# cycle



## raykeown (Mar 8, 2004)

I have 24 goldfish in an 80 G for about 3 days now. I used established media from another tank. How long before i get a amonia spike. I have zero everything as of right now. ie...amonia, nitrite, nitrate


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## joefromcanada (Apr 16, 2004)

id probally give it a week, u should see some ammonia soon tho, but as i hear, every tank is different. my 30 gallon is almost done, id give it a day or two and its only been cycliing for 2 weeks, some people it takes over a month, and i had no estabilshed media.


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

Your ammonia should spike first. Then the nitrite will spike after that, And then you should get some nitrates after that. It takes some time for the ammonia to spike.
To speed it along you can throw a small piece of fish, or shrimp in there. That will start producing ammonia pretty fast. Wait till ammonia, and nitrite red zero after the spikes.


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## ViBE (Jul 22, 2003)

I dont know about you people, but I never cycle more than 1 week.

Those of you who cycle for more than a month, is crazy. My 180 wasn't cycled and my fish still survived. The only reason why my fishy died in the past was because of too much amount of water change.


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## joefromcanada (Apr 16, 2004)

piranhas are hardy fish and iwll normally survive a cycle, but ammonia burns or nitrite can have long term affects on a fish, weakin imune system, shorten life etc...


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## raykeown (Mar 8, 2004)

i just checked my water and zero amonia and zero nitrIte but 5 ppm on the nitrAte now.


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

It's maybe because the filter is established, And under a light load.
Those golds aren't gonna make as much of a bioload as the p's will. Kill a feeder, and let it sit. That will up the bioload.


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## raykeown (Mar 8, 2004)

im gonna have 5 6 inch reds in there should i kill 2 golds? lol


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## joefromcanada (Apr 16, 2004)

are u using "cycle"?


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## raykeown (Mar 8, 2004)

nope just some filter media from another tank.......I bought the media from a lfs 3 weeks ago and had them put it in one of their filters that does like 10 tanks. So I think its got lots of bacteria on it....I just dont want it to die before i get my p's in there. So i want to put a big enough load on it.


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## joefromcanada (Apr 16, 2004)

id say if u have ntirats and zero ammonia and nitrite with 24 golds, i put in 1 or 2 piranhas, that way it will slowly up the bioload, then add another and so on


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## Malice (Feb 19, 2004)

or just add a few capfulls of pure ammonia in the tank, then see if you get your ammonia spike.. lol

malice


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