# Cycling My Tank



## Deaner (Apr 18, 2006)

hey guys, had my tank running for roughly 3 weeks now, just wondering how much longer you guys think im going to have to wait for it to be fully cycled? i havent done any water changes, here are my parameters

Ammonia - .25
Nitrite - 1.0
Nitrate - 10

have 4 mollies in there right now, and its a 75 gallon tank.


----------



## Davebod89 (May 4, 2010)

Deaner said:


> hey guys, had my tank running for roughly 3 weeks now, just wondering how much longer you guys think im going to have to wait for it to be fully cycled? i havent done any water changes, here are my parameters
> 
> Ammonia - .25
> Nitrite - 1.0
> ...


If this is the first time your seeing nitrItes then your almost halfway, If you have already had the 'spike' then your are a day away







seeing as you have NitrAtes I'd say the later.


----------



## Deaner (Apr 18, 2006)

If this is the first time your seeing nitrItes then your almost halfway, If you have already had the 'spike' then your are a day away







seeing as you have NitrAtes I'd say the later.









[/quote]

to be honest i havent been testing everyday or anything, so im not sure. seems like its getting close i guess. Once it is cycled i should be doing a 50% water change, right?


----------



## Davebod89 (May 4, 2010)

50% at least mate, I did a 80% when I was cycling my Rhom tank.

The nitrAtes will be thorugh the roof, like 180ppm+ high.

you could do a 50% but test the NitrAte before you add fish


----------



## Deaner (Apr 18, 2006)

Davebod89 said:


> 50% at least mate, I did a 80% when I was cycling my Rhom tank.
> 
> The nitrAtes will be thorugh the roof, like 180ppm+ high.
> 
> you could do a 50% but test the NitrAte before you add fish


sweet, sounds great! mabey i will be getting my new puffers sooner than expected!


----------



## Davebod89 (May 4, 2010)

Glad to hear mate, Took me 4 weeks to cycle my tank,

I made a diary, daily water tests etc... But I did a fishless cycle.

Get some pics up when you can


----------



## Deaner (Apr 18, 2006)

Davebod89 said:


> Glad to hear mate, Took me 4 weeks to cycle my tank,
> 
> I made a diary, daily water tests etc... But I did a fishless cycle.
> 
> Get some pics up when you can


i definetly will, once i get the new fish and everything else in order


----------



## Davebod89 (May 4, 2010)

Looking forward to it


----------



## Deaner (Apr 18, 2006)

Hey guys just to add to this thread, checked my water tonight and i found the results rather strange. Looks like 0 ammonia and high nitrites. Is this normal near the end of the cycle process? When i first saw the 0 ammonia i thought the nitrites were going to be clear as well. Also i have brackish tank setup, could this be why the kit is coming up with random results? it says for fresh and saltwater use so i thought it would be fine.

Thanks
Deaner



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


----------



## crazy banana (Jan 8, 2009)

Deaner said:


> Hey guys just to add to this thread, checked my water tonight and i found the results rather strange. Looks like 0 ammonia and high nitrites. Is this normal near the end of the cycle process? When i first saw the 0 ammonia i thought the nitrites were going to be clear as well. Also i have brackish tank setup, could this be why the kit is coming up with random results? it says for fresh and saltwater use so i thought it would be fine.
> 
> Thanks
> Deaner
> ...


When your nitrifying bacteria "ate" the ammonia, it converted it into nitrite, now a different bacteria is going to grow to take the nitrite down to 0. You will then get a nitrate spike, which you will remove with a heavy water change. You're going in the right direction, just give it some more time.


----------

