days or so.
Any thoughts are appreciated, I think this hobby is like crack. You start it and you just keep going and going. As for Seachem Prime it saved my tank (I learned about this product from you and used your affiliate link a couple months ago) I know I am saltwater but after research, it is the best on the market.
I had a five gallon nano tank with a auto top off. I just had a shrimp and four snails. I didn’t know it but the ATO was put in wrong by me, I tested it never in the aquarium (duh but it did work outside the aquarium) and put the sensor in the main part of the aquarium as opposed to the back with the filters. Anyhow I left five days, and set a feeder. I came back that the tank had 3 gallons of saltwater, saltwater spike from hell to 1.35. Yet, ammonia was 0. The water had evaporated and I had no filtration except the power nozzle. Before I went on my trip I put in the regular dose of prime and it is my true belief that it saved the whole damn tank, but I will never try on purpose as one of the snails was dead 🙁 which was on me and I pulled him out. I have no idea how long he was dead but the point was my ammonia in a little tank was showing zero :). As I reckon that the tank ran for two days with no filtration as the water went dry. How the creatures took the salinity spike I have no idea.
What was interesting and Randy I think his name is said in a forum where this transpired to someone else (salt creep) that higher salinity typically causes an algae bloom. Can I say that three days later the snails went on strike as the algae went nuts but were good now :). Just wanted to share that story as man I can’t believe I didn’t test the thing in the aquarium before I left and I would have felt terrible if I killed everything.
Hi Russel,
I can’t speak for companies like API or big chain pet stores, where these recommendations are common. One could speculate that in a world where no one wants to wait, and cycling is a slow process, that there is money to be made in promising an instant cycle to beginners who don’t know any better and won’t follow up by using a test kit to monitor their tank. Sadly, by many, because fish don’t show suffering in the same way that a dog, cat or similar pet would, they are seen as somewhat disposable. I and many others are of the belief that this is wrong, but it’s a trend that won’t seem to die.
If you have left your tank alone for two weeks, it is possible there has been some beneficial bacteria die off. This will be easy enough to spot if you add ammonia and it doesn’t disappear.
Adding a snail or two wouldn’t hurt. Admittedly, I am less familiar with snails than I am fish, but I would assume that like fish, snails could go some time without feeding. Most fish can happily last up to a week without a meal. In the wild, they wouldn’t get a hand fed meal each day, food would be far more difficult to come by and as a result had adapted to survive days without feeding. We spoil our fish compared to how they eat in the wild. You would need to research the exact feeding habits of your snails, as I cannot give you the exact advice here.
I am really happy to hear you are enjoying the hobby. You are right, it’s addictive. I started with neon tetra and shrimp over 30 years ago and I’m still enjoying it as much now as I did back then. It sounds like you had quite the adventure with your nano, you did well to save it, that’s really awesome on your part.
As for Randy, you are likely talking about Randy Holmes-Farley, he has been doing this for quite some time now, well regarded and I would trust his analysis.
Thanks so much for your support. It seriously means the world to me!
Hello. So I have been following all your steps to a T! But I am starting to see some strange changes in my water. I bought a little 10g tank about 3 weeks ago, decided on a fishless cycle, bought the Fritz and master water test kit suggested, among all the other starter things needed for the tank. My pH is currently 7.6 most days, I get an occasional 7.8. My ammonia has been riding at a 4.0 ppm and this week to a dive to a 2.0 and tonight is a 1.0. One week ago (2/24) I got the slightest hint of nitrites, and they have slowly been increasing, tonight I got a 2.0 ppm, but along with this 2.0 of nitrites I did a test of nitrates and got 40 ppm. Final read on the 3/3 test, pH 7.6, ammonia 1.0 ppm, nitrites 2.0 ppm, and nitrates 40 ppm.
I guess my question is, since my nitrites aren’t declining yet should I be adding more ammonia?
Hi Holly,
That actually all sounds really positive! Congrats, your cycle is progressing well. I would add more ammonia as it gets depleted. You can re-dose to 2ppm for now if you wanted, and as it drops quicker increase back to 4. Or re-dose to 4 right now, it makes little difference. You just want to make sure there is ammonia for the first bacteria to feast on.
This is so reassuring! This whole process gets me worked up since I am so new to it! I have since been re-dosing almost daily up to 2 ppm, last night to 4 ppm, but it still seems to drop to 1 every day, nitrites are still holding at 2.0 ppm, but I am just glad to know things are moving! Thank you for you amazing post, and your help!!
It can be a lot to take in but hang in there, it sounds like you are doing great. If your ammonia is decreasing then it’s going somewhere, and the fact that nitrites are testable is a good sign. You might want to test your nitrAtes, as well, just to see what is happening there. Not everyone experiences a linear progression through the steps, sometime it kinda all happens at once. From here it’s just patience. If anything seems amiss, drop a line here and I’ll advise to the best of my ability with troubleshooting. Good luck!
So since I last replied I have been testing for NitrAtes daily. At first it was a just for fun and didn’t expect anything out of it, but literally 3/5 had 5.0 ppm with NitrItes of 1.0 ppm and ammonia at a 2.0 ppm. The following day my nitrAtes took a huge JUMP! They jumped up to 20 ppm with nitrItes of 2.0 ppm and I have had to add ammonia daily because by morning I am at 0.25 or 0 ppm (I keep it at a 2 ppm daily and test probably 3 times a day, ones first thing in the morning, once 1 to 2 hours after dosing and once when I test for everything else in the evening). My nitrItes have been holding at a 2.0 ppm since and have not moved. My nitrAtes have slowly moved up and are not sitting at an 80 ppm for the last 3 days (I know that is super high). Am I still just in the waiting game?
Daily testing is more than enough, although there is no harm in doing it more frequently, I would still only be adding ammonia once per day, as if you were taking a single reading.
Once nitrates start to climb that high, I generally perform a 50% water change to get the back down. When you say nitrates have been at 80 for three days, they haven’t really, they are climbing (hopefully) but the the next marker on the test kit is 160. So the result could actually be anywhere between 80-160. If you look at your test kit color chart, you’ll notice that the lower ranges are closer together, making it easier for you to determine just how quickly nitrate is rising.
