# Suggestions For Quick Cycle



## jimyycon (Dec 4, 2006)

- I bought the eco-complete plant substrate *which has nitrifying bacteria in it.
- I asked for a small handfull of bioballs from an established tank from my LFS.
- The amazon sword I bought was potted and contained some sort of insulator around the roots (very fibrous, like the stuff in your attic)so i dropped that into my filter.

I just started my new P tank 1 week ago. I put in live plants (some leaves died and are decaying); 4 small fish (danio, barb, large terta) and have been feeding them heavily; i dropped in a frozen cube of beefheart and have been letting it rot; the barb killed a tetra and i let it stay and rot.

My ammonia, nitrite and nitrate has remained at 0. I can't imagine i'll get a spike if I havent seen one already with pooping/peeing/rotting elements in my tank. Looks like the plats are taking care of the nitrite and nitrate.

These might be good ideas to get cycled quick. Good luck


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## TJcali (Mar 27, 2009)

sounds like your set man I usually take some of my filter media and water from my established tanks and put them in 
the new tank and filter a walla got a cycled tank in like 3 days


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

jimyycon said:


> - I bought the eco-complete plant substrate *which has nitrifying bacteria in it.
> - I asked for a small handfull of bioballs from an established tank from my LFS.
> - The amazon sword I bought was potted and contained some sort of insulator around the roots (very fibrous, like the stuff in your attic)so i dropped that into my filter.
> 
> ...


 If nitrate is at zero that most likly means bacteria hasnt converted ammonia in turn to nitrate which i think is becasue you didnt say you added an ammonia source


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## Piranha Dan (Nov 11, 2007)

What sort of test kit are you using and are you sure you're doing it right? I find it hard to believe that with all those ammonia sources there is no ammonia in that tank and/or no nitrates being produced. Unless you have like a 400 gallon tank?


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## jimyycon (Dec 4, 2006)

Simple dip strips for Nitrite/Nitrates, liquid test solution + vial for ammonia. Both of those are hard to mess up, i've been using them for 2 years.

Would all my plants not be a reason for the absence of nitrates? They're getting about 3W per gallon so I would think they're just eatin that stuff up...

This could very well all backfire on me, so we'll see. Fingers crossed


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Piranha Dan said:


> What sort of test kit are you using and are you sure you're doing it right? I find it hard to believe that with all those ammonia sources there is no ammonia in that tank and/or no nitrates being produced. Unless you have like a 400 gallon tank?


 I agree i didnt read the part about having fish and letting meat rot. How old are the test kits?


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## jimyycon (Dec 4, 2006)

All the tests are brand new, out of the package within a week.

I'm going to give it until next week and then i'll consider myself lucky. I'm hoping this was an "instant cycle" but i'm with you guys that i'd actually be more comfortable seeing SOMETHING.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

jimyycon said:


> All the tests are brand new, out of the package within a week.
> 
> *I'm going to give it until next week* and then i'll consider myself lucky. I'm hoping this was an "instant cycle" but i'm with you guys that i'd actually be more comfortable seeing SOMETHING.


Good plan. A liitle more time for a cycle will never hurt. Waiting is probably the hardest thing in this hobby. Its like christmas, but you cant open your presants for another week


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## jimyycon (Dec 4, 2006)

Holly Jolly torture


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Since it can take up to a week to have detectable amounts of ammonia you will find out soon enough.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

how big is the tank???????????

you may not have enough ammonia running in there and yes the plants
maybe eating the source up (how many plants)


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## jimyycon (Dec 4, 2006)

assclown said:


> how big is the tank???????????
> 
> you may not have enough ammonia running in there and yes the plants
> maybe eating the source up (how many plants)


- dead, rotting plant material
- 2 dead, rotting fish (rotted away now)
- 1 rotting beef heart cube (rotted away)
- 1 1" Barb; 2 1" Danios; 2 Mystery snails (all being fed very well)

- 30 gallon tank
- 1 medium Amazon Sword; about 6-8 4" tall random plants I picked up at Petsmart (temporary)

*Ammonia still reads 0. Nitrate 0. Finally got something on Nitrites = less than 1.0ppm.
There will only be one very small Spilo going in so the bioload will be less than what the bacteria has been used to thus far. 
There will be one water change tomorrow and the little guy comes in Friday morning. 
I'm considering myself lucky but I will be monitoring closely regardless.


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## assclown (Dec 12, 2005)

looks like it did cycle.....damn you should have gotten more 
ammonia readings, but good for you


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