A 50% water change will roughly drop all chemicals (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) in half, which will allow you to better gauge what is happening. This water change won’t affect your cycle (don’t forget to condition the water before adding it) but you will need to re-dose with ammonia to reach the desired level after performing the water change.
Otherwise, yeah, it’s still just a waiting game. Unfortunately, much of keeping fish just comes down to waiting. It’s part of what makes it such a peaceful hobby.
Hi- I didn’t see a button to comment regularly so I just decided to reply to a comment, so sorry if its in the wrong place. I also have a question about adding ammonia regurarly. I attempted to do a cycle to my 5.5 gallon tank, its been 6 weeks now and I somehow forgot to keep adding ammonia, so my cycle has been stuck at 0ppm ammonia and a super high nitrite reading. So I did a 50% water change today and added in some ammonia (2ppm), I still have some nitrites (1ppm) and nitrates(1ppm) too. (And some beneficial becteria I’m guessing) I’m not really sure what to do next since my cycle is already started, once my ammonia drops to 1ppm should I put in more to keep it at 2? Some more step by step would be great, and thank you for the article it is the least confusing one out there.
Hi Tessa,
I’m glad to hear that you found the guide useful. You are on the right path. You essentially follow the steps here still, since you are waiting for that first bacteria to appear. You are essentially at step 3 in the guide above. You now have to wait a week or two for it to start decreasing. I’d test daily so you can see what is happening and re-dose with ammonia to keep it at your original dosage. Unfortunately, there is still some more waiting for you before you can add your fish. But hang in there – you’ll get there!
Hello Ian,
Just checking in…
My tank has been set up for 20 days now…
I am on Day 13 after learning how to read my tests properly and heavy water changes…
And I am on day 7 since removing all organic matter (Plants and bulbs)…
My ammonia is at 2.0 and the only time I add more is when I replace my evaporated water with pre-conditioned water.
My PH is right around 7.8 – 8.0…
Nitrites and Nitrates are zero and nowhere to be found…
My water temp is steady at 75 F…
So, I am keeping my happy nest making betta in 1.75 gallons with most of his plants. He seems to love it. He rests quite often on his plants and sometimes hovers right below his very large bubble nest. With the amount of plants temporarily sharing his bowl the ammonia levels rise very slowly. After a PWC it takes about 4-5 days to get levels above .25ppm. His tank does not have a filter or heater but the LED light puts out enough heat to keep his water at 70 F.
I am just bored and hoping to see movment in the 5 gallon in the next day or two. I am using Dr. Tim’s ammonia for doseing. I have the filter and heater running with substrate and a few small pieces of decor… I never seem to have to add ammonia. Is this a bad thing? I take it that it means nothing is eating the ammonia as planned.
I fixed the filter issues to aggitate the water a little more and the film no longer accumilates on the water surface. I added bio media. I removed the rotting bulbs that were spiking my ammonia readings (your right they were the ones called betta bulbs, although three of them have taken off and Delta really loves the biggest of the three to rest on and build his nest).
Not really looking for any other suggestions unless you have one. Just writing to share the misery of the nitrogen cycle…
Cheers,
CJ
Hi Again CJ,
Thanks for the upadate!
If it were me, the only thing I would do differently is try and lower the pH slightly, to get it around low to mid 7. However this can be complicated and I generally don’t recommend messing around with pH too much if you are not familiar with it, it can make things exponentially worst as it bounces around. 7.8-8 is still within beneficial bacteria tolerance.
If your betta is making bubble nests then that is a good sign he is happy. Stressed betta don’t normally make bubble nests – so that’s a relief. However, be mindful that betta temperature should ideally be a little warmer 74˚F on the low end. However, if your betta is thriving then this should be the least of your concerns. Just be careful when you add him to your new tank, as it will be warmer, he will need to acclimatize first to avoid “temperature shock”
The ammonia not going down isn’t a bad thing. It just means the beneficial bacteria has not begun to form yet. At the end of 2 weeks, it would be a bad thing, as something is preventing the beneficial bacteria from appearing in your tank. At this stage it’s trial and error, making adjustments and removing things until it appears. This sucks. A lot. I have had to do it twice and don’t wish it on anyone. (in one instance the substrate was contaminated, the other was my biomedia appeared to be killing them and swapping it out solved the problem) I have my fingers crossed yours kicks off in the next few days 🙂
Hello Mr. Sterling. Just wondering, what is the best method that you prefer of acclimating new fish? I am planning on getting a betta fish soon. I have heard drip acclimation is good so is the float method where you add more tank water. Thanks! -Ben
Hi Ben,
I personally use the drip acclimatization method. It may be slower but it significantly reduces the chance of shock.
Great article. Maybe you can help me with my stalled cycle. For reference this is a new 75g freshwater tank. I started out dosing ammonia to around 5ppm. Kept it that way about 2 weeks and no nitrites. I does a bottle of tetra safestart max and the next day I had readings on all 3. I continued to dose ammonia and now 4ppm goes away in 8 hours. My nitrites are off the charts and nitrates stay around 10ppm. A week of off the chart high nitrite readings and I performed a 50% water change. No change in nitrites. Two days later I did another 50% water change and still no drop in nitrites. I always dose prime on my water changes. During this entire time I have add some Seachem stability every other day or so. I’ve heard that extremely high nitrites can stall the cycle and also I’ve heard to not worry about nitrites and it will eventually work it’s way out. Should I continue to dose ammonia daily and just hope nitrites fall overnight. Also wondering if the Tetra SafeStart has my readings screwed up still with the nitrites and nitrates and my tank is actually cycled since the ammonia dissipates so quickly??
Hi Kevin, just to clarify, what you are doing, is your nitrite reading at the higest level? (5.0 on API Test kit?) If you are not noticing any movement when you do a 50% water change, then it’s possible that your initial nitrites exceeded 20. Let’s say it was at 30 ppm.
1 x 50% water change would drop it to 15 ppm
1 x 50% water change would drop this again to 7.5 ppm
This would show as no change on your test kit for nitrites (it would still show 5 ppm. Could this be what has happened?
I would work towards getting your nitrites down to a level where they show up on your test. It might take quite a few water changes for this to happen. Don’t forget to re-dose with ammonia as this is also diluted with each water change.
Hello Ian, I am on day 8 of following your guide. my ph levels are 7.6, ammonia level is 2ppm and has not yet started to drop. I used the API quick start on day and still no sign of ammonia dropping or any sign of nitrites. according to your guide, it says see you in a week. thhen on step 4 it says check for nitrites after a week(which I did with no sign of them). then it has steps on what to do when they show up. my question is what do I do if after a week I still have no signs of nitrites? do I do a water change or just keep waiting? thank you in advance.
Hi James,
Just to confirm, are you reading your test kit in natural day light? The lighting from indoor lights can drastically throw off the readings. If not, go outside in the middle of the day when you test to compare your results.
yes, I am reading my results in natural daylight.
Awesome, that’s a great start. Do you have biomedia, such as ceramic rings in your tank? Most filters come with this, but it can be purchased separately, it’s like a home for beneficial bacteria to grow in. If your filter just comes with a disposable cartridge, then there is less surface area for BB to grow. Also, throwing out these cartridges also disposes of the beneficial bacteria, and can reset a cycle.
I am a beginner so I am not 100% sure what biomedia is. I do have a Marineland Penguin 350b filter. im not sure if its too late to add ceramic rings( I don’t even know where to put them) but I did research them and how it is useful in the future. honestly, the filtration was the only thing that slowed me down from getting into the hobby. so much confusion for a beginner. I know I cant just replace the replaceable filter cartridges. there is a empty slot behind each filter. im guessing when its time to change I put the old one in the back and the new one up front so some of the old bacteria catches on to the new filter. please share some of your knowledge on that aspect of the hobby. thank you very much Ian!
Sorry James,
I often forget that others don’t have the same experience as me. Anything that sits in your filter and “filters” is a media. Biomedia is essentially anything that can be a home for beneficial bacteria that sits in your filter. Ceramic rings are an example of this type of media. This media contains hundreds of tiny spaces for the beneficial bacteria to cling too. Beneficial bacteria can’t cling to a smooth surface, it lives on rough, textured surfaces that contain pores.
You should get your ceramic rings ASAP as it’s possible there isn’t anywhere in your filter for beneficial bacteria to set up shop, which may be slowing down the process. There isn’t a whole lot of space in Marineland Penguins for ceramic rings, so you may need to use fine sponge instead.
To help me get a better idea of what else is going on, can you list:
Water temperature (do you have a heater?)
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH
Are you dechlorinating your water before you add it to your tank?
What brand of ammonia are you using?
Is there anything else you have/are adding to your tank?
Is there anything unusual in your tank? (excluding gravel, fake plants)
Are you on well water?
Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this!
yes I have a heater. water temp is 72-74
Ammonia = 2ppm
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
PH = constant 7.4-7.6
I am using Ace Hardware Janitorial Ammonia as I researched it to be really good and pure. It was a brand new tank. I rinsed it out and let it air dry. I then placed the gravel, decorations and filled it up. then added filter, water pump, thermometer and heater. I then added API Safe start and TetraSafe Dechlorinator. 24 hours later I added ammonia. ever since then I am sitting at 2ppm. In my opinion, I think it has to do with the water temp. I have a Aqueon 100w and it struggles to keep the 36gal up to temp. I just got a 200w and going to crank the temp up 78. I am not on well water. my
I have no experience with Ace Hardware ammonia, but if you are confident that it’s pure and doesn’t contain any additives, then it will be good enough.
While 72 is on the colder side (the BB grows faster at higher temperature) it’s not going to stop your tank from cycling, it may go slower though.
Everything seems fairly normal, Besides adding some type of biomedia, there doesn’t appear to be anything you have listed that is out of sorts. I’d crank the heat up and give it another week.
Hello Ian,
I am back earlier than thought.
So due to my misreading my tests correct the first time, I have been more scientific in my approach going forward.
I can say with confidence my Ammonia levels are right at 2.0. My ph is 7.4 to 7.8 and Nitrites and Nitrates are zero. It is day 12 since my set up has been running, but I will call it day 7 since my ammonia levels have been below 8.0 (or off the chart).
We eleminated the lighting issues that caused the incorrect readings and we got rid of the surface gunk (I have not lit the candle on the same table or put my hand in the tank, so not sure which it was).
But, being a first timmer here I did something that maybe you might have thought about or maybe something you might be able to propagate if you think it will help first time cyclers…
I took a known source of ammonia fee conditioned water and my test tank water with a medicine syringe from the drugstore and put 2.5 ml of tank water with 2.5 ml of ammonia free water and confirmed a reduced level reading. My all tank water test read 2.0-4.0 to me…. but I was not sure.
So, to be sure my eyes were not lying I did the second test. and sure enough I could visibly see a change in color without going in and out and in and out of the house to make sure…
My split water test came in about 1.0ppm, SO now I feel much more confident I am on the right path.
So, I am on day 7 like I said. if I do not see nitrites in the next 7 to 10 days I will be concerned.
In the mean time I have a few questions that have formed in my thoughts.
1) I want to introduce bio rings. is it ok to introduce them now? or should I wait until the tank is cycled? I dont want to risk interrupting the process again.
2) I bought some plant bulbs and they have been in the tank since day 1, nine out of twelve are not showing signs of growth. The bulbs have biofilm all over them. Should I remove them now or wait to see if they cause my ammonia levels to rise as they decay?
3) Since my water changes to bring my ammonia levels down I have not added water or ammonia. My water levels are going down slightly and my ammonia levels seem to be steady, do you recommend adding water to top off OR adding ammonia to bring my levels up from 2.0???
4) I did not have good luck with dr tims bacteria. but I do think it put something in my filter media… that being said I have a brown green looking slime and lots of stringy looking growths. IS THIS A GOOD THING? (but still no nitrites or nitrates)
Thank you sir, Have a great day,
CJ
Hi again CJ,
I’m sorry to hear your cycle is moving slower than expected. Not to worry, it’s not at the “something is halting my cycle” stage yet.
Biorings should be introduced ASAP. These are essentially mini houses for your beneficial bacteria. This will allow them to “move in” during the cycle. biorings should be inert and have zero impact on how a cycle progresses.
It’s possible the bulbs are rotting. Since you are controlling the levels of ammonia, anything else that could contribute to ammonia should be removed. At this stage I think it’s safe to say these are dud bulbs. If these are what are commonly referred to as “betta bulbs” then it’s common for a majority of them to fail.
Ideally you want to maintain your 2.0 ammonia. Topping off water is a good practice, if your tank is open topped, evaporation can happen quickly. While cycling, Any water you add/change should be followed up with a dose of ammonia as per your tests.
On your filter, that slime/sludge isn’t your beneficial bacteria (you won’t be able to see the bacteria) it’s likely filtered detritus removed from your tank. This isn’t a bad or a good thing. Your filter is doing it’s job. Rinse the filtermedia gently in fresh, dechlorinated water if this starts to build up too much.
Because these bacterial products contain live bacteria, it’s *possible* that they were dead on arrival. These bottles need proper storage throughout the supply chain and both heat and cold can kill what is inside. This is more common than I’d like. Don’t worry, this won’t harm your tank.
I also noticed you didn’t list the temperature, are you keeping your tank warm enough?
Moving forward, add your biorings ASAP, continue dosing and check back in 5 days after. If you have not seen any movement yet, I’ll help you go over your tank with a fine tooth comb.
Thanks Ian,
I will add the biorings ASAP. my tank temp is pretty constant between 73 and 74 F… I did turn it up today to 75 as I read somewhere here in your blog.
Mean while my poor little betta fish can only look at his new tank through his glass… He is dying to get to his new house (hopefully not litterally).
I do partial water changes every 2-3 days and test his water every day for ammonia levels. He is still happily feeding and blowing bubble nests from time to time.
Thanks
Thanks for clarifying, everything indeed sounds normal and your betta sounds healthy. It’s just waiting now. I have my fingers crossed that you see some action soon.
Ian,
I just removed the inactive bulbs and they smell like poo (I think they had to be decaying)… and I just added as many biorings as my little filter could handle.
Thank you for your responses to my posts.
So another thought came to me…
If since I have not added ammonia to my set up since my water changes… It just dawned on me, there is no reason why my ammonia levels should have remained so constant. I did not add any ammonia and my plants are growing very well with the aid of said ammonia. If the plants are using the ammonia I am adding to feed I should have had to add ammonia, right?
In the first few days I did need to add ammonia. Then it spiked off the chart. Then I rebooted but since then I have had a constant ammonia reading with no manual addition. This tells me there had to be some kind of exchange going on as well as some decay. Maybe the bulbs caused my ammonia to climb so high the first time around?
The waiting is the hardest part – (Tom Petty)
Hi CJ,
My apologies here, I assumed you were adding ammonia. Yes, these decomposing bulbs certainly would have been contributing to the ammonia spike, as does any rotting organic. Plants are considerably more tolerant of ammonia than fish. While they won’t use it to feed, it won’t affect them.
Tom Petty had it spot on. Don’t worry, you are not alone. I have done this a hundred times over now. I still hate the waiting part.
Hello Ian,
Thank you for your article and your very well constructed blog!
I am a new fish owner and completely new to the hobby. I recently bought a blue and red delta-tail male Betta for my soon to be 6yr old as a first pet. Needless to say I fell into many traps. I have since done more reading on proper fish care over the last few weeks then I ever thought I would do in a life time.
Bottom line is I got attached to the little guy, his name is Delta after his tail type and the fact that his coloration matches the Delta airlines tail (extra aside – my son love to fly on Delta and wants to be a pilot), and want to make a proper tank environment for him. For now, he lives in a 1.5 gal with no heater or filter. I do partial water changes every 2-3 days and test his water for ammonia levels every day.
Since bringing Delta home, I have already bought a 5 gal with a quiet flow 3 gal filter and a 100 watt adjustable heater, digital therm, 5lb gravel, Argentine Sword, Narrow Java Fern, Anubis Petit, assorted dormant plant bulbs, Asian lantern decor, a soft foam lily pad hammock, and countless other things needed. As you can see a lot of time effort and money is invested in getting things right…
I am on day 10 of my fishless cycle and no sign of nitrites or nitrates… like I said I fell into many traps, along with getting most things right eventually. I bought a bottle of Dr. Tim’s bacteria. I tried following the directions, but the bottle says add fish immediately. I did not, I bought ammonium chloride as well and dosed the tank as if a fish was in the tank. After 7 days of this and no sign of nitrites I rebooted the tank. My first attempt just had gravel, filter and heater and the filter was one of the ones that you call noob traps (indeed). But for 12 it is a great filter for Betta’s it has very low flow and is so quiet I cannot even tell its running. I am going to put ceramic rings in the very small open space it has but for now I have a bunch of cut to size floss in it to create lots of surface area for bacteria. I don’t think I will ever buy the filter cartridges I will just make my own, like you said you are asking for your tank to crash when you throw your spent filter out.
So, on to my next mistake. After the reboot I added the plants to the setup. All the plants are thriving and 3 out of 9 bulbs have almost out-grown the established plants that I added. During this reboot I found out on day 7 that my ammonia was off the chart. I finally found a reliable way to read my tests. I was having all kinds of trouble trying to match the colors as the test tubes bend light so much. I can say that now since day seven my ammonia has been higher than 1.0 and less than 4.0 I would say 2.0 steady.
I would say I am on day 4 after regulating the ammonia my ph is 7.4 and the temp 74 F. I still have no nitrite reading. My filter media has a healthy green brown glow (not bright white any longer) and there is a light opaque fuzz like coating some of my plants leaves, as well as a thin clear film on the top of my water. IS THIS OK? Should I stay the course?
My plants are thriving and my test reading seem like they are all were they should be if I were just starting a new cycle. Do you have any advice, concerns or questions? I just want to do this right and have never had the experience before.
Delta’s Dad
CJ
Hi CJ (Delta’s Dad)
That’s a pretty funky name for a fish. I love that you can relate it back to your son too!
I’m terribly sorry to hear about your experience so far. Trust me, it get’s so much easier from here on out. Hang in there! The good news is that you have already identified and fixed just about every error you have made. You should be proud of your research efforts here, you have done a great job.
On the tests, if you read them outside in natural daylight, you’ll get a much more accurate result. Indoor lighting can often return an incorrect reading, especially under yellow/orange lights. If you take the tests outside in the middle of the day it will be much easier to identify the color.
The light opaque coating on is perfectly normal on your newly added plants. It often appears on new plants or even driftwood and disappears on it’s own. Some people call this a “biofilm” others call it a white fuzz or transparent film. It shouldn’t be a cause for concern, unless it’s still hanging around after a month.
The thin clear film on top of the water could be cause for concern. As to exactly what it is, This article will help identify and fix it but the short answer is that surface agitation (say from a bubbler or the outflow of your filter) should break it up. You’ll want it gone, it reduces the amount of oxygen that can enter your water. Since the beneficial bacteria are aerobic, it’s possible that reduced levels of oxygen could slow down the cycle.
But besides that, based on what you have written, nothing seems out of the ordinary. You just have some more waiting to do, as nitrites appear within the first two weeks.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance at all!
Thank you Ian,
You are a true gentleman. I have read a lot of your blog already and you are always speedy to respond and always offer an encouraging word even when some others come here seemingly just to refute your experiences…
Thank you!
Yes, the lighting was the issue for testing I actually change the bulb above the tank to white light and read all tests in the same place next to the window.
So, I was thinking that the film may be limiting my oxygen levels. This makes sense. The film does not cover the complete surface of the water and the filter does break it up a little. I will use a paper towel and fish net to clear it up and I will try to reposition my filter to get more agitation out of it. Is there a way to test oxygen levels in my water? Thank you for the additional reading.
As for the cause of the film, I cannot be sure but it could be my hand or the pump. But, I am also thinking that from time to time I light a candle on the same table and the residual burn off might be settling on the water??? There is no fish or reason for food in the tank.
I was thinking about getting an air stone but I don’t know the first thing about anything. Everything is trial and error. Do you have a post on air stones? I think my goal is once I introduce Delta into his new habitat is to create a black water tank. I have a pretty piece of mopi wood and have some Indian Almond Leaves. I also don’t want to be buying things for the tank that are going to be useless later.
Not that I am keeping score (but I am!!!). I have divided all my costs into essential and non-essential and my essential costs are near 180 dollars and about half of that. I can see that owning a fish is not a small investment as some people outside the hobby say.
Happy Fish Keeping,
CJ
Happy to help, CJ.
That’s a good idea on the lighting. Just be mindful that even “white light” isn’t truly white, the light it gives off is often blue. “Daylight lights” are around 5500 kelvin, but are not typically used in homes, they are more commonly used on photosets and other areas where true color matching are needed.
The good news here is that if the water surface wasn’t completely blocked off then enough oxygen should be able to enter. Because of this, You won’t need to test your oxygen levels, they will be fine. The only time you might need to test your oxygen levels is if you overstock your tank (too many fish) but this won’t be an issue for you.
It could possibly be your candle, it’s hard to say, the only real way to find the problem is through the process of elimination. Skip lighting the candle and if it comes back, then you can say the candle wasn’t the problem. If it doesn’t come back, then it was the candle.
Truth be told, Betta don’t do well with moving current. They come from rice paddies and sloooow moving waters. Water movement from say a airstone can cause stress, which won’t instantly kill delta, but will make him more prone to disease (like how we get sick easier when we are stressed.) A bubbler is just another method of providing surface agitation, they don’t actually “inject oxygen” into the water. If you can achieve the same with your filter on a low setting, then that will work just as well.
If you don’t mind having your tank “stained” a slight yellow/brown color, then Indian Almond Leaves anecdotally provide benefits since it closer emulates the natural environment of the betta. I personally like the look of blackwater tanks but plenty of fishkeepers pride themselves on keeping their water crystal clear. Fortunately if you don’t like it, you can remove the colors using water changes and activated carbon. Just be mindful that your driftwood will also leach color into your aquarium. This can be reduced by boiling it in hot water before adding it to your tank.
It certainly is surprising how expensive this hobby can be. I am not as brave as you. I don’t think I could add up all the costs over the past thirty years, Some things are better left unknown. Just be thankful you don’t have a saltwater tank! Those things add up even quicker!
All the best and please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions!
No more questions, for now. I have been reading your blog which has a lot of answers.
Just one last thank you, and until next time (probably if my tank does not show signs of cycling in the next week).
Cheers,
CJ
No A problem CJ,
I’m here for you if you need it. All the best!
Hi Ian,
So I’m a bit confused, starting 3.5 gl Betta tank. I’ve had it set up for two weeks. PH at 7 – 8. Shows ammonia at .50, nitrites 0 and nitrates 8. Here lies my confusion, I have not added ammonia and my understanding is when cycling we are trying to achieve ammonia levels of 0 with the same for nitrites and under 40 for nitrates. So why would I add ammonia or do I need to at all?
TIA!
Hi Bobby,
I’d suggest reading this article from top to bottom. The short answer is:
While we don’t want ammonia in the tank, we need it to grow bacteria that will keep ammonia from fishfood and poop at zero once we introduce fish.
If you are doing a fishless cycle, you will want to add ammonia, as per the instructions in this article.
Hello Mr. Sterling. I have taken everything out of my tank and so far my ph hasn’t dropped. There are still enough bacteria to eat 4ppm of ammonia in 24 hours. I went to the pet store and got silk plants and more gravel. I washed the plants and gravel throughougly without using soap. I just added all of they new things into my 5g tank. Is this bad? Should I have done anything different. Hopefully I won’t get another ph drop. Thanks! -Ben
Hi Ben,
That sounds really positive. If you added things cause a pH drop, you might have to trash them completely. But it sounds like you are on top of everything, which is awesome!
Ok sounds good! My nitrates right now have spiked to 80ppm. Should I do a water change? Will high nitrates affect my tank at all without a fish? I am waiting to see if the new decorations will cause any change in my waters ph before I get a fish.
Nitrates should be kept as low as possible, ideally under 40, but 10 or under is fantastic. While they are not toxic, this is only true while they remain at low levels. I’d do a couple of water changes to get this down before adding a fish. Good call on waiting, the last thing you want is to experience pH swings while a fish is inside!
Hi there. I am just in my first week of trying to do a fishless cycle for the first time. Just wondering if you could help me with a few questions…
Should I be doing water changes, using a grave vac, or cleaning of any sort while cycling? If so, how often?
I am using the fish food method to get things started. The tank is starting to stink. Is this normal?
Is there a ph level that is too high while cycling? Ex, mine is 8 at the moment.
I have a fairly small, basic filter that just has removable cartridges, and some sort blue plastic insert. It says to change the filter every month. So, am I just losing all my good bacteria then? Or does the bacteria live in all parts of the fllter?… Gosh, this doesn’t make much sense, does it…
Anyways, thanks.
Hi Sara,
Depending on the fish food, yeah, this can be expected. I dislike using fish food for the reason that you are not adding a specific amount of ammonia to your tank. It can make the cycle less expected, but you’ll get there the same.
If you are using fish food, you might need to clean. If you are using ammonia as per my method, there isn’t really a need to. The only time you would do a water change is to balance ammonia, nitrite or nitrate levels, if they seem exceedingly high, out of the range of your test kit.
A pH of 8 would be on the high end, but you should still be able to complete a cycle here. If it goes higher, there may be cause for concern.
I’d suggest moving to a filter that has room for biomedia, like ceramic rings. These are a home for your beneficial bacteria. Disposable filter cartridges are a newbie trap, if you throw them away you throw away your beneficial bacteria. They are one of the worst things to happen to fishkeeping.
Hello Ian, I have a couple questions. I recently purchased(from a friend) a tank already set up. we had to remove 75% water for transport. I left all the gravel and ornaments and same filter in. How long before I should change filter(they had 3 extra filters for me) and is there any special way of doing this? Also, I just bought a brand new 36 gal bow front tank for my bedroom. Do you recommend that I used the filter from the already established tank to help with the cycling. and if so, how much time would this normally cut off the cycling process?
Hi James,
These disposable filters are a bit of a scam. When you throw away the filter, you are also throwing away the beneficial bacteria that hides inside. If you don’t have any other biomedia, like ceramic rings, then you can crash the cycle resulting in all kinds of problems. I recommend buying a filter that allows you to install both mechanical (sponge) and biomedia, so if you dispose of the sponge, it won’t cause you any issues.
If the filter dried out, the it’s possible the bacteria have died. As for how much time it will cut off? It depends. It could reduce the cycle by a day, it could reduce it by weeks. There isn’t really a way to measure this.
thank you so much for your quick reply. im new to the hobby so the only thing I know about filtration is the filters they sell. lol I have a 36 gal bow front setup and I got a marineland penguin 350 on it. I wanted a little more gph than standard. another question I cam across, I am on day 3 of the cycle(using your guide). my ammonia level is between 2-3ppm and my ph level is 7.6. my tank seems to becoming a bit cloudy. is this normal or should I do a water change? if water change, how much water should I change? I am thinking between 25-50% but what do I know? im a beginner. lol btw, thank you for your time on answering these questions to people. this world needs more people like you willing to help new and upcoming hobbyist.
My pleasure, James.
The cloudiness is actually a bacterial bloom. These often appear during the cycling process and go away on their own. Like the beneficial bacteria, these bacteria are harmless. If they have appeared, you may find that your tank will get cloudier and cloudier until one day it reverses, and get’s less and less cloudy. Generally, the cloudiness clears up once the nitrites start appearing.
The only time you will need to do a water change during a fishless cycle is if either ammonia, nitrite or nitrate exceeds that of your test kit color chart. For example, if your nitrate is 300 PPM, you would never know this because the test kit only goes up to 160 ppm. You can use water changes to reduce the amount, to get it back down to readable levels.
Hi I am cycling my new aquarium and I believe everything is on the right track, after a week, however something changed in my tap water and the pH went down from my tap which of course I have been putting in my tank. I have live plants in the tank, upon which a pond snail has been found and I don’t mind that he is there but he seems lethargic and I was wondering if the pH level dropping might have affected him and wondering what I should do?
Initial pH with tank set up from tap was 7.2
After checking the pH yesterday in the tank and from the tap it is now 6.4
ammonia levels are 2ppm
nitrites levels are 0.25 ppm
Should I add a pH buffer or just keep checking it and doing water changes? Should I remove the snail in an effort to make him healthy again or let him ride it out as well?
Thanks for the help, great website by the way
Hi Kerry,
If your pond snail is lethargic, it’s either the ammonia or the fluctuating pH. The pH is the bigger concern here because pH under 7 slows down the appearance of beneficial bacteria. I’d keep an eye on the pH and only use a buffer if needed. If the tap water is continually 6.4 then adjusting it upwards can help speed up the process. Although if the fish you plan on keeping tolerate 6.4 then it shouldn’t be a big issue either way. As for the pond snail, 2 ppm of ammonia is quite high. I don’t really have a solution here since keeping him alive would require you to switch to a fish-in cycle. And even then there is no guarantee the snail will it through.
Hello!
I received my Master Kit today and just ran my first test. I decided to test all my parameters since the tank has been running with all electronics on for almost a week. I have two Anubius in my tank with no fish. I tested my tank and here are my results:
pH:7.5
Ammonia: 2 ppm
Nitrite: .25 ppm
Nitrate: 20 ppm
I am kind of stuck and not sure what to do next. I have just ordered the ammonia chloride(amazon) but it won’t be in my hands for at least a week. What do you think is the best next step?
Thank you very much!
Hi Brandon,
It looks like your tank is cycling already. Those are all positive measurements. Keep testing each day and see what direction each is moving in. You’ll need a few days of data here before you can make a judgement call but based on this, there is nothing to worry about.
The only thing I would double check is your tap water, sometimes these chemicals are found in your tap water and can skew your readings. It’s always good to know what is in your tap water anyway!
Thank you for your quick reply!
I just checked through the county reports and did indeed find that in the water quality report that there are the following:
Fluoride: .8 ppm
Nitrate(as Nitrogen): .8 ppm
Chlorine(Free): 1.62 ppm
Chlorine(Total):1.71 ppm
Total Trihalomethanes(THMs): 38 ppb
Total Haloacetic Acids(HAA5): 9 ppb
I am currently using an Aquavitro alpha for reefs water conditioner. Do you think that is sufficient enough to condition my tap water for my tank or do you think I should purchase a different water conditioner? And also I believe my tap water could explain why I have some amounts of Nitrate. Is there anything I should watch out for?
Thank you again
I believe that water conditioner should work fine, however you are likely over paying for it (Aquavitro is Seachems overpriced in-store only brand) A bottle of Seachem Prime for your tank would be more than sufficient, I find it to be cheapest off amazon, so if your current conditioner runs low, order ahead. At the end of the day, both will work fine.
Again, everything seems about what you would expect. I’d work towards maintaining your 2ppm of ammonia and monitoring what your nitrites and nitrates do. Depending on where you are at in the cycle, I would expect nitrites to go up before dropping down to 0 while your nitrates rise continuously. If your nitrates get to the higher end of the chart, a water change will dilute them to measurable levels. Just make sure you re-dose with ammonia as this will also be diluted.
Hi my names Tim I’ve lost 6 arowanas in the past week Advice I love thirst fish and are tired of digging holes for them please help
Hi Time,
Not enough information to go off here. Check out this guide it covers all the most common reasons why fish die.
Before I found a pure Ammonia source, we have been using Fish Food.
Water is 80 degrees, ph 8.0, Ammonia 4 ppm, Nitrite 0.25, Nitrate 0
Should I continue the fish food cycling or switch to Ammonia? Do you use any water conditioners/treatments during cycling?
Hi Jim,
I don’t do the prawn/fish food method because you can’t dose a specific amount of ammonia. It’s much easier to identify what is happening in your tank through testing.
That’s not to say you can’t do it this way. This is just my preferred method, allowing me to easily troubleshoot. Since nitrites have appeared, your cycle is well underway. In your case, I would continue doing what you are now, since you are comfortable with it.
In a fishless cycle, the only thing you need is dechlorinator. Things like API quick start may help speed up your cycle, but there is no guarantee.
Mr. Sterling,
I added ammonia to my aquarium over 2 weeks ago. I conditioned my water and I have all my electronic components hooked up. As far as I can see everything is in perfect order, however, my ammonia levels haven’t budged. Nitrite levels remain at a hard zero.
PH 7.8
Ammonia 2ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Temperature is 78 degrees F
What could be wrong?
Hi Alan,
Have you made sure you are following the test kit instructions to the letter? It’s possible to make mistakes here and I just want to cross the obvious off the list.
You should be checking your reading outside in natural day light – the glow from indoor lighting can can make your test look off-color.
Next, have you tested your nitrate levels, just to see what is happening here?
It’s highly unusual for a cycle for stall for 2 weeks given your testing.
Ok, I was actually misreading my ammonia levels due to indoor lighting, they were much higher than I thought. I did a water change to bring it down to about 2ppm. Almost immediately I started getting a positive reading for nitrites. Soon my ammonia was dropping fast enough that I had to add more every day, then all of a sudden, it stalled. After a few days I realized I needed to check my ph and sure enough it was at a low 6.4. Another water change fixed this but now neither my ammonia nor my nitrites are dropping. Maybe the ammonia is very slowly but it’s difficult to tell. Did my cycle start all over because of the period of low ph?
6.4 is low, but it shouldn’t be low enough to cause a cycle to stall. Is there any other change you have made in this period? A sure fire way to test this would be to raise the pH (you can google the Sodium bicarbonate method) and if the cycle resumes, then that could have been the issue. Unfortunately, a lot of fish keeping is experimenting and finding what works for you.
M. Sterling ,
I have been following your guide in order to cycle my 10 gallon tank. I began cycling the tank on Dec 30, and everything seemed to be going as you mentioned until this week. Currently my levels are as such Temp 68 degrees , Ph levels 7-4 – 7-6, Ammonia 0 ppm , Nitrates 5 ppm ( water turns purple immediately ,) Nitrate between 10 – 20 ppm . I went ahead and did an 80% water change but the nitrites were still off the charts . What should I do , should I do another water change or just ride out the nitrite spike ?
Hi Liz,
I’m confused, what are your nitrite levels? A nitrite spike is normal, but if it’s outside your testing range, another water change won’t hurt. Just make sure you are using your test kit as per the instructions and reading it outside in natural light – orange lighting can throw off your results.
I am using the API freshwater master kit and the highest nitrite readable level is 5.0 ppm . I have been reading them in natural light I was just worried since the levels didn’t drop after such a large water change. I apologise it seems I typed nitrates instead of nitrites in my previous message .
Oh, I understand what you are saying now. No need to apologize, I have made the same mistake a million times now.
Because the card only goes up to 5ppm, it’s possible your nitrites exceeded 20 ppm. An 80% water change here would still put the nitrite in the water at 5ppm or higher. Try another 50% water change and see if you notice a difference?
68F is cold. Raise your temp during the cycle process to 85f to speed it up.
I have been following your instructions for a fishless cycle on a 44 gallon tank in setting up for Discus. Thought I was there last nite.
Temp 83.7
PH 7.4
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 pm
Nitrate 40 ppm
KH 107.4 ppm
Redosed with ammonia at original amount. Tested 24 hrs later
Temp 83.7
PH 7.4
Ammonia 0.25 ppm
Nitrite 1.0 ppm
Nitrate 80 ppm
KH 89.5 ppm
What should I do? Water change? Add more ammonia (full or half dose?) and hope in 24 hours it and nitrites drop again to 0???
Also when I do get 0 readings again and they stay for a few days, how do I maintain my cycle? When I confirm cycled it will take 7-8 days to receive my fish. Thank you!!
Hi Kay,
That all sounds positive. I’d keep adding ammonia and check again in a few more days – it needs to be zero within a 24 hour period. It sounds like you are almost there!
As for when you get your fish, dose daily with ammonia. You want to be able to maintain the ability for it to turn your dose of ammonia to zero each day until your fish are inside the tank.
Thanks Ian. I’ll do a half dose of ammonia again tonight and recheck tomorrow. Is it normal for ammonia to be zero and nitrites zero 24 hours after adding a half dose of ammonia and then to jump 24 hours after a full dose of ammonia? How many days of returning to zero do I have to have before I add another FULL dose of ammonia? And do I have to add a full dose of ammonia? Or can i just continue with half doses (confirming zero ammonia and nitrites) until fish arrive?
Also you say to do a partial water change after tank cycles, since I’m not adding fish right away do I do a partial water change after I confirm tank is cycled or wait until I’m ready to add my fish?
Thank you for your help.
Unfortunately there isn’t really such a thing as “normal” Due to the sheer number of setups, everyone experiences the cycle slightly differently. But based on what you are saying, I don’t see any cause for concern yet. If after another week the same is happening,then it’s time to investigate.
At this stage you should continue to add a full dose of ammonia once it hits zero and continue to do this until your tank is cycled and your fish arrive.
As for the partial water change, it entirely depends on your nitrates. I like to keep them on the low end as it allows me to determine the rate at which nitrite is converted to nitrate (as you may have noticed, your card has an upper limit after which it can no longer detect higher levels of nitrate) the excess levels don’t matter until you add fish though. So you can wait if you want.
Please let me know if any of this needs clarification. I’m on my phone and my thoughts are a little disjointed.
Will do. Thanks!
Oh by the way. I just reran all my tests again four hours after the last one. I didn’t add any ammonia or change anything. My parameters are now
PH 7.2
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrites are back to 0 ppm
Nitrates 80 ppm
KH 89.5 ppm
Will add full dose ammonia and retest in 24 hours.
Is it possible for things to change that quick? I’m sure I tested correctly before.
Thanks again. Will keep you posted.
Yeah it all happens quick towards the end of the cycle. This is really promising and should reassure you that you are almost there. Just keep adding a full dose daily and it won’t be much longer now.
Hi again Ian. Ok my tank is cycled! Time for my water change. How much of a water change should I do? Remember I don’t have my fish yet so I do t gave to worry about stressing them. Thanks.
Hi Kay,
That’s awesome that you reached the end. Well done! Since you have no fish in your tanks, I’d aim to get your nitrates down under 20. 10 is ideal. I suggest doing daily water changes of 50%. This will roughly halve your nitrate levels each water change. Depending on how high your levels got, this could be a few water changes. Don’t forget to dechlorinate the new water beforee adding it. Also keep adding that ammonia. 🙂
Hi again Ian. I’m having a bit of a problem with my newly cycled tank. I’ve done a water change everyday. Last water change was 50%. Brought my nitrate level down to 20. Level is back up to 80 again today. Can’t seen to lower it and have it stay down. I even did a water change of around 80% two days ago. Nitrates keep bouncing up to 80. Any suggestions? I’m dosing daily with ammonia as I don’t have fish yet. Ammonia and nitrite levels are consistent with my additions. PH has increased to 7.6 from 6.0when tank was first cycled. I’m going to have discus so a low PH was preferable any suggestions how to lower nitrates and keep them down. I have a 44 gallon tank with an Eheim Professionel 4+350 canister filter and a Hydor inline heater.
Hi Kay, is there anything else in your tank that could be breaking down and producing ammonia? If you suspect this is the case, give your tank a general clean.
According to Salifert 1 ppm ammonia –> 2.7 ppm nitrite –> 3.6 ppm nitrate.
So if you are dosing correctly, it shouldn’t be spiking back to 80 from 20 in a single day.
I’ve been dosing with ammonia daily. 24 hours later ammonia and nitrites are both at zero. So I dose again and in 24 hours both are zero again. I have 4 small sword plants and a couple small java ferns tied to a piece of Malaysian driftwood. Fluorite substrate with a layer of spectrastone gravel over it. Take water looks extremely clear and polished. I’m also running two air stones at a moderate flow.
Hi Kay,
Nothing really stands out there, unless your driftwood or ferns are rotting. Are you reading your tests outside in natural light. The day after a 50% water change bring nitrate down to 20, it shouldn’t be hitting 80. Not unstocked. If I was in your position, I’d get the nitrates down to 5 or even 10 and then record hourly, to see the rate of increase. The next step, unfortunately, is trial and error, removing things from your tank one at a time until you find the cause.
Just reran the nitrate year again. It’s at 80. And btw my tap water has these values
PH 7.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
KH 196.9
GH 53.7
Hi again Ian. I’m not sure but I might have found my problem but don’t know how to solve it.tge inside of my canister filter tubing is coated with some sort of algae or slime. Cannit tel what color it even is because tubing is black. Popped tubing from canister and tried to rinse it but it’s inpossible with the inline heater and the attachment for the canister. I cannot remove these things since they are really stuck on. Should not maybe use some type of additive to lower (or control) nitrates thus lowering algae?
Can you swap the tubing out completely? Additives will lock you in to using them for life and won’t really help with your nitrate issues.
In my area I would have trouble finding replacement tubing and I really don’t think I can get it off without ruining the inline heater and the connector for my canister. Very frustrating considering everything is brand new and not cheap. Could this be why my nitrate numbers keep bouncing back up? It’s strange though cause I haven’t had any jumps in ammonia levels OR nitrite. What would happen if I ran tank a day or so with zero ammonia and zero nitrite?
Hi Kay,
If you cut back on ammonia, the beneficial bacteria will die off. How quick this happens depends on a variety of different factors. The ideal is not to do it. As per my previous post, I’d retest hourly before using the process of elimination and using the results here to take action